Competencies: Networking > Network Design & Architecture
Network Design & Architecture
Body of Knowledge
| Topic | Description | Relevance | Career Tracks |
|---|---|---|---|
Campus Network Design |
Three-tier (core/distribution/access) vs collapsed core, modular design, redundancy, convergence time, capacity planning. |
Critical |
Network Architect, Network Engineer |
Data Center Network Design |
Spine-leaf topology, fat-tree, CLOS networks, East-West traffic optimization, oversubscription ratios, fabric design. |
High |
Data Center Engineer, Cloud Network Architect |
WAN Architecture |
Hub-and-spoke, full mesh, partial mesh, MPLS VPN, SD-WAN overlay, hybrid WAN, traffic engineering, QoS policies. |
High |
Network Architect, Network Engineer |
High Availability Design |
FHRP (HSRP, VRRP, GLBP), link redundancy, device redundancy, SSO/NSF, BFD for fast failure detection, graceful restart. |
Critical |
Network Architect, Network Engineer, SRE |
Quality of Service (QoS) |
Classification, marking (DSCP, CoS), queuing (LLQ, CBWFQ), policing vs shaping, congestion management, trust boundaries. |
High |
Network Engineer, Network Architect, Unified Communications |
Multicast Design |
PIM-SM/DM, RP placement (static, Auto-RP, BSR), MSDP for inter-domain, multicast routing optimization, IGMP snooping. |
Medium |
Network Engineer, Unified Communications Engineer |
IPv6 Transition |
Dual-stack deployment, tunneling (6to4, ISATAP, 6rd), NAT64/DNS64, IPv6-only networks, address planning, security considerations. |
High |
Network Engineer, Network Architect |
Network Capacity Planning |
Traffic analysis, growth projections, bottleneck identification, upgrade planning, utilization thresholds, baseline establishment. |
High |
Network Architect, Network Engineer |
Security Architecture for Networks |
Defense in depth, segmentation strategies, zero trust networking, secure design principles, compliance mapping. |
Critical |
Security Architect, Network Architect |
Cloud Connectivity Design |
Direct Connect, ExpressRoute, VPN failover, transit gateway, hub-and-spoke cloud networking, hybrid DNS, routing policies. |
High |
Cloud Network Architect, Network Architect |
Software-Defined Networking (SDN) |
Control/data plane separation, OpenFlow, SDN controllers (ODL, ONOS), intent-based networking, network automation integration. |
Medium |
Network Architect, Cloud Network Architect |
Network Documentation |
Network diagrams (L1/L2/L3), IP address management, runbooks, change documentation, as-built vs as-designed, living documentation. |
High |
Network Engineer, Network Architect |
Personal Status
| Topic | Level | Evidence | Active Projects | Gaps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
To be populated |
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