L2/L3 Network Architecture Design for New Office Location

Introduction:

This report details the design and implementation of a Layer 2/Layer 3 network architecture for a new office location. The goal of the project was to provide a scalable, secure, and resilient network infrastructure that would meet the needs of the office users and support the required services. Key technologies utilized in the design include VLANs, Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP), Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF), and Open Shortest Path First (OSPF).

Requirements Analysis:

Before designing the network, we analyzed the requirements of the new office location. These included:

  1. Number of users: The office would accommodate approximately 100 users.
  2. Required services: The network needed to support data, voice, and video services.
  3. Security: The network needed to protect sensitive information and prevent unauthorized access.
  4. Redundancy: The network should be resilient to failures and provide high availability.

Network Design:

  1. VLAN Implementation: To segment traffic and improve network performance, we implemented VLANs for each department and service type. This allowed us to isolate different types of traffic, such as data, voice, and video, and ensure appropriate quality of service (QoS) settings.

Configuration example:

vlan 10
name Data
vlan 20
name Voice
vlan 30
name Video

  1. Spanning Tree Protocol (STP): To prevent network loops and ensure a loop-free topology, we enabled STP on all switches. This allowed the network to automatically block redundant links and maintain a stable network environment.

Configuration example:

spanning-tree mode rapid-pvst
spanning-tree extend system-id

  1. Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP): To provide gateway redundancy and ensure high availability, we configured HSRP on the Layer 3 switches. This allowed the network to continue functioning even if one of the switches failed.

Configuration example:

interface Vlan10
ip address 192.168.10.1 255.255.255.0
standby 10 ip 192.168.10.254
standby 10 priority 110
standby 10 preempt

  1. Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF): To isolate sensitive traffic and enhance security, we deployed VRFs on the Layer 3 switches. This enabled us to separate different routing tables for various departments or applications, preventing unauthorized access to sensitive information.

Configuration example:

ip vrf Finance
rd 1:1
ip vrf HR
rd 1:2

  1. Open Shortest Path First (OSPF): For efficient routing within the network, we implemented OSPF as the routing protocol. This allowed for faster convergence, automatic route updates, and better overall network performance.

Configuration example:

router ospf 1
router-id 1.1.1.1
network 192.168.10.0 0.0.0.255 area 0

Conclusion:

The L2/L3 network architecture designed and implemented for the new office location successfully met the requirements of the users and supported the necessary services. By utilizing VLANs, STP, HSRP, VRFs, and OSPF, we were able to provide a scalable, secure, and resilient network infrastructure that will accommodate the office’s needs as it grows.

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