Large-Scale IP Network Solutions (CCIE Professional Development)

Backbone Core Network Design

In early data networking, the topology for the network backbone was relatively simple: Operations were centralized, so a star topology made the most sense—and, in some cases, this was the only topology the technology would support. This did cause the center of the star to become a single point of failure, but because no real traffic flows existed between spokes on the star, this was not a major cause for concern. With the move toward multiple client-server and peer-to-peer relationships, the choice of core network topology is not as clear.

The purpose of the backbone is to connect regional distribution networks and, in some instances, to provide connectivity to other peer networks. A national infrastructure usually ...