CA Ex s3c1 Lan+Design

CCNA – Semester3
Chapter 1: LAN Design
CCNA Exploration 4.0

Objectives
• Describe how a hierarchical network supports the voice,
and data needs of a small- or medium-sized business.
• Describe the functions of each of the three levels of the
hierarchical network design model, the principles of
hierarchical network design (aggregate connectivity,
network diameter, and redundancy), and the concept of a
converged network.
• Provide examples of how voice and video over IP affect
network design.
• Select appropriate devices to operate at each level of the
hierarchy, including voice and video components.
• Match the appropriate Cisco switch to each layer in the
hierarchical network design model.
2
Switched LAN Architecture
3
The Hierarchical Network Model
• Access Layer: interfaces with end devices, to provide a

means of connecting devices to the network and controlling
which devices are allowed to communicate on the network.
– Include routers, switches, bridges, hubs, and wireless
access points.
4
• Distribution Layer: aggregates the data; controls the flow of

network traffic.
– Distribution layer switches are typically high-performance
devices that have high availability and redundancy to
ensure reliability.
5
• Core layer: the high-speed backbone of the internetwork.

The core layer is critical for interconnectivity between
distribution layer devices, so it is important for the core to be
highly available and redundant. The core aggregates the
traffic from all the distribution layer devices, so it must be
capable of forwarding large amounts of data quickly.
6
• The logical representation makes it easy to see which

switches perform which function. It is much harder to see
these hierarchical layers when the network is installed in a
business.
7
Benefits of a Hierarchical Network
• Scalability
– Hierarchical networks can be expanded easily
• Redundancy
– Redundancy at the core and distribution level ensure path availability
• Performance
– Link aggregation between levels and high-performance core and
distribution level switches allow for near wire-throughout the network
• Security
– Port security at the access level and policies at the distribution level
make the network more secure
• Manageability
– Consistency between switches at each level makes management
more simple
• Maintainability
– The modularity of hierarchical design allows the network to scale
without becoming overly complicated
Hierarchical Network Design Principles
• Network Diameter:
– Measure the number of devices that a packet has to cross
before it reaches its destination. Keeping the network
diameter low ensures low and predictable latency
between devices.
• Bandwidth Aggregation:
– Bandwidth aggregation is the practice of considering the
specific bandwidth requirements of each part of the hierarchy.
– Link aggregation allows multiple switch port links to be
combined so as to achieve higher throughput between
switches. Cisco has a proprietary link aggregation technology
called EtherChannel, which allows multiple Ethernet links to be
consolidated.
• Redundancy:
– Is one part of creating a highly available network.
Redundancy can be provided in a number of ways. For
example, you can double up the network connections
between devices, or you can double the devices
themselves.
Start at the Access Layer
• Design a new network: Design requirements, such as the level of
performance or redundancy necessary, are determined by the business
goals of the organization. Once the design requirements are
documented, the designer can begin selecting the equipment and
infrastructure to implement the design.
• When you start the equipment selection at the access layer, you can
ensure that you accommodate all network devices needing access to the
network. After you have all end devices accounted for, you have a better
idea of how many access layer switches you need. The number of
access layer switches, and the estimated traffic that each generates,
helps you to determine how many distribution layer switches are required
to achieve the performance and redundancy needed for the network.
After you have determined the number of distribution layer switches, you
can identify how many core switches are required to maintain the
performance of the network.
Converged Network
• Small and medium-sized businesses: run voice and video services on
the data network. So how voice and video over IP (VoIP) affect a
hierarchical network:
Legacy Equipment
• Convergence: voice and video communications on a data network.
• Converged networks: only feasible in large enterprise organizations.
• Convergence: high network costs.
• Converged networks also required extensive management in relation
to Quality of Service (QoS).
• Legacy equipment hinders the process.
• Most telephone companies today have made the transition to digital-
based switches. However, there are many offices that still use analog
phones, so they still have existing analog telephone wiring closets.
Converged Network
Advanced Technology
• Convergence is now easier to implement and manage, and
less expensive to purchase.
• Cisco Catalyst Express 500 switches and a Cisco 7906G
phone suitable for small to medium-sized businesses.
• If the business already invested in separate voice, video,
and data networks, it is difficult to abandon an investment
that still works, but there are several advantages:
– One network to manage
– Lower implementation and management costs
Converged Network
New Options:
Converged networks give you options that had not existed
previously.
• Tie voice and video communications directly into an
employee's personal computer system.
• You can accomplish the same function using special
software integrated with a personal computer. Softphones,
such as the Cisco IP Communicator, offer a lot of flexibility
for businesses.
• With the addition of inexpensive webcams,
videoconferencing can be added to a softphone.
Converged Network
Converged Network
• Separate Voice, Video and Data Networks
Activity: 1.1.3.3
Matching Switches
to Specific LAN Functions
18
Considerations for Hierarchical Network
Switches
• Traffic Flow Analysis
– The process to measure the bandwidth usage on a network and
analyze the data for the purpose of performance tuning, capacity
planning, and making hardware improvement decisions.
– Done using traffic flow analysis software.
– Analyzing the various traffic sources and their impact on the network,
allows you to more accurately tune and upgrade the network to
achieve the best possible performance.
• Traffic Flow Tools: many tools
– For a list of some commercial traffic flow collection and analysis tools,
visit
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/732/Tech/nmp/netflow/partners/co
mmercial/index.shtml.
– For a list of some freeware traffic flow collection and analysis tools,
visit
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/732/Tech/nmp/netflow/partners/free
ware/index.shtml.
Switches
• User Communities Analysis:

– The process of identifying various groupings of users and their
impact on network performance. The way users are grouped
affects issues related to port density and traffic flow, which, in
turn, influences the selection of network switches.
• Future Growth
Switches
• Data Stores and Data Servers Analysis
– Analyzing traffic on a network: consider the location of servers.
– Data stores can be servers, storage area networks (SANs),
network-attached storage (NAS), tape backup units, or any
other device or component where large quantities of data are
stored.
– Client-server traffic and server-server traffic.
Switches
• Topology diagram:
• Is a graphical representation of a network infrastructure
• Shows how all switches are interconnected, any redundant
paths or aggregated ports between switches, device
densities and user communities.
• Allows to visually identify potential bottlenecks
Switch Features
• Switch Form Factors:
– fixed configuration or modular configuration
– stackable or non-stackable
Switch Features
Performance
• Post Density
• Forwarding Rates
• Link Aggregation
Switch Features
• Power over Ethernet (PoE):
– Allows the switch to deliver power to a device over the
existing Ethernet cabling.
– Allows you more flexibility when installing wireless access
points and IP phones because you can install them
anywhere you can run an Ethernet cable.
• Layer 3 Functions:
– Layer 3 switches offer advanced functionality that will be
discussed in greater detail in the later chapters of this
course. Layer 3 switches are also known as multilayer
switches.
Switch Features
Layer 3 Functions
Power over Ethernet

Switch Features in a Hierarchical Network
• Access Layer Switch Features

• Distribution Layer Switch Features

• Core Layer Switch Features

Switches for SMB
Switches for SMB
Switches for SMB
Switches for SMB
Switches for SMB
• Activity 1.2.4.2
• Activity 1.2.4.3
Summary
• The hierarchical design model improves upon the limitation of flat,
partial mesh, and mesh design models by improving the performance,
scalability, availability, manageability, and maintainability of the
network.
• Hierarchical network topologies facilitate network convergence by
providing the performance necessary for voice and video data to be
combined onto the existing data network.
• Traffic flow, user communities, data stores and server location, and
topology diagram analysis can be performed to help identify network
bottlenecks.
• The bottlenecks can then be addressed to improve the performance
of the network and accurately determine appropriate hardware
requirements to satisfy the desired performance of the network.
• Cisco switches combine specific form factors, performance, PoE, and
Layer 3 support that support the levels of the hierarchical network
design.

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CCNA – Semester3

Chapter 1: LAN Design

CCNA Exploration 4.0

• Access Layer: interfaces with end devices, to provide a

• Distribution Layer: aggregates the data; controls the flow of

• Core layer: the high-speed backbone of the internetwork.

• The logical representation makes it easy to see which

• User Communities Analysis:

Power over Ethernet

• Access Layer Switch Features

• Distribution Layer Switch Features

• Core Layer Switch Features

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