Provision of system engineering - design, plan, implementation - for new cabling and LAN switches, to improve LAN performance stemming from a poor design.

Team Members - Consultant x 1, Engineer x 3.
Users - 60
Project Duration - 2 Months
Project Effort - 1.5 Person-Months
Sites - Japan, Europe HQ

Problems

• Cabling was set up by several vendors over time, and quality was not a concern. Wiring was in a "spaghetti" state.
• Violations of IEEE standards for ethernet cabling were the norm, with "mini hubs" under desks.
• Floors had multiple connects between them, to different parts of the network.
• There was no clear path from one segment to the next.
• Performance on the LAN and consequently the WAN was very poor.

Solution

• Perform system engineering process for design, planning and implementation of system to modern specs, with industry-standard stuctured cabling.

Benefits

• Performance problems solved.
• Clear documentation created, allowing client flexibility to make business decisions regarding their new system.
• HQ IT department satisfied that new system meets global specs.
• Cabling installed and fully tested by certified installer, giving client a guarantee on the cabling.

Technology Highlights

• Rittal structured rack enclosures.
• HP gigabit ethernet switches.
• Lucent Cat 5e and 6 structured cable and components.