Network Design and Analysis Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary purpose of assessing network availability in an organization?

To meet regulatory compliance

To ensure business continuity (correct)

To enhance user interface design

To reduce operational costs significantly

Which of the following best describes redundancy in network systems?

A method to improve system performance

A feature that increases single point failures

A mechanism to provide backup systems in case of a failure (correct)

A strategy to limit system access

Failover capabilities in a network are crucial for which reason?

They help in monitoring user activity

They facilitate faster data transfers

They ensure automatic switching to backup systems in case of a failure (correct)

They allow for high bandwidth utilization

What should be the primary focus when assessing requirements for network redundancy?

Identifying the critical systems that require backup Signup and view all the answers

When planning for network failover, which of the following elements is least important?

Understanding the latest design trends in networking gear Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of adding hierarchy to a network?

Changing from a flat structure to a routed structure Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes a flat network structure?

A network that has minimal hierarchies Signup and view all the answers

What is a key benefit of transitioning from a flat structure to a routed structure in networking?

Improved network management and scalability Signup and view all the answers

What does 'routing' typically involve in network architecture?

Managing traffic between different network segments Signup and view all the answers

Which characteristic distinguishes a routed structure from a flat structure?

Incorporation of multiple layers of routers Signup and view all the answers

What is the first phase of the PPDIOO methodology?

Prepare Signup and view all the answers

In the Prepare phase of the PPDIOO methodology, which aspect should be developed by a company with no existing network?

Business requirements Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the focus during the Prepare phase of the PPDIOO process?

Understanding business needs Signup and view all the answers

If a company currently has an established network, what should the focus be during the Prepare phase?

Analyzing current network performance Signup and view all the answers

What should drive the development of business requirements in the Prepare phase?

Current state of the company Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of a CDN in network architecture?

To avoid congestion in the network hierarchy Signup and view all the answers

How does a CDN improve network performance?

By directly connecting devices lower in the hierarchy Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about CDNs is accurate?

CDNs help to alleviate issues within the inner network hierarchy Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of a CDN’s operation helps in reducing network overcrowding?

By avoiding the core network where congestion occurs Signup and view all the answers

What is a consequence of a CDN connecting directly to lower hierarchy devices?

Reduced bandwidth consumption in the core network Signup and view all the answers

What key aspect characterizes the 'Operate' phase of Cisco's PPDIOO network cycle?

Monitoring network performance without making changes Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the goal during the 'Operate' phase in the PPDIOO cycle?

To maintain network operations effectively Signup and view all the answers

What occurs in the network during the 'Operate' phase of the PPDIOO methodology?

Routine monitoring and management Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a focus during the 'Operate' phase of Cisco's PPDIOO network cycle?

Evaluating new networking software for implementation Signup and view all the answers

What is a significant characteristic of the 'Operate' phase of the PPDIOO cycle?

Sustaining current operations without major disruptions Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of analyzing usage patterns in network resource planning?

To identify peak usage times and popular services. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a reason for identifying traffic patterns in network management?

To detect unauthorized access attempts. Signup and view all the answers

How does understanding load on a network assist in resource planning?

By determining when upgrades are necessary to support demand. Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of network management involves identifying peak usage times?

Analyzing traffic patterns to optimize user access. Signup and view all the answers

What outcome is targeted by analyzing popular services or applications within networks?

To identify areas of over-utilization for upgrades. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Gathering and Analyzing Requirements

Network design involves three processes: Analysis, Architecture, and Design.
Analysis: Includes traffic flow identification, user and business requirements, and risk assessment.
Architecture: Involves network topology design, relationships between network functions (e.g., privileges, routing, addressing) and identifying publicly and locally accessible nodes.
Design: Focuses on selecting necessary equipment (switches, routers), vendors, and locations.

Inputs and Outputs for Network Analysis

Inputs: Current network state, issues, user/application/device requirements.
Outputs: Problem statements, requirements, risks, traffic flow descriptions, and mapping of applications/devices to the network.

Inputs and Outputs for Network Architecture

Inputs: Problem statements, requirements for the network, traffic flow descriptions, mapping of applications and devices and potential risks.
Outputs: Network architecture choices, topology choices for the network, relationships between network functions, and equipment classes.

Inputs and Outputs for Network Design

Inputs: Technology, topology and relationship selections, equipment classes, network architecture.
Outputs: Vendor selections, service provider selections, equipment selections, and network blueprints/drawings.

Tactical and Strategic Significance

Network projects should include current, near-term, and long-term targets (e.g., one-year, three-year, or five-year plans).

Cyclic and Iterative Nature of Processes

Requirements gathering and analysis are iterative processes.
Steps: Requirements gathering, one iteration of a process, network implementation, testing and acceptance, network architecture and design.
These steps should be regularly reviewed, twice yearly, annually, or every two years.

Hierarchy and Diversity

Network design considerations include hierarchy and diversity.
Hierarchy: Degree of concentration, density of networks/traffic flows, and the number of interconnection points. (Number of nodes is one way to measure traffic). Includes numbers of broadcasting layers
Diversity: Balancing hierarchy through redundancy or interconnectivity to reduce traffic loads on specific points.

Hierarchy and Diversity in a Network

A network structure is presented as a tree.
- Circles represent networks or routers.
- Lines represent communication links.
- Leaves represent end-user devices/users.
- This figure displays four levels of hierarchy and two levels of diversity.

Hierarchy Added to a Network

Hierarchy is added to a network by changing from a flat structure to a routed structure.
This can reduce the size of the broadcast domain and number of devices accessed by a broadcast message. Routing traffic flows are concentrated at routers.

Diversity Added to a Network

A content delivery network (CDN) is an example of adding diversity.
A CDN bypasses the core network, reducing congestion and directly connecting devices.
This allows faster performance but can potentially impact the network hierarchy and routing behavior.

Understanding Business Goals

Meet with key stakeholders (executives, department heads, IT personnel) to understand business objectives and how the network supports them.
Identify business drivers (e.g., performance enhancements, security, new applications), critical applications and services reliant on the network and associated budget and resource constraints. Ensure compliance with any regulatory requirements.

Analyzing Technical Requirements

Current Network Assessment: Include inventory of network topology and equipment, performance metrics (bandwidth, latency, packet loss), and identify network issues/bottlenecks.
Future Growth and Scalability: Evaluate the organization's anticipated growth, and scalability needs for the future considering expansion, user base increase, and data volume growth.
Performance and Reliability: Define performance metrics (bandwidth, latency), assess network availability, develop redundancy and failover strategies to prioritize business continuity.

Assessing User Requirements

User Profiles and Needs: Identify user groups and their network requirements and understand the devices and applications used by each group
Quality of Service (QoS) Requirements: Determine specific applications needing priority bandwidth and low latency/ define quality of service policies.
Security and Compliance: Establish required security measures related to data protection, access control, and compliance with relevant standards/regulations.

Documentation and Validation

Documenting Requirements: Compile relevant information into a comprehensive document outlining business goals, technical requirements and user needs.
Validation and Feedback: Present the network design document to stakeholders, incorporate feedback from stakeholders to validate the proposed network design, and revise based on this feedback input.

Network Design Methodologies / Cisco's PPDIOO Network Cycle

The PPDIOO cycle includes Prepare, Plan, Design, Implement, Operate, and Optimize.
Prepare Phase: Establish business requirements for the network.
Plan Phase: Allocate resources, develop security plans, and project schedules.
Design Phase: Develop a network design meeting the identified needs.
Implement Phase: Testing in a test environment prior to live deployment
Operate Phase: Ongoing monitoring of network performance.
Optimize Phase: Ongoing improvements to the network based on feedback.

Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)

NTA is the monitoring network data to understand traffic flows.
Key uses of NTA include assessing network availability (risk mitigation), performance (bottleneck identification), security (threat detection), troubleshooting, capacity planning.

Service Requests, Offerings, and Metrics

Network system service metric measurement
- Network service requests are connected to service metrics and analyzed to evaluate service offerings.
Service requests and requirements influence service offerings, as well as service metrics.

Service Metrics

Service metrics must be configurable, measurable, and verifiable.
These metrics help determine whether performance is adhering to standards or deviating (threshold or limit exceeded.)
Thresholds and limits are boundaries of performance, exceeding which triggers necessary actions.

Performance Limits and Thresholds

Graph illustrates performance, thresholds, conformity levels, and warning stages of a system.
This illustrates the performance characteristics of a network such as capacity in Mbs.

What is Network Traffic Analysis?

Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) is the process monitoring network traffic to understand how and where it flows.
It is used for network availability, performance, security, troubleshooting, and capacity planning.

Network Traffic Measurement

Network traffic measurement is essential for understanding network traffic load and capacity planning. This allows for:
- Understanding capacity requirements for smooth network operation.
- Identifying usage patterns to predict peak times and resource needs.
Detecting performance issues or security threats, such as DDoS attacks.
Monitoring bandwidth usage to enforce fairness, identify users exceeding the limit, and implement quality of service (QoS) policies.

Methods and Tools for Network Traffic Measurement

Volume-Based Measurement: Quantifies the overall data transmitted during a specific period. (e.g., SNMP, Simple Network Management Protocol)
Flow-Based Measurement: Analyzes traffic based on "flow" properties (e.g., source/destination IP and protocol). (E.g., Netflow, IPFIX, and sFlow tools.)

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Description

This quiz focuses on the essential elements of network design, including analysis, architecture, and design processes. It covers the inputs and outputs related to network analysis and architecture, emphasizing user and business requirements as well as risk assessment. Test your understanding of how these components fit together for effective network management.