user distribution and server distribution

[Mary]

we want to differentiate user distribution switch and server distribution switch in our network design, may I know any main difference between these two switches  for L2/L3 design consideration, thanks

[Jon Marshall]

The main difference is server switches need to support higher interface speeds and have more throughput than end user switches.

You also need to think of redundancy as well ie. end users generally only connect to one switch port but with servers you should be looking to dual hone their connections to provide for NIC and switch failure.

Jon

[Mary]

thanks, we have another type of switch-blade switch, should i say blade switch is access-level switch, and only connect to VM.

by the way when we design user access level switch and server access level switch, what's the main difference in terms of design

[Jon Marshall]

Just treat blade switches as server switches.

In terms of design Cisco has a whole set of design guides so I suggest starting there -

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/design-zone.html

and come back if you have further questions.

Jon