2. How can you improve the performance of a BN?

Ideal designA mixture of layer-2 and layer-3 Ethernet switches Access Layer 100Base-T Later 2 switches with cat5e or cat6 Distribution Layer100base-T or 1000BaseT/F Layer 3switches Core LayerLayer 3 switches running 10GbE or 40GbE over fiber 4. What are three technology layers important in backbone design? The three backbone design technology layers are the access layer, distribution layer and the core layer. The access layer consisting of layer-2 technology of LAN s connected to a backbone network (BN), the distribution layer is the part of the BN technology that connects the LANs together and containing TCP/IP gateways (or, most likely, routers) that are usually located within a single building, and the core layer that connects the different BNs together, often from building to building. 6. What the key advantages and disadvantages are of routed and collapsed backbones. Routed backbones: Advantages: Clear segmentation of parts of the network connected to the backbone as each network has a subnet address and can be managed separately. Disadvantages: Slower performance as routing takes more time than bridging or switching. Collapsed backbones: Advantages: Performance is improved. With the traditional backbone network, the backbone circuit was shared among many LANs; each had to take turns sending messages. With the collapsed backbone, each connection into the switch is a separate point-to-point circuit. The switch enables simultaneous access, so that several LANs can send messages to other LANs at the same time. Software configurations can replace hardware configurations. Since there are far fewer networking devices in the network, this reduces costs and greatly simplifies network management. All the key backbone devices are in the same physical location, and all traffic must flow through the switch. If something goes wrong or if new cabling is needed, it can all be done in one place.

Disadvantages: Because data link layer addresses are used to move packets, there is more broadcast traffic flowing through the network and it is harder to isolate and separately manage the individually attached LANs. Layer 3 switches can use the network layer address, so future collapsed backbones built with layer 3 will not suffer from this problem. Collapsed backbones use more cable, and the cable must be run longer distances, which often means that fiber optic cables must be used. It the switch fails, so does the entire backbone network. If the reliability of the switch has the same reliability as the reliability of the routers, then there is less chance of failure. For most organizations, the relatively minor disadvantages of cable requirements and impacts of potential switch failure are outweighed by the benefits. 9. Where are routed backbones most commonly used? Routed backbones can be used at the core or distribution layers. At the core layer routed backbones are sometimes called sub netted backbones or hierarchical backbones and are most commonly used to connect different buildings within the same campus network. At the distribution layer a routed backbone uses routers or layer 3switches to connect a series of LANs (access layer) to a single shared media backbone network. Each of the LANs is a separate subnet. Message traffic stays within Each subnet unless it specifically needs to leave the subnet to travel elsewhere on the network, in which case the network layer address (e.g., TCP/IP) is used to move the packet. 12. Compare and contrast switches, routers, and gateways. Bridges operate at the data link layer. They connect two or more network segments that use the same data link and network protocol. They understand only data link layer protocols and MAC addresses. They may connect the same or different types of cable. Routers operate at the network layer. Routers connect two or more network that use the same or different data link protocols, but the same network protocol. They may connect the same or different types of cable. One major feature of a router is that it can choose the best route between networks when there are several possible routes between them. Because a router knows its own location, as well as the packets find destination, it looks in a routing table to identify the best route or path. One other important difference between a router and a bridge is that router only processes messages that are specifically addressed to it. Bridges process all messages that appear on the network and forward them to the appropriate network based on

their data link layer address. Bridges simply forward the message unchanged onto the other network. Gateways operate at the network layer and use network layer addresses in processing messages. Gateways are more complex than bridges or routers because they are the interface between two or more dissimilar networks. Gateways connect two or more networks that use the same or different (usually different) data link and network protocols. They may connect the same or different types of cable. Some gateways operate at the application layer as well. Gateways process only those messages explicitly addressed to them (i.e., using their data link layer address) and route those messages that need to go to other networks. Gateways translate one network layer protocol into another, translate data link layer protocols, and open sessions between application programs, thus overcoming both hardware and software incompatibilities. 13. Under what circumstances do you want to use a router? The main feature of a router is that it can choose the best route between networks when there are several possible routes between them. Because a router knows its own location, as well as the packets final destination, it looks in a routing table to identify the best route or path. 14. Under what circumstances do you want to use multiprotocol router? You would want to use a multiprotocol router when you need to serve networks with different data link environments. Multiprotocol routers can understand several different network layer protocols. If they receive a message in one protocol, they process it and send it out using the same protocol. The most common multiprotocol routers understand both TCP/IP and IPX/SPX and are commonly used in Novell LANs connected through the backbone to the Internet. They enable the LAN to use IPX/SPX internally or for communications to other Novell LANs inside the organizations, and simultaneously to use TCP/IP for Internet access. Examples of heterogeneous proprietary protocol requirements where a multiprotocol router could be used would be a configuration including an IBM mainframe and a VAX cluster. 16. How does a router differ from a layer-3 switch? Routers operate at the network layer. Routers connect two or more network segments that use the same or different data link protocols but the same network protocol. They may connect the same or different types of cable. In general, they perform more processing on each message than switches and therefore operate

more slowly. One other important difference between a router and a switch is that a router processes only those messages that are specifically addressed to it. Switches process all messages that appear on the network and forward them to the appropriate network on the basis of their data link layer address. Switches simply forward the messages unchanged to the other network. In contrast, because routers operate at the network layer, the routers data link layer must first recognize that the incoming message is specifically addressed to the router at the data link layer level before the message is passed to the network layer for processing. The router will then process the message by building an entirely new data link layer packet, and then transmit it to the other network. 19. what are the advantage and disadvantage of VLANs? advantages of vlan: 1>broadcast control: normal function of n/w. if we segment a larger lan to smaller vlans we can reduce broadcast traffic as each broadcast will be sent on to the relevant vlan. 2>SECURITY provides enhanced n/w security. n/w administrators have control over each port and user. n/w administrator controls each port &whatever resources it is allowed to use. 3>COST: segmenting a larger vlan to smaller vlans is cheaper than creating a routed n/w with routers because normally routers are costlier than switches 4>PHYSICAL LAYER TRANSPARENCY: vlans are transparent on the physical topology & medium over which the n/w is connected. 20.