Top-Down Network Design

Features

• Systematic approach to true enterprise network design from Cisco's perspective.

• Practical, applicable information on network design for enterprise environments.

A systems analysis approach to enterprise network design

• Master techniques for checking the health of an existing network to develop a baseline for measuring performance of a new network design
• Explore solutions for meeting QoS requirements, including ATM traffic management, IETF controlled-load and guaranteed services, IP multicast, and advanced switching, queuing, and routing algorithms
• Develop network designs that provide the high bandwidth and low delay required for real-time applications such as multimedia, distance learning, and videoconferencing
• Identify the advantages and disadvantages of various switching and routing protocols, including transparent bridging, source-route switching, Inter-Switch Link (ISL), IGRP, Enhanced IGRP, OSPF, and BGP4
• Effectively incorporate new technologies into a network design, including cable modems, DSL, Gigabit Ethernet, and VPNs

Top-Down Network Design is a practical and comprehensive guide to designing enterprise networks that are reliable, secure, and manageable. Using illustrations and real-world examples, it teaches a systematic method for network design that can be applied to campus LANs, remote-access networks, WAN links, and large-scale internetworks.

You will learn to analyze business and technical requirements, examine traffic flow and QoS requirements, and select protocols and technologies based on performance goals. You will also develop an understanding of network performance factors such as network utilization, throughput, accuracy, efficiency, delay, and jitter. Several charts and job aids will help you apply a top-down approach to network design.

Table of Contents

 1. Analyzing Business Goals and Constraints.


 2. Analyzing Technical Goals and Constraints.


 3. Characterizing the Existing Internetwork.


 4. Characterizing Network Traffic.


 5. Designing a Network Topology.


 6. Designing Models for Addressing and Naming.


 7. Selecting Bridging, Switching, and Routing Protocols.


 8. Developing Network Security and Network Management Strategies.


 9. Selecting Technologies and Devices for Campus Networks.


10. Selecting Technologies and Devices for Enterprise Networks.


11. Testing Your Network Design.


12. Optimizing Your Network Design.


13. Documenting Your Network Design.


Appendix A: Characterizing Network Traffic When Workstations Boot.


Appendix B: References and Recommended Reading.

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