CCIE Professional Development: Cisco LAN Switching
Authors: Kennedy Clark, Kevin Hamilton
Venue:  (1999)

From the Book:Driven by a myriad of factors, LAN switching technology has literally taken the world by storm. The Internet, Web technology, new applications, and the convergence of voice, video, and data have all placed unprecedented levels of traffic on campus networks. In response, network engineers have had to look past traditional network solutions and rapidly embrace switching. Cisco, the router company, has jumped heavily into the LAN switching arena and quickly established a leadership position. The Catalyst series of switches has set a new standard for performance and features, not to mention sales. Despite the popularity of campus switching equipment, it has been very difficult to obtain detailed and clear information on how it should be designed, utilized, and deployed. Although many books have been published in the last several years on routing technology, virtually no books have been published on LAN switching. The few that have been published are vague, out-of-date, and absent of real-world advice. Important topics such as the Spanning-Tree Protocol and Layer 3 switching have either been ignored or received inadequate coverage. Furthermore, most have contained virtually no useful information on the subject of campus design. This book was written to change that. It has the most in-depth coverage of LAN switching technology in print to date. Not only does it have expansive coverage of foundational issues, but it is also full of practical suggestions. Proven design models, technologies, and strategies are thoroughly discussed and analyzed. Both authors have drawn on their extensive experience with campus switching technology. As two of the first certified Catalyst instructors,they have first-hand knowledge of how to effectively communicate switching concepts. Through design and implementation experience, they have a detailed understanding of what works, as well as what doesn't work. Objectives Cisco LAN Switching is designed to help people move forward with their knowledge of the exciting field of campus switching. ME candidates will receive broad and comprehensive instruction on a wide variety of switchingrelated technologies. Other network professionals will also benefit from hard-to-find information on subjects such Layer 3 switching and campus design best practices. Audience Cisco LAN Switching should appeal to a wide variety of people working in the network field. It is designed for any network administrator, engineer, designer, or manager who requires a detailed knowledge of LAN switching technology. Obviously, the book is designed to be an authoritative source for network engineers preparing for the switching portion of the CCIE exams and Cisco Career Certifications. Cisco LAN Switching is not a "quick fix" guide that helps you cram (such books are virtually worthless when it comes to taking the ME practical exams). Instead, it focuses extensively on theory and building practical knowledge. When allied with hands-on experience, this can be a potent combination. However, this book is designed to go far beyond test preparation. It is designed to be both a tutorial and a reference tool for a wide range of network professionals, including the following: People with less switching experience will benefit extensively from the foundational material discussed in Part I. This material then transitions smoothly into the more advanced subject matter discussed in later chapters. Network professionals with a detailed understanding of routing but new to campus switching will find that Cisco LAN Switching can open up a whole new world of technology. Network engineers with extensive switching experience will find Cisco LAN Switching taking them farther into the field. For example, much of the Spanning-Tree Protocol information in Part 11 and the real-world design information in Part V has never been published before. The Catalyst 6000 material discussed in Part VI is also completely new. Network designers will benefit from the state-of-the-art coverage of campus design models and the detailed discussions of opposing design strategies. Engineers who have already obtained their CCIE will value Cisco LAN Switching as a reference tool and for design information. Organization The eighteen chapters of this book fall into five parts: Part I: Foundational Issues-This section takes you through technologies that underlie the material covered in the rest of the book. Important issues such as Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, routing versus switching, the types of Layer 2 switching, the Catalyst command-line environment, and VLANs are discussed. Although advanced readers might want to skip some of this material, they are encouraged to at least skim the sections on Gigabit Ethernet and VLANs. Part II: Spanning Tree-The Spanning-Tree Protocol can make or break a campus network. Despite the ubiquitous deployment of this protocol, very little detailed information about its internals has been published. This section is designed to be the most comprehensive source available on this important protocol. It presents a detailed analysis of common problems and spanning tree troubleshooting. This chapter also discusses important enhancements such PortFast, UplinkFast, BackboneFast, and PVST+. Part III: Trunking-Part III examines the critical issue of trunk connections, the links used to carry multiple VLANs throughout a campus network. Chapter 8 begins with a detailed discussion of trunking concepts and covers Ethernet-based forms of trunking, ISL, and 802. IQ. Chapters 9 and 10 look at LAN Emulation (LANE) and MPOA (Multiprotocol over ATM), two forms of trunking that utilize Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). Part IV: Advanced Features-This section begins with an in-depth discussion of the important topic of Layer 3 switching, a technology that has created a whole switching paradigm. Both MLS (routing switch) and hardware-based (switching router) routing are examined. The next two chapters examine the VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP) and multicast-related topics such as Cisco Group Management Protocol (CGMP) and Internet Group Membership Protocol (IGMP) Snooping. Part V: Real-World Campus Design and Implementation-Part V focuses on real-world issues such as design, implementation, and troubleshooting. These chapters are oriented toward helping you benefit from the collective advice of many LAN switching experts. This section also includes a chapter that analyzes the Catalyst 6000 and 6500 models. Focusing primarily on Layer 3 switching, it discusses the important Native IOS Mode of operation. Part VI: Appendixes-The single appendix in this section provides answers and solutions to the Review Questions and Hands-On Labs from the book. Features and Conventions Where applicable, each chapter includes a variety of questions and exercises to further your knowledge of the material covered in that chapter. Many of the questions probe at the theoretical issues that indicate your mastery of the subject matter. Other questions and exercises provide an opportunity to build switching scenarios yourself. By utilizing extra equipment you might have available, you can build your own laboratory to explore campus switching. For those not fortunate enough to have racks of idle switching gear, the authors will be working with MentorLabs (http://www.mentorlabs.com) to provide value-added labs via the Internet. Two conventions are used to draw your attention to sidebar, important, or useful information: TIP: Tips are used to highlight important points or useful shortcuts. NOTE: Notes are used for sidebar information related to the main text. Various elements of Catalyst and Cisco router command syntax are presented in the course of each chapter. This book uses the same conventions as the Cisco documentation: Vertical bars (I) separate alternative, mutually exclusive, elements. Square brackets [] indicate optional elements. Braces {} indicate a required choice. Braces within square brackets [{}] indicate a required choice within an optional element. Boldface indicates commands and keywords that are entered literally as shown. Italics indicate arguments for which you supply values.