Month 1 Budget 0 / 0 Clear rate - Reliability 100 Score 0

Incoming tickets Cleared 0 / Failed 0

ACL (reachability matrix) Row→Column direction

Cell = Allow / gray = Blocked. Toggles the one-way direction from the row department to the column department. Within the same department is always reachable.
Click to toggle Allow ⇄ Blocked.

IP / Segment design Auto-assigns IPs to online devices

How to play: First place a 🖧Router by clicking the Server Room (MDF). Next, place a 🔌Hub in each department's room, and connect it to the MDF with 〰Cabling (longer runs cost more). Click to install 💻PC / 🖨Printer / 📷Camera into the rooms. The tickets on the right are time-limited. There are installation tasks (e.g. "5 PCs in Sales") and network-requirement tasks (e.g. block Sales→Management but allow the reverse, or fully isolate the camera network); they resolve automatically when the conditions are met. Running out of time lowers reliability. The budget is monthly, over-budget purchases are not allowed, and leftover budget can be carried over. Score = clear rate + remaining budget rate.

What is the In-House IT Network Design Sim?

The "In-House IT Network Design Sim" is a network design simulation game where you become an information systems staff member (an in-house IT engineer) and install routers, hubs, cabling, PCs, printers, and security cameras into the randomly arranged rooms of each department. From the field, tickets (requests) such as "5 PCs for Sales" or "Connect the Dev room to the network" arrive with time limits. Beyond simple installation work, you also face requirements to design directional reachability control (ACL), such as fully isolating the camera network from other departments, or preventing Sales from entering Management while still allowing Management to reach Sales.

Experience IP design, VLAN segments, and ACLs

Each department is assigned a VLAN (segment) and subnet, and devices brought online are automatically given IP addresses. Within the same segment everything is reachable, while traffic between segments is allowed or blocked per direction using the router's ACL matrix. The Management network is highly confidential and blocks inflow from Sales, while the camera network is built in isolation from other networks — you can reproduce these real-world design decisions just by clicking the matrix. Cabling cost is proportional to distance (Manhattan distance), and equipment purchases cannot exceed the monthly budget. Since leftover budget can be carried over to the next month, you can also enjoy the strategy of scheduling costly work over time. Your score is determined by the ticket clear rate and the remaining budget rate, and all calculations run entirely inside your browser — nothing is sent to any server.

Frequently asked questions

What kind of game is the In-House IT Network Design Sim?
You play an in-house IT engineer, installing routers, hubs, cabling, PCs, printers, and security cameras into the randomly placed rooms of each department. Clear time-limited tickets and satisfy design requirements such as isolating the camera network or controlling reachability between departments (ACL). Your leftover monthly budget and ticket clear rate make up your score.
How are the network design requirements (segment isolation and ACLs) expressed?
Each department has its own VLAN (segment) and subnet. Within the same segment everything is reachable, while traffic between segments is allowed or blocked per direction via the router's ACL. Asymmetric rules like "Block Sales→Management, allow Management→Sales" or requirements like "Fully isolate the camera network" appear as tickets, and are resolved automatically once you set the ACL matrix correctly.
How are the budget and score determined?
The budget is monthly and is spent on purchasing equipment and cabling (longer runs cost more); over-budget purchases are blocked. Leftover budget can be carried over to the next month. Your score is calculated from the ticket clear rate and the remaining budget rate, and running out of time lowers your reliability. Everything is calculated inside your browser, with nothing sent externally.