Cisco LAN Switching Fundamentals

Building Blocks

When designing a switched network, following a modular approach is a good practice. These modules can be thought of as the building blocks of an overall network. After the design and configuration of the basic building blocks are well understood inside an organization, additional building blocks can be added as the network grows, without greatly increasing the complexity of troubleshooting and operating the network. Following this approach, Figure 11-2 illustrates a simple building block that could be used to handle switching in a single location. In this figure, each access layer switch services a single floor of users in a facility, with each access switch having dual connections to the distribution switches. In the smallest ...