Chapter 1. Network Design Goals and Techniques

When you first consider adding to, designing, or redesigning a network, whether large or small, what are the first things you think about? Do you begin by thinking about the types of links you would use, the types of routers you would like to use, or even the routing protocol you would use? You shouldn't! Instead, you should think about what you would like the network to do. What should the characteristics of the network be? What are the goals of this network design? How can the network carry traffic so that it best serves the business needs?