Introduction

An intranet is a computer network that uses Internet Protocol technology to share information, operational systems, or computing services within an organization. The term is used in contrast to internet, a network between organizations, and instead refers to a network within an organization. Sometimes, the term refers only to the organization's internal website, but may be a more extensive part of the organization's information technology infrastructure, and may be composed of multiple local area networks. An intranet may host multiple private websites and constitute an important component and focal point of internal communication and collaboration. Any of the well-known Internet protocols may be found in an intranet, such as HTTP (web services), SMTP (e-mail), and FTP (file transfer protocol). Internet technologies are often deployed to provide modern interfaces to legacy information systems hosting corporate data. An intranet can be understood as a private analog of the Internet, or as a private extension of the Internet confined to an organization. The first intranet websites and home pages began to appear in organizations in 1996-1997. Although not officially noted, the term intranet first became common-place among early adopters, such as universities and technology corporations, in 1992. Intranets are sometimes contrasted to extranets. While intranets are generally restricted to employees of the organization, extranets may also be accessed by customers, suppliers, or other approved parties.[1] Extranets extend a private network onto the Internet with special provisions for authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA protocol). In many organizations, intranets are protected from unauthorized external access by means of a network gateway and firewall. For smaller companies, intranets may be created simply by using private IP address ranges, such as 192.168.0.0/16. In these cases, the intranet can only be directly accessed from a computer in the local network; however, companies may provide access to offsite employees by using a virtual private network, or by other access methods, requiring user authentication and encryption.

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Internet:
Internet means of connecting a computer to any other computer anywhere in the world via dedicated routers and servers. When two computers are connected over the Internet, they can send and receive all kinds of information such as text, graphics, voice, video, and computer programs.

Intranet:
An intranet is a private network that is contained within an enterprise. It may consist of many interlinked local area networks and also use leased lines in the wide area network. Typically, an intranet includes connections through one or more gateway computers to the outside Internet. The main purpose of an intranet is to share company information and computing resources among employees. An intranet can also be used to facilitate working in groups and for teleconferences.

Router:
A Router is a device that connects two networks - frequently over large distances. It understands one or more network protocols, such as IP or IPX. A Router accepts packets on at least two network interfaces, and forwards packets from one interface to another.

Switch:
A piece of hardware that offers a direct connection to a particular PC is called switch.

Mail Server:
A mail server is the computerized equivalent of your friendly neighborhood mailman. Every email that is sent passes through a series of mail servers along its way to its intended recipient.

DNS Server:
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a standard technology for managing the names of Web sites and other Internet domains. DNS technology allows you to type names into your Web browser like compnetworking.about.com and your computer to automatically find that address on the Internet. A key element of the DNS is a worldwide collection of DNS servers.

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Web Server:
Web server can refer to either the hardware (the computer) or the software (the computer application) that helps to deliver Web content that can be accessed through the Internet.

Proxy Server:
In computer networks, a proxy server is a server (a computer system or an application) that acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers. A client connects to the proxy server, requesting some service, such as a file, connection, web page, or other resource available from a different server.

LAN:
A local area network (LAN) is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building using network media.

Planning an Intranet
With complex technology, different client demands & heavy information traffic in a typical firm, a fair amount of planning is needed to design, implement & maintain a corporate intranet. Planning is part of a six step procedure that is explained briefly in the following section.

1. Plan Ahead
The first step is to define the goal of an intranet & plan accordingly. It is important to determine who the primary users are, what content should be shared, & how the information will be accessed. In principle, company information is there to be shared, & the larger the number of users is, the richer the information is. However the designer should consider the risks of this information falling into the hands of the competition. Typically, the company has a license for only a certain number of users. Assigning password is a traditional way to help protect & limit access. As a part of planning, it is sometime helpful to visit a firm that has been successful in installing an intranet site. Meeting with designers & users may bring up the problems & possible solutions. Seminar can be another source of information. Once you have an idea of what an intranet can & cannot do, the next phase in planning is to outline the scope of the project. This means deciding on, among other things, the size of the intranet, how long it should it take to install, the training involved & the required financial & the

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technical resources. The key is to map out the site well in advance. The map must account for every detail that contributes to a successful installation.

2. Provide Justification
In the process planning an intranet, some homework should be done to justify the investment & ensure support from top management. The traditional approach to justification that makes sense to management is to do a return on investment analysis, comparing total costs with benefits. The human factors also must be considered: Planners need to map out of strategies to acculturate employees to using the intranet once it becomes operational. Stories abound about companies that spend millions on intranet technology, only to learn that employees still feel more comfortable printing out their e-mail messages. An effective strategy for selling upper management on the change is that an intranet can be modified to address changing needs. It can be demonstrated that hearing a presidents quarterly report on the intranet is more effective than reading it, with an intranet, all it takes is one click o a button.

3. Build In-house or Outsource

After top management approves the master plan, the next step is to decide whether the technology should be built by the IT department or contracted to an outside firm. In deciding what to do, several factors must be considered. In-house resource- How available are they? How qualified are they? Cost- Which way is cheaper? Hardware & software- Do existing company networks support an intranet?

Budget-Are adequate funds available to fully implement the proposed intranet?

Outsourcing has definite advantages. An outside firm dedicated to full-time intranet has lots of specialist available. They are likely to be more efficient than in- house staff, which might better be used for other critical projects. Depending on the companys technology infrastructure, an outside firm might end up doing better job, especially if the intranet site is to be hosted by the consulting firm.

4. Form an Intranet Team

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A company-wide project like an intranet requires a representative team from various divisions or departments to overseas the process from beginning to end. In addition to a representative from each department, one should be included from the IT department, as well as consultant & a project coordinator. In the case of outsourcing, a representative from the contracted firm should set up an agenda with the company team & provide progress reports on regular basis. A tricky part of informing a team for this type of project is appointing people who have no political string or hidden agendas that might affect the process adversely. For example, a representative team from a large department might want to secure higher-priority access for the department. This might mean compromising equal response time for smaller or remote departments. The team normally consists of a representative from each department or division. When the team size increases beyond seven or eight members, it requires a chair person with an agenda, predefined procedures, & sub committees, all of which could make the whole process unwieldy.

5. Build & Test a Prototype

Before going all out to develop a corporate-wide intranet, it would be wise to build a piece of the site & allow users to test it. The feedback could be a timely contribution to the final system. However, prototype is only a representation of the system, not the system itself. The champion is important to the prototype phase. A champion is a person in the organization who supports the project from the beginning, promotes it, & acts as an ambassador to explain to users how the system could do them a lot of good. Unfortunately, with complex projects that affect processes & people, more people will resist change than welcome it. A champion can do wonders to ensure the success of the new installation.

6. Ensure Effective Maintenance

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Keeping corporate information up to date & available around the clock is the most critical part of intranet operations. Poor maintenance means dated information, which quickly gives the impression that nothing new or different is going in the company. E-mail will continue, but an intranet means more than just an e-mail. Maintenance means making sure the intranet continues to operate based on the standards set in the design. An intranet can take more effort up-to-date than to create. Included in maintenance is enhancement, which is the daily upgrade for news, reports & procedures. Maintenance includes assigning full-time person to be the site webmaster. This persons main job is to touch with management at all levels, gather & post news items, monitor the intranet traffic, & provide technical leadership. Communication skills, technical expertise, & ability to work with people are critical to a webmasters job.

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Intranet Plan in Leading University

Switch

Router

Switch

Mail Server

DNS Server

Web Server

Proxy Server Linux

LAN 1 Gener al lab

LAN 2 ACL

LAN 3 3rd floor

LAN 4 4th floor

LAN 5 th 5 floor

Central Server @ Floor 4th

LANconnection different floor in

Figure:LU Intranet connection

How It Works?
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An intranet system consists of various parts such as Router, Switch, LAN, Servers & PC. Here Router works as a nuclear of an intranet system. In Leading University intranet infrastructure system has two switches which control the total system by on & off. There are four servers in this intranet system, the first one is mail server- which send passes through a series of mail servers along its way to its intended recipient. And the second one is called DNS server which stands for Domain Name System (DNS) is a standard technology for managing the names of Web sites and other Internet domains. The third one is web server that helps to deliver Web content that can be accessed through the Internet. And the last one is that acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers , such as a file, connection, web page, or other resource available from a different server. From another switch there are different LAN goes to different floor and different places each LAN consists of 24 ports that means it can connect over 24 PCs. In general Lab there are two LAN (Local Area Network) connections which are capable of serving 48 PCs. In Advanced Computer Lab (ACL) there are one LAN connection & it is providing connection to 24 PCs. Rest of the LANs are using in different PCs in 3rd, 4th & 5th floor. An intranet can work without the using of internet. That means in term of LU; they can use intranet service without an internet connection. Suppose a faculty member wants to send a result sheet to the admission department then he can easily send it to the recipient through the intranet & here he/she need not use to internet service. Though this way the all faculty (academic & administrative) can send data and receive it by using intranet. There are two server controller are working full time in LU server room for maintaining & controlling the total system. In time of network upgrading they use CD/DVD to store the data & keep it as back-up file.

Lackings :
Devices of intranet connections are ancient.

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 All pc are not connected. Every pcs are not well connected. Sometime they lost their connection. Wearing system is very old & weak thats why some time fails to carry load.

Recommendation:
For batter intranet connection we can provide some recommendations, these are:

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 Every pcs of every floor & office should be connected. Keep connections stronger with effective maintenance. Needs new devices for batter & faster intranet connection. Management should change the ancient wearing system for satisfactory intranet service.

Conclusion :
In the end we can say that an intranet is recommended in every small & large organization. If it is educational organization then it is more important than any other. By using intranet it is

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making the harder work to easier & it is mostly helpful in case of sharing & transferring data. By proper maintenance & by using ultra-modern technology LU can improve their intranet infrastructure & can provide a better & fast intranet service to all.

Reference:
Ajwad M Elias Electronic commerce from vision to fulfillment

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Chapter- 4 , Page (111-113) 3rd Edition Publish By Prentice-Hall of India Private limited

Hossain Kamal Md
Asst. Engineer, (IT), LU. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intranet

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