15 | 10 | 2020

What is Data Network, in simple steps?

On our portal www.v500.com, we frequently talk about Network, Networking, Data Network, all fine, and what do we exactly mean by that?

Many people are using networks and not paying much attention to it, so why should they? We want to explain what Data Networks do in our lives, in your business.

In our view, if you understand what networks do, subsequently you will understand what services we provide and what advantages, benefits and value we can add to your business infrastructure.

“More than 70% of all data traffic today moves from Server-to-Server, or what is considered East-to-West traffic. Traditional (legacy) Data Center networks were initially designed for resiliency and were mainly concerned with speed in-and-out of the Data Center, now within it. The Cloud technology, where much data is replicated globally, E2W is being used.”

What is Data Network?

A data network is a system that transfers data between network access points (nodes) through data switching, system control and interconnection transmission lines; Ethernet (copper), Fiber. Data networks may be composed of various communication systems including circuit switches, leased lines and packet switching networks.

What are the types of Data Networks?

  • Personal Area Network (PAN)
  • Local Area Network (LAN)
  • Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)
  • Campus Area Network (CAN)
  • Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
  • Wide Area Network (WAN)
  • Storage-Area Network (SAN)
  • System-Area Network (also known as SAN)

What is Mobile Data Network?

A mobile data network is a network that your standard mobile phone or smartphone operates off. The network is generally transmitted in mobile coverage areas. Unlike a private wireless home or office network, a mobile network is not generally as secured and care must be taken accessing data through it.

v500 systems | enterprise network solution

Two most common types of Data Networks, include:

  • Local Area Network (LAN)
  • Wide Area Network (WAN)

What are 3x Tier Data Center Networks?

Legacy Data Center networks used a 3x Tier design that consists of a Core, Distribution (Aggregation) and Access layer of switches.

  • Core Switches – are usually large integrated chassis with very high throughput and advanced routing capabilities (BGP and OSPF).
  • Distribution (Aggregation) Layer Switches – are Mid-Tier speed switches with importance on uplink speeds. Additional services, such as load balancing and firewalls, could often be found at this layer.
  • Access Layer Switches – are the traditional top-of-rack (TOR) switch that regularly consists of 24 to 48 ports of 1 or 10Gbps ports with similarly sized uplinks.

3x Tier Network Infrastructure – Core, Distribution and Access Layer

 

3x Tier Data Center network design was frequently recommended in the past. They worked very well when the bulk of traffic moved North-South (from outside to the Data Center in) or vice versa. A packet-flow to the Core is routed to the correct Distribution switch, then dispatched on to the Access Switch where servers were connected; passing through only three physical hops limits the amount of latency added per-packet flow.

The concern with this design for the modern Data Center is that much more intra-DC traffic is the new norm. Due to server-to-server traffic, three hops now quickly become four, five or more, adding notable latency per-flow and adding more possibility for bottlenecks, buffer overruns and dropped packets.

2x Tier Data Center networks, what is used now

Today, Two-Tier network is recommended, Spine-and- Leaf architecture to meet the needs of modern applications: high-throughput, low-latency and zero-convergence.

  • Spine Switches – are very high-throughput, low-latency and port-dense switches with direct high-speed (40, 100, 400 Gbps) connections to every single Leaf Switch.
  • Leaf Switches are very comparable to traditional TOR (Top of the Rack) switches. They are often, 24 – 48 port 1/10 or 40, 50, 100Gbps access layer connections, but have the increased capacity of either 40, 100 or 400Gbps uplinks to each Spine Switch.

Spine and Leaf Network Infrastructure – SDN, Network Automation

Spine and Leaf Network Infrastructure, Software Defined Networking (SDN), Network Automation

Spine and Leaf Network Infrastructure, Software Defined Networking (SDN), Network Automation

Benefits of Two-Tier, Spine/Leaf architectures

  1. Resiliency: Each Leaf switch connects to every single Spine switch, spanning-tree is not needed, and due to TRILL, SPB or SDN protocols, every uplink can be used simultaneously. Traffic flows through all 100% of uplinks, and algorithm balances traffic equally. Subsequently, all the switch-ports are utilised, not like with 3x tier infrastructure that only 50% of ports and uplinks were used, the other 50% on standby.
  2. Latency: There is only a maximum of 2 hops for any East-West packet-flow, so very-low-latency is typical.
  3. Performance: True Active/Active uplinks enable traffic to flow over the least congested high-speed links available.
  4. Scalability: You can expand Leaf Switch quantity to desired port capacity and add spine switches as needed for uplinks. All Vlans (VXLANs) are available everywhere.
  5. Adaptability: Multiple spine-leaf networks across a multi-cloud environment can be connected and managed from a single pane of glass. This topology has benefits in other sections of the Enterprise network (for example, industrial cell architecture or corporate LAN).
  6. Convergence: there is zero-convergence, in Mega Data Center networks require high performance if network traffic is converged, the performance of servers and storage devices will be effected greatly

Considerations for using Two-Tier, spine-leaf architectures

With a Two-Tier design, the Data Center will need to be re-cabled. Each Leaf must be connected to every Spine. This new architecture requires a considerable amount of cable as well as optics for connectivity. Correct, some work is needed regarding cabling; however, with TOR switches, you are saving money on cabling, harnessing, and patch panels.

Two-Tier, Spine/Leaf architectures may still require some routers for layer three routing to the Internet, Campuses, Branches. Planning for both the physical and logical network is essential before purchasing the new Data Center hardware.

Cloud Network Infrastructure approach

Perhaps we are stating the obvious, Cloud Network/Platform is an environment hosted in someone else Data Centers. In other words treat Cloud-like your own network, segregate applications, services, servers into manageable networks. Apply strict firewall policies between networks/subnets.

AWS VPC by default will give you 65k plus IP addresses; none needs that much unless you are FTSE 100 Enterprise business. The magic is to split this into relevant Availablity Zones for resiliency and then into subnet – ./24 (250 plus IPs). Many people forget the fundamental step to have a good naming convention and exercise it very often; please look at our post – 10 Top Network Design Best Practices for your Infrastructure.

 

The Case For Cloud Computing

Please check related pages on this topic:

Mobile Carrier Network

10 Top Network Design Best Practices for your Infrastructure

What makes an outstanding Data Network Design?

RELATED ARTICLES

28 | 03 | 2024

10 Essential Steps to Safeguard Your SaaS Applications in AWS Cloud

Learn how to fortify your SaaS application in the AWS cloud with essential security practices. From encryption to employee training, ensure the protection of your data and assets in the digital landscape.
23 | 03 | 2024

Paralegals: Superhero’s with AI Superpowers

Dive into the world of paralegals and their AI-powered superpowers as they navigate complex legal landscapes with precision and innovation
20 | 03 | 2024

Why am I so fascinated by Socrates?

Join us on a journey through the depths of Socratic philosophy, mathematics uncovering the enduring legacy of wisdom and its resonance in the digital age — Artificial Intelligence
16 | 03 | 2024

Peeling Back the Layers of OCR: Your Key to PDF Navigation Without Pain

Tired of endless scrolling through scanned PDFs? Learn how OCR technology transforms your PDF navigation, offering relief from discomfort and frustration. Say hello to seamless document exploration