Fishtail Hospital Network Design and Implementation

Project Information

Field	Details
Project Title	Network Design and Implementation for Fishtail Hospital
Student	Chandan Kumar Shah
Roll Number	080BCT023
Course	CT 654 — Computer Networks
Institution	Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, Tribhuvan University
Tool	Cisco Packet Tracer 8.x
Date	April 2026

Abstract

This project presents a comprehensive enterprise network design and implementation for Fishtail Hospital, a multi-department healthcare facility. The network architecture incorporates industry-standard protocols and best practices including multi-area OSPF routing, VLAN segmentation for department isolation, Variable Length Subnet Masking (VLSM) for efficient IP address utilization, and centralized network services. The design ensures scalability, security, and high availability across all hospital departments while maintaining connectivity to external ISP services.

Network Topology

The following diagram illustrates the complete network topology implemented in Cisco Packet Tracer. The topology is organized into three OSPF areas with color-coded regions: Area 0 (Backbone), Area 1 (Administrative/Clinical), and Area 2 (Server/ICU).

Topology Highlights:

Yellow Region (Area 0): Backbone area containing core and transit routers (Chandan1, Chandan4, Chandan5)
Green Region (Area 1): Administrative and clinical departments (Admin LAN, OPD LAN, Ward floors)
Blue Region (Area 2): Critical infrastructure including Server Room and ICU/Emergency

Project Requirements

The following table summarizes all course requirements and their implementation status:

Requirement	Status	Implementation Details
Minimum 10 routers	Completed	10 routers deployed (ISP-R1 + Chandan1 through Chandan9)
At least 3 transit routers	Completed	Chandan4, Chandan5, and Chandan8 serve as transit routers
ISP router with external connectivity	Completed	ISP-R1 configured with public network 203.0.113.0/24
Minimum 9 LANs with 6 different subnet sizes	Completed	9 department LANs + 9 point-to-point links using 6 prefix lengths
OSPF multi-area with minimum 3 areas	Completed	Area 0 (Backbone), Area 1, and Area 2 configured
Minimum 7 VLANs	Completed	VLANs 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 implemented
At least 2 VLANs spanning 3+ switches	Completed	VLAN 10 and VLAN 20 span SW3, SW4, and SW5
Minimum 3 DNS servers	Completed	DNS1, DNS2, and ISP-DNS deployed
Minimum 2 Web servers	Completed	WebServer1 (Portal) and WebServer2 (HIS) configured
Minimum 3 DHCP servers	Completed	DHCP1, DHCP2, and DHCP3 serving respective zones
Router security with passwords and telnet	Completed	All 9 internal routers secured with console, enable, and VTY passwords
Router naming convention	Completed	Routers named Chandan1 through Chandan9
VLSM addressing	Completed	Six different prefix lengths utilized (/24, /25, /26, /27, /28, /29)
Interface labeling	Completed	All IP addresses labeled in Packet Tracer topology

Network Architecture

Hierarchical Design

The network follows a hierarchical model with clear separation of concerns:

Layer	Components	Function
Core	Chandan1 (ASBR)	Central routing, ISP connectivity, default route redistribution
Distribution	Chandan2, Chandan3, Chandan4, Chandan5, Chandan8	Inter-area routing, traffic aggregation
Access	Chandan6, Chandan7, Chandan9, SW1-SW5	End-device connectivity, VLAN assignment

Router Roles

Router	Role	Description
ISP-R1	ISP Gateway	Provides external connectivity with public IP space
Chandan1	ASBR (Autonomous System Boundary Router)	Redistributes default route from ISP into OSPF
Chandan3	ABR (Area Border Router)	Connects Area 0 and Area 1
Chandan8	ABR (Area Border Router)	Connects Area 0 and Area 2
Chandan4, Chandan5	Transit Routers	Provide backbone connectivity in Area 0
Chandan2	Admin Gateway	Serves Administration LAN
Chandan6	OPD Gateway	Serves Outpatient Department LAN
Chandan7	Ward Gateway	Serves Ward Floor 2 VLANs
Chandan9	Server/ICU Gateway	Serves Server Room and ICU VLANs

Device Inventory

Device Type	Model	Quantity	Specific Devices
Routers	Cisco 2911	10	ISP-R1, Chandan1–Chandan9
Switches	Cisco 2960-24TT	5	SW1, SW2, SW3, SW4, SW5
Servers	Server-PT	8	DNS1, DNS2, ISP-DNS, DHCP1, DHCP2, DHCP3, WebServer1, WebServer2
Workstations	PC-PT	5	PC-Admin1, PC-OPD1, PC-Ward1, PC-Ward2, PC-ICU1
Total	—	28	—

OSPF Multi-Area Configuration

Area Assignment

OSPF Area	Area Type	Routers	Purpose
Area 0	Backbone	Chandan1, Chandan3, Chandan4, Chandan5, Chandan8	Core transit and inter-area routing
Area 1	Standard	Chandan2, Chandan3, Chandan6, Chandan7	Administration, OPD, and Ward departments
Area 2	Standard	Chandan8, Chandan9	Server Room and ICU/Emergency

OSPF Design Rationale

Area Segmentation: Splitting the network into multiple areas contains LSA flooding within each area, reducing routing overhead and improving convergence time.
Area Border Routers: Chandan3 and Chandan8 summarize routes between areas, providing a clean routing table structure.
Default Route Redistribution: Chandan1 redistributes the static default route (0.0.0.0/0) from ISP-R1 into OSPF using the default-information originate command.

Sample OSPF Configuration (Chandan1)

router ospf 1
 router-id 1.1.1.1
 network 172.16.0.0 0.0.0.3 area 0
 network 172.16.0.4 0.0.0.3 area 1
 network 172.16.0.8 0.0.0.3 area 1
 network 172.16.0.12 0.0.0.3 area 0
 default-information originate

IP Addressing Scheme

Assigned IP Block

Network Block: 172.16.0.0/22
Total Addresses: 1,024
Addresses Utilized: Approximately 612
Reserved for Expansion: Approximately 412

Point-to-Point Links

All router interconnections use /30 subnets (2 usable host addresses each):

Link	Network	Router A	Router B
ISP-R1 to Chandan1	172.16.0.0/30	172.16.0.1	172.16.0.2
Chandan1 to Chandan2	172.16.0.4/30	172.16.0.5	172.16.0.6
Chandan1 to Chandan3	172.16.0.8/30	172.16.0.9	172.16.0.10
Chandan1 to Chandan4	172.16.0.12/30	172.16.0.13	172.16.0.14
Chandan4 to Chandan5	172.16.0.16/30	172.16.0.17	172.16.0.18
Chandan2 to Chandan6	172.16.0.20/30	172.16.0.21	172.16.0.22
Chandan3 to Chandan7	172.16.0.24/30	172.16.0.25	172.16.0.26
Chandan5 to Chandan8	172.16.0.28/30	172.16.0.29	172.16.0.30
Chandan8 to Chandan9	172.16.0.32/30	172.16.0.33	172.16.0.34

LAN Subnets (VLSM)

Department	VLAN	Subnet	Gateway	Usable Hosts	Prefix
Administration	—	172.16.1.0/24	172.16.1.1	254	/24
Outpatient Department (OPD)	—	172.16.2.0/25	172.16.2.1	126	/25
General Ward	10	172.16.3.0/26	172.16.3.1	62	/26
Private Ward	20	172.16.3.64/27	172.16.3.65	30	/27
Maternity Ward	30	172.16.3.96/27	172.16.3.97	30	/27
Server Room	40	172.16.3.128/28	172.16.3.129	14	/28
Laboratory	60	172.16.3.144/28	172.16.3.145	14	/28
ICU / Emergency	50	172.16.3.160/27	172.16.3.161	30	/27
Pharmacy	70	172.16.3.192/29	172.16.3.193	6	/29
ISP Public Network	—	203.0.113.0/24	203.0.113.1	254	/24

VLSM Design Rationale

Variable Length Subnet Masking allows efficient utilization of the assigned IP block by allocating subnet sizes proportional to department requirements. The Administration department requires the largest subnet (/24 with 254 hosts), while Pharmacy requires only 6 hosts (/29). This approach conserves approximately 40% of the address space for future expansion.

VLAN Configuration

VLAN Summary

VLAN ID	Name	Subnet	Switch Coverage
10	General-Ward	172.16.3.0/26	SW3, SW4, SW5
20	Private-Ward	172.16.3.64/27	SW3, SW4, SW5
30	Maternity-Ward	172.16.3.96/27	SW4, SW5
40	Server-Room	172.16.3.128/28	SW5
50	ICU-Emergency	172.16.3.160/27	SW5
60	Laboratory	172.16.3.144/28	SW4
70	Pharmacy	172.16.3.192/29	SW3

Trunk Links

Source	Destination	Link Type
SW3 Gig0/2	SW4 Gig0/2	802.1Q Trunk
SW4 Fa0/24	SW5 Fa0/24	802.1Q Trunk

Inter-VLAN Routing

Router-on-a-stick configuration using 802.1Q subinterfaces:

Router	VLANs Handled	Connected Switch
Chandan3	VLAN 10, 20, 70	SW3
Chandan7	VLAN 10, 20, 30, 60	SW4
Chandan9	VLAN 10, 20, 30, 40, 50	SW5

Sample Router-on-a-Stick Configuration (Chandan3)

interface GigabitEthernet0/1
 no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet0/1.10
 encapsulation dot1Q 10
 ip address 172.16.3.1 255.255.255.192
!
interface GigabitEthernet0/1.20
 encapsulation dot1Q 20
 ip address 172.16.3.65 255.255.255.224
!
interface GigabitEthernet0/1.70
 encapsulation dot1Q 70
 ip address 172.16.3.193 255.255.255.248

Network Services

DNS Servers

Server	IP Address	Location	Function
DNS1	172.16.1.3	Admin LAN (SW1)	Primary DNS for hospital.local domain
DNS2	172.16.3.130	Server Room (SW5, VLAN 40)	Backup DNS server
ISP-DNS	203.0.113.10	ISP Network	External/Internet DNS resolution

DNS Record: hospital.local resolves to 172.16.2.3 (WebServer1)

DHCP Servers

Server	IP Address	Pool Range	Gateway	Serves
DHCP1	172.16.1.2	172.16.1.20 – 172.16.1.119	172.16.1.1	Admin LAN
DHCP2	172.16.2.2	172.16.2.20 – 172.16.2.69	172.16.2.1	OPD LAN
DHCP3	172.16.3.162	172.16.3.175 – 172.16.3.190	172.16.3.161	ICU (VLAN 50)

DHCP relay (ip helper-address) is configured on gateway routers to forward DHCP requests to the appropriate server.

Web Servers

Server	IP Address	URL	Purpose
WebServer1	172.16.2.3	http://hospital.local	Public Hospital Portal
WebServer2	172.16.3.131	Internal access only	Hospital Information System (HIS)

Security Implementation

The following security measures are applied to all internal routers (Chandan1 through Chandan9):

Security Feature	Configuration
Console Password	`cisco`
Enable Secret	`class` (encrypted)
VTY Password	`network`
Password Encryption	`service password-encryption` enabled
Remote Access	Telnet enabled on VTY lines 0-4

Sample Security Configuration

enable secret class
service password-encryption
!
line console 0
 password cisco
 login
!
line vty 0 4
 password network
 login
 transport input telnet

Telnet Verification

From PC-Admin1: telnet 172.16.1.1
Login password: network
Enable password: class

Connectivity Verification

All connectivity tests were performed from PC-Admin1 (172.16.1.10):

Test Description	Destination	Result	Notes
Gateway Reachability	172.16.1.1	Pass	0% packet loss
Cross-Area OSPF (to OPD)	172.16.2.10	Pass	Route marked as O IA
Cross-VLAN (to Ward)	172.16.3.10	Pass	Inter-VLAN routing functional
Cross-Area to ICU	172.16.3.170	Pass	Area 1 to Area 2 communication
ISP Connectivity	203.0.113.10	Pass	External routing via default route
DNS Resolution	hospital.local	Pass	Resolved to 172.16.2.3

Note: Initial packet loss (25-50% on first ping) is expected in Packet Tracer due to ARP resolution and OSPF convergence delays. Subsequent pings show 0% loss.

Repository Contents

File	Description
`final_project.pkt`	Cisco Packet Tracer project file containing the complete network simulation
`project.md`	Comprehensive project documentation with all technical details
`report.tex`	LaTeX source file for the formal academic report
`topology.png`	High-resolution network topology diagram
`emblem.png`	Institution emblem for report documentation
`README.md`	This documentation file

Usage Instructions

Prerequisites

Cisco Packet Tracer version 8.x or later
Available from Cisco Networking Academy

Opening the Project

Launch Cisco Packet Tracer
Navigate to File → Open
Select final_project.pkt
Wait for the simulation to load completely

Testing the Network

Ping Test: Click on any PC, go to Desktop → Command Prompt, and use the ping command
Web Access: Open Web Browser on any PC and navigate to http://hospital.local
Telnet Test: From Command Prompt, use telnet <router-ip> to test remote access
DHCP Test: Set any PC to obtain IP automatically and verify address assignment

Viewing Configurations

Click on any router or switch
Navigate to the CLI tab
Enter enable and then show running-config to view the current configuration

Design Considerations

Scalability

The network design accommodates future growth through:

Reserved IP address space (approximately 412 addresses)
Modular OSPF area structure allowing additional areas
VLAN-capable switches supporting additional department segmentation

Reliability

Multiple OSPF paths provide redundancy for inter-area traffic
Distributed DNS and DHCP servers ensure service availability
Hierarchical design isolates failures to specific network segments

Security

Password protection on all network devices
VLAN segmentation isolates sensitive departments (ICU, Server Room)
Controlled ISP connectivity through a single ASBR

References

Cisco Networking Academy. (2024). CCNA Routing and Switching.
Odom, W. (2023). CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide. Cisco Press.
Institute of Engineering. (2026). CT 654 Computer Networks Course Guidelines.

Author: Chandan Kumar Shah
Roll Number: 080BCT023
Institution: Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, Tribhuvan University
Course: CT 654 — Computer Networks
Submission Date: April 2026

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.github		.github
.DS_Store		.DS_Store
README.md		README.md
emblem.png		emblem.png
final_project.pkt		final_project.pkt
project.md		project.md
report.tex		report.tex
topology.png		topology.png

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