1.7 Network Architecture
Three-Tiered - network hierarchy
Core - Location of major servers (web, databases, applications)
Distribution/Aggregation Layer - Manages communication to end users
Access/Edge - User level, end-points
Software-Defined Networking - Infrastructure as Code
Application Layer - Manage/configure the device, IDS, firewalls, load balancing
Control Layer - Manages the data plane (Infrastructure Layer), routing tables, session tables, NAT tables
Infrastructure Layer - Data plane, Processes the network frames/packets, Forwarding, Trunking, Encrypting, NAT
Management Plane - See Application Layer
Spine and Leaf - Each spine switch connects to each leaf switch
Software-Defined Network - High availability network model
Top-of-Rack switching - Datacenter rack architecture for high-performance routing
Backbone - Spine switches
Traffic Flows - Data traffic flows within a data center
North-South - Traffic to/from an outside device
East-West - Traffic between devices within the data center.
Branch Office - Remote location, end-point devices, IDF
On-Premises - Data center owned and operated from within.
Colocation - Shared data center
Storage Area Network (SAN) - Block level network storage, efficient read/write, high bandwidth
Connection Types
Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) - Usually integrates with FC without additional hardware. Not routable.
Fiber Channel (FC) - Supports 2, 4, 8, and 16 Gbps rates. Server (initiator) and storage (target) connect to a FC interface.
Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) - Created by IBM and Cisco, RFC standard. Sends SCSI commands over an IP network. Routable, managed well in software, drivers available for many operating systems.