Cabletron Systems MMAC-5FNB Networking Manual

Also see for MMAC-5FNB: Overview and setup guide

Contents

Cabletron Systems MMAC-5FNB Networking Manual Manual pdf 57 page image

Workgroup Creation4-7Network DesignPriority organization of this manner in a single-segment network involvesproviding stations in the priority workgroups with qualities of media andnetwork connection based on that priority. The stations in the server farm, tocontinue with that example, might have redundant connections to the network inthe event that one cable failed, or might utilize a media that is resistant tointerference, such as fiber optic cabling, or might be best served by a centralizedlocation. A priority organization workgroup or sub-section of a workgroup whichis located on the same network segment as its most common users is usually anefficient and safe use of resources, and will not impede the operation of thenetwork.While keeping the users separate from the devices they need to access on aregular basis does enhance the Network Manager’s control over its use andoperation, it does reduce network performance in networks utilizingsegmentation. The priority organization method, by connecting stations to thenetwork based on their relative importance, makes little or no accommodation forthe localization of network traffic which is the purpose of segmentation. If a fileserver is located in the server farm workgroup, which is segmented from the restof the network, every user needing access to any file server must cross asegmenting device such as a bridge or switch, which introduces access delays asthe device reads in the packet, examines the packet, determines whether to send iton or discard it, checks the packet for errors, and acts on its forward or discarddecision. The necessity of crossing the segmenting device on a regular basisdestroys the network availability that is gained by bridging, as local traffic is nolonger kept local.The use of priority organization also introduces additional troubleshootingcomplications. If a station in the Sales department cannot access their file server, isit because the server has failed, the bridge connecting the server to thatdepartment is in error, the connection from the Sales department to the bridge isdown, or the connection from the employee’s workstation to the rest of the Salesworkgroup is faulty?Selecting Workgroup OrganizationOnce the rules for the creation of workgroups have been cemented and theNetwork Manager has determined which end user stations will be members ofwhich workgroups, the issue of how the workgroups will relate to one anothermust be addressed. These relations determine the network equipment requiredfor the network to operate and for the workgroups to communicate with oneanother.Workgroups can be all grouped together into a single network or separated fromone another by various means. In networks with relatively light networkdemands (few users, long periods of light traffic, etc.) a single, unsegmentednetwork will often provide faster responses than a segmented network of thesame technology. As user counts and network traffic increase, however, theutilization of segmentation becomes more and more important.