Northgate Network Redesign

Subject: IFN658 — Networks and Security

Type: Group Project

Tools: Cisco Packet Tracer, IPv4 Subnetting (VLSM), Static Routing

Overview

Redesigned a flat, unstructured company network into a segmented, scalable architecture for a Brisbane-based office supplies business with six departments. The original network had all devices on a single /24 subnet with no segmentation — a common real-world problem in organisations that grow without a formal network plan.

What I Did

Designed a full VLSM subnetting scheme across the 10.33.64.0/24 address space, allocating department-specific subnets ranging from /26 (Sales, 50 hosts) down to /29 (Executive Management, 6 hosts), with /30 point-to-point links between 8 routers Built and configured the entire network in Cisco Packet Tracer, including router interfaces, end device addressing, default gateways, and static routing across a hierarchical topology Configured efficient static routing using a mix of summary routes and default routes to minimise configuration overhead while maintaining full inter-departmental and internet connectivity Proposed a future infrastructure upgrade plan including centralised DHCP (with relay configuration across subnets) and internal DNS services, with justification for a dedicated server subnet

Key Skills Demonstrated

IPv4 addressing and subnetting, VLSM design, Cisco Packet Tracer, hierarchical network topology, static routing, DHCP relay, DNS planning, technical report writing

If you’d like to check out the packter tracer file yourself, it can be found at the link below

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15eFaCXJkV6sh3O-iM0En59PkumAqAXqI/view?usp=sharing