11/29/2017 Campus Network Design Guideline - Cisco Support Community

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Introduction
Building a Campus network is more than only interconnecting physical network infrastructure devices. The
most challenging and important part of it is the planning and design phases where di erent technical
variables and technologies need to be considered that could even e ect the product selection and the
design entirely. Also a good design is the key to the capability of a network to scale. This guideline will
discuss some of the technologies and design considerations that need to be taken into account during the
planning and design phases to design a scalable campus network

Note:

Although this guideline is generated based on Ciscos recommendations and best practices, however it is
not a Ciscos o cial document. It is recommended to refer to some of the cisco design guides referenced in
each section in this guideline for more details

Campus Network Overview

A campus network is generally the portion of the network infrastructure that provides access to network
communication services and resources to end users and devices that spread over a single geographic
location. It might be a single oor, a building, or even a group of buildings spread over an extended
geographic area

Common Campus network Hierarchical Design Models

Ciscos hierarchical network design model breaks the complex problem of network design into smaller and
more manageable. Each level, or tier in the hierarchy is focused on speci c set of roles. This helps the
network designer and architect to optimize and select the right network hardware, software and features to
perform speci c roles for that network layer

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

The Core layer that provides optimal transport between sites and high performance routing

The Distribution layer that provides policy-based connectivity and control boundary between the access
and core layers

The Access layer that provides workgroup/user access to the network

The two proven
tier layer modelshierarchical design architectures for campus networks are the three-tier layer and the two-
Three-tier layer model

This design model can be used in large campus networks where multiple distribution layer and buildings
need to be interconnected

Two-tier layer model

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This model can be used in small and medium campus network where core and distribution functions can be
collapsed into one layer also known as collapsed core/distribution model

Modular Campus Network Architecture

By applying the hierarchical design model discussed above into mul ple blocks within the campus network this will result in a more
scalable and modular topology called building blocks" which allow the network to meet evolving business needs. The modular design
makes the network more scalable and manageable by promo ng determinis c trac pa erns. Network changes and upgrades can be
performed in a controlled and staged manner, allowing greater exibility in the maintenance and opera on of the campus network

As it shown in the gure above, a typical large Cisco modular Campus network consists of the fowling
building blocks:
Core Block (required for large Networks only)

It provides a very limited set of services and is designed to be highly available and operate in an always-on
mode. A separate core provides the ability to scale the size of the campus network in a structured fashion
that minimizes overall complexity when the size of the network grows and the number of interconnections
required to tie the campus together grow
Access-Distribution Block

The access-distribution block consists of two of the three hierarchical tiers within the multi-layer campus
architecture: the access and distribution layers. There are currently three basic design models for the
access-distribution block:

Multi-tier
Routed access
Virtual switch ( Recommended solution )

The main di erence between the above models is where the Layer-2 and Layer-3 boundaries exist

For more details please refer to the following link:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/solutions/Enterprise/Campus/campover.html#wp708886
Services Block

The services block is a relatively new element to the campus design. As campus network planners begin to
consider migration to dual stack IPv4/IPv6 environments, migrate to controller-based WLAN environments,
and continue to integrate more sophisticated Uni ed Communications services, a number of real challenges
lay ahead. It will be essential to integrate these services into the campus smoothlywhile providing for the
appropriate degree of operational change management and fault isolation and continuing to maintain a
exible and scalable design. As a example, IPv6 services can be deployed via an interim ISATAP overlay

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that allows IPv6 devices to tunnel over portions of the campus that are not yet native IPv6 enabled. Such an
interim approach allows for a faster introduction of new services without requiring a network-wide, hot
cutover.

Examples of functions recommended to be located in a services block include:

Centralized LWAPP wireless controllers

IPv6 ISATAP tunnel termination

Local Internet edge

Uni ed Communications services (Cisco Uni ed Communications Manager, gateways, MTP, and the
like)

Policy gateways

SRV.jpg

There might be multiple services blocks depending on the scale of the network, the level of geographic
redundancy required, and other operational and physical factors

As described in Ciscos Enterprise Campus 3.0 Architecture

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/solutions/Enterprise/Campus/campover.html#wp708979
Data Center Block

The Data Center block of a campus network also known as server farm can be considered as another
block of the campus LAN that uses the same hierarchical design model, however in the data center there
are some factors and design requirements that are di erent from a normal access-distribution switches
design such as port capacity, ~0% of oversubsecription and more specialised services can be introduced
like rewalling and loadbalcing services. For small and medium data center the collapsed design model (
two-Tier) can be used without the need to a dedicated data center core

Using Cisco's next generation data cneter switches Nexus Series Switches can signi cantly improve the
performance, reliability and redundancy of the data center by providing

High performance switching and software/hardware redundancy

Non-blocking end-to-end topology with vPC technology
Support for network virtualisation e.g. :
Nexus 1000v virtual switch

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns340/ns517/ns224/ns892/ns894/at_a_gla
nce_c45-492852.pdf

support of Virtualized Multi-Tenant Data Center Services

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/solutions/Enterprise/Data_Center/VMDC/2.6/vmdcservic
esaag.pdf

High port density 1G/10G Ethernet e.g. The Cisco Nexus 7000 F2-Series 48-Port 1 and 10 Gigabit
Ethernet Module enables the deployment of high-density, low-latency, scalable data center architectures:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps9441/ps9402/at_a_glance_c45-689339.pdf

Support of smart data cneter interconnect DCI technologies such as OTV that provide the ability to
expand layer 2 network over a layer link/cloud
Ability to provide end to end uni ed fabric of IP and ber channel over Ethernet FCoE
Fabric Extender Technology, Cisco Fabric Extender Technology comprises of technologies that enable
fabric extensibility with simpli ed management enabling the switching access layer to extend and expand
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all the way to the server hypervisor as the customers business grows

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps9441/ps10110/at_a_glance_c45-701972.pdf

For more detail about cisco data cneter switches refer to the following link:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9441/Products_Sub_Category_Home.html

Layer 3 Design considerations

In a typical hierarchal campus network, the distribution layer/block is considered as the demarcation point
between layer 2 and layer 3 domains where layer 3 uplinks participate in the campus core routing using an
interior routing protocol IGP which can help to interconnect multiple campus distribution blocks together for
end to end campus connectivity. As a result the selection of the IGP is important to a redundant and reliable
IP/routing reachability within the campus taking into consideration scalability and the ability of the network to
grow with minimal changes/impact to the network and routing design. Some of the factors that can be
considered for slecting an IGP for a campus LAN:

Size of the network e.g. number of L3 hopes and expected future growth
Convergence time e.g. OSPF and EIGRP can converge during a link/path failure quicker than RIP
Authentication support
Support for variable length subnet mask (VLSM)
Support of route summarization

For more details refer to the following link, cisco Borderless campus design, routing resign principles:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/solutions/Enterprise/Campus/Borderless_Campus_Network_1.0/BN_
Campus_Technologies.html#wp1053601
First hop redundancy protocol (FHRP)

Network devices/hosts connected to the access layer switches need to connect via IP to a gateway that
provides (FHRP). In a hierarchical campus network if a virtual switch mechanism was not used at the
distribution layer such as Cisco VSS, then the distribution layer switches need to provide the FHRP service
e.g. HSRP.

For more details around FHRP refer to the following link:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6644/products_ios_protocol_option_home.html

HSRP/VRRP/GLBP:

http://packetlife.net/media/library/3/First_Hop_Redundancy.pdf

Other Campus Design considerations

Network Virtualization

In a modern Campus network the demand on having multiple logical groups such as users, services,
applications..etc to be separated within the campus network for security and other business requirements is
increasing. Network virtualization is the most suitable solution for this type of requirements where multiple
logical isolated networks can be created over one common physical network.

VN.jpg

Cisco network virtualization divides the network into three main logical areas:

Access Control
Path Isolation
Service Edge

For more details refer to the following link:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns340/ns517/ns431/ns658/net_implementation_white_
paper0900aecd804a17c9.html
Campus Network high availability

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The need of a highly available network is not a new requirement, however with the increased number of
services and communications that utilise the underlying IP network infrastructure systems and network,
availability become crucial and one of the main elements of the campus network that need to be considered
during planning and design phases. The owing three major network resiliency requirements as described
by Cisco Borderless design guide 1.0 cover most of the common types of failure conditions. Depending on
the LAN design tier, the resiliency option appropriate to the role and network service type must be
deployed:

Network resiliency: Provides redundancy during physical link failures, such as ber cut, bad transceivers,
incorrect cabling, and so on.
Device resiliency: Protects the network during abnormal node failure triggered by hardware or software,
such as software crashes, a non-responsive supervisor, and so on.
Operational resiliency: Enables resiliency capabilities to the next level, providing complete network
availability even during planned network outages using In Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) features.

Although redundant components within a single device are valuable, however the best availability ratio can
be achieved with completely separate devices and paths

For more details refer to the following link:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/solutions/Enterprise/Campus/Borderless_Campus_Network_1.0/BN_
Campus_HA.html#wp1229178
Quality of Service QoS

According to Cisco Medianet QoS campus design, the primary role of QoS in medianet campus networks is
not to control latency or jitter (as it is in the WAN/VPN), but to manage packet loss. In GE/10GE campus
networks, it takes only a few milliseconds of congestion to cause instantaneous bu er overruns resulting in
packet drops. Medianet applicationsparticularly HD video applicationsare extremely sensitive to packet
drops, to the point where even 1 packet dropped in 10,000 is discernible by the end-user.

Classi cation, marking, policing, queuing, and congestion avoidance are therefore critical QoS functions that
are optimally performed within the medianet campus network,

Four strategic QoS design principles that apply to campus QoS deployments include:

Always perform QoS in hardware rather than software when a choice exists.
Classify and mark applications as close to their sources as technically and administratively feasible.
Police unwanted tra c ows as close to their sources as possible.
Enable queuing policies at every node where the potential for congestion exists,

Medianet Campus Port QoS Roles

qos.jpg

For more details refer to the following link:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/solutions/Enterprise/Video/qoscampusaag.html
References:

- Borderless Campus 1.0 Design guide

- Campus Network for High Availability Design Guide

- Medianet Campus QoS Design At-a-Glance

Regards,

Marwan Alshawi

Version history

Revision #: 1 of 1
Last update: 10-13-2012 05:40 PM
Updated by: Marwan ALshawi

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