The Difference Between Logical and Physical Network Design

The Difference Between Logical and Physical Network Design

Abstract

Connecting computers together to create a network greatly increases the communication capabilities and can even save a company substantial amounts of time and money. A well thought out network design from a small home network to a large corporate intranet can be a deciding factor in the success of a network. Two important steps in the designing of a successful network are the logical designing phase and physical designing phase. The difference between the two and the importance of each are explained in the following pages. To help in the explanation of the difference between logical and physical network design I will be using a fictitious textile company and work through the two design steps.

The company that will be getting the network designed for them is a textile manufacturing company. They have a small office occupying one floor of an adjacent office building to process all the information concerning the business such as inventory, sales, and payroll.

The first part of the designing process consists of collecting as much information about the company as possible. Everyone in the company is important for this part to gain an insight from every viewpoint and as many different departments as possible. Surveys will be sent out to the manufacturing employees in the plant and meetings will be scheduled to get information from the upper management.

The information gained from the employees on the manufacturing floor provided a starting point for how many computers would be needed there. They would only need a few in an employee break area for employee access to the company information they need such as emails and company updates. The maintenance department would also need a few computers to help track part inventory and to speed up the order and purchasing process. During the meetings with management, their needs will be gathered and the requirements for the system will be discussed. The meetings with management will continue until on and off as information is gathered and as problems or changes arise.

This entire information gathering is the beginning of the Logical design of the network. It will determine many different aspects of the network and form a basic starting point to make other major decisions. From this information the IP structure of the networ...

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... The Physical Design will begin when the Logical Design is completed. It will involve the routing of all cabling and also include the type of cabling to use. The Physical Design is exactly what it says, the “Physical” equipment needed to connect the computers together laid out in a design. It could be thought of as a blueprint to the network and can be made to contain great detail. The topology of the system will also be included in the Physical Design. Money can be a limiting factor in the Physical Design and can influence the system greatly. Skimping in certain systems could end up costing more money in the end.

To sum it all up I think of the Logical Design as being the thinking part of the design, trying to be logical in the design. The Physical Design is all the hardware and types of systems used to connect it all together and make it all work.

References:

Networking Basics

Retrieved: 12/08/2005

http://www.idevelopment.info/data/Networking/Networking_Basics/BASICS_IP_Addressing_Scheme.shtml

The Essential Guide to Networking By E. Garrison Walters August 01, 2000 Page 328

Beginners Guide to Networking Third Edition By Joe Habraken June 14, 2001