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| 1.3 |  | Building-Block Approach |
| 1.3.7 |  | Medium campus networks |

Medium campus networks as shown in the figure are characterized by a collapsed backbone, where the distribution layer and core layer merge. Medium campus networks are typically contained within one large building or several buildings. In this design, high availability, performance, and manageability are important. Additional requirements for this design typically include the following:

- High performance and availability for applications such as voice, video, and IP multicast
- Support for applications based on Novell IPX, DECnet, AppleTalk, and SNA

The requirements for medium campus networks parallel those of small campus networks. The major differences are the number of users and the importance of building redundancy into medium campus networks.

A design solution that meets these requirements provides a high-performance, manageable switched infrastructure for a campus intranet with more than one thousand networked devices. The collapsed backbone uses Layer 3 switching and network redundancy is provided for clients and servers.