ABSTRACT
This work is designed to provide assistance in
engaging and overcoming challenges involved in troubleshooting and maintenance
of local area networks. It is presented in such simplified, easy-to-use way,
that even users who are not experts in the field of networking, computer and/or
communication engineering can relate with, and can apply its expertise to
obtain various network solutions. Whenever there is a need to monitor a
computer network and/or to troubleshoot in the event of a fault, the software
package which is the end product of this project work can be installed or run
on any of the computers within the network. With the assistance offered by the
software, and with the wealth of a thorough knowledge-base captured within the
software package, the needed solution for rectification of the network will be
reproduced for the operator to apply. Hence, it is termed ‘Expert System for
Local Area Network Troubleshooting’.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1) BACKGROUND
The Information age has brought about so much reliance on
information and data communication in many respects, and the focus seems to
culminate on the internet and on various networks. Local Area Networks (LAN)
are now common in interconnecting offices, firms or organizations within a
location; Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN) are employed over cities or such
large geographical areas; Wide Area Networks (WAN) are employed over much
larger geographical regions. All these technological advances are all geared
towards efficient communication/dissemination of information at the fastest
possible time.
Hence, networks (especially,
Local Area Networks or LAN) have become a common feature for most modern firms
or organizations – whether it is an office, hospital, hotel, church premises,
educational institutions, or even residential premises, etc.
A network can be defined as a set of devices or nodes connected by
communication links. These nodes or devices can be a computer, printer, or any
other such device capable of transmitting and/or receiving data [1]. LANs are
commonly used to interconnect different computers to provide for collaborative
computing and knowledge management within a firm. Sometimes this
interconnectivity can be linked through an internetwork. In such cases, the
local network of computers is linked to the internet through appropriate
hardware (router, modem, etc).
However, a major hitch in this
success trend is the fact that networks have shown to be easily vulnerable to
break-down. This could be attributed to several factors – problems from the
interconnecting nodes (computers, printers, etc), or the physical cable connections,
or from the communication hardware equipment, etc. These all contribute to the
vulnerability of the network. Another major reason for this vulnerability lies
on the fact that because of the interconnected nature of a network system, a
problem affecting any node on the network could possibly spread to other nodes
within the network, thereby shutting down the entire system. This is especially true for certain
network topologies such as the Star and Ring network topologies.
This vulnerability precipitates
a need for provision of continuous/scheduled repairs and maintenance of the
network, especially in the event of a fault. Thus, troubleshooting and
maintenance is to be an integral part of the network administrative process.
1.2) AIMS
AND OBJECTIVES
The major
objectives of this project are to provide for the following:
·
An expert system in the form of a
software package, which can run on any system in the computer network and
assist in the troubleshooting and maintenance of the LAN.
·
The software package to serve as a
guide to its users in carrying out troubleshooting and maintenance functions
through the help of its step by step instructions.
·
An expert system that can function
as a tutor/trainer for getting knowledge and insight into the operation of
networks (especially LANs)
1.3) THE
NEED FOR THE PROJECT WORK
One vital importance of this
project work is that it can provide a means to effectively deal with the
challenge of real-time troubleshooting and network maintenance. In
communication networks, a major challenge is the ability to keep the network
operational at all working/needed times. Communication networks are known for
their potential to break-down easily. As such, any organization utilizing such
a network should have quick and effective means to restore a network that is
faulty or malfunctioned, back to order. This will involve readily available
means of troubleshooting and/or maintenance to be done on the network, and all
its equipment – both hardware and software. This project serves such a purpose.
Again, this project work will
serve as a tool to provide thorough knowledge and training to non-network
professionals, and/or differing experienced levels of network operators
in performing network functions. The manner of presentation after which this
work was compiled will prove to be very useful as a tutorial for network
functions.
1.4) SCOPE
OF THIS WORK
This work is focused basically
on Local Area Networks (LAN). It also covers internet network administration
and maintenance within a localized area, for example, in an internet cyber café
or a learning and research centre, or an office premises interconnected with an
internetwork (such as Banks). It is concerned with providing assistance through
the use of software in performing network maintenance functions. The block
diagram showing the various project development stages is shown in Figure 1.1.
The scope of this work is not
primarily focused on larger networks (WANs, MANs, etc), however, this work will
definitely offer a guide in understanding the operations of these other larger
networks.
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================================================================Item Type: Project Material | Size: 96 pages | Chapters: 1-5
Format: MS Word | Delivery: Within 30Mins.
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