Summary

Summary

This chapter has sought to enhance the many concepts and commands covered earlier in this book by looking at real-world issues, problems, and designs. Two out of hundreds of possible solutions were considered. Although both designs have their advantages and disadvantages, neither design represents the right answer. Table 17-5 summarizes some of the more important differences discussed earlier.

Table 17-5. Differences Between Design 1 and Design 2

CharacteristicDesign 1Design 2Layer 3 switchRouting switches (MLS).Switching routers (8500s).Layer 3 vs. Layer 2More Layer 2-oriented.More Layer 3-oriented.IDF VLANsThe same VLAN can traverse several IDF switches.Every IDF switch should use different VLANs/subnets.Spanning TreeTriangles.Running, but no (intentional) loops.Load balancingSpanning Tree.MHRSP.