Networking Class Project Problems

anon43920604 · August 17, 2015, 5:31pm

So, I am currently taking CIS204: Intermediate Routing and Switching, in my ECPI Network Sys Admin degree program.

Having a little trouble with my class project. But I can’t even really tell what I am doing wrong.

I’ll start off with the project objectives:
Your company network currently consists of workstations, switches and routers. There are 12 departments in the company. The company has agreed to use the class B address range. The company has a requirement that each department be assigned their own subnet and the subnets should be designed to allow for the maximum number of hosts on each subnet.

In Part 1 of the assignment you will create the IP addressing scheme and assign IP addresses for use by the hosts and routers.

In Part 2 of the project, the Sales department would like their devices grouped with a VLAN. First you will configure workstations and a router to establish connectivity. Next you will configure a VLAN so only the Sales department workstations can communicate while all other workstations are able to communicate.

In Part 3, you will create access lists to restrict traffic between departments. The HR and Payroll departments are jointly creating a new benefits system. The HR department is the only department that should access the Payroll subnet. All hosts on the network should be able to access the HR department though.

So far, we just finished part 2, part 3 is this week. The lab work itself is done via a VM accessed when we enter the lab via a web browser. With CLI windows that open up, and remote desktop windows for the hosts.

Part two seemed relatively simple to me. Configure the ip addresses, subnet masks, etc, on the hosts and routers for the Sales, HR, and Payroll departments (host and one router per department).

Here are the addresses I used.

Payroll Department
Host: 172.16.96.2 | 255.255.240…0 | 172.16.96.1
Router Fast Ethernet 0/0: 172.16.96.1
Router Serial interface 0/0: 172.16.255.5 | 255.255.255.248
Router Serial interface 0/1: 172.16.255.6 | 255.255.255.248

All of the routers were using RIP v2 in order to support VLSM. And now for some screenshots.
show ip route results from HR and Payroll routers

show ip protocol results from the HR router

ping results from the Payroll host, attempting to ping the HR host

So basically, I don’t understand what I did wrong. Anyone care to take a crack at this mess?

@DeusQain just in case you wanted more info than what I PM’ed you with.

Edit: This is what the network diagram looks like when you open the lab

DeusQain · August 17, 2015, 6:23pm

Well, first off, each of the Serial links need to be unique.

I hate these classroom network designs. Maximum number of ips per subnet. merp..
do you have to use a class B? can you use a class A? just to show off?

You can use a /18 and make it even more annoying.

so you would have ranges of this.
HR
172.16.0-63.x
Sales
172.16.64-127.x
Payroll
172.16.128-191.x

Then you use the last subnet for the serial links
and you subnet it further.

172.16.192-255.x gets segmented into the serial connections, which have to be unique even to each other.

Sales Department
Host: 172.16.0.2 | 255.255.192.0 | 172.16.0.1
Router Fast Ethernet 0/0: 172.16.0.1 | 255.255.192.0
Router Serial interface 0/0: 172.16.255.1 | 255.255.255.252
Router Serial interface 0/1: 172.16.255.2 | 255.255.255.252

HR Department
Host: 172.16.64.2 | 255.255.192.0 | 172.16.64.1
Router Fast Ethernet 0/0: 172.16.64.1 | 255.255.192.0
Router Serial interface 0/0: 172.16.255.5 | 255.255.255.252
Router Serial interface 0/1: 172.16.255.6 | 255.255.255.252

Payroll Department
Host: 172.16.128.2 | 255.255.192.0 | 172.16.128.1
Router Fast Ethernet 0/0: 172.16.128.1
Router Serial interface 0/0: 172.16.255.8 | 255.255.255.252
Router Serial interface 0/1: 172.16.255.9 | 255.255.255.252

DeusQain · August 17, 2015, 6:24pm

You may also have to turn on RIPv2 or EIGRP on each router to allow them to know the other networks exist.

anon43920604 · August 17, 2015, 6:25pm

We are required to use class B. And RIPv2 is turned on, on all the routers.

The way that the serial connections where explained to me, is that each of them needed to be on the same subnet in order to communicate with one another.

Also, as far as I can understand, the fastethernet interfaces are basically the gateway address for the hosts, correct?

DeusQain · August 17, 2015, 6:28pm

pffft... well, your subnets are not that bad, but you need to separate your serial links. They should all be /30s.

DeusQain · August 17, 2015, 6:29pm

two serial links need to be on the same network, but each two links segment needs to be different from the others.

anon43920604 · August 17, 2015, 6:29pm

ooooooooooh.

I think I understand now. Thank you so much. Going to see if I can get into the lab again and try that just to see if it works. I don't care as much about the grade as I do about getting it right.

DeusQain · August 17, 2015, 6:35pm

as far as the VLAN stuff. it's almost pointless. considering you are already separating the networks.

a VLAN would just add another layer of bullshit. You could do this all on a single switch with VLANs and it would make more sense.

anon43920604 · August 17, 2015, 6:38pm

I'm certain it would. Sadly I can't change the project.

I'll post here my results from the lab. My reservation for the lab time is at like, 9pm tonight (eastern time). I know I'm not the only one having trouble because 8 other people have reserved time today for part two, which was due last night.

Thanks again for the help, feel free to use anything here in a video if you do one on subnetting. Which I would absolutely watch, probably several times.. I hate that feeling of not fully understanding something, and that's how I feel about subnetting, as though I don't completely understand it.

DeusQain · August 17, 2015, 8:14pm

Feel free to update this if you bump into any other issues.

or if you figure out what they are asking with the VLAN.

Unless they are trying to get you to join the Sales and Payroll networks, by putting them on the same VLAN...

DeusQain · August 17, 2015, 8:56pm

To answer your other question, the FastEthernet interfaces on the router, are how the router communicates to that specific network.

a Gateway address, tells a device, in this case a computer, "To what IP should I send my packets if I am not knowledgable of where the destination is."

i.e.
Host1 I'm at 172.16.15.27, I want to send a packet to 8.8.8.8, I am directly attached to 172.16.0.0/16, My "Next Hop Gateway" (default route/Gateway) address is, 172.16.0.1. Do I have knowledge of 8.8.8.8? No. Send to Gateway.

The Router: 2 interfaces: E0=172.16.0.1/16 and S0=172.255.255.254/30 My Default Gateway is 172.255.255.253
Router0: Do I have an entry in my routing table for 8.8.8.8? Yes! I find it through 172.255.255.253, send packet there.

This goes on until it reaches 8.8.8.8. (it gets a little more complicated but that's the basic idea.)

anon43920604 · August 17, 2015, 9:26pm

That was a better explanation than anything I've seen in my textbook lol

Edit: Also, as far as I could tell from the more detailed instructions included in the part 2 lab, there was nothing to do with the VLAN, which is weird.

Eden · August 17, 2015, 9:34pm

It'll be an academic exersize (its stupid). Like one I had where i(my group) asked the question Q: why does this network diagram have two locations 50 miles apart connected via two standard routers on 1000base-t ethernet? A: pretend it works.

anon43920604 · August 17, 2015, 9:37pm

I'm not entirely sure. It seems like they made the original outline of the project, then dropped that part of it from the actual lab assignment you end up doing in part 2.

Just checked, even on part 3, the instructions mention nothing about a VLAN. Part 3 is just access lists.

That's the instructions lol.. Only thing below what you see is about taking more screenshots, and doing "show run" from all of the routers so the instructor can check all the lab logs etc.

DeusQain · August 17, 2015, 10:49pm

Also, Just as a side note. (I hate serial interfaces)

You have to make sure you bring them up in order, AND the cables have to be wired correctly in a real world environment. One end of the cable is DCE, which is why it's specified on the diagram.

So much hate...........

DeusQain · August 17, 2015, 10:51pm

I would argue that the individual who designed this network is incompetent and I demand to have a more accurate diagram. Even if that diagram is "We pretend there is an MPLS circuit between these two routers that we are not responsible for"

Which I actually did in my Cisco classes.

anon43920604 · August 17, 2015, 10:55pm

How do you determine the correct order to bring them up in?

I would argue that this network makes no sense, but it's an online school so, not much they can do about it. That diagram is from the instructions. The actual diagram in the lab itself is interactive, to some extent.

anon43920604 · August 18, 2015, 12:50am

Sooo........my professor gave feedback on my project part 2 assignment.

100/100

Seriously, the network, as it sat, didn't work......so......WHAT THE FUCK?!

deejeta · August 18, 2015, 6:11am

A professor gave out this assignment..... thats is a worry.

For the ACL you can get away with a standard one. on the inbound S0 and S1 ports on the Payroll router

access-list 100 permit (HR subnet) (mask)
access-list 100 deny any any

then for the interfaces

interface s1
access-list 100 in
interface s0
access-list 100 in

Geoff · August 18, 2015, 7:18am

Not a direct solution to your Networking problem, but a really useful resource for any student of networking issues.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/danscourses/videos