Chapter 1 Objectives

§ Describe common campus design options and how design choices affect implementation and support of a campus LAN.

§ Describe the access, distribution, and core layers.

§ Describe small, medium, and large campus network designs.

§ Describe the prepare, plan, design, implement, operate, optimize (PPDIOO) methodology.

§ Describe the network lifecycle approach to campus design.

1.Multilayer Switching Miscellany

ASIC-based (hardware) switching is supported even with QoS and ACLs, depending on the
platform; 6500 switches support hardware-based switching with much larger ACLs than
3560 switches.
§ ASICs on Catalyst switches work in tandem with ternary content addressable memory (TCAM)
and packet-matching algorithms for high-speed switching.

2.Building Access, Building Distribution, and Building Core Layers

§ Building Core Layer: high speed campus backbone designed to switch packets as fast as possible; provides
high availability and adapts quickly to changes.
§ Building Distribution Layer: aggregate wiring closets and use switches to segment workgroups and isolate
network problems.
§ Building Access Layer: grant user access to network devices
Core Layer
§ Aggregates distribution layer switches.
§ Implements scalable protocols and technologies and load balancing.
§ High-speed layer 3 switching using 10-Gigabit Ethernet.
§ Uses redundant L3 links.
Distribution Layer
§ High availability, fast path recovery, load balancing, QoS, and security
§ Route summarization and packet manipulation
§ Redistribution point between routing domains
§ Packet filtering and policy routing to implement policy-based connectivity
§ Terminate VLANs
§ First Hop Redundancy Protocol
Access Layer
§ High availability – supported by many hardware and software features, such as redundant power supplies and
First Hop Redundancy Protocols (FHRP).
§ Convergence – provides inline Power over Ethernet (PoE) to support IP telephony and wireless access points.
§ Security – includes port security, DHCP snooping, Dynamic ARP inspection, IP source guard.

3. Data Center Infrastructure

§ Core layer – high-speed packet switching backplane
§ Aggregation layer – service module integration, default gateway redundancy, security, load balancing, content
switching, firewall, SSL offload, intrusion detection, network analysis
§ Access layer – connects servers to network
4. PPDIOO Phases
Prepare: establish organizational requirements
Plan: identify initial network requirements
Design: comprehensive, based on planning outcome
Implement: build network according to design
Operate: maintain network health
Optimize: proactive management of network

5. Lifecycle Approach
§ Lowering the total cost of network ownership
§ Increasing network availability
§ Improving business agility
§ Speeding access to applications and services
§ Identifying and validating technology requirements
§ Planning for infrastructure changes and resource requirements
§ Developing a sound network design aligned with technical requirements and business goals
§ Accelerating successful implementation
§ Improving the efficiency of your network and of the staff supporting it
§ Reducing operating expenses by improving the efficiency of operational processes and tools
§ Benefits:
• Lowering the total cost of network ownership
• Increasing network availability
• Improving business agility
• Speeding access to applications and services
§ Lower costs:
• Identify and validate technology requirements
• Plan for infrastructure changes and resource requirements
• Develop a sound network design aligned with technical requirements and business goals
• Accelerate successful implementation
• Improve the efficiency of your network and of the staff supporting it
• Reduce operating expenses by improving the efficiency of operational processes and tools
§ Improve high availability:
• Assessing the network’s security state and its capability to support the proposed design
• Specifying the correct set of hardware and software releases, and keeping them operational and current
• Producing a sound operations design and validating network operations
• Staging and testing the proposed system before deployment
• Improving staff skills
• Proactively monitoring the system and assessing availability trends and alerts
§ Gain business agility:
• Establishing business requirements and technology strategies
• Readying sites to support the system that you want to implement
• Integrating technical requirements and business goals into a detailed design and demonstrating
• that the network is functioning as specified
• Expertly installing, configuring, and integrating system components
• Continually enhancing performance
§ Accelerate access to network applications and services:
• Assessing and improving operational preparedness to support current and planned network technologies and
services
• Improving service-delivery efficiency and effectiveness by increasing availability, resource capacity, and
performance
• Improving the availability, reliability, and stability of the network and the applications running on it
• Managing and resolving problems affecting your system and keeping software applications current

Chapter 2 Objectives
§ Design and plan VLANs, trunks, and addressing to meet business requirements, technical requirements, and
constraints.
§ Configure VLANs and VLAN trunks in the campus network to support business and technical requirements.
§ Configure VTP in the campus network to support business and technical requirements.
§ Describe private VLANs and configure private VLANs in the campus network to support business and technical
requirements.
§ Configure and verify an EtherChannel in a Layer 2 topology that contains bridging loops.
Chapter 2 Summary
§ A VLAN is a logical grouping of switch ports independent of physical location. Local VLANs are now
recommended over end-to-end VLAN implementations.
§ A trunk is a Layer 2 point-to-point link between networking devices carry the traffic of multiple VLANs.
§ ISL and 802.1Q are the two trunking protocols that can connect two switches.
§ VTP is used to distribute and synchronize information about VLANs configured throughout a switched network.
§ VTP pruning helps to stop flooding of unnecessary traffic on trunk links.
§ Device communication within the same VLAN can be fine-tuned using pVLANs. A pVLAN is associated to a
primary VLAN, and then mapped to one or several ports. A primary VLAN can map to one isolated and several
community VLANs. pVLANs can span across several switches using regular 802.1q trunks or pVLAN trunks.
§ Use EtherChannel by aggregating individual, similar links between switches. EtherChannel can be dynamically
configured between switches using either the Cisco proprietary PAgP or the IEEE 802.3ad LACP. EtherChannel
load balances traffic over all the links in the bundle. The method that is chosen directly impacts the efficiency of
this load-balancing mechanism.

Chapter 3 Objectives
§ Describe spanning tree protocols.
§ Describe and configure RSTP.
§ Describe and configure MST.
§ Configure STP features to enhance resiliency and prevent forwarding loops.
§ Explain recommended STP configurations and practices.
§ Troubleshoot spanning tree issues.