CHAPTER2 Modular Network Design This chapter presents a set of building blocks that can organize and streamline

even a large, complex campus network. These building blocks then can be placed using several campus design models to provide maximum efficiency, functionality, and scalability. Do I Know This Already? Quiz The purpose of the Do I Know This Already? quiz is to help you decide whether you need to read the entire chapter. If you already intend to read the entire chapter, you do not necessarily need to answer these questions now. The 14-question quiz, derived from the major sections in the Foundation Topics portion of the chapter, helps you determine how to spend your limited study time. Table 2-1 outlines the major topics discussed in this chapter and the Do I Know This Already? quiz questions that correspond to those topics. Table 2-1 Do I Know This Already? Foundation Topics Section-to-Question Mapping Foundation Topics Section Questions Covered in This Section Score Modular Network Design 112 Evaluating an Existing Network 1314 Total Score CAUTION The goal of self-assessment is to gauge your mastery of the topics in this chapter. If you do not know the answer to a question or are only partially sure of the answer,

you should mark this question wrong. Giving yourself credit for an answer you correctly guess skews your self-assessment results and might provide you with a false sense of security. 28 Chapter 2: Modular Network Design You can find the answers to the quiz in Appendix A, Answers to Chapter Do I Know This Already? Quizzes and Q&A Sections. The suggested choices for your next step are as follows: 8 or less overall scoreRead the entire chapter. This includes the Foundation Topics, Foundation Summary, and Q&A sections. 910 overall scoreBegin with the Foundation Summary section and then follow up with the Q&A section at the end of the chapter. 12 or more overall scoreIf you want more review on these topics, skip to the Foundation Summary section and then go to the Q&A section at the end of the chapter. Otherwise, move on to Chapter 3, Switch Operation. 1. What is the purpose of breaking a campus network into a hierarchical design? a. To facilitate documentation b. To follow political or organizational policies c. To make the network predictable and scalable d. To make the network more redundant and secure 2. Which of the following are building blocks or modules used to build a scalable campus network? (Check all that apply.) a. Access block b. Distribution block c. Core block d. Server farm block e. Switch block 3. Which one or more of the following are the components of a typical switch block?

a. Access-layer switches b. Distribution-layer switches c. Core-layer switches d. E-commerce servers e. Service provider switches 4. What are two types of core, or backbone, designs? a. Collapsed core b. Loop-free core c. Dual core d. Layered core Do I Know This Already? Quiz 29 5. In a properly designed hierarchical network, a broadcast from one PC is confined to what? a. One access-layer switch port b. One access-layer switch c. One switch block d. The entire campus network 6. What is the maximum number of access-layer switches that can connect into a single distribution-layer switch? a. 1 b. 2 c. Limited only by the number of ports on the access-layer switch d. Limited only by the number of ports on the distribution-layer switch e. Unlimited 7. A switch block should be sized according to what? a. The number of access-layer users

b. A maximum of 250 access-layer users c. A study of the traffic patterns and flows d. The amount of rack space available e. The number of servers accessed by users 8. What evidence can be seen when a switch block is too large? (Choose all that apply.) a. IP address space is exhausted. b. You run out of access-layer switch ports. c. Broadcast traffic becomes excessive. d. Traffic is throttled at the distribution-layer switches. e. Network congestion occurs. 9. How many distribution switches should be built into each switch block? a. 1 b. 2 c. 4 d. 8 30 Chapter 2: Modular Network Design 10. What are the most important aspects to consider when designing the core layer in a large network? (Choose all that apply.) a. Low cost b. Switches that can efficiently forward traffic, even when every uplink is at 100% capacity c. High port density of high-speed ports d. A low number of Layer 3 routing peers 11. Which services typically are located at the enterprise edge block? (Choose all that apply.) a. Network management b. Intranet server farms

c. VPN and remote access d. E-commerce servers e. End users 12. In a server farm block, where should redundancy be provided? (Choose all that apply.) a. Dual connections from each distribution switch to the core. b. Dual connections from each access switch to the distribution switches. c. Dual connections from each server to the access switches. d. No redundancy is necessary. 13. Which of the following protocols can be used as a tool to discover a network topology? a. RIP b. CDP c. STP d. ICMP 14. Which one of the following tasks is not an appropriate strategy for migrating an existing network into the Enterprise Composite Model? a. Identify groups of end users as switch blocks b. Group common resources into switch blocks c. Identify distribution switches to connect the switch blocks d. Add redundancy between the hierarchical layers Modular Network Design 31 Foundation Topics Modular Network Design Recall from Chapter 1, Campus Network Overview, that a network is best constructed and maintained using a three-tiered hierarchical approach. Making a given network conform to a layered architecture might seem a little confusing.

You can design a campus network in a logical manner, using a modular approach. In this approach, each layer of the hierarchical network model can be broken into basic functional units. These units, or modules, then can be sized appropriately and connected, while allowing for future scalability and expansion. You can divide enterprise campus networks into the following basic elements: Switch blockA group of access-layer switches, together with their distribution switches Core blockThe campus networks backbone Other related elements can exist. Although these elements dont contribute to the campus networks overall function, they can be designed separately and added to the network design. These elements are as follows: Server farm blockA group of enterprise servers, along with their access and distribution (layer) switches. Management blockA group of network-management resources, along with their access and distribution switches. Enterprise edge blockA collection of services related to external network access, along with their access and distribution switches. Service provider edge blockThe external network services contracted or used by the enterprise network. These are the services with which the enterprise edge block interfaces. The collection of all these elements is also known as the Enterprise Composite Network Model. Figure 2-1 shows a modular campus designs basic structure. Notice how each of the buildingblock elements can be confined to a certain area or function. Also notice how each is connected into the core block. 32 Chapter 2: Modular Network Design Figure 2-1 Modular Approach to Campus Network Design Switch Block

Recall how a campus network is divided into access, distribution, and core layers. The switch block contains switching devices from the access and distribution layers. All switch blocks then connect into the core block, providing end-to-end connectivity across the campus. Switch blocks contain a balanced mix of Layer 2 and Layer 3 functionality, as might be present in the access and distribution layers. Layer 2 switches located in wiring closets (access layer) connect end users to the campus network. With one end user per switch port, each user receives dedicated bandwidth access. Building A Building Z Switch Blocks Core Block Server Farm Block Management Block Enterprise Edge Block Service Provider Edge Blocks Si Si Si Si Si Si Si Si Si Si Si Modular Network Design 33

Upstream, each access-layer switch connects to devices in the distribution layer. Here, Layer 2 functionality transports data among all connected access switches at a central connection point. Layer 3 functionality also can be provided in the form of routing and other networking services (security, quality of service [QoS], and so on). Therefore, a distribution-layer device should be a multilayer switch. Layer 3 functionality is discussed in more detail in Chapter 12, Multilayer Switching. The distribution layer also shields the switch block from certain failures or conditions in other parts of the network. For example, broadcasts are not propagated from the switch block into the core and other switch blocks. Therefore, the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is confined to each switch block, where a virtual LAN (VLAN) is bounded, keeping the spanning tree domain well defined and controlled. Access-layer switches can support VLANs by assigning individual ports to specific VLAN numbers. In this way, stations connected to the ports configured for the same VLAN can share the same Layer 3 subnet. However, be aware that a single VLAN can support multiple subnets. Because the switch ports are configured for a VLAN number only (and not a network address), any station connected to a port can present any subnet address range. The VLAN functions as traditional network media and allows any network address to connect. In this network design model, you should not extend VLANs beyond distribution switches. The distribution layer always should be the boundary of VLANs, subnets, and broadcasts. Although Layer 2 switches can extend VLANs to other switches and other layers of the hierarchy, this activity is discouraged. VLAN traffic should not traverse the network core. (Trunking, or the capability to carry many VLANs over a single connection, is discussed in Chapter 5, VLANs and Trunks.)