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Difficulty: Very hardNetwork Types and Topologies

A senior systems engineer is evaluating several infrastructure projects for an enterprise organization. Match each technical implementation scenario on the left with the correct network scope or physical topology classification on the right.

  • Connecting enterprise NVMe-oF storage arrays to database clusters over a dedicated high-speed Fibre Channel fabric for block-level data access.Storage Area Network (SAN)
  • Interconnecting four mission-critical data center switches where every switch maintains a direct point-to-point link to every other switch to eliminate single points of failure.Full Mesh Topology
  • Connecting multiple corporate office facilities located 15 miles apart within the same city municipality using leased dark fiber links.Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
  • Connecting client workstations individually via dedicated copper cabling to a central Ethernet switch located in a floor telecommunications room.Star Topology

Answer

1. Block-level Fibre Channel storage fabric → Storage Area Network (SAN); 2. All nodes interconnected via redundant point-to-point links → Full Mesh Topology; 3. Inter-facility connectivity spanning across a city → Metropolitan Area Network (MAN); 4. Workstations wired independently to a central switch → Star Topology.
Each deployment description aligns with key architectural definitions: block-level Fibre Channel storage networks represent a Storage Area Network (SAN); complete point-to-point redundancy across all nodes defines a Full Mesh Topology; inter-office fiber connectivity across city boundaries represents a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN); and host connections radiating from a central closet switch form a Star Topology.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the high-performance storage scenario
Identify block-level data access and dedicated Fibre Channel hardware separate from standard Ethernet LAN traffic.
High-speed networks dedicated exclusively to consolidating block-level storage devices for access by servers are defined as Storage Area Networks (SANs).
2
Analyze the multi-node connectivity redundancy requirements
Calculate interconnectivity where every node connects directly to every other node.
When nn network nodes are interconnected such that there are n(n−1)2\frac{n(n-1)}{2} direct connections, the layout is a Full Mesh Topology.
3
Analyze the geographical distance between the corporate facilities
Identify multi-building connectivity across a 15-mile municipal area.
Networks spanning across city boundaries or municipal regions using service provider dark fiber fall under the Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) scope.
4
Analyze the endpoint cabling infrastructure
Identify point-to-point client cable runs terminating at a centralized network device.
Host computers wired directly to ports on a central closet switch constitute a physical Star Topology.

Key Concept

Enterprise Network Classifications and Topologies
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Topics

Network Types and Topologies

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