The hierarchical network design

This lesson will make you understand how does the LAN network design and as a network administrator you should have a knowledge about the hierarchical network design.

When building a LAN that satisfies the needs of a small-

sized or medium-sized business, your plan is more likely to 

be successful if a hierarchical design model is used. Compared to other network designs, a hierarchical network is easier to manage and expand, and problems are 

solved more quickly.

Access Layer

The access layer interfaces with end devices, such as PCs, printers, and IP phones, to provide access to the rest of the network. The access layer can include routers, switches, bridges, hubs, and wireless access points. The main purpose of the access layer is to provide a means of connecting devices to the network and controlling which devices are allowed to communicate on the network.

Distribution Layer

The distribution layer aggregates the data received from the access layer switches before it is transmitted to the core layer for routing to its final destination. The distribution layer controls the flow of network traffic using policies and delineates broadcast domains by performing routing functions between virtual LANs (VLANs) defined at the access layer. VLANs allow you to segment the traffic on a switch into separate sub networks. For example, in a university you might separate traffic according to faculty, students, and guests. Distribution layer switches are typically high-performance devices that have high availability and redundancy to ensure reliability.

Core Layer

The core layer of the hierarchical design is the high-speed backbone of the internetwork. The core layer is critical for interconnectivity between distribution layer devices, so it is important for the core to be highly available and redundant. The core area can also connect to Internet resources. The core aggregates the traffic from all the distribution layer devices, so it must be capable of forwarding large amounts of data quickly.


                         


Now try to Answer these question to test your knowledge :

What are layers of hierarchical network?

What is function of each layer of hierarchical network?

Please answer these question in a comment.