A Network Implementation Class Exercise: BusinessQuest Business Incubator, LLC

1. CASE SUMMARY This paper describes a class exercise that requires student teams to implement a data network that addresses a realistic business problem. The business client is an entrepreneurial incubator company called BusinessQuest, LLC. In the exercise BusinessQuest has rented space in a nearby airport office park building and needs a local area network (LAN) set up to support five client businesses, called 'Startups'. Students are asked to set up the BusinessQuest LAN using instructor-provided computers, cabling, routers and switches. Students work in teams of three to five members. Each team is assigned one of the BusinessQuest Startups and installs the network for that client. Each team also works with other teams to ensure proper installation of the overall network for BusinessQuest. The students follow a series of quality control steps that require them to apply established policies and standards, document their planned actions and get approval before proceeding to the next step. The documentation and the physical network setup serve as deliverables for grading. The exercise has been performed with classes of up to five teams and can be conducted in any classroom where there is network Internet access. The exercise can be completed in one 75 minute class or two, 50 minute classes. The typical audience for the exercise includes undergraduate business majors who have had little if any exposure to network concepts prior to the course. Students are usually MIS major or minors, and are familiar with basic programming concepts. 2. CASE TEXT Congratulations! Your team has been awarded a contract to set up a network for BusinessQuest, LLC, an incubator company for small, start-up businesses. The purpose of the incubator is to provide office space, business expertise, and information technology to assist entrepreneurs in growing their businesses. BusinessQuest itself has just started and is located in a small office in the Airport Office Park. The one room warehouse space leased by BusinessQuest is large enough to house 6 cubicle-style mini-offices: one for the BusinessQuest staff and 5 cubicles for the 5 start-up companies currently working with BusinessQuest. Each start-up business has been allocated two computers. Printers have been ordered, but have not arrived, and so printers will not be part of the network you set up. Each start-up business needs access to the Internet, but the startups do not need to communicate directly with each other. The start-ups function as separate business entities. One or two additional computers may be issued to a start-up in the future if their growth makes it necessary. Your team has been assigned to one of the start-ups at the Airport Office Park. You must work with each of the other teams, who represent the other start-ups, to install the network. There is one port in the BusinessQuest office, which acts as a gateway to the backbone that provides the Internet connection. The port also provides access to a DNS server. The backbone and DNS server are maintained by the office park IT personnel. Initial traffic to and from the start-ups is expected initially to be low, but hopefully will grow quickly to a moderate (not high) level. BusinessQuest's budget is limited, but they are committed to providing good network performance for the start-ups. BusinessQuest has hired a full-time IT director, Elizabeth Smith, who goes by the nickname of Bitsy. Bitsy has established policies and standards for BusinessQuest contractors that must be followed. Included with this assignment is an email Bitsy sent out to all of the IT contractors regarding the policies and standards. Bitsy has ordered the network equipment, which will be available to you when you start the work. This is Bitsy's first month as IT director and she believes in a hands-on approach to management. Also, in the past there have been problems with contractors who did not have the requisite knowledge to complete their contracts. …