customer’s Design Requirements.
What are the design requirements and how you can identify in a RFP? Let me define the design requirements? It is the scope of work required to meet client’s business requirements. The scope of work includes but not limited to upgrade network infrastructure, replace or add new services, devices. The next question is how we can find the client’s requirements. Most of the time client solicit proposal in the form of RFP. The RFP contains a broad list of client’s upgrading needs. A designer call the client, make a site visit to check client’s requirement listed in RFP. After verification, the designer submits the design requirements as his response to RFP. These design requirements are specific and meet all the broad requirements of client for upgrading the network.
Below are criteria to Extract design requirements of network from Client’s RFP, site visits and some testing of the network
• Existing topology, equipment, and software version
• IP addressing plan
• Scalability configuration (summarization, stub areas, etc.)
• List of advertised networks
• Link utilization
• Metric requirements for primary and backup links
Based on this information, the network engineer can decide about the tasks that are required. The existing network may not require topology, IP addressing, or any other changes. In a best case scenario, when the network is built following the Cisco recommended design, the new implementation is just an addition to the existing network
Identifying Other Requirements
In addition to network information, there are many other requirements for the successful creation of an implementation plan and for implementation:
• Site-specific implementation requirements
• Dependencies on the existing installation, related to site-specific implementation requirements
• Configuration and verification commands
• Implement schedule and resources
• Tools
I realize that some of items you cannot do in this project such as site visit and discuss with the client. But good news is that you are designing from ground zero and site visit and discussions with client may not have much impact on the design at this stage of the project.
I am copying a Design Scenario from Top-Down Network Design by Priscilla Oppenheimer to identify Business and Design requirements.
Criteria Level 100 Level 90 Level 80 Level 70 level 60 level 50 Level 40 Level 30 Level 20 Level 10 Level 0
Design Requirements 100 points
Identify correctly all Design Requirements of WWTC 90 points
Identify 95% of DRs without any error. 80 points
Identify 80% of DRs correctly. 70 points
Identify 70% of DRs Correctly. Missed few significant DRs 60 points
Identify 60% of DRs Correctly. Missed many significant DRs 50 points
Identify 50% of DRs Correctly. Missed many significant DRs 40 points
Identify 40% of DRs Correctly. Missed most of the significant DRs 30 points
Identify 30% of DRs Correctly. Missed most of the significant DRs 20 points
Identify 20% of DRs Correctly. Missed almost all of the significant DRs 10 points
Identify 10% of DRs Correctly. Missed almost all of the significant DRs 0 points
No submission
Overall Score Level 4
3 or more Level 3
2 or more Level 2
1 or more Level 1
0 or more
• Design Requirement: In any network design, or upgrade, only one thing is important and that is what customer wants. Some of the requirements are straightforward and some network requirements are derived from customer business goals, or improvement in production method, or cutting maintenance cost, or securing business information. The upgrade of network, should address these needs and these upgrades are called Design Requirements. ?WWTC document has given you lots of information about their business, business goals, security requirements and Active Directory requirements. Some requirements are straight forward such as they want faster network, want wireless network, and want VoIP. Some requirements are not stated directly, but they want to increase revenue, cut operating cost (Business Goal). Your task here is to create DRs which will support business goals and include all other requirements which they have stated clearly. ?Please read entire document carefully and sort out all direct and indirect design requirements. ?You would be evaluated on correct content of the assignment. You can write any way, and assignment has no page limit or style or format. ?Also, read Rubric and Design Requirement Assignment in Course Document.?