BASEHOR-LINWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT

Transcription

1 BASEHOR-LINWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT Network Overview- June 2013 Performed by Southeast Kansas Educational Service Center-

2 Contents Introduction... 1 Overview... 1 Observations/Recommendations... 1 District-Wide... 1 District Office... 1 BLHS... 2 BLMS... 2 BES... 2 BIS... 3 GRES... 3 LES... 3 BLVS... 3 Appendix A... 4 Equipment Pricing... 4 Appendix B... 5 Options... 5 i

3 Introduction was requested by Basehor-Linwood (BL) to conduct a technology infrastructure audit. The purpose of the audit was to determine the existing functionality and efficiency of the network at all school locations with the emphasis being placed at Basehor-Linwood Middle School. Basehor-Linwood is implementing a 1:1 ipad initiative with the 6 th and 7 th grades starting the school year. Overview The morning of May 24, 2013, the Executive Technology Support team of Denise Grasso, Brian Boore, Mike Fisher, and Brad Miller met with the BL Administrative and Technology teams to discuss the scope of work. The BL team expressed concern over the stability and efficiency of their technology infrastructure. Several needs were expressed such as: sluggish performance of Internet based services and access in general, student usernames/password for Internet tracking, wireless guest services, low wireless coverage within the HS English and Social Studies wings as well as at Basehor Elementary. Observations/Recommendations On June 12 th, Technology staff along with BL staff members, Jan Laffoon and Jill Kirn, spent the morning visiting the District Office and district schools. NOTE: At the time of writing this report, we were still waiting for requested network documentation and switch configurations. Observations and recommendations were limited at this time due to school being out of session. District-Wide Observations: The district had a single 50Mbps Ethernet Internet connection from Knology, Inc. The 50Mbps connection was distributed to all district campuses via 100Mbps optical fiber WAN. The current Help Desk solution was not in use. A system for monitoring network bandwidth of either the WAN or building campus LANs was not in place. Network diagrams were not available for review. Recommendations: Upgrade 50Mbps Internet connection to 100Mbps. Upgrade the WAN switches at each district campus to 1000Mbps. Implement a Help Desk system using Spiceworks which is free of charge. Spiceworks can assist with building a knowledge base as well conduct inventory of network connected devices. Install a network bandwidth monitoring system such as Catci which is free of charge. District Office Observations: The District Office was the location for most primary services, the single Internet connection, DNS, DHCP, and First Class. The primary services, except for Internet, were found running on old hardware dating as far back as All file servers were sitting outside on the public (external) network therefore all internal clients pulling/pushing data from those servers was routed through the Palo Alto firewall appliance. Firewall/filter appliance was believed to be overloaded with I/O responses. Network switch age ranged from 3-10 years old. Decommissioned computers were stacked in the server room as were some decommissioned network devices which still remained in the network racks. Network racks were cluttered with tangled patch cables and the available cable management was not fully utilized. Wireless LAN consisted of Apple AirPorts. The AirPorts were all set to channel 11 and therefore had the potential to interfere with one another which caused the loss data. Uninterruptable Power Supply, UPS, batteries depleted and need replaced. 1

4 Recommendations: Move primary services to new servers. Upgrade DNS servers and add external DNS to the DHCP assignments. Verify and clean up any obsolete IP addresses within DNS. Primary service servers should be moved from the public (external) to the private (internal) network to reduce workload on the Palo Alto appliance and also to better protect them from an attempted external security breach. Upgrade 50Mbps Internet connection to 100Mbps. Add a DSL connection, 10Mbps minimum, for failover service should the primary 100Mbps connection be interrupted and could also use for possible guest Internet services. (DSL connections should be eligible for e-rate.) An inexpensive firewall/router will need to be added as well and should include an automatic failover function to the building s DSL line. Upgrade switches to Gigabit (1000Mbps). Replace Apple AirPorts with an a/b/g/n managed wireless system. Improve organization of network racks by adding additional cable management, using proper length of patch cables, devise color coding, and remove any unused equipment. Calculate power consumption and replace existing UPS with a Smart UPS. Smart UPS allows for power outage monitoring/notification and warns of impending battery replacement. BLHS Observations: All network switches were of the HP brand. The models varied between 10/100Mbps and 10/100/1000Mbps functionality. Fiber modules were installed for fiber interconnections between network closets. Some decommissioned Cisco switches still remained in the network racks. Apple AirPorts were needed to be reset on a regular basis if many users got on at the same time. UPS devices in all network closets were non-functional. and should include an automatic failover function to the building s DSL line. Replace UPS with Smart UPS for monitoring. BLMS Observations: Primary wireless network system consisted of Apple Airports. Airports were all set to channel 11. This caused wireless devices to lose connectivity due to signal interference. Airports were improperly spaced and caused areas of low signal strength. Airports locked up frequently and would need rebooted. The network closets were relatively organized. Most contained older Cisco switches however a newer HP 48 port 10/100/1000Mbps switch was installed. and should include an automatic failover function to the building s DSL line. Replace Apple AirPorts with an a/b/g/n managed wireless system. With the school moving to a 1:1 with ipads in the 6 th and 7 th grades, the need for maximum coverage is imperative. Additional access points are needed in each grade level hallway as well as any area such as Commons, Library, Gym, etc, where a large number of devices could be grouped together. BES Observations: Contained older Cisco switches along with a newer HP 48-port switch. Fiber, running at 100Mbps, interconnects each of the network closets. Non-functional UPS. 2

5 and should include an automatic failover function to the building s DSL line. Replace UPS with Smart UPS for monitoring. BIS Observations: The school was recently built and the network infrastructure was in very good to excellent condition. Recommendations: Minimal work needed as the building is fairly new. Replace Apple AirPorts with an a/b/g/n managed wireless system. Add a DSL connection, 10Mbps minimum, for failover service should the primary 100Mbps connection be interrupted and could also use for possible guest Internet services. (DSL connections should be eligible for e-rate.) An inexpensive firewall/router will need to be added as well and should include an automatic failover function to the building s DSL line. GRES Observations: Contained an older Cisco switch. Non-functional UPS and should include an automatic failover function to the building s DSL line. Replace UPS with Smart UPS for monitoring. LES Observations: Mixture of Cisco and HP switches. Fiber interconnects network closets as well as to BOE WAN. Non-functional UPS. and should include an automatic failover function to the building s DSL line. Replace Apple AirPorts with an a/b/g/n managed wireless system. Replace UPS with Smart UPS for monitoring. BLVS Observations: FirstClass server located at District Office was running on a Mac server approximately 10 years of age. Server sat on the public network which added an additional workload to the Palo Alto firewall when students/staff accessed from within the district. Recommendations: Migrate FirstClass to a new server. Relocate the server to operate on the BLHS network segment and then NAT another connection through the firewall for public access. 3

6 Appendix A Equipment Pricing Make Model Est. Quantity Unit Price Total Notes Apple Mac Mini with 4- DO, BLHS, 7 $ 1, $ 10, Server OS BLMS, LES Drobo 5D 5Bay 15TB Thunderbolt 5x3TB 2 $ 1, $ 3, BLHS, BLMS HP SFP-2SFP+ Switch 1 $ 6, $ 6, DO HP G 3 $ 1, $ 3, BES HP G 2 $ 2, $ 4, DO, GRES HP Gigabit SX Fiber Modules 12 $ $ 3, per school Ubiquiti UniFi Pro A/B/G/N Access Points 21 $ $ 4, BLMS 3 Days Labor for Per 1 Per Agreement Ubiquiti Agreement BLMS Sonicwall TZ-215 Firewall/Router 6 $ $ 3, per school * 5 Days Labor for Switches and Per Routers- 2 5 Per Agreement Agreement * See Note $500/day * 5 Days Labor for Servers- 1 $500/day 5 Per Agreement Per Agreement $ 40, * See Note NOTE: District may choose to phase in either installation or both. District may also select to complete everything at once. 4

7 Appendix B Options 1. owncloud- A browser interface connecting users to their data stored on locally housed servers. The interface works with most devices. Hosted on local server. 2. Ubiquity UniFi- Replace Apple AirPorts at remaining buildings. $600 for a 3-pack of a/b/g/n radios. Will need to perform a follow up visit to determine exact locations for access points. 3. Professional Development- Assistance will any training needs as determined by school district. Pricing varies. 4. On-site Technical Support- On going throughout school year. $400/day. 5