The Campus Network

Building Cisco
Multilayer
Switched
Networks
(BCMSN)
The Campus Network
THE CCNP EXAM TOPICS COVERED IN THIS
CHAPTER INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:


Identify the correct Cisco Systems product solution given a
set of network switching requirements.


Describe the Enterprise Composite Model (Campus
Infrastructure, Server Farm, Enterprise Edge, Network
Management) used for designing networks.


Identify enterprise network needs for performance,
scalability, and availability.


Understand the physical, data-link, and network layer
technologies used in a multilayer switched network.


Describe the Enterprise Composite Model components and
explain how switches fit into these roles.



The definition of a campus network has never been straightforward,
but the common description is a group of LAN segments
within a building or group of buildings that connect to form one
network. Typically, one company owns the entire network, including the wiring between buildings.
This local area network (LAN) typically uses Ethernet, Token Ring, Fiber Distributed
Data Interface (FDDI), or Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) technologies. The size of the
campus network is not defined, as it may be inside a single large building or spread across something
as large as a distributed university campus. In fact, with the advent of Metro Ethernet, it
may even be dispersed across different towns.
An Enterprise network connects all shared services and data within an enterprise.
Some enterprises are global, and some are very self-contained. An
Enterprise network may consist of several campus networks as well as possible
WAN cores—that really depends on the size of the enterprise.
The main challenge for network administrators is to make the campus network run efficiently
and effectively. To do this, they must understand current campus networks as well as the
new emerging campus networks. Therefore, in this chapter, you will learn about current and
future requirements of campus internetworks (the connecting of several campuses). We’ll
explain the limitations of traditional campus networks as well as the benefits of the emerging
campus designs. You will learn how to choose from among the new generation of Cisco
switches to maximize the performance of your networks. Understanding how to design for the
emerging campus networks is not only critical to your success on the Switching exam, it’s also
critical for implementing production networks.
As part of the instruction in network design, we’ll discuss the specifics of technologies, including
how to implement Ethernet and the differences between layer 2, layer 3, and layer 4 switching
technologies. In particular, you will learn how to implement FastEthernet, Gigabit Ethernet, Fast
EtherChannel, and multilayer switching (MLS) in the emerging campus designs. This will help you
learn how to design, implement, and maintain an efficient and effective internetwork.
You will learn about the Cisco hierarchical model, which is covered in all the Cisco courses. In
particular, you will learn which Catalyst switches can—and should—be implemented at each layer
of the Cisco model. You will also learn how to design networks based on switch and core blocks.
Finally, you will learn about SAFE, the Cisco secure blueprint for enterprise networks, including a
description of the network in terms of modules and how they are constructed and interact.
This chapter provides you with a thorough overview of campus network design (past,
present, and future) and teaches you how, as a network administrator, to choose the most
appropriate technology for particular network needs. This will enable you to configure and
design your network now, with the future in mind.