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Fast Ethernet Workgroup Design 7-3
Fast Ethernet
Fast Ethernet Workgroup Design
The network design process for Fast Ethernet workgroups is nearly identical to
that used for standard Ethernet workgroups. The Network Designer must first
break the network up into workgroups, if desired, determine how the stations in
each workgroup will relate to one another, and then begin the process of selecting
hardware. The types of hardware considered will be dependent upon the type of
network installation that the workgroup is being designed for.
The following sections break the process of Fast Ethernet network design up into
treatments of three different types of situations: those requiring a relatively large
number of users (the small office), those requiring high per-port throughput (the
high-end department), and those situations where several workgroups are being
interconnected (Fast Ethernet as a backbone).
While these situations do not cover every possible Fast Ethernet implementation,
it is a relatively simple task to use the closest approach to the particular needs of
the proposed workgroup as a template for design.
Small Offices
The term “small office” as it applies to Fast Ethernet installations using Cabletron
Systems workgroup devices, can be misleading. This workgroup archetype
simply refers to the workgroup as a single segment with no special
internetworking needs (no uplinks to different WAN or backbone technologies).
The small office, in the case of the design strategy outlined below, can include
anywhere from two to 120 Fast Ethernet stations.
Abstracting the Design Process
As the number of potential devices to select from in a Fast Ethernet network
design is quite small, the actual design process for workgroup networks is highly
simplified. The Network Designer needs only to determine what level of
management is required within the workgroup and calculate the number of ports
that will be needed to support the users at that location.
Management Requirements
As there are only two choices for shared segment Fast Ethernet devices, the
selection of management functionality becomes a “yes or no” decision. The
control and troubleshooting ease supplied by management capabilities is often of
greater value in the complex and high-performance Fast Ethernet networks than
the cost reduction realized by foregoing management altogether.