

Wollo university|KIoT
Collage of Informatics
Department of IT

Network design
IT 3rd year students(A&B)
By
Haylay G.

02/03/2023 March 2021 1

 Chapter objectives

 After completion of this chapter, students will
able to:
 Understand the principle of network design
 Identify important factors in network design
 Ascertain different design approaches
 Identify basic requirements of network design
 Planning appropriate network design

02/03/2023 2
 Contents

 Network design definition
 Network design principles
 Network design requirements
 Network design approaches
 Modular network architecture

02/03/2023 3
 Network design principles

 Network design -can be defined as the philosophy that
drives how various components, protocols, and
technologies should be integrated and deployed based on
certain approaches and principles to construct a cohesive
network infrastructure environment that can facilitate the
achievement of tactical or strategic business goals.

02/03/2023 4
 …Network design principles

 Designing large-scale networks to meet today’s
dynamic business and IT needs and trends is a complex
assignment
 whether it is an enterprise or service provider type of
network.
 There are three types network based on size:
 Small- <200 devices
 Medium- 200-1000 devices
 Large- >1000 devices
02/03/2023 5
 Design considerations

 The following are the main points to be consider
during network design:
 Budget
 Nature of applications
 Availability of expertise
 Fault tolerance in terms of applications, system and
network access
 Ease of configuration
 Management
02/03/2023 6
 Network requirements

 Today, the Internet-based economy often demands
around-the-clock customer service
 This means that business networks must be
available nearly 100 percent of the time
 They must be smart enough to automatically
protect against unexpected security incidents.

02/03/2023 7
 …Network requirements

 These business networks must also be able to
adjust to changing traffic loads to maintain
consistent application response times.
 It is no longer practical to construct networks by
connecting many standalone components without
careful planning and design.

02/03/2023 8
 …Network requirements

 This section demonstrates how different types of
requirements collectively can lead to the
achievement of the desired network design, which
ultimately will facilitate achieving business goals.
 The following is a typical classification of the
requirements:
 Business goals
 Business requirements
 Functional requirements
02/03/2023 9
 Business goals

 Focus on how the network can make the business more
successful
 Reduce operational cost
 Enhance employees’ productivity
 Expand the business (adding more remote sites)

02/03/2023 10
 Business requirements

 Reduce the cost of maintaining multiple networks for
voice and data
 Improve employee productivity by enhancing and
integrating internal communications through video and
mobile devices, without compromising the company's
security policy
 Support the business expansion (the rollout of the new
remote sites

02/03/2023 11
 Functional network requirements

 A unified infrastructure that supports voice, video,
data, and wireless
 Ability to provide isolation between the traffic of
guests and internal staff (for both wired and
wireless) to comply with the standard security
policy of the organization
 Capability to support introducing new remote
sites to the network without any redesign
02/03/2023 12
 …Functional network requirements

 Technical requirements: To achieve the above network’s
functional requirements considering the ultimate business
goals, the design must cater to the following:

 Scalability
 Availability
 Performance
 Security
 Manageability
02/03/2023 13

Design Requirements Flow

 Scalability

 Scalability: Scalable network designs can grow to include
new user groups and remote sites and can support new
applications without impacting the level of service
delivered to existing users.
 The ability to grow, for example
 Cabling is meant to last for 10 years
 At least you need to know:
 Number of sites to be added
 What will be needed at each of these sites
 How many users will be added
 Where might servers be located
02/03/2023 14
 New lines of business
 Availability

 It’s the uptime (such as, 99%)
 A network designed for availability is one that delivers
consistent, reliable performance,24 hours a day, 7 days a
week.
 In addition, the failure of a single link or piece of
equipment should not significantly impact network
performance.

02/03/2023 15
 Security

 Security is a feature that must be designed into the
network, not added on after the network
is complete.
 Planning the location of security devices, filters, and
firewall features is critical to safeguarding network
resources.

02/03/2023 16
 Manageability

 No matter how good the initial network design is, the
available network staff must be able to manage and
support the network.
 A network that is too complex or difficult to maintain
cannot function effectively and efficiently.

02/03/2023 17
 Approach of Network design

 Network design must be a complete process that matches
business needs to the available technology to deliver a system
that will maximize the organization goal.
 There are two common approaches to analyze and design
networks:
 The top-down design approach: It simplifies the design
process by splitting the design tasks to make it more focused
on the design scope and performed in a more controlled
manner

02/03/2023 18
 …Approach of Network design

 The bottom-up

approach: In contrast, the bottom-up
approach focuses on selecting network technologies and design
models first

02/03/2023 19
 Top-Down Network Design Steps


Analyze
requirements

Monitor and Develop

optimize logical
network design
performance

Implement Develop
and test physical
network design
Test, optimize,
and document
design
02/03/2023 20
 Designing a Network Topology

 Network design is an art, not a science
 There are no absolutes
 There are no precisely correct formulas
 There are two basic types of network designs:
 Flat
 Hierarchical

02/03/2023 21
 Flat Network Design

 In a flat network all connecting devices are on the
same level

02/03/2023 22
 …Flat Network Design

 A flat design is appropriate for a small and static network
 A flat network is a single collision domain or one that is
not divided hierarchically
 There is a limit to the number of stations that can be
supported in a flat design
 Layer 2 devices in a flat network provide little
opportunity to control broadcasts or to filter undesirable
traffic.
 As more devices and applications are added to a flat
network, response times degrade until the
02/03/2023 23
 Hierarchical Network Design

 In networking, a hierarchical design is used to group
devices into multiple networks.
 The networks are organized in a layered approach.
 The hierarchical design model has three basic layers:
 Core layer: Connects distribution layer devices
 Distribution layer: Interconnects the smaller local
networks
 Access layer: Provides connectivity for network hosts
and end devices

02/03/2023 24
 …Hierarchical Network Design

 Hierarchical networks have advantages over flat
network designs
 The benefit of dividing a flat network into smaller,
more manageable hierarchical blocks is that local
traffic remains local.
 Only traffic destined for other networks is moved to a
higher layer.

02/03/2023 25
 …Hierarchical Network Design


02/03/2023 26
 Benefits of a Hierarchical Network

 Some the benefits of hierarchical network are:
 Scalability
 Redundancy
 Performance
 Security
 Manageability
 Maintainability
Expl_Sw_chapter_01_LAN_Design.ppt

02/03/2023 27
 The core Layer

 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.

02/03/2023 28
 …The core Layer


02/03/2023 29
Core Layer
 …The core Layer

 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

02/03/2023 30
 The Distribution Layer 


 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.
 The distribution layer is the boundary between the
Layer 2 domains and the Layer 3 routed network.
 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.

02/03/2023 31
 …The Distribution Layer 


02/03/2023 32
Distribution Layer
 … The Distribution Layer

 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.
02/03/2023 33
 The Access Layer


 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.
 The access layer for a small business network
generally incorporates Layer 2 switches and access
points providing connectivity between workstations
and servers.

02/03/2023 34
 …The Access Layer

Access Layer 
02/03/2023 35
 …The 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
02/03/2023 36
 Two-Tier Collapsed Core Design 
Collapsed Core

 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.

02/03/2023 37
 …Two-Tier Collapsed Core Design 
Collapsed Core


02/03/2023 Two-Tier Hierarchical Design 38

 …Two-Tier Collapsed Core Design 
Collapsed Core

 consolidation of DL and core-layer functions into one
device.
 prevalent in small campus networks
 each AL switch has a redundant link to the DL switch.
 Each AL switch may support more than one subnet;
however, all subnets terminate on L3 ports on the DL/core
switch

02/03/2023 39
 Modular Design of Cisco Enterprise
Architectures

 The Cisco Enterprise Architectures: can be used to
further divide the three-layer hierarchical design into
modular areas.
 The modules represent areas that have different
physical or logical connectivity.
 They designate where different functions occur in the
network.
 This modularity enables flexibility in network design.
 It facilitates implementation and troubleshooting.

02/03/2023 40
 …Modular Design of Cisco Enterprise
Architectures

 Three areas of focus in modular network design are
as follows:
 Enterprise campus:
 This area contains the network elements required for
independent operation within a single campus or
branch location.
 This is where the building access, building
distribution, and campus core are located.

02/03/2023 41
 …Modular Design of Cisco Enterprise
Architectures

 Server farm
 A component of the enterprise campus, the data center
server farm protects the server resources and
provides redundant, reliable high-speed connectivity
 Enterprise edge
 As traffic comes into the campus network, this area
filters traffic from the external resources and routes it
into the enterprise network.
 It contains all the elements required for efficient and
secure communication between the enterprise campus
and remote locations, remote users, and the Internet.
02/03/2023 42
 …Modular Design of Cisco Enterprise
Architectures


02/03/2023 43
Cisco Enterprise Architectures
 …Modular Design of Cisco Enterprise
Architectures

 The modular framework of the Cisco Enterprise
Architectures has the following design advantages:
 It creates a deterministic network with clearly
defined boundaries between modules.
 This provides clear demarcation points so that the
network designer knows exactly where the traffic
originates and where it flows.
 It eases the design task by making each module
independent. The designer can focus on the needs
of each area separately.
02/03/2023 44
 …Modular Design of Cisco Enterprise
Architectures

 It provides scalability by allowing enterprises to add
modules easily. As network complexity grows, the
designer can add new functional modules.
 It enables the designer to add services and solutions
without changing the underlying network design.

02/03/2023 45
 

Questions?

02/03/2023 46