Network Design

David Tipper
Associate Professor
Department of Information Science and
Telecommunications
University of Pittsburgh
tipper@tele.pitt.edu
http://www.tele.pitt.edu/tipper.html
Slides 1
http://www.sis.pitt.edu/~dtipper/2110.html

Course Outline

• Introduction (Ch 1)
– Class Organization, overview of network design issues
• Requirements and Planning (Ch 2, 4, notes)
– Business and Technical Goals and Constraints
– Economics and Technology Choices
– Traffic Demand Modeling and capacity requirements
• Network Design Modelling and Algorithms (Ch 5,
notes)
– Relevant Results from Graph Theory
– Relevant Results from Optimization Theory
– Heuristics
– CAD Tools

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 Course Outline

• Access Network Design (Chapter 6)

– Topology algorithms, physical design
– WLAN design
• Wide Area Packet Network Design (Ch 7,8)
– Design Algorithms
– Virtual network design (Ch 9)
– Fault Tolerance/Survivability
• Transport/Circuit Switched Network Design
– Optical Backbone Design
– Metro Network Design
• Cellular Network Design
• Case Studies (handouts)
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Network Design

• A “Network” can be thought as

– Electronic communication devices
• PCs, phones, PDAs, laptops, etc.
– Network Devices
• (hubs, routers, cross-connects, base stations, etc..)
– Communication links
• (Coax cable, 10base T, T1, T3, OC1, etc.)
– Services
• Phone calls, video, web, etc.
• Network Design
– Determines the location and type of network devices,
the types and size of communication links to provide
services to the electronic communication devices.
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 Types of Network Design

• Can classify network design problems

several ways
1. Greenfield Network Design
• build a new network from scratch
2. Incremental Network design
• Re-engineering a network
– Upgrade/change technology – increase capacity
– Improve fault tolerance, performance, etc.
• Network expansion design
– Add users/facilities to a network
3. Virtual Network Design
– Build an overlay network on top of an existing infrastructure

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Greenfield Example

Base BS3
BS5
BS4

stations
BS4

locations IBM

BS3 BS3

BS2 BS4

determined BS2

MSC
by radio BS1
BS1

coverage BS7
BS7 BS5
BS1

BS3
BS6
BS3
BS2 BS4

BS4

BS1

BS2 BS1

BS7 BS5

BS5

BS6
BS7 BS6

SD SD

SD SD

Bay Networks Centillion1400 Bay Networks Centillion1400

Bay Networks Centillion1400 Bay Networks Centillion1400

* 8x50
P
ETHER LINK RS 2
32C I NS ACT ALM * 8x50
P
ETHER LINK RS 2
32C I NS ACT ALM
O O1 30
RST O O1 30
RST
AO N AO N
* 8x50
P
ETHER LINK RS 2
32C I NS ACT ALM * 8x50
P
ETHER LINK RS 3
22C I NS ACT ALM
6 6 RST RST
O O1 30 O O1 30
AO N AO N
PCCARD PCCARD 6 6

PCCARD PCCARD

ALM ALM
PWR ALM FAN0 FAN1 PWR0 PWR1 PWR ALM FAN0 FAN1 PWR0 PWR1
ALM ALM
PWR ALM FAN0 FAN1 PWR0 PWR1 PWR ALM FAN0 FAN1 PWR0 PWR1

BSC BSC

30 BS, 4 BSC
BSC BSC

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 Example

Minimum-cost
network design BS3
BS5
BS4

BS4
IBM

BS3 BS3

BS2 Bay Networks Centillion1400

SD

BS4
* 8x50
P
ETHER LINK RS 2
32C I NS ACT ALM
O O1 30
RST
AO N
6

PCCARD

ALM
PWR ALM FAN0 FAN1 PWR0 PWR1

BS2

BSC MSC SD

BS1
Bay Networks Centillion1400

* 8x50
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ETHER LINK RS 2
32C I NS ACT ALM
O O1 30
RST
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6

PCCARD

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BS1 ALM
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BS7 BSC
Bay Networks Centillion1400
SD

BS7 BS5
* 8x50
P
O O1
AO N
6
30
RST
ETHER LINK RS 2
32C I NS ACT ALM

PCCARD
BS1
ALM
PWR ALM FAN0 FAN1 PWR0 PWR1

BS3
BSC BS6
BS3
BS2 BS4
SD

Bay Networks Centillion1400

* 8x50
P
O O1
AO N
6
30
RST
ETHER LINK RS 2
32C I NS ACT ALM

PCCARD BS4
ALM
PWR ALM FAN0 FAN1 PWR0 PWR1

BS1
BSC
BS2 BS1

BS7 BS5

BS5

BS6
BS7 BS6

30 BS, 4 BSC
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Incremental Design Example

Given Topology how do
I make it single link
fault tolerant BS3
BS5
BS4

Mesh-restoration BS4
IBM

BS3 BS3

network design BS2 * 8x

P

BS2
Bay Netwo k

50
O O1
AO N
30
RST
rs

PWR
ETHER

ALM
LINK RS 2

ALM
32C

FAN0 FAN1 PWR0 PW R1

I NS ACT ALM

PCCARD
Centilli on1400
SD

BS4

BSC MSC SD

BS1
Bay Netwo k
rs Centilli on1400

* 8x50
P ETHER LINK RS 2
32C I NS ACT ALM
RST
O O1
30
AO N
6

PCCARD

PWR ALM
BS1 ALM
FAN0 FAN1 PWR0 PW R1

BS7 BSC
SD
BS7 BS5
BS1
Bay Netwo k
rs Centilli on1400

* 8x50
P ETHER LINK RS 2
32C I NS ACT ALM
RST
O O1
30
AO N
6

PCCARD

ALM
PWR ALM FAN0 FAN1 PWR0 PW R1

BS3
BSC BS6
BS3
BS2 BS4
SD

Bay Netwo k
rs Centilli on1400

* 8x
P 50
O O1
30
AO N
6
RST
ETHER LINK RS 2
3 2C I NS ACT ALM

PCCARD BS4
ALM
PWR ALM FAN0 FAN1 PWR0 PW R1

BS1
BSC
BS2 BS1

BS7 BS5

BS5

BS6
BS7 BS6

Backup link
30 BS, 4 BSC

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 Virtual Private Network Design

Provider Edge (PE) Router

Provider Core Router

C
Label Switch Path (LSP)

Overlay A
VPN Network
B

2
Service Provider
Core Network 3 5

4
6

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Types of Network Design

• Can classify network design problems - size

1. Access Networks
• LAN, Campus, Metro access networks, cellular networks, etc
• Historically informal design procedures – becoming more
mathematical based
2. Metro Networks
• Interconnection central offices , POPs, corporate locations
• Higher bandwidth, may include leased lines
3. Wide Area Networks
• Backbone networks (UUNET, Verizon)
• Corporate VPN
• Mathematical Optimization based design procedures

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 Network Infrastructure Components
Network have varying technology, components, protocols and applications

Long haul - WAN Building 3

(inter exchange network) Building 4
City D
Metro (LEC inter- Building 1
City E
City C
City A office network)
Building 2

Central
office 1 Access
Enterprise 2

Central
office 2

City B Central
office 3

Cross connects, routers, etc. Sonet, Fiber, MPLS, FR, etc Enterprise 1

DWDM, ATM, MPLS, IP, etc.

SS7, SIP, BGP, etc, Access: Twisted pair, T1,
DSL, Cable Modem, etc.

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Transmission Rates
POTS Line <64 Kbps
T1 1.5 Mbps
T3 44.736 Mbps
OC-1 51 Mbps
OC-3 155 Mbps
OC-12 622 Mbps
Rates increase
OC-48 2.5 Gbps from edge to core
OC-192 10 Gbps
OC-768 40 Gbps
DWDM 1.6Tbps
Next Gen 10 Tbps
Microwave 45 Mbps
Laser <1Gbps
Cable 3-10 Mbps
POTS = "Plain Old Telephone Service"
DWDM= Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing, OC= Optical Carrier
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 Types of Network Design
• Can classify network design problems on
technology
– Wired vs. Wireless
– Circuit switched vs. packet switched
– Hierarchical facility vs. flat
– ATM vs. IP
– Etc.

Vs.

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LAN vs. WLAN Design

-80 dBm

• LAN selection of technology and

cabling
• AP Placement Minimize path loss
– Maximum signal to most users
– Transmitter placement problem
– Take measurement to get Signal -80 dBm
quality map

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 Main Network Design Issues
• How many $ are needed to get a usable
network?
• What sort of network performance can we get
with Y additional $?
• What should our network look like?

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Network Design Tools

• Computer Aided Design Tools available
– Aimed at Metro and Backbone network Design
– User provides set of traffic demands, geographic locations,
performance requirements
– Use some optimization based formulation with heuristic
solution to minimize $

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 Network Design Tools
• Variety of tools available
– WANDL, VPISystems, OPNET, RSOFT, etc. – trend to link
them to simulation packages – can verify design

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Top Down Network Design Approach

• Regardless of network design problem can

follow a top down network design approach
A top down network design project approach
should follow three phases:
– Conceptual Model
• Objectives, Requirements, Constraints
– Logical Model
• Technology, network graph, node location, link size, etc.
(where algorithms are used to minimize cost)
– Physical Model
• Specific hardware/software implementations
• (e.g., wiring diagram, repeater locations, etc.)

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 Conceptual Model Design

• Determining Objectives
– Try to understand the customer’s business
• industry, market, suppliers, product, the
competition they face, etc.
– Try to understand the organizational
structure of the business, their separate
departments, lines of business, remote
offices, etc.
• Identify Business Objectives of the project
– Through surveys/questionnaires, meetings
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Business Goals
• Identify overall business goal of network
– What will the network be used for? Mission critical uses?
– How does the customer think the new network will improve their
business practices?
– What is the criteria to be used to judge the network
success/failure?

• Typical business goals (may not be realistic!)

– Increase revenue and profit
– Shorten product development cycles/improve corporate
communications
– Provide new services/Modernize out-dated technologies
– Reduce network costs
– Make more data available to more people
– Improve network security and reliability
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 Business Goals - Continued
• What is the scope of the project?
– Greenfield or incremental design
• Interoperability?
– Network Size
• (LAN, Campus net, enterprise WAN, backbone, etc.)
• Sites to be connected, distances, etc.
– What are current/existing networks and services
– Identify applications and services to be provided from surveys
and meetings
– As a guideline construct a table with the following info

Type of New App?

Application Application Freq of use Criticality Comments
Sales Distributed No/hourly Very
Tracking client/server

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Business Constraints

• Organizational Politics and Policies

– Who will manage/run network
– What are the companies policy on suppliers,
platforms, vendors etc.
– Open vs. proprietary solutions?
– Security issues
• Budget and Staffing Constraints
– Your design must fit the budget
– Staff abilities may determine some of your design
– Is a business case/life cycle cost analysis needed?
• Scheduling
– Timeline, milestones

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 Technical Goals & Constraints
• From surveys/questionnaires, meetings etc. application
data determine technical goals and constraints
• Technical goal is to build a network that meets user’s
requirements + some they may not know they need.
• Technical Goals
– Scalability
– Availability
– Network Performance
• Utilization, Throughput, Delay, Delay Jitter, Packet Loss, Call
blocking, etc.
• Traffic Estimation important
– Security
– Manageability/Interoperability
– Affordability $$

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Conceptual Level of Network Design

œ What do the users want?

– Services
 What do the users need?
ž What don’t they know they need? (e.g., reliability,
security)
Interviews/questionnaires used to gather data
What type of applications (voice, data, email)
Application – characteristics
Frequency of use
Identify Constraints:
Budget
management capabilities
technical requirements, etc.

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 Logical Level Network Design

• Translate Conceptual Level Goals and

requirements into Logical Level design
– what kind of network will meet the conceptual
design based on the information gathered
– Characterize network traffic and performance
requirements
– Topological network design (may use an algorithm
here!)
• Technology selection
• Costing
• Performance tradeoffs
• Need for sub-netting
• addressing issues
• etc.

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Logical Level Network Design

• Typically many alternate logical designs are feasible
• Rank based on attributes
– Cost
– Performance
• Delay, throughput,call blocking, availability, etc.
– Scalability
– Management
– Maintenance
– Utilization
– Etc.
• May ask managers to evaluate tradeoffs
– One approach is assume 100 point to be distributed among
the categories of interest and users must allocate the points
among the attributes

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 Physical Level Network Design
• Hardware level requirements
– Specific Router performance based on bandwidth
requirements
– Switches, Repeaters, etc...
• Equipment location requirements
– Physical security requirements
– Electrical Power
• Capacity and Media selection
– Bandwidth required, coax, fiber, etc.
– Wiring diagrams

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Summary
• Network Design is not a precise science.
– Many different types of problems
• e.g., greenfield vs. incremental, wired vs. wireless
– There can be several good answers (many more bad
ones!) - usually no one best solution.
– It involves trade-offs among cost vs. performance,
technical vs. non-technical issues
• Top Down Design approach useful as a
framework
• In large network designs (WAN, Metro) use
mathematics to help designers.
• Use computer models to solve mathematical
formulations when possible
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