Cabletron Systems switches, bridges manual Abstracting the Design Process, Management

Ethernet

Abstracting the Design Process

There are a series of logical stages that must be kept in mind when designing a network for any location, including the relatively simple home office. The first parts of the design process involve the decisions relating to the technology and media to be used in the workgroup. The complex nature of these questions can be intimidating to a new Network Designer, but the importance of good planning in these initial stages cannot be underestimated. A good decision can make a final design that is capable, flexible, and easy to implement, while a haphazard selection can lead to great difficulties in modifying the selected network organization to fit mismatched needs. The selection of a networking technology and the organization of stations into workgroups and enterprise networks is treated in detail in the Cabletron Networking Guide - MMAC-FNB Solutions.

If the Ethernet networking technology is selected for a workgroup technology, a series of new decisions must be made to narrow that selection down to specific Cabletron Systems networking devices and a specific network implementation.

Management

The selection of a level of network management and control level is a primary selection criteria, and one that quickly divides Ethernet networking devices into compliant and non-compliant categories. Manageable, or “intelligent” devices, while more costly than non-intelligent devices, allow the control of ports and connections through software and the monitoring of network traffic and statistics. This port control and statistics monitoring can greatly ease the troubleshooting process when network problems are detected. The larger a network is, the more important management capabilities become.

Media

While the selection of a suitable networking media or cabling for the home office network is a task that should be undertaken at the initial stages of network planning, along with deciding upon a networking technology, it is important to know how flexible the design can be with respect to media. If the product that best fits 90% of the requirements is not available with the media connections that were planned on, is it possible that the media used could be changed rather than replacing the selected device? In some situations, this will be the case. In others, the existing or planned media cannot be replaced or substituted out.

In most home office situations, the cabling to be used in the network will be jumper cabling, which either remains loose and exposed or is taped to the wall or floor. The media in home offices, therefore, is relatively easy to change, as long as all safety and distance limitations are met.

6-6 Ethernet Workgroup Design