Network Development (AS91895)

Learn how to build, configure, test, troubleshoot, and improve a working network that meets a real user need.

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This page supports your network project. You will move through a design phase and then three sprints. At each stage, focus on the task in front of you, collect evidence as you go, and use the working document to keep track of your decisions, tests, and improvements.

Welcome to Network Development. In this standard, you will learn how to build, configure, test, troubleshoot, and improve a working network. Rather than just learning networking theory, you will work through practical tasks that help you understand how networks function, how devices communicate, and how to make decisions that lead to a network that works reliably for its intended users. AS91895 is a Level 2, 4-credit internal standard focused on using advanced techniques to develop a network.

In this learning area, you will move step by step through the key parts of network development. You will learn how to configure devices and services, use suitable protocols, test connectivity, identify faults, troubleshoot problems, and improve your network using the results of your testing. As you move through the modules, you will also build the evidence needed for assessment.

~ OVERVIEW ~

In this learning area, you will work through the development of a network in stages. You will begin by planning a network for a specific purpose and end user. You will then build a first working version, apply advanced techniques to improve it, and use testing and troubleshooting to refine the final outcome. As you move through each stage, you should collect evidence that shows what you built, how you tested it, what problems you found, what changes you made, and how the final network meets the needs of the user.

What counts as evidence

Evidence for this standard does not need to be one long written report. It can include screenshots, configuration records, ping or tracert results, ipconfig output, photos, short videos, screencasts, checklists, development logs, and notes explaining problems found and changes made. The important thing is that your evidence clearly shows how the network was developed, tested, improved, and evaluated against the needs of the end user.

If hardware is a barrier, Cisco Packet Tracer can be used as a software-based alternative to simulate networks and practise key networking techniques. It allows students to build, configure, test, and troubleshoot virtual networks, making it a useful way to develop understanding and trial ideas when access to physical equipment is limited.

~ Networking Working Documents ~

AS91895 – Use advanced techniques to develop a network

This standard focuses on developing a working network for a specific purpose and end user. Students use advanced techniques to configure, test, troubleshoot, and improve a network so it functions reliably and meets clearly defined requirements. Evidence should show purposeful development, practical implementation, testing, diagnosis, troubleshooting, and refinement.

L2 Networking Project Outcome 91895 Document

L2 Networking Project Outcome 91895 Document with 91897

AS91895 & AS91897 – Network Development with Process Evidence

When 91897 is used alongside 91895, students are not just building the network. They are also showing the process used to develop it. This includes planning, managing development, collecting evidence across stages, recording changes, testing decisions, and refining the outcome over time. The final work should show both a functional network and a clear development process supported by evidence.

Design Phase

Purpose, end user, devices, resources, layout, success criteria.

Before you begin building, you need to design the first version of your network. In this phase, you should identify who the network is for, what devices need to connect, what resources or services need to be available, and what the network must allow users to do. You should then turn that into a small set of clear requirements that can be tested later. These requirements might include things like valid IP settings, access to a shared folder, access to a printer, or successful communication through the gateway. This design phase gives your project direction and creates a clear starting point before you begin building.

By the end of the design phase, you should have:

a clear end user or context
the devices you plan to connect
the resources or services to be shared
a basic network layout
a small set of testable success criteria

Design Phase: Plan Your Network

Who is the network for? What devices need to connect? What resources or services need to be shared? What does the network need to allow users to do? What will count as success?

What a network is and why we use one

A network is a group of connected computing devices that share resources and exchange data. In a school, home, or small-business setting, a network may allow users to access the internet, share files, connect to printers, use shared storage, or communicate with other devices. Before you build anything, you need to understand who the users are, what they need the network to do, and what success will look like in that context. That is important because the quality of the final network is judged against the needs of the end user, not just whether devices happen to connect.

Purpose of the Network

The first part of your project is defining the purpose of your network. You should be able to explain who the end user is, what devices need to connect, what resources need to be shared, and what the network must allow the user to do. A strong project starts with a clear purpose such as a teacher workspace with shared printing and storage, a classroom LAN, or a small home office network. This gives the rest of the project direction and helps you decide what hardware, software, and services are actually needed.

At this point, keep your purpose practical and specific. Instead of saying “my network is for connecting devices,” say what those devices are and what they need to do. For example, you might need reliable internet access, shared file access, a printer available from multiple devices, or automatic IP configuration for clients joining the network. Those details later become the basis for your testing and evaluation.

By the end of this stage, you should have a short project statement that identifies the end user, the devices involved, the resources or services to be provided, and the main purpose of the network.

End-User Requirements / Performance Specifications

Once you know the purpose of the network, you need to turn that into clear requirements. These are the things your final network must do if it is going to count as successful. Good requirements are specific enough to test. For example, “all client devices can access the shared folder,” “devices receive valid IP settings,” or “the printer can be reached from all users on the LAN” are much stronger than simply saying “the network works.” Excellence depends on the network actually meeting end-user requirements, so these need to be defined clearly early on.

You should also think about constraints here. These might include the hardware available, how many devices are involved, whether the network is wired or wireless, what level of security is needed, and any reliability or usability expectations. These do not need to be complicated, but they do need to be real enough that they influence your choices later.

Your requirements should be practical, testable, and linked to the purpose of the network. For example, you might require that all clients receive valid IP settings automatically, can access a shared folder, can reach the default gateway, and can use a shared printer. These requirements later become the basis for your testing, troubleshooting, and final evaluation.

Sprint 1: Build Your First Network

Use the Basics task to create a working first version.

In this sprint, you will build the first working version of your network. Your goal is to turn your design into a simple working LAN by connecting devices, assigning valid addressing, and testing whether communication works as expected. At this stage, focus on getting the basic network working reliably before adding more advanced features.

Practical Network Task – LAN Setup and Configuration

In this task, you will build, configure, and test a small LAN. You will assign valid IP settings, check physical connectivity, and use tools such as ping to confirm communication between devices. You will also apply basic sharing settings so devices can communicate and access shared resources. The aim is to build a simple network that works reliably and to gather evidence that proves it.

The task focuses on developing practical networking skills, including troubleshooting connectivity issues, understanding how devices communicate within a network, and applying appropriate configurations to achieve a functional system. As a final step, students will participate in a LAN-based activity to demonstrate successful network setup and performance.

This first network acts as your starting point. Once it is working, you can improve it further in the next sprint by applying advanced techniques.

Click on Image on the Right for the Tutorial

This activity supports Sprint 1 by helping you build and test the first working version of your network.

Sprint 2: Apply Advanced Techniques

Choose and apply suitable services/protocols/features to improve the network.

Once you have built your first working network, the next step is to improve it by applying some advanced techniques. These techniques should be used meaningfully within your network, not just described in theory. Suitable examples may include subnetting and IP configuration, DHCP, DNS, SMB file sharing, NTP, shared printers or storage, or other appropriate services depending on the project. Use the videos and resources below to build your understanding of possible techniques, then choose suitable ones to add to your network in a purposeful way.

At this stage, students should focus on techniques that genuinely improve the network they are building rather than trying to cover everything.

Depending on your project, you may also need to learn about wireless networking, VLANs, VPNs, routing, NAT, ports, port forwarding, TCP and UDP, or packet analysis using Wireshark. These topics are not all required in every project. Focus first on the topics that are relevant to the network you are building.

Protocols and Services

As you apply advanced techniques, you will need to understand the protocols and services that make your network work. Focus on the ones that are relevant to your project. These may include TCP/IP, DHCP, DNS, SMB, NTP, and other suitable services depending on the network you are developing. You should understand what each selected protocol or service does, configure it where appropriate, and show through testing that it supports the intended network outcome.

Breaking down Wifi

VLAN's

VPN's

Wireshark

Basics of Routing

NAT

TCP vs UDP

Port Forwarding

Ports

Testing and Troubleshooting

A network is not complete just because the settings have been entered. It must be tested to show that it works as intended. You should test connectivity, check addressing, verify access to required services and shared resources, identify setup or configuration problems, and apply troubleshooting processes to fix them. Your evidence should show not only the tests you carried out, but also what problems were found, what changes were made, and how those changes improved the network.

Sprint 3: Test, Troubleshoot, Improve, and Evaluate

Test, diagnose, fix, refine, and judge against the original requirements.

In this sprint, you will check how well your completed network works, identify any faults or weaknesses, and improve the network based on the results of your testing. You should test connectivity, verify configuration, check access to shared services or resources, and apply troubleshooting processes to resolve setup or configuration problems. Your evidence should show the tests you carried out, the problems you found, the changes you made, and how those changes improved the final network. You should finish by judging how well the completed network meets the original purpose and end-user requirements.

Final Evaluation

At the end of the project, you should evaluate how well the completed network meets the original purpose and end-user requirements. This should include reference to your testing results, any remaining limitations, the improvements made during development, and a clear judgement about whether the final network is fit for purpose.

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