Quality of Service and Security on Cisco Network Devices, Coupled with the Development of a Mobile Application Prototype Software for Server Room Temperature Monitoring

Abstract

In an era where digital technology is paramount, higher education institutions like the University of Zambia (UNZA) are employing advanced computer networks to enhance their operational capacity and offer cutting-edge services to their academic fraternity. Spanning across the Great East Road campus, UNZA has established one of the most extensive computer networks in Zam-bia, serving a burgeoning community of over 20,000 active users through a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN). However, as the digital landscape con-tinues to evolve, it is besieged with burgeoning challenges that threaten the very fabric of network integrity—cyber security threats and the imperatives of maintaining high Quality of Service (QoS). In an effort to mitigate these threats and ensure network efficiency, the development of a mobile applica-tion to monitor temperatures in the server room was imperative. According to L. Wei, X. Zeng, and T. Shen, the use of wireless sensory networks to monitor the temperature of train switchgear contact points represents a cost-effective solution. The system is based on wireless communication technology and is detailed in their paper, “A wireless solution for train switchgear contact tem-perature monitoring and alarming system based on wireless communication technology”, published in the International Journal of Communications, Net-work and System Sciences, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 79-87, 2015 [1]. Therefore, in this study, a mobile application technology was explored for monitoring of tem-peratures in the server room in order to aid Cisco device performance. Addi-tionally, this paper also explores the hardening of Cisco device security and QoS which are the cornerstones of this study.