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327
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recommend me campus lan equipment

carl_townshend
Spotlight
Spotlight

Hi all, we are installaing a whole new lan this year,

we want the 3 layer campus model, core, dist,access, we have around 1000 devices on site, ip phones, 90 servers in 2 data centres. We want 10 gig on the core and dist. would you say somthing like 6500 core, what about the dist and access?

many thanks

Carl

3 Replies 3

fsebera
Level 4
Level 4

Hey Carl,

From your question, you sound like you work in my shop! Poor guy.

In my shop, We ALWAYS use the allotted budget to but everything we can and then try to figure out how to use it.

To make matters worse, we make unrealistic dead-lines, commit to 'em with the clients and then try to figure out what is required to complete the project within that time frame. If we feel like we cannot make the dead-line due to much fighting and finger pointing, we seek out and hire more unqualified people.

Hope it works better for you than it does for me. :)

Good luck

Frank

Joseph W. Doherty
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame

For only 1,000 hosts, I might question whether you need 3 layers or whether 2 layers might work. The bandwidth and performance of current gen high performance network devices, along with L3 at the edge, makes a 2 layer design possible for many more hosts that in the past would have required another network layer.

With regard to device selection, much would depend on what features you intend to deploy/use on network devices besides just forwarding frames/packets at L2/L3. Redundancy feature may be important for device selection, especially at the core/distribution layers.

Normally, core/distribution devices sustain higher traffic load per port and more port-to-port traffic flows (especially the core). Access/edge devices usually aren't as demanding although uplinks ports might deserve special consideration (as might also be the case with distribution devices).

Without more specifics with regard to network requirement, it's difficult to recommend specific devices, but a general 3 layer design might comprise 6500s using 4 port 10 gig cards (w/DFC) running VSS for core, pairs of 6500s using 4 port 10 gig cards (core uplinks) and 8 or 16 port 10 gig cards (access downlinks) also running VSS and with strong consideration of DFCs), and 6500s with sup32-10gig for access/edge.

You also didn't mention whether hosts were to be supported at 100/gig/10gig. Host bandwidth would influence device/card selections.

For 10 gig support for core/distribution, don't overlook other L3 10 gig switches such as the 4900M or the Nexus 5000/7000.

At the edge, you might also consider 4500 series and 3750/3750-E series (or new 2975 series).

hobbe
Level 7
Level 7

Just based on what we know (wich is not much)

In my fantasy (ie ideal world)

Dual 6500 in the core at each datacenter (= 4 6500)and link encryption between the 2 campuses. quad redundant non crossing 10gig links. (etherchannel?)

non crossing so that they can not be dug of by a digger.

Then I would use 3750E for distribution access and since money is of no concern I would have that in the access networks too.

(less quirks to know about and easier maintanance for the techies = less time spent learning managing)

A couple of extra 3750E switches just laying around for easy and quick exchange of faulty equipment and to test things before they are done in production environment.

Dont forget ups power to the network switches you want alive during poweroutages.

this is just one scenario so take what you feel is relevant for your scenario and use it.

if you want a cheap solution i would use a 3750E pair with 10gig inbetween the datasites and then go with 3750s and etherchannel all around for the rest. this enables you for some nice discounts and you will quickly find out the quirks and you will have one switch model for everything wich makes management so much easier and cheaper.

just a warning in all well meaning thou, cisco have an exeptional weak policy on testing their software and lets some quite severe bugs through to customers.

as long as you know this and dont try to implement any new software without extensive testing it will be allright.

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