Lab 7.3.6 Identifying Risks and Weaknesses in the Design

Task 1: Identify areas of risk and weakness in the server farm implementation

Step 1: Analyze the physical topology

Examine the server farm topology as one entity and as a part of the entire FilmCompany topology. Look for each of the risks and weaknesses listed in the chart. Describe the devices, connections, and issues that you find, or record None found if the design appears to avoid risks in that area.

Weakness	Risk	Description of Location and Devices
Single point of failure	If a device fails, a portion of the network will be inoperable.
Large failure domain	If a device or link fails, a large portion of the network will be affected
Possible bottlenecks	If the traffic volume increases, there is a potential for response time to degrade.
Limited scalability	If the network grows more rapidly than expected, a costly upgrade will be needed.
Overly-complex design	If the design is too complex, the current staff will not be able to support it properly.
Other possible weaknesses (specify):

Step 2: Analyze the results and conclusions of the testing

Basic router and switch configurations were modified to support the following protocols and functions.

Evaluate the results and conclusions that were drawn from the testing. Identify any areas where modifications to the configuration would provide better results, both now and in the future.

	No Change Needed	Modifications Possible
VLAN port assignments
VTP client/server assignments
Root bridge designations
Switch security
Traffic filtering through ACLs
Other (specify):

Task 2: Suggest modifications to the design to address identified risks and weaknesses

From the analysis performed in Task 1, list each risk or weakness and suggest possible changes to the

design to minimize or eliminate it.