Site and Data Center Networks

Site networking consists of the switches, routers, and cabling necessary to create a wired infrastructure within a single geographic location. The amalgam of these components forms the edge connections and backbone networks that comprise the nervous system of the organization.

Edge networks are the connection points for workstations, printers, scanners, and other devices that need access to the enterprise network. These networks are comprised of Ethernet switches that are connected to the enterprise backbone.

Data center networks are a special case subset of overall site networks. They require high performance and high resilience to support the servers and storage that support enterprise applications in the data center.

Backbone networks are generally high-speed fiber connections to large, high-capacity routers. The data from all edge switches is consolidated and routed to the data center network or to wide area network connection.

Within NTS, the following subjects are covered within this thread:

• Next-generation Ethernet switches
• 10 gigabit Ethernet
• Power-over Ethernet
• Virtual LANs
• Wiring and cabling
• Co-location services

This topic relates to the Network and Telecom coverage area - Planning and building network infrastructure for managing the convergence of voice, video, and data networks.

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