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| 1.1 |  | Overview of a Campus Network |
| 1.1.5 |  | Key requirements of the evolving campus structure |

The key requirements placing pressure on the emerging campus designs are as follows:

- Fast convergence – This requirement stipulates that the network must be able to adapt very quickly to changes in the network topology, such as failed links and insertion of new devices on the network. Fast convergence becomes even more critical as the campus network grows in geographic scope. This is illustrated in the animation, where an example of link failure is presented.
- Deterministic paths – This requirement allows for a device or an administrator to make a decision based on the desirability of a given path to a destination for certain applications or user groups.
- Redundancy – This requirement specifies that a mechanism, such as redundant links, devices, or modules, is in place to ensure the network is operational at all times. In the graphic, every switch has redundant links.
- Scalable – This requirement states that as the network grows and new applications are added, the infrastructure must be able to handle the increased traffic demands. The graphic illustrates a highly scalable hierarchical design.
- Centralized applications – This requirement dictates that centralized applications are available to support most or all users on the network. In the graphic, the server farm is in a centralized location using the same hop count for each area of the network.
- The new 20/80 rule – This requirement focuses on the shift in traditional traffic patterns.
- Multiprotocol support – This requirement specifies that campus networks must be able to support multiprotocol environments.
- Multicasting – This requirement demands that campus networks be able to support IP multicast traffic in addition to IP unicast traffic.