1. Why is scalability an important network design goal? What are some challenges designers face when taking scalability into account in their design?
2. Why is understanding an organization's technical goals necessary when working on a design? List and explain in detail at least three of these goals.
3. List and describe at least four different network traffic factors that must be analyzed when evaluating the traffic on a network.
4. What factors should be considered when characterizing the infrastructure of a network?
5. Define autonomous system. How do interior routing protocols differ from external routing protocols?
6. List at least four ways you know that you have developed a good network design.
7. For Cisco's three-layer hierarchical model for network design, list the layers and explain their roles. What guidelines should a network designer follow when using the hierarchical model?
8. What are the most important criteria for selecting a WAN service provider? List and explain at least five.
9. Describe the difference between centralized and distributed cable topologies and give an example of each.
10. What is regression testing? Why is regression testing usually an important part of network testing?
11. Describe the four types of network testing typically performed.
12. List and briefly describe at least five key steps in the process of designing a good security strategy.