Networking report due Sunday 11am PST (No lateness, no gambling with this)

Stage 2, 3, and 4 instructions and case study

IFSM 310 3D Printing Stage 2 Assignment

Before you begin this assignment, be sure you have:

• Completed all previously assigned readings, including the Week 1 reading "Differences among Computer Systems, Computer Information Systems, and Communication Networks."

• Read the “3D Printing Case Study."

• Reviewed the feedback on your 3D Printing Stage 1 Assignment.

Mark has reviewed what you provided to him in Stage 1 and he has asked that you tell him what components he will need to support his "Expansion Plan." In addition to creating more 3D printed products, he needs to be able to manage his customer orders, supplies, employees, etc. He wants to replace his spreadsheet of customer orders with a small business enterprise resource management (ERP) information system in his facility to help him manage his business effectively. Review the section of the Case Study entitled "Mark's Expansion Plan" and the additional information provided below to identify all of the requirements Mark has laid out. He wants you to tell him what components he will need and what they do.

Mark has also asked for a diagram that shows how the components you identify will be set up and connected to create his local area network in the 3D printing facility. In order to prepare a diagram, Mark has provided the following description of his facility and his operation.

The facility in the industrial park that I am currently using has a manager's office, a large supply storage area, a loading dock, and a large open area where the 3D printing operation occurs. When supplies are unloaded and put into the storage area, I would like for my employees to be able to update the inventory system (which would be a part of the ERP system). When an employee takes supplies from the storage area to be used in the printing and packaging processes, I want them to update the inventory system. I currently accept customers' orders via the telephone and email (through my Gmail account; I have my email address on my Facebook page). My FiOS internet connection drop is in my office area. When I get the ERP system, I want to be able to enter the customer orders into the ERP system. I also need to use the ERP to store my employee records and to have payroll information. Finally, I also want to keep all my financial records (orders, invoices, etc.) in the ERP. As I said earlier (in the Case Study), I want my employees to be able to access the 3D printing systems through a mobile device of some sort so they can move around the facility.

On the diagram, he would like you to designate where the components you listed will be located in his facility – which items will be in his office, which will be elsewhere in the facility, and which ones will be used by employees as they move around the facility.

Assignment:

This assignment has two parts:

1. Future IT infrastructure - Mark has two fundamental IT needs for his business. He needs to be able to create the 3D printed products and he needs to be able to manage customer orders, supplies, employees, etc. To help him understand each component, including those he already has in place, you will:

   1. List and describe the components (hardware, software, security devices, network devices, wired/wireless devices, internet, and databases, as appropriate) needed for the computer system(s) to be used to create the 3D printed items.

   2. List and describe the components (hardware, software, security devices, network devices, wired/wireless devices, internet, and databases, as appropriate) Mark will need to implement a small business enterprise resource management (ERP) information system in his facility to help him manage his business effectively. Some of these will be the same as some components listed for the 3D system.

   3. Explain the relationships among the 3D computer system, the information system, and the communication networks that support both types of systems and how they fit together to provide Mark all the IT capability he needs to run his business.

1. Create one or two original graphical representations of your specific technology solution. Include all the components listed in Part 1. The file “Example Network Diagram” shows the level of detail needed and provides sample icons for use in constructing your drawing, if you choose to use them. You should include labels as to what each device is and what the purpose of the component is, e.g., router, switch, email server, database server, system administration PC, etc. The make/model/capacity/etc. of the devices does not need to be included – simply their generic device type (router, switch, server, etc.) and their function, if appropriate (email, database, etc.). You may create a single graphic to represent all of the systems, or you may create a graphic of the computer systems used for the 3D printing and a second graphic for the ERP information system and other systems Mark is using; the network components needed for each system should be included on the applicable graphic(s).

Formatting:

• Part 1 should be 1-2 single spaced pages in length, and be in Microsoft Word format, or a format that can be read in Word.

• Part 2 is an original graphic diagram(s) that should be included in the same document. If you have too much difficulty inserting the diagram, you may provide it as a separate file that can be read by Word, Excel or PowerPoint.

• Compare your work to the Grading Rubric below to be sure you have met content and quality criteria.

• Your submission should include your last name first in the filename: Lastname_firstname_Stage_2

GRADING RUBRIC:

The "right" and "wrong" answers have to do with whether or not you correctly incorporated the course vocabulary and concepts from the textbook to support your choices and have addressed all parts of the assignment. 

IFSM 310 3D Printing Stage 3 Assignment

Before you begin this assignment, be sure you:

• Have completed all previously assigned readings.

• Read the “3D Printing Case Study."

• Reviewed the feedback on your 3D Printing Stage 1 and Stage 2 Assignments.

It is several months later and Mark has implemented your recommendations for his IT infrastructure. Business is booming! Mark's father has seen what a great success Mark's 3D printing business is, and he wants to provide the capital to open two more facilities near Veterans Administration Hospitals in Memphis, Tennessee and Phoenix, Arizona. Mark is very excited about expanding his business and being located near service men and women who will benefit from his 3D printed accessibility and assistive devices. Since he has already purchased several server and storage devices to hold his designs and business information, he would like to retain that investment. One thing he has learned is that, with very high speed internet connections, the 3D design files can be downloaded in just a few seconds, so they would not have to be stored at each of his new locations. Mark's plan is to create two new facilities, each with the same number of 3D printers and staff as he has at his current location. The employees at the new locations will also need access to the ERP system to report their time and order supplies, etc.

Mark has asked you to explain how his IT infrastructure should be changed to accommodate these two new facilities and allow him to manage the overall enterprise as one business. Use the following outline for your paper:

1. List the components. In part 1 of your Stage 2 assignment, you listed the computer system, information system, and network components needed at Mark's facility. Here you will list which of those components (hardware, software, security devices, communication network and its devices, wired/wireless devices, internet, and data and information, as appropriate) will be located at each of the two new (remote) locations. (Create one list; it will be the same for both.) Some components may not be needed at the new locations; you should not list those. The new locations may require some components not in use at the original site; these should be included in the list.

2. Explain the changes that will be needed in Mark's current (existing) IT infrastructure to incorporate the two new locations, and handle the increase in the number of designs and orders and the additional employees.

3. Explain what is different in the IT infrastructure at the two new locations versus the IT infrastructure now in place at Mark's current facility, and explain why the differences exist.

4. Create an original graphical representation of the three facilities and show the devices that would be located at each location. Show how the locations would be connected and the devices required.

Formatting:

• Parts 1, 2, and 3 should be about 2 single spaced pages in length, and be in Microsoft Word format, or a format that can be read in Word.

• Part 4 is an original graphic diagram(s) that should be included in the same document. If you have too much difficulty inserting the diagram, you may provide it as a separate file that can be read by Word, Excel or PowerPoint.

• Compare your work to the Grading Rubric below to be sure you have met content and quality criteria.

• Your submission should include your last name first in the filename: Lastname_firstname_Stage_3

GRADING RUBRIC:

The "right" and "wrong" answers have to do with whether or not you correctly incorporated the course vocabulary and concepts from the textbook to support your choices and have addressed all parts of the assignment. 

IFSM 310 3D Printing Stage 4 Assignment

Before you begin this assignment, be sure you:

• Have completed all previously assigned readings.

• Read the “3D Printing Case Study."

• Reviewed the feedback on your 3D Printing Stage 1, 2 and 3 Assignments.

It is now a year later, and Mark has opened his two new facilities in Memphis, Tennessee and Phoenix, Arizona. All three locations are operating almost around the clock to create 3D printed accessibility and assistive devices. Mark and his father are planning to open several more facilities, also located near Veterans Administration Hospitals and rehab facilities.

Mark does not want to continue to increase his IT infrastructure at the original location and has decided to move all of his systems and files to a cloud service provider. You have recommended that since he has everything set up the way he wants it and the systems are performing well for him, that he just move what he has to an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud provider. Before Mark agrees to this, he wants to understand more about just how that would work, using his current systems and locations. He also has a lot of questions about how the communications systems work, and he wants to understand the protocols, the architecture and the four layer TCP model.

Use the following outline for your paper:

1. Provide an opening paragraph as an introduction that explains what is contained in the paper. (You might write this after you develop the rest of your paper.)

2. Explain what IT infrastructure changes will occur at the original location by telling Mark which components will be located at the IaaS cloud provider's location and what will remain at his facility. Explain any changes that are needed at the two remote locations in order to use the IaaS cloud services. Provide a list of which components will be located at the cloud location, at Mark's primary facility, and at the two remote locations.

3. Create an original graphical representation showing the cloud provider and the three current locations. Show which components will be located at the cloud provider's site and which will remain at the three locations. Label each component and the locations.

4. List the protocol involved for each communication link in the design, including internet connectivity, wired connections, and wireless connections. Be sure to include security protocols, as appropriate to the infrastructure design you created and the components you identified.

5. Explain the concept of a layered systems architecture to aid in communications and the benefit of a layered architecture such as the TCP or OSI model.

6. Using the four layer TCP model, explain what each layer's function is and how it will apply when Mark uses his ERP information system that will be located at the cloud service provider's location.

7. Using the four layer TCP model, explain what happens when a packet of information travels from the server at the cloud provider to a tablet device at Mark's facility. Be sure to identify the points at which each of the layers of the model are the primary enabler of the communication.

Formatting:

• All parts of the assignment except for the graphic should be about 3-4 single spaced pages in length, and be in Microsoft Word format, or a format that can be read in Word.

• Part 3 is an original graphic diagram that should be included in the same document.

• Compare your work to the Grading Rubric below to be sure you have met content and quality criteria.

• Your submission should include your last name first in the filename: Lastname_firstname_Stage_4

GRADING RUBRIC:

The "right" and "wrong" answers have to do with whether or not you correctly incorporated the course vocabulary and concepts from the textbook to support your choices and have addressed all parts of the assignment. 

3D Printing Case Study

In late 2015, Mark Peterson acquired a 3D printer from Best Buy for $500. As he began to play around with it, he discovered that he could use designs he downloaded from the Internet to create a wide variety of objects. One day as he was exploring designs on the website MyMiniFactory.com (https://www.myminifactory.com/), he came across a category of accessibility items. He was very excited to discover such things as an umbrella holder for a wheelchair, because his brother Peter uses a wheelchair for mobility. He downloaded the umbrella holder design and made one for Peter. The first time Peter used the umbrella holder, several people came up and asked him where he had gotten it. Of course, he was proud to say his brother had made it, but he had no idea how much it would cost for Mark to make one for a customer. Peter took the names and phone numbers of two people he encountered and promised to get back to them. When Peter approached Mark with the requests, Mark knew that he had found the start of something good. He figured out what the time and material cost would be to make the holders, called the interested parties, and made his first two sales.

As he continued exploring, Mark ran across an article describing ten 3D printable assistive and accessibility devices (https://3dprint.com/126214/103dp-devices-for-the-disabled/). After investing in a heavy duty 3D printer, Mark used his Facebook page to advertise his growing business in 3D printing assistive and accessibility devices. He soon had many orders and his 3D printing hobby became his fulltime occupation.

Mark rented space in an industrial park, bought two more wireless 3D printers, and hired two part-time assistants. He brought his PC from home to control the 3D printers, and set up an Internet connection using Verizon FiOS. His PC is connected to a FiOS modem which has a built-in wireless router. Mark obtains his 3D printing designs from sources on the internet. He uses Google email and keeps track of his orders on a spreadsheet on his PC.

Mark's Expansion Plan: Now, just three months later, he is ready to add seven more 3D printers and a 3D scanner, and hire five fulltime employees. Before he grows that much, he needs to set up his IT infrastructure to manage not only the additional 3D printers, but also to manage his business. He wants to implement a small business enterprise resource management (ERP) information system in his facility to help him manage his business (customer orders, invoices, supply ordering, employees, etc.) more effectively. He realizes he will also need a document printer to print invoices, etc. In addition, he wants each of his employees to have mobile access to the ERP system and the 3D design files and printers from anywhere in the facility, and he wants as much flexibility in which computers control which 3D printers as possible. He has a large collection of 3D print design files and has downloaded some training videos that he will use to train his new employees. Mark has already decided that he wants to store all of his 3D production files and his business management information locally in his facility, and to use cloud storage for his backup files.

Your assignment, which will be done in four stages, is to assist Mark in understanding what kind of infrastructure he needs; how it would be configured; how it will change when his business grows into a much larger, multi-location operation; and how the various devices communicate with each other. Specific instructions for each of the four staged assignments may be found under the Assignments tab.