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Contents Chapter Description
See All Related Articles
1. Objectives This chapter introduces network design
2. Key Terms concepts, principles, models, and
3. Introduction (1.0.1.1) architectures. It covers the benefits that are
obtained by using a systematic design
4. Hierarchical Network Design approach.
Overview (1.1)
5. Cisco Enterprise Architecture
(1.2)
From the Book
6. Cisco Enterprise Architecture Connecting Networks Companion
Model (1.2.2) Guide
7. Evolving Network $60.00 (Save 10%)
Architectures (1.3)
8. Emerging Network
Architectures (1.3.2)
9. Summary (1.4)
10. Practice
11. Check Your Understanding
Questions

Hierarchical Network Design Overview (1.1)

The Cisco hierarchical (three-layer) internetworking model is an industry wide adopted

model for designing a reliable, scalable, and cost-efficient internetwork. In this section,
you will learn about the access, distribution, and core layers and their role in the
hierarchical network model.

Enterprise Network Campus Design (1.1.1)

An understanding of network scale and knowledge of good structured engineering
principles is recommended when discussing network campus design.

Network Requirements (1.1.1.1)

When discussing network design, it is useful to categorize networks based on the number
of devices serviced:

Small network: Provides services for up to 200 devices.

Medium-size network: Provides services for 200 to 1,000 devices.
Large network: Provides services for 1,000+ devices.

Network designs vary depending on the size and requirements of the organizations. For
example, the networking infrastructure needs of a small organization with fewer devices
will be less complex than the infrastructure of a large organization with a significant
number of devices and connections.

There are many variables to consider when designing a network. For instance, consider
the example in Figure 1-1. The sample high-level topology diagram is for a large
enterprise network that consists of a main campus site connecting small, medium, and
large sites.

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Figure 1-1 Large Enterprise Network Design

Network design is an expanding area and requires a great deal of knowledge and
experience. The intent of this section is to introduce commonly accepted network design
concepts.

NOTE

The Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA®) is an industry-recognized

certification for network design engineers, technicians, and support engineers who
demonstrate the skills required to design basic campus, data center, security, voice,
and wireless networks.

Structured Engineering Principles (1.1.1.2)

Regardless of network size or requirements, a critical factor for the successful

implementation of any network design is to follow good structured engineering principles.
These principles include

Hierarchy: A hierarchical network model is a useful high-level tool for designing a

reliable network infrastructure. It breaks the complex problem of network design
into smaller and more manageable areas.
Modularity: By separating the various functions that exist on a network into
modules, the network is easier to design. Cisco has identified several modules,
including the enterprise campus, services block, data center, and Internet edge.
Resiliency: The network must remain available for use under both normal and
abnormal conditions. Normal conditions include normal or expected traffic flows
and traffic patterns, as well as scheduled events such as maintenance windows.
Abnormal conditions include hardware or software failures, extreme traffic loads,
unusual traffic patterns, denial-of-service (DoS) events, whether intentional or
unintentional, and other unplanned events.
Flexibility: The ability to modify portions of the network, add new services, or
increase capacity without going through a major forklift upgrade (i.e., replacing
major hardware devices).

To meet these fundamental design goals, a network must be built on a hierarchical

network architecture that allows for both flexibility and growth.

Hierarchical Network Design (1.1.2)

This topic discusses the three functional layers of the hierarchical network model: the
access, distribution, and core layers.

Network Hierarchy (1.1.2.1)

Early networks were deployed in a flat topology as shown in Figure 1-2.

Figure 1-2 Flat Switched Network

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Hubs and switches were added as more devices needed to be connected. A flat network
design provided little opportunity to control broadcasts or to filter undesirable traffic. As
more devices and applications were added to a flat network, response times degraded,
making the network unusable.

A better network design approach was needed. For this reason, organizations now use a
hierarchical network design as shown in Figure 1-3.

Figure 1-3 Hierarchical Network

A hierarchical network design involves dividing the network into discrete layers. Each
layer, or tier, in the hierarchy provides specific functions that define its role within the
overall network. This helps the network designer and architect to optimize and select the
right network hardware, software, and features to perform specific roles for that network
layer. Hierarchical models apply to both LAN and WAN design.

The benefit of dividing a flat network into smaller, more manageable blocks is that local
traffic remains local. Only traffic that is destined for other networks is moved to a higher
layer. For example, in Figure 1-3 the flat network has now been divided into three
separate broadcast domains.

A typical enterprise hierarchical LAN campus network design includes the following three
layers:

Access layer: Provides workgroup/user access to the network

Distribution layer: Provides policy-based connectivity and controls the boundary
between the access and core layers
Core layer: Provides fast transport between distribution switches within the
enterprise campus

Another sample three-layer hierarchical network design is displayed in Figure 1-4. Notice
that each building is using the same hierarchical network model that includes the access,
distribution, and core layers.

Figure 1-4 Multi Building Enterprise Network Design

NOTE

There are no absolute rules for the way a campus network is physically built. While
it is true that many campus networks are constructed using three physical tiers of
switches, this is not a strict requirement. In a smaller campus, the network might
have two tiers of switches in which the core and distribution elements are combined
in one physical switch. This is referred to as a collapsed core design.

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The Access Layer (1.1.2.2)

In a LAN environment, the access layer highlighted grants end devices access to the
network. In the WAN environment, it may provide teleworkers or remote sites access to
the corporate network across WAN connections.

As shown in Figure 1-5, the access layer for a small business network generally
incorporates Layer 2 switches and access points providing connectivity between
workstations and servers.

Figure 1-5 Access Layer

The access layer serves a number of functions, including

Layer 2 switching
High availability
Port security
QoS classification and marking and trust boundaries
Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) inspection
Virtual access control lists (VACLs)
Spanning tree
Power over Ethernet (PoE) and auxiliary VLANs for VoIP

The Distribution Layer (1.1.2.3)

The distribution layer aggregates the data received from the access layer switches
before it is transmitted to the core layer for routing to its final destination. In Figure 1-6,
the distribution layer is the boundary between the Layer 2 domains and the Layer 3
routed network.

Figure 1-6 Distribution Layer

The distribution layer device is the focal point in the wiring closets. Either a router or a
multilayer switch is used to segment workgroups and isolate network problems in a
campus environment.

A distribution layer switch may provide upstream services for many access layer

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switches.

The distribution layer can provide

Aggregation of LAN or WAN links.

Policy-based security in the form of access control lists (ACLs) and filtering.
Routing services between LANs and VLANs and between routing domains (e.g.,
EIGRP to OSPF).
Redundancy and load balancing.
A boundary for route aggregation and summarization configured on interfaces
toward the core layer.
Broadcast domain control, because routers or multilayer switches do not forward
broadcasts. The device acts as the demarcation point between broadcast
domains.

The Core Layer (1.1.2.4)

The core layer is also referred to as the network backbone. The core layer consists of
high-speed network devices such as the Cisco Catalyst 6500 or 6800. These are
designed to switch packets as fast as possible and interconnect multiple campus
components, such as distribution modules, service modules, the data center, and the
WAN edge.

As shown in Figure 1-7, the core layer is critical for interconnectivity between distribution
layer devices (for example, interconnecting the distribution block to the WAN and Internet
edge).

Figure 1-7 Core Layer

The core should 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.

Considerations at the core layer include

Providing high-speed switching (i.e., fast transport)

Providing reliability and fault tolerance
Scaling by using faster, and not more, equipment
Avoiding CPU-intensive packet manipulation caused by security, inspection,
quality of service (QoS) classification, or other processes

Two-Tier Collapsed Core Design (1.1.2.5)

The three-tier hierarchical design maximizes performance, network availability, and the
ability to scale the network design.

However, many small enterprise networks do not grow significantly larger over time.
Therefore, a two-tier hierarchical design where the core and distribution layers are
collapsed into one layer is often more practical. A “collapsed core” is when the
distribution layer and core layer functions are implemented by a single device. The
primary motivation for the collapsed core design is reducing network cost, while
maintaining most of the benefits of the three-tier hierarchical model.

The example in Figure 1-8 has collapsed the distribution layer and core layer functionality
into multilayer switch devices.

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Figure 1-8 Two-Tier Hierarchical Design

The hierarchical network model provides a modular framework that allows flexibility in
network design and facilitates ease of implementation and troubleshooting.

Activity 1.1.2.6: Identify Hierarchical Network Characteristics

Go to the course online to perform this practice activity.

Previous Section 5. Cisco Enterprise Architecture (1.2) | Next

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