SOHO Networks

Given a set of requirements, plan and implement a basic SOHO network. This chapter covers different aspects related to SOHO network design and implementation, including basic requirements, cable and device needs, and environment and compatibility requirements. Learn more in our CompTIA Network+ N10-008 video course.

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SOHO Network Requirements

SOHO Cabling

Device Types

Environmental Limitations

Equipment Limitations

Compatibility Requirements

Summary

SOHO Network Requirements

Small office/home office (SOHO) is a concept that is becoming more common because many people now work at remote sites or even from their home. This poses a number of requirements from both a technological and business perspective to accommodate these users’ needs. A location can be considered a small office/home office if it generally accommodates one to ten people. From a networking perspective there are some advantages that make SOHO deployments much easier to install, configure, and maintain.

The requirements for this design are unique because the solution must be simple and functional, as home users don’t have an IT support team to help them troubleshoot and make repairs if something goes wrong. The IT group may be at the headquarters or at another remote site and they might not be quickly or easily reachable. This can become an issue so in the design phase, you have to think about what happens if network connectivity goes down in a SOHO environment and take the necessary measures to minimize downtime. SOHO requirements generally fall into these three categories:

Location setup with the necessary equipment
Access to the applications that are important to get the job done
Secure and readily available data

Unlike large offices that have their own data centers and server rooms, SOHO locations usually have limited equipment that offers integrated networking and security capabilities, including:

Routing
Switching
Firewall
IDS/IPS
Anti-virus

Note: These all-in-one network boxes, with a focus on security, are often called Unified Threat Management (UTM) devices.

In a SOHO environment, you tend to need remote access to central applications and this can come in a number of different forms, including:

Client-based access
Web-based access
VPN connectivity

When accessing remote applications, you must also think about how to transfer sensitive business data over a public connection to the remote users. Special security measures, including authentication and encryption (e.g., IPSec, SSL, etc.), should be considered in order to secure such communications.

In a SOHO environment, users are usually collaborating with people from other locations, even though they might work physically alone at home. In this type of environment, you have to think about not only the requirements to facilitate communication to other offices but also the documents that the users are working on and where they will be stored. When selecting the storage location, you need to take several aspects into consideration:

Security needs (based on how sensitive the information is)
Backup (based on how critical the information is)
Storage space
Data and backup management

Based on these factors, the storage location can consist of one of the following:

Local file server in the SOHO location
Remotely, in a secured data center (headquarters)
Cloud storage services

SOHO Cabling

The main purpose of network cabling is to allow user access to network resources. In large corporate offices the cabling requirements are usually already taken care of upon moving in, as part of the facility management services. This includes extending RJ45 sockets to each office and desk so that every employee has a dedicated Ethernet port to connect to. There might even be a cabling engineer on the staff who is certified in structured wiring and electrical issues.

In a small office environment, there are no dedicated cabling resources, so cabling services might be contracted to a third party or users might even be connecting directly into the switch without any kind of structured cabling approach (this scenario should be avoided).

In a home office environment, the cabling requirements are even lower because there is no need for structured cabling and all the devices are usually in the same room. Cat 5 or Cat 6 cables are directly connected to the home router/switch, which is a short distance from the user’s workstation, so there is no need for advanced cabling techniques (like patch panels or punch downs). In this situation all the devices on the network are also accessible by other users in that home, so the security risks should be properly analyzed and security measures must be considered to avoid accidental data loss or corruption.

Wireless is now becoming popular in SOHO networks because it doesn’t require a lot of wires. Wireless technologies offer lower bandwidth but this may be enough for a small number of users. Just remember to implement strong security features because wireless networks are more vulnerable than wired networks. These security policies are usually defined by the IT department.

In a SOHO environment, all the devices tend to be in one room and very few changes occur, so the cabling process is relatively straightforward. On the other hand, in a large enterprise environment a lot of changes can happen when adding and moving machines on the network. Because these changes are so frequent, you must ensure that full availability is offered to network users and services.

Device Types

The SOHO environment has requirements that are similar to an enterprise network environment, except that they are less complex. One major difference when moving from an enterprise network toward a SOHO network is the types of devices used. The devices used have similar functionality but SOHO network devices offer less performance because they do not need to serve a large number of users. Some of the most commonly used network devices in a network include:

Internet router
Ethernet switch
Printer/scanner/fax machine

The Internet connection in an enterprise network is achieved via a router or maybe a cluster of routers that aggregate multiple ISPs in a corporate environment. The same function can be achieved in a home office with a DSL or cable modem because the bandwidth is much lower. This equipment is sometimes offered or rented by the ISP as part of the contract and it usually offers multiple ports for home devices.

When connecting a SOHO network to the corporate office, you will need a secure tunnel. This might consist of a higher-end Internet router that has the capability of building IPSec tunnels from site to site. With IPSec tunnels, everything that is sent out to the main office is encrypted, so even if somebody tried to sniff the packets, he wouldn’t be able to understand any of the traffic going through the tunnel.

Modern Internet routers offer more functionality beyond ensuring a simple Internet connection. They also offer advanced features, including:

VPN capability
Wireless function
Firewall features
IPS/IDS
Content filtering

Note: All of the functionalities mentioned above are offered by dedicated appliances in an enterprise environment, but due to their limited scope they can be integrated into a single device in SOHO networks.

SOHO networks don’t usually use the high-level modular switches that are used in an enterprise network. Because there are only a few devices that need to be connected to the network, the integrated switch ports the router/UTM offers is usually used or simply a dedicated Ethernet switch. The Ethernet switch can be either managed or unmanaged, depending on whether the corporate office needs to remotely access this device for maintenance purposes. Unmanaged devices usually cost a lot less than managed devices because they offer less features. Sometimes managed switches have additional features that can be configured, such as:

Port speeds
VLAN segmentation of the network
Port security
Uplink capabilities for future growth

A SOHO location might also need printing, scanning, and faxing devices to handle different document requirements related to the job. Because of the lack of room and because these services are used by a small number of employees, all of these functionalities are usually integrated into a single multifunctional device that offers printing, copying, scanning and faxing services. These multifunctional devices usually offer wired or wireless network connectivity so their services can be accessed on the same infrastructure from every station within the SOHO network.

Environmental Limitations

As mentioned before, small offices and home offices have unique IT and networking requirements, which are different from corporate office infrastructures, and this also applies to the environment in which they are operating. Some of the things that are present in a corporate environment but are not usually present in SOHO locations include the following:

Cooling systems
Raised floors in server rooms
Monitoring systems for physical parameters (temperature, humidity, etc.)
Fire detection and extinction systems
Physical security systems/alarms

Considering that there are not such advanced systems in a SOHO location, you have to think about how you can support network activities effectively and for a long period of time without the risk of downtime caused by environmental issues. This includes monitoring network devices and making sure they are operating as they should.

You wouldn’t want a SOHO environment where all the devices are placed in a closet without air conditioning because they can get very hot and stop functioning. If a device stops working you might be in trouble because, as mentioned previously, you won’t have access to immediate IT support, so the best approach is to make sure that everything is operating in proper environmental conditions.

A major environmental concern is the temperature level the devices are operating at because network devices may get hot at times. Because of this, they need to be in a part of the environment that allows them to cool down. If equipment is placed in a poorly ventilated area and is not getting cooled properly, it will not have the expected longevity.

Humidity is another big environmental concern, so equipment should be placed in a cool and dry place. When setting up the remote office, you should make sure that the equipment is able to receive direct air flow from the room’s air conditioning system.

SOHO networks don’t have a building-wide UPS system and this can lead to devices being affected by power outages or irregularities. The solution for possible power-related issues is to use a small UPS box that can sustain the few critical devices used in a SOHO environment (e.g., router, storage, desktop, etc.). Multiple small home-use UPS systems can also be used.

If the SOHO infrastructure includes wireless services, you should take into account the other wireless networks that are in the same building in order to avoid conflicts. This should be done during the design phase and might include a simple site survey, from which you can get information about other wireless networks installed in that particular area. You should avoid using a channel or set of frequencies that somebody else might be using nearby.

Equipment Limitations

The equipment in a small office or home office will not be the same as the equipment at the corporate facility. There is a big difference in the size, functionality, and costs associated with SOHO network devices for the following reasons:

The network size is smaller
Power requirements are smaller
Other environmental limitations
Financial considerations
Lower impact (devices serve few users compared to hundreds of users)

SOHO devices usually offer less features compared with enterprise-level devices, including:

Bandwidth and throughput
Number of users that can be served
Redundancy features
Management features
Upgrade capabilities
Advanced support services
“Exotic” and non-critical features

Devices used in the corporate environment are usually designed for multi-Gigabit speeds and they offer many available interfaces, but a SOHO location doesn’t have the same requirements. SOHO devices do not support the same high-speed connections that corporate devices do because this is not needed in small or home locations, mainly because of the reduced number of users that have to share the connection bandwidth.

Another important difference between corporate and SOHO networks is the level of redundancy that is required. This directly relates to the business impact of possible network downtime. In a corporate environment, if the network goes down, many people and services are affected and the financial loss can be huge. On the other hand, if a SOHO network goes down, only a few people are affected and no major loss occurs until the faulty device is manually replaced with a spare one. This is why SOHO-specific devices do not generally use a high level of redundancy and advanced high-availability features.

The management capabilities also differ between high-end equipment and SOHO devices. On corporate networks, devices are usually managed via the command line interface, which offers a high level of control and granularity. On the other hand, SOHO devices are either unmanaged or they offer basic Web-based management capabilities. This makes the troubleshooting and diagnostic process difficult but this compromise is acceptable as long as the impact of a SOHO device failure is low.

Corporate-level equipment usually offers a lot of options for upgrading, mostly based on modularity, because the network environment changes often and overprovisioning might need to be performed when new users or services become active. However, SOHO devices do not offer such capabilities because they are rarely upgraded due to the limited number of users they serve.

Compatibility Requirements

When an organization starts to roll out a number of small offices and home offices, they tend to configure them exactly the same way. This offers a number of advantages, such as:

Easy deployment process (they follow the same procedure)
Easy maintenance process
Easy troubleshooting process

These standards refer not only to the device type (vendor) and model but also to the network design and configuration. These standards are usually dictated by the corporate office. SOHO users usually receive pre-configured equipment that just has to be plugged in without any other configuration process. Most of the time the network devices’ suppliers are big companies that are chosen because they are reliable and they offer quality support services.

When deploying SOHO networks, different compatibility requirements must be taken into consideration in order for the network to seamlessly integrate with the corporate infrastructure. Some of the aspects that must be considered include:

Network types and protocols (both wired and wireless)
Encryption methods
IP addressing
Operating system versions
Storage systems (including communication between the SOHO storage system and the central storage system)

Summary

SOHO (small office/home office) is a concept that is becoming more common because many people now work at a remote site or even from their home. This poses a number of requirements from both a technological and business perspective to accommodate the users’ needs. A location can be considered a small office/home office if it generally accommodates one to ten people. From a networking perspective there are some advantages that make SOHO deployments much easier to install, configure, and maintain. SOHO requirements generally fall into these three categories:

Location setup with the necessary equipment
Access to the applications that are important to get the job done
Secure and readily available data

The main purpose of network cabling is user access to network resources. In large corporate offices the cabling requirements are usually already taken care of upon moving in, as part of the facility management services. In a small office environment there are no dedicated cabling resources, so cabling services might be contracted to a third party or users might even be connecting directly into the switch without any kind of structured cabling approach (this scenario should be avoided).

The SOHO environment has requirements that are similar to an enterprise network environment, except that they are less complex. One major difference when moving from an enterprise network to a SOHO network is the types of devices used. The devices used have similar functionality but SOHO network devices offer less performance because they do not need to serve a large number of users. Some of the most commonly used network devices include the following: