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Difficulty: MediumNetwork Topology Architectures

An enterprise network engineer is designing a network topology for a multi-story office campus. The design requires a designated functional layer to handle inter-VLAN routing, access control list (ACL) filtering, broadcast domain boundaries, and policy-based traffic control before passing traffic to the high-speed campus backbone. Which tier of the standard Cisco three-tier hierarchical model is specifically responsible for performing these functions?

  1. Distribution layerAnswer
  2. B
    Access layer
  3. C
    Core layer
  4. D
    Spine layer

Answer

The Distribution layer is the functional tier responsible for inter-VLAN routing, security policies, and broadcast boundaries in a three-tier campus architecture.
In the standard Cisco three-tier enterprise campus design, the distribution layer acts as the aggregation point for access layer switches and serves as the Layer 3 routing boundary. It is specifically designed to handle inter-VLAN routing, policy enforcement (such as ACL filtering and QoS marking), address summarization, and boundary isolation for broadcast domains.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the functional requirements stated in the scenario
Identified requirements: inter-VLAN routing, ACL security filtering, broadcast domain boundary enforcement, and traffic policy control.
Determining which architectural layer aligns with these policy and routing responsibilities is key to solving the problem.
2
Map requirements to the Cisco three-tier campus model layers
Access layer handles end-host connectivity; Core layer handles high-speed packet transport; Distribution layer aggregates access switches and enforces routing/security policies.
Each hierarchical layer has isolated responsibilities to preserve scalability, predictability, and fault tolerance.
3
Select the layer that performs aggregation and control boundary functions
The Distribution layer matches all required capabilities.
It acts as the Layer 3 boundary between Layer 2 access switches and the Layer 3 core backbone.

Key Concept

Cisco Three-Tier Hierarchical Campus Model - Distribution Layer Responsibilities
Estimated Time:1m 15s
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Topics

Network Topology Architectures

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