Mettu University

Information Technology Program

Department of Information Technology

Course: Network Design

Course code: ITec4111

Chapter Three
Structuring and Modularizing the Network
E-mail: [email protected]

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 Hierarchical Network Model
The hierarchical network model provides a framework that
network designers can use to help ensure that the network is
flexible and easy to implement and troubleshoot.
Hierarchical Network Design Layers
The hierarchical network design model consists of three layers:
The access layer provides local and remote workgroup or user
access to the network.
The distribution layer provides policy-based connectivity.
The core (or backbone) layer provides high-speed transport to
satisfy the connectivity and transport needs of the distribution
layer devices.

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 Cont…

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 The Role of the Access Layer
The purpose of the access layer is to grant user access to network
resources. Following are the access layer’s characteristics:
In the campus environment, the access layer typically incorporates
switched LAN devices with ports that provide connectivity for
workstations and servers.
In the WAN environment, the access layer for teleworkers or remote
sites provides access to the corporate network across some wide-area
technology, such as Frame Relay, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS),
Integrated Services Digital Network, leased lines, Digital Subscriber
Line (DSL) over traditional telephone copper lines, or coaxial cable.
So as not to compromise network integrity, access is granted only to
authenticated users or devices (such as those with physical address or
logical name authentication). For example, the devices at the access
layer must detect whether a telecommuter who is dialing in is
legitimate, yet they must require minimal authentication steps for the
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 The Role of the Distribution Layer
 The distribution layer represents both a separation between the access and core layers and a connection
point between the diverse access sites and the core layer. The distribution layer determines department or
workgroup access and provides policy-based connectivity.
 Following are the characteristics of the distribution layer:
 Distribution layer devices control access to resources that are available at the core layer and must
therefore use bandwidth efficiently.
 In a campus environment, the distribution layer aggregates wiring closet bandwidth by concentrating
multiple low-speed access links into a high-speed core link and using switches to segment workgroups and
isolate network problems to prevent them from affecting the core layer.
 Similarly, in a WAN environment, the distribution layer aggregates WAN connections at the edge of the
campus and provides policy-based connectivity.
 This layer provides redundant connections for access devices. Redundant connections also provide the
opportunity to load-balance between devices.
 The distribution layer represents a routing boundary between the access and core layers and is where
routing and packet manipulation are performed.
 The distribution layer can summarize routes from the access layer to improve routing protocol performance.
For some networks, the distribution layer offers a default route to access-layer routers and runs dynamic
routing protocols only when communicating with core routers.
 The distribution layer connects network services to the access layer and implements policies for QoS,
security, traffic loading, and routing. For example, the distribution layer addresses different protocols’ QoS
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needs Network
by implementing
Design policy-based traffic control to isolate backbone and local environments. 02/26/2025
Policy-
based traffic control prioritizes traffic to ensure the best performance for the most time-critical and time-
 What is Policy-Based Connectivity?
Filtering by source or destination address
Filtering based on input or output ports
Hiding internal network numbers by route filtering
Providing specific static routes rather than using routes from a
dynamic routing protocol
Security (for example, certain packets might not be allowed into
a specific part of the network)
QoS mechanisms (for example, the precedence and type of
service [ToS] values in IP packet headers can be set in routers to
leverage queuing mechanisms to prioritize traffic)

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 The Role of the Core Layer
The function of the core layer is to provide fast and efficient data
transport. Characteristics of the core layer include the following:
The core layer is a high-speed backbone that should be designed to
switch packets as quickly as possible to optimize communication
transport within the network.
Because the core is critical for connectivity, core layer devices are
expected to provide a high level of availability and reliability.
The core layer should not perform any packet manipulation, such as
checking access lists or filtering, which would slow down the
switching of packets.
The core layer must be manageable.
The core devices must be able to implement scalable protocols and
technologies, and provide alternative paths and load balancing.

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 Cont…

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 Network Management Protocols and Features
 Proper network management is a critical component of an efficient network. Network
administrators need tools to monitor the functionality of the network devices, the connections
between them, and the services they provide.
 SNMP has become the de facto standard for use in network management solutions and is tightly
connected with remote monitoring (RMON) and Management Information Bases (MIB).
 Each managed device in the network has several variables that quantify the state of the device.
You can monitor managed devices by reading the values of these variables, and you can control
managed devices by writing values into these variables.
Network Management Architecture
 The network management architecture consists of the following:
 Network management system (NMS): A system that executes applications that monitor and
control managed devices. NMSs provide the bulk of the processing and memory resources that
are required for network management.
 Network management protocol: A protocol that facilitates the exchange of management
information between the NMS and managed devices, including SNMP, MIB, and RMON.
 Managed devices: A device (such as a router) managed by an NMS.
 Management agents: Software, on managed devices, that collects and stores management
information, including SNMP agents and RMON agents.
 Management information: Data that is of interest to a device’s management, usually stored
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in MIBs. 02/26/2025
 Cont…

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 Protocols and Standards
SNMP
 SNMP stands for Simple Network Management Protocol. It is a standard way of
monitoring hardware and software from nearly any manufacturer, from Juniper, to
Cisco, to Microsoft, Unix, and everything in between. SNMP requires only a couple of
basic components to work: a management station, and an agent.
 Simple software is usually very feature-limited, but can be freely available and easy
to configure. For example, the free SolarWinds Network Device Manager that was
recently released.
 On the other hand, complex systems can manage your entire network. They will also
do things like generate reports, perform inventory, and send email or SMS text alerts
when systems fail. Networkmanagementsoftware.com recently reviewed
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor, – an excellent management solution.
 Second, the hardware or software that you want to monitor must have an agent
running. The agent collects information, and then sends it to the monitoring station
when polled. Agents can also send notification to the management station without
being polled, for example if an error is detected.
 Agents are usually built-in to your network hardware and software – they simply
need to be
Network enabled and configured.
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 What Can It Do?
SNMP is very simple, yet powerful. It has the ability to help you
manage your network by:
Provide Read/Write abilities – for example you could use it to reset
passwords remotely, or re-configure IP addresses.
Collect information on how much bandwidth is being used.
Collect error reports into a log, useful for troubleshooting and
identifying trends.
Email an alert when your server is low on disk space.
Monitor your servers’ CPU and Memory use, alert when thresholds
are exceeded.
Page or send an SMS text-message when a device fails.
Can perform active polling, i.e. Monitoring station asks devices for
status every few minutes.
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 Cont…

Versions and Security (or Lack Thereof)

 Several versions of SNMP are supported, v1, v2c, and v3. Nearly all monitoring stations support all three versions.
Version 1: is the simplest and most basic of the versions, and there may be times where it’s
required to support older hardware.
Version 2c: adds several enhancements to the protocol, such as support for “Informs”. Because
of this v2c has become most widely used.
However, a major weakness of v1 and v2c is security. Community strings – the equivalent of
passwords – are transmitted in clear text and there is no support for authentication.
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 This creates risk that your community strings could become compromised. This is not good,
 Cont…
SNMP v3: adds a security features that overcome the weaknesses in
v1 and v2c, and it should generally be used if possible – especially if
you plan to transmit information across unsecured links. However, the
extra security makes it much more complex to configure.
MIB
 The MIB is a detailed definition of the information on a network
device and is accessible through a network management protocol,
such as SNMP.

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 Cont…
RMON
 RMON is an extension of the MIB. The MIB typically provides only static
information about the managed device; the RMON agent collects specific
groups of statistics for long term trend analysis.
 The RMON standard allows packet and traffic patterns on LAN segments to be
monitored. RMON tracks the following items:
Number of packets
Packet sizes
Broadcasts
Network utilization
Errors and conditions, such as Ethernet collisions
Statistics for hosts, including errors generated by hosts, busiest hosts, and which
hosts communicate with each other
 RMON features include historical views of RMON statistics based on user-
defined sample intervals, alarms that are based on user-defined thresholds, and
packet capture based on user defined filters.
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