Dynamic routing:-
"Dynamic routing is a crucial networking concept that allows routers to
automatically discover and adapt to changes in network topology. Unlike
static routing, which relies on manual configuration, dynamic routing
protocols enable routers to exchange information with each other, build
accurate routing tables, and determine the most efficient paths for data
transmission.
Key advantages include:
• Scalability: It's essential for large and growing networks, as manual
configuration would be impractical.
• Fault Tolerance: If a link or router fails, dynamic routing automatically
finds alternative paths, ensuring network uptime and reliability.
• Optimized Performance: Protocols consider various metrics to select
the best path, leading to efficient data flow.
• Reduced Administrative Overhead: Network administrators don't
need to constantly update routes manually, saving time and
resources.
Common dynamic routing protocols fall into two main categories:
• Interior Gateway Protocols (IGPs): Used within an autonomous
system. Examples include OSPF (Open Shortest Path First), a link-
state protocol known for its efficiency in complex networks, and
EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol), a Cisco-
proprietary hybrid protocol.
• Exterior Gateway Protocols (EGPs): Used for routing between
autonomous systems, most notably BGP (Border Gateway Protocol),
which is the backbone of internet routing.
While dynamic routing offers significant benefits, it's important to
acknowledge its complexity in configuration and troubleshooting, as well
as the resource consumption (CPU, memory, bandwidth) associated with
protocol operations and convergence time. However, its ability to ensure
network resilience and efficiency makes it an indispensable technology in
modern network design."
Security fundamentals:-
Security fundamentals revolve around protecting information assets from
various threats to ensure their confidentiality, integrity, and availability
(CIA). This is achieved through a combination of security controls, robust
risk management, and ongoing security awareness.
The CIA Triad
The CIA triad is the foundational model in information security. Every
security measure aims to uphold one or more of these principles:
• Confidentiality: 🤫 Ensures that sensitive information is accessible only
to authorized individuals and prevented from unauthorized disclosure.
Think of encryption, access controls, and strong passwords.
• Integrity: ✅ Guarantees that information is accurate, complete, and
trustworthy, and has not been altered or tampered with by
unauthorized means. This involves using techniques like hashing,
digital signatures, and version control.
• Availability: 🕰️Ensures that information and systems are accessible
to authorized users when and where they need them. This is
maintained through measures like backups, disaster recovery plans,
redundancy, and protection against Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks.
LAN Design: Interview Summary:-
"LAN design is the systematic process of planning and implementing a
Local Area Network to meet an organization's specific communication
needs. It starts with a thorough requirements analysis, understanding
factors like the number of users, application demands, security needs,
budget, and future scalability.
Based on these requirements, the design then focuses on:
1. Network Topology: Choosing the most suitable physical and logical
arrangement, with the star topology being predominant in modern
LANs for its reliability and ease of management.
2. Device Selection: Carefully selecting appropriate hardware, primarily
switches for internal LAN communication, routers for inter-network
connectivity and internet access, and Access Points for wireless
connectivity.
3. IP Addressing: Designing an efficient IP addressing scheme, including
subnetting, and leveraging DHCP for automated address assignment.
4. Network Segmentation: Implementing VLANs (Virtual LANs) is crucial
for improving security by isolating traffic, reducing broadcast
domains, and enhancing network flexibility.
5. Security Measures: Integrating security throughout the design with
firewalls, ACLs, NAC, and robust wireless security to protect data and
prevent unauthorized access.
6. Wireless Considerations: For WLANs, careful Access Point placement
and strong WPA3 encryption are key.
7. Quality of Service (QoS): Implementing QoS mechanisms to prioritize
critical traffic like voice and video.
Inter and Intra-VLAN Communication:-
"In network design, VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks) are used to
logically segment a single physical network. This segmentation improves
security, enhances performance by reducing broadcast domains, and
offers greater administrative flexibility.
Communication within these segments is categorized into two main types:
1. Intra-VLAN Communication: This refers to communication between
devices that belong to the same VLAN. It operates at Layer 2 (the
data link layer), meaning devices within the same VLAN can
communicate directly through a switch without the need for a router.
Broadcast traffic is confined to that specific VLAN.
2. Inter-VLAN Communication (Inter-VLAN Routing): This occurs when
devices in different VLANs need to communicate. Since different
VLANs are typically on different IP subnets, this communication
requires a Layer 3 device – either a router or a Layer 3 (multilayer)
switch – to perform routing functions.
There are two primary methods for achieving inter-VLAN communication:
• Router-on-a-Stick: This involves using a single physical interface on a
router configured with multiple sub-interfaces, each associated with a
different VLAN and acting as its default gateway. This setup connects
to the switch via a trunk link carrying all VLAN traffic. It's cost-
effective for smaller networks but can become a performance
bottleneck.
• Layer 3 Switch with Switched Virtual Interfaces (SVIs): This is the more
common and highly scalable method for larger networks. A Layer 3
switch has built-in routing capabilities. You configure an SVI (a logical
interface) for each VLAN, assigning it an IP address to serve as the
default gateway. Routing then occurs internally within the switch's
hardware, providing much higher performance and lower latency
compared to Router-on-a-Stick.
In essence, VLANs provide crucial network segmentation, and
understanding how to facilitate communication both within (Layer 2
switching) and between (Layer 3 routing) these segments is fundamental
to modern network design."