Distributed Networks

Platform Technologies

Based on CCNA Routing and Switching Scaling Networks v6.0

1
Scaling Networks with LANs
• A company with a small network
with one site and a connection
to the Internet might grow into
an enterprise with a central
location with numerous remote
sites across the globe.
• The LAN is the networking
infrastructure that provides
access to network resources for
end users over a single floor or a
building.
The Need to Scale a Network
• All enterprise networks must:
• Support the exchange of various
types of network traffic
• Support critical applications
• Support converged network traffic
• Support diverse business needs
• Provide centralized administrative
control
Hierarchical Design Model
• The campus wired LAN uses a
hierarchical design model to break the
design up into modular layers.
• Breaking the design up into layers
allows each layer to implement
specific functions, which simplifies the
network design for easier deployment
and management.
• A hierarchical LAN design includes
three layers as shown in the figure:
• Access layer
• Distribution layer
• Core layer
Design for Scalability
• Use expandable, modular equipment or
clustered devices that can be easily upgraded
to increase capabilities.
• Design a hierarchical network to include
modules that can be added, upgraded, and
modified as needed.
• Create an IPv4 or IPv6 address strategy that is
hierarchical.
• Choose routers or multilayer switches to limit
broadcasts and filter undesirable traffic from
the network.
• Implement redundant links between critical
devices and between access and core layers.
Planning for Redundancy
• Redundancy is an important part of
the network design for preventing
disruption of network services.
• Minimize the possibility of a single
point of failure by recognizing these
facts:
• Installing duplicate equipment and
providing failover services for critical
devices is necessary.
• Redundant paths offer alternate physical
paths for data to traverse the network.
• Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is required
with redundant paths in a switched
Ethernet network to prevent Layer 2 loops.
Failure Domains
• A well-designed network should limit
the size of failure domains.
• A failure domain is the area of a
network that is impacted when a
critical device or network service
experiences problems.
• The function of the devices that fail
will determine the impact of the
failure domain.
• Use redundant links and reliable
enterprise-class equipment to
minimize the disruption in a network.
Increasing Bandwidth
• In a hierarchical network design, some links
between access and distribution layer switches
may need to process a greater amount of traffic
than other links do.
• As multiple links converge into a single link, it is
possible for this link to become a bottleneck.
• EtherChannel is a form of link aggregation that
will allow the network administrator to increase
the amount of bandwidth between devices by
creating one logical link out of several physical
links.
Expanding the Access Layer
• Wireless connectivity is an important aspect of
extending access layer connectivity.
• The network must be designed to be able to
expand network access to individuals and devices,
as needed.
• Advantages of wireless connectivity include
increased flexibility, reduced cost, and the ability
to adapt to changing network and business
requirements.
• End devices require a wireless NIC that
incorporates a radio transmitter/receiver,
appropriate software drivers, and also a wireless
access point (AP) to connect to.
Fine-tuning Routing Protocols
• Advanced routing protocols, such as OSPF
and EIGRP are used in large networks.
• Link-state routing protocols such as OSPF
works well for larger hierarchical networks
where fast convergence is important.
• OSPF supports a two-layer hierarchical
design, referred to as multiarea OSPF.
• Single Area OSPF has one area – Area 0.
• Multiarea OSPF requires an Area 0
(backbone area)
• Non-backbone areas must be directly
connected to Area 0.
Scaling Networks with VLANs
Virtual LANs (VLANs)
• VLANs provide segmentation based on
broadcast domains.
• VLANs logically segment switched
networks based on the functions,
project teams, or applications of the
organization regardless of the physical
location or connections to the
network.
• All workstations and servers used by a
particular workgroup share the same
VLAN, regardless of the physical
connection or location.
Virtual LANs (VLANs)
• VLANs address scalability, security,
and network management. Routers in
VLAN topologies provide broadcast
filtering, security, and traffic flow
management.
• Allows us to split switches into
separate (virtual) switches
• Edge ports, where end nodes are
connected, are configured as
members of a VLAN
Virtual LANs (VLANs)
• Two or more VLANs in a single switch
• The switch behaves as several virtual
switches, sending traffic only within
VLAN members.
• Switches may not bridge any traffic
between VLANs, as this would violate
the integrity of the VLAN domain.
• Inter-VLAN traffic must be routed (i.e.
go through a router) because they are
separate subnets
Virtual LANs (VLANs)
123456. P
or
t
121221. V
LAN

• VLANs are assigned to switch ports.

• There is no “VLAN” assignment done
on the host.
• In order for a host to be a part of that Switch 1
VLAN, it must be assigned an IP 172.30.1.21
172.30.2.12
255.255.255.0
address that belongs to the proper 255.255.255.0
VLAN 1
VLAN 2
subnet.
• Remember: VLAN = Subnet
172.30.2.10 172.30.1.23
255.255.255.0 255.255.255.0
VLAN 2 VLAN 1

Two VLANs = Two subnets

Two VLANs
Ÿ Two Subnets
Virtual LANs (VLANs)
123456. P
or
t
121221. V
LAN

• VLANs separate broadcast domains ==

subnets.
• e.g. without VLAN the ARP would be seen ARP Request
on all subnets.
• Assigning a host to the correct VLAN is 172.30.1.21
Switch 1
172.30.2.12
a 2-step process: 255.255.255.0
255.255.255.0
VLAN 1
• Connect the host to the correct port on VLAN 2
the switch.
• Assign to the host the correct IP address
depending on the VLAN membership 172.30.2.10 172.30.1.23
255.255.255.0 255.255.255.0
VLAN 2 VLAN 1

Two VLANs = Two subnets

Two VLANs
Ÿ Two Subnets
Broadcast Domains with VLANs and Routers
Without
VLANs: 10.1.0.0/16
• Without VLANs, each group is on a
different IP network and on a different
10.2.0.0/16
switch.
• Using VLANs, switch is configured with
the ports on the appropriate VLAN. 10.3.0.0/16

• Still, each group on a different IP 10.1.0.0/16

network; however, they are all on the With
same physical switch. VLANs
10.2.0.0/16
• What are the broadcast domains in
each?
10.3.0.0/16

One link per VLAN or a single VLAN Trunk

VLANs Across Switches
• Two switches can exchange traffic
from one or more VLANs
• Inter-switch links are configured as
trunks, carrying frames from all or a
subset of a switch’s VLANs
• Trunking is the point to point connection
between more than one Ethernet switch
and some other network devices like
switch or a router.
• Each frame carries a tag that identifies
which VLAN it belongs to
Increase Complexity with VLANs
• You can no longer “just replace” a switch
• Now you have VLAN configuration to maintain
• Field technicians need more skills
• You have to make sure that all the switch-to-switch trunks are
carrying all the necessary VLANs
• Need to keep in mind when adding/removing VLANs
• Do not build “VLAN spaghetti”
• Extending a VLAN to multiple buildings across trunk ports
• Bad idea because:
• Broadcast traffic is carried across all trunks from one end of the network to another
• Broadcast storm can spread across the extent of the VLAN
• Maintenance and troubleshooting nightmare
Good Reasons to use VLANs
• You want to segment your network into multiple subnets, but can’t
buy enough switches
• Hide sensitive infrastructure like IP phones, building controls, etc.
• Separate control traffic from user traffic
• Restrict who can access your switch management address
Bad Reasons to use VLANs
• Because you can, and you feel cool ☺
• Because they will completely secure your hosts (or so you think)
• Because they allow you to extend the same IP network over multiple
separate buildings
Selecting Network Devices
Switch Hardware Platforms
• There are five categories of switches
for enterprise networks:
• Campus LAN switches
• Cloud-managed switches
• Data center switches
• Service provider switches
• Virtual networking
• Various factors to consider when
selecting switches include these:
• Fixed vs. modular configuration
• Stackable vs. nonstackable
• Thickness of the switch (rack units)
• Cost, port density, power, reliability
Port Density
• The port density of a switch refers to
the number of ports on a single
switch.
• Fixed configuration switches support a
variety of port density configurations:
• The modular Catalyst 6500 switch
shown in the figure can support over
1,000 switch ports.
• Modular switches are usually more
appropriate in large networks in order
to reduce space and power issues.
Forwarding Rates
• Forwarding Rates are an important
factor when selecting a switch because
if the rate is too low, it will not be able
to support full wire-speed
communication across all of its switch
ports.
• Access layer switches typically do not
need to operate at full wire speed
because they are physically limited by
their uplinks to the distribution layer.
• Higher performing switches are
needed at the distribution and core
layers.
Power over Ethernet
• PoE allows the switch to deliver power to
a device over existing Ethernet cabling.
• This eliminates the need for a power
cable to the networked device such an IP
phone or wireless access point.
• PoE allows more flexibility when
installing wireless access points and IP
phones by allowing them to be installed
anywhere that there is an Ethernet cable.
• PoE pass-through devices can power PoE
devices as well as the switch itself by
drawing power from certain upstream
switches.
Multilayer Switching
• Multilayer switches are typically deployed
in the core and distribution layer.
• Multilayer switches can do the following:
• Build a routing table and support routing
protocols
• Forward IP packets at a rate close to that of
Layer 2 forwarding
• Multilayer switches often support
specialized hardware called application-
specific integrated circuits (ASICs).
• There is a trend in networking toward a
pure Layer 3 switched environment.
Router Hardware
• Routing is required within the distribution
layer of an enterprise network. Without
routing, packets could not leave the local
network.
• Routers are critical networking devices
because they are responsible for:
• Connecting businesses and homes to the
Internet
• Interconnecting multiple sites within an
enterprise network
• Connecting ISPs on the Internet
• Translating between different media types
and protocols
• Finding alternate paths if a link or path goes
down
Router Requirements
• Routers also serve other important
functions:
• Provide broadcast containment by limiting
broadcasts to the local network
• Group users logically by application or
department
• Provide enhanced security through the use of
access control lists in order to filter unwanted
traffic.
• Interconnect geographically separated
locations.
Managing Devices
• There are two methods for connecting
a PC to a network device for
configuration and monitoring tasks:
• Out-of-band management through the
use of the console or AUX port is used for
the initial configuration or when a
network connection is not available.
• In-band management is used to
configure or monitor the device remotely
through a network connection using
either SSH or HTTPs.
• A reachable and operational network
interface is required.
• For security reasons, the use of Telnet
and HTTP are not recommended.