Exam N10-008 topic 1 question 231 discussion

A solution that has been proposed is a spine and leaf topology, a topology that ensures that all devices are the same number of network hops away, thereby providing predictable and consistent network latency.

Bing AI pick (B) Stable network latency: "Spine-and-leaf network topology is a two-tier design that is intended to overcome the limitations of the traditional three-tier network architecture and provide improved performance. It consists of two switching layers: a spine and leaf. The leaf layer consists of access switches that aggregate traffic from servers and connect directly into the spine or network core. Spine switches interconnect all leaf switches in a full-mesh topology. Regarding the benefits of spine-and-leaf network topology, it provides stable network latency by ensuring traffic is always the same number of hops from its next destination, so latency is lower and predictable. It also provides improved performance by ensuring traffic is load balanced across all available paths while still preventing network loops.  However, it does not provide increased network security, simplified network management, or eliminated need for inter-VLAN routing."

Stable Network latency!

According to chat GPT

C. Simplified network management The spine-and-leaf network topology is known for its simplicity and scalability. It offers a straightforward and predictable structure, making network management more manageable compared to some other complex topologies. This topology is designed to provide high bandwidth, low latency, and easy expansion, which simplifies network administration. The other options (A, B, and D) are not typically considered primary benefits of the spine-and-leaf topology.

According to CompTIA Network+, a benefit of the spine-and-leaf network topology is: C. Simplified network management

I think both B and C are correct. But I'm leaning more towards improve latency. Compared to the common 3 tier topology. Number of hops remain the same for traffic across the network wc lowers latency

from chatgpt "C. Simplified network management is a benefit of the spine-and-leaf network topology. In a spine-and-leaf network, each leaf switch connects to every spine switch, and every spine switch connects to every leaf switch. This creates a non-blocking, high-bandwidth network that provides predictable performance and minimizes network latency. Additionally, the use of equal-cost multipath (ECMP) routing can further improve network performance and redundancy. The spine-and-leaf topology also simplifies network management because it eliminates the need for complex spanning tree protocol (STP) configurations, which can be difficult to manage and can cause network loops. The use of Layer 3 routing at the spine switches allows for scalable network design and eliminates the need for inter-VLAN routing, making it easier to manage and troubleshoot the network."

Availability, security, scalability and familiarity are the main pros of this architecture while limited bandwidth and latency are the most known cons for this model.

FROM COMPTIA CERTMASTER The spine and leaf topology has a number of advantages: * Each server is only ever a single hop from the backbone, making network latency more predictable. * There are multiple redundant paths between a leaf switch and the backbone, allowing for load balancing and failover. * As there are no direct connections between spine switches in the backbone or between leaf switches, the network is loop free and does not need to run spanning tree. Instead, each leaf switch runs a protocol called Equal Cost Multipathing (ECMP) to distribute traffic between the links to the spine switches.

Spine-and-leaf is a network design that separates the core and the edge of the network. It simplifies network management by making it easy to add, remove or replace leaf switches without affecting the entire network. Stable network latency is not a direct benefit of spine-and-leaf topology. Latency can be affected by various factors, spine-and-leaf topology aims to improve overall network performance but it doesn't directly address latency issues.

Each server is only ever a single hop from the backbone, making network latency more predictable. - From CertMaster course