2.10 Conclusion

The requirements analysis process is about identifying, collecting, and evaluating requirements for the network. System requirements can be separated into components, where the choice of components is based on your environment and what you want to accomplish with the network architecture and design. In this chapter we considered components based on users, applications, devices, and networks. This is a starting point for grouping requirements. As you develop your own process for requirements analysis, you should determine how you would group requirements.

Requirements form the foundation upon which you develop the network architecture and design. Experience shows that the more effort you put into developing a good set of requirements and understanding the system that will be supported by this network, the better your network architecture and design will be.

By separating system requirements into components, the set of requirements becomes more workable. As we apply the processes, principles, and guidelines of the next chapter to each of these components, you will begin to see how understanding each component helps you build a picture of the overall system.

Having covered the concepts of requirements analysis, we are now ready to discuss the requirements analysis process in the next chapter. As you work through the next chapter, keep in mind the set of requirements we have identified in this chapter for each component of the system and how they can be combined into a requirements specification and requirements map.