LAN Design.

When designing a LAN that satisfies the needs of a small- or medium-sized business, your plan is more likely to be successful if a hierarchical design model is used. Compared to other network designs, a hierarchical network is easier to manage and expand, and problems are solved more quickly.

Hierarchical network design involves dividing the network into discrete layers. Each layer provides specific functions that define its role within the overall network. By separating the various functions that exist on a network, the network design becomes modular, which facilitates scalability and performance. The typical hierarchical design model is broken up in to three layers: access, distribution, and core. An example of a three-layer hierarchical network design is displayed in the figure below.

                                                     Hierarchical Network Design