TOPIC TWO

LOCAL AREA NETWORK DESIGN

Local Area Networks (LANs) are a network infrastructure that spans a small geographical area.
Specific features of LANs include:
❖ LANs interconnect end devices in a limited area such as a home, school, office building,
❖ or campus.
❖ A LAN is usually administered by a single organization or individual. The administrative
control that governs the security and access control policies are enforced on the network
level.
❖ LANs provide high speed bandwidth to internal end devices and intermediary devices
Networks must meet the current needs of organizations and be able to support emerging
technologies as new technologies are adopted. Network design principles and models can help a
network engineer design and build a network that is flexible, resilient, and manageable.
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-sized network - Provides services for 200 to 1000 devices.
❖ Large network - Provides services for 1000+ 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.
Modern networks continue to evolve to keep pace with the changing way organizations carry out
their daily business. Users now expect instant access to company resources from anywhere and at
any time. These resources not only include traditional data but also video and voice. There is also
an increasing need for collaboration technologies that allow real-time sharing of resources between
multiple remote individuals as though they were at the same physical location
Different devices must seamlessly work together to provide a fast, secure, and reliable connection
between hosts. LAN switches provide the connection point for end users into the enterprise
network and are also primarily responsible for the control of information within the LAN
environment. Routers facilitate the movement of information between LANs and are generally
unaware of individual hosts. All advanced services depend on the availability of a robust routing
and switching infrastructure on which they can build. This infrastructure must be carefully
designed, deployed, and managed to provide a necessary stable platform.
Growing complexity of networks
Our digital world is changing. The ability to access the Internet and the corporate network is no
longer confined to physical offices, geographical locations, or time zones. In today’s globalized
workplace, employees can access resources from anywhere in the world and information must be
available at any time, and on any device, These requirements drive the need to build next-
generation networks that are secure, reliable, and highly available. These next generation networks
must not only support current expectations and equipment, but must also be able to integrate legacy
platforms.
Elements of a converged networks

To support collaboration, business networks employ converged solutions using voice systems, IP
phones, voice gateways, video support, and video conferencing. Including data services, a
converged network with collaboration support may include features such as the following:

• Call control - Telephone call processing, caller ID, call transfer, hold, and conference

• Voice messaging - Voicemail

• Mobility - Receive important calls wherever you are

• Automated attendant - Serve customers faster by routing calls directly to the right
department or individual

One of the primary benefits of transitioning to the converged network is that there is just one
physical network to install and manage. This results in substantial savings over the installation and
management of separate voice, video, and data networks. Such a converged network solution
integrates IT management so that any moves, additions, and changes are completed with an
intuitive management interface. A converged network solution also provides PC softphone
application support, as well as point-to-point video, so that users can enjoy personal
communications with the same ease of administration and use as a voice call.

The convergence of services onto the network has resulted in an evolution in networks from a
traditional data transport role, to a super-highway for data, voice, and video communication. This
one physical network must be properly designed and implemented to allow the reliable handling
of the various types of information that it must carry. A structured design is required to allow
management of this complex environment.

Borderless Switched Networks

With the increasing demands of the converged network, the network must be developed with an
architectural approach that embeds intelligence, simplifies operations, and is scalable to meet
future demands. One of the more recent developments in network design is illustrated by the
Cisco Borderless Network architecture as shown below
The Cisco Borderless Network is a network architecture that combines several innovations and
design considerations to allow organizations to connect anyone, anywhere, anytime, and on any
device securely, reliably, and seamlessly. This architecture is designed to address IT and
business challenges, such as supporting the converged network and changing work patterns.

The Cisco Borderless Network is built on an infrastructure of scalable and resilient hardware and
software. It enables different elements, from access switches to wireless access points to work
together and allow users to access resources from any place at any time, providing optimization,
scalability, and security to collaboration and virtualization.

Hierarchy in the Borderless Switched Network

Creating a borderless switched network requires that sound network design principles are used to
ensure maximum availability, flexibility, security, and manageability. The borderless switched
network must deliver on current requirements and future required services and technologies.
Borderless switched network design guidelines are built upon the following principles:

• Hierarchical - Facilitates understanding the role of each device at every tier, simplifies
deployment, operation, and management, and reduces fault domains at every tier

• Modularity - Allows seamless network expansion and integrated service enablement on

an on-demand basis
 • Resiliency - Satisfies user expectations for keeping the network always on

• Flexibility - Allows intelligent traffic load sharing by using all network resources

These are not independent principles. Understanding how each principle fits in the context of the
others is critical. Designing a borderless switched network in a hierarchical fashion creates a
foundation that allows network designers to overlay security, mobility, and unified
communication features. Two time-tested and proven hierarchical design frameworks for campus
networks are the three-tier layer and the two-tier layer models, as illustrated in the figure.

The three critical layers within these tiered designs are the access, distribution, and core layers.
Each layer can be seen as a well-defined, structured module with specific roles and functions in
the campus network. Introducing modularity into the campus hierarchical design further ensures
that the campus network remains resilient and flexible enough to provide critical network
services. Modularity also helps to allow for growth and changes that occur over time

Three-Layer Hierarchical Model

Core Distribution Access

Access Layer

The access layer represents the network edge, where traffic enters or exits the campus network.
Traditionally, the primary function of an access layer switch is to provide network access to the
user. Access layer switches connect to distribution layer switches, which implement network
foundation technologies such as routing, quality of service, and security.

To meet network application and end-user demand, the next-generation switching platforms now
provide more converged, integrated, and intelligent services to various types of endpoints at the
network edge. Building intelligence into access layer switches allows applications to operate on
the network more efficiently and securely.

Distribution Layer

The distribution layer interfaces between the access layer and the core layer to provide many
important functions, including:

• Aggregating large-scale wiring closet networks

• Aggregating Layer 2 broadcast domains and Layer 3 routing boundaries

• Providing intelligent switching, routing, and network access policy functions to access
the rest of the network

• Providing high availability through redundant distribution layer switches to the end-user
and equal cost paths to the core

• Providing differentiated services to various classes of service applications at the edge of

network

Core Layer

The core layer is the network backbone. It connects several layers of the campus network. The
core layer serves as the aggregator for all of the other campus blocks and ties the campus
together with the rest of the network. The primary purpose of the core layer is to provide fault
isolation and high-speed backbone connectivity.

In some cases, because of a lack of physical or network scalability restrictions, maintaining a

separate distribution and core layer is not required. In smaller campus locations where there are
fewer users accessing the network or in campus sites consisting of a single building, separate
core and distribution layers may not be needed. In this scenario, the recommendation is the
alternate two-tier campus network design, also known as the collapsed core network design.
Switched Networks

Role of Switched Networks

The role of switched networks has evolved dramatically in the last two decades. It was not long
ago that flat Layer 2 switched networks were the norm. Flat Layer 2 data networks relied on the
basic properties of Ethernet and the widespread use of hub repeaters to propagate LAN traffic
throughout an organization. As shown in figure below, networks have fundamentally changed to
switched LANs in a hierarchical network. A switched LAN allows more flexibility, traffic
management, and additional features, such as:

• Quality of service

• Additional security

• Support for wireless networking and connectivity

• Support for new technologies, such as IP telephony and mobility services

Form factors
There are various types of switches used in business networks. It is important to deploy the
appropriate types of switches based on network requirements. When selecting the type of switch,
the network designer must choose between a fixed or modular configuration, and stackable or non-
stackable. Another consideration is the thickness of the switch, which is expressed in number of
rack units. These options are sometimes referred to as switch form factors.
Fixed Configuration Switches

Fixed configuration switches do not support features or options beyond those that originally
came with the switch The particular model determines the features and options available. For
example, a 24-port gigabit fixed switch cannot support additional ports. There are typically
different configuration choices that vary in how many and what types of ports are included with
a fixed configuration switch.

Modular Configuration Switches

Modular configuration switches offer more flexibility in their configuration. Modular

configuration switches typically come with different sized chassis that allow for the installation
of different numbers of modular line cards The line cards actually contain the ports. The line
card fits into the switch chassis the way that expansion cards fit into a PC. The larger the chassis,
the more modules it can support. There can be many different chassis sizes to choose from. A
modular switch with a 24-port line card supports an additional 24 port line card, to bring the total
number of ports up to 48.
Stackable Configuration Switches

Stackable configuration switches can be interconnected using a special cable that provides high-
bandwidth throughput between the switches Cisco StackWise technology allows the
interconnection of up to nine switches. Switches can be stacked one on top of the other with cables
connecting the switches in a daisy chain fashion. The stacked switches effectively operate as a
single larger switch. Stackable switches are desirable where fault tolerance and bandwidth
availability are critical and a modular switch is too costly to implement. Using cross-connected
connections, the network can recover quickly if a single switch fails. Stackable switches use a
special port for interconnections. Many Cisco stackable switches also support StackPower
technology, which enables power sharing among stack members.
Alleviating Network Congestion

LAN switches have special characteristics that make them effective at alleviating network
congestion. First, they allow the segmentation of a LAN into separate collision domains. Each port
of the switch represents a separate collision domain and provides the full bandwidth to the device
or devices that are connected to that port. Second, they provide full-duplex communication
between devices. A full-duplex connection can carry transmitted and received signals at the same
time. Full-duplex connections have dramatically increased LAN network performance, and are
required for 1 Gb/s Ethernet speeds and higher.

Switches interconnect LAN segments (collision domains), use a table of MAC addresses to
determine the segment to which the frame is to be sent, and can lessen or eliminate collisions
entirely. Following are some important characteristics of switches that contribute to alleviating
network congestion:

• High port density - Switches have high-port densities: 24- and 48-port switches are
often just 1 rack unit (1.75 inches) in height and operate at speeds of 100 Mb/s, 1 Gb/s,
and 10 Gb/s. Large enterprise switches may support many hundreds of ports.

• Large frame buffers - The ability to store more received frames before having to start
dropping them is useful, particularly when there may be congested ports to servers or
other parts of the network.

• Port speed - Depending on the cost of a switch, it may be possible to support a mixture
of speeds. Ports of 100 Mb/s, and 1 or 10 Gb/s are common (100 Gb/s is also possible).

• Fast internal switching - Having fast internal forwarding capabilities allows high
performance. The method that is used may be a fast internal bus or shared memory,
which affects the overall performance of the switch.

• Low per-port cost - Switches provide high-port density at a lower cost. For this reason,
LAN switches can accommodate network designs featuring fewer users per segment,
therefore, increasing the average available bandwidth per user.
Switching Domains
Collision domains

In hub-based Ethernet segments, network devices compete for the medium, because devices must
take turns when transmitting. The network segments that share the same bandwidth between
devices are known as collision domains, because when two or more devices within that segment
try to communicate at the same time, collisions may occur.

It is possible, however, to use other network devices (examples would include switches and
routers) operating at the TCP/IP model network access layer and above to divide a network into
segments and reduce the number of devices that compete for bandwidth. Each new segment
results in a new collision domain. More bandwidth is available to the devices on a segment, and
collisions in one collision domain do not interfere with the other segments. This is also known as
micro segmentation.
Broadcast Domains

Although switches filter most frames based on MAC addresses, they do not filter broadcast
frames. For other switches on the LAN to receive broadcast frames, switches must flood these
frames out all ports. A collection of interconnected switches forms a single broadcast domain.
Only a network layer device, such as a router, can divide a Layer 2 broadcast domain. Routers
are used to segment both collision and broadcast domains.

When a device sends a Layer 2 broadcast, the destination MAC address in the frame is set to all
binary ones. A frame with a destination MAC address of all binary ones is received by all
devices in the broadcast domain.

The Layer 2 broadcast domain is referred to as the MAC broadcast domain. The MAC broadcast
domain consists of all devices on the LAN that receive broadcast frames from a host.

Exercise

1. Differentiate between broadcast domain and collision domain. state the circumstances
under which each occurs and how the issue cab be alleviated
2. Discuss the appropriate hardware and technologies used in LAN design