Building an extensible enterprise-class network requires the right tools and forethought. This article, the first of two parts, introduces the possibilities and issues of large-scale network design.
A s networks become ever more complex, it’s important to build networking infrastructure with scalability and reliability in mind. Best practices allow for networks to respond quickly to the demands of real-time business requirements with the least amount of manual intervention.
While small companies are able to work with simple configurations using static, point-to-point network links, that solution is wholly inadequate for sites with hundreds or thousands of servers and workstations. Dynamic routing eases the pain by putting intelligence into the network infrastructure, eliminating the need for human intervention when changes happen in the network topology. However, building such large networks takes some planning and forethought. This article, the first of two features on routing, introduces you to the possibilities and issues of large-scale network design. Next month, you’ll learn how to apply Linux routers in your network.
Designing large dynamic networks involves working with routing protocols, so a quick review is in order. Routing protocols are generally divided into two major classes: Interior Gateway Routing Protocols (IGPs) and Exterior Gateway Routing Protocols (EGPs).
IGPs, such as the Routing Information Protocol (RIP) and Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) protocol, provide routing services within an autonomous system (AS). An autonomous system is a group of networks under a single administrative domain, usually belonging to one organization.
EGPs, on the other hand, are used to interconnect different autonomous systems, with BGP-4 the predominant EGP being used on the Internet today. (For a detailed discussion of BGP, see…
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