Layer 3 to the Access Layer and MPLS Design Considerations

Hi,
We are about to install a new network consisting of Cat 4500s with Sup7E at the Access Layer, with Nexus 7000 at the Distribution and Core layers.
We have 14 floors with at least three 4500s on each floor. Within the office block where the Access Layer and Distribution Layer reside we need to support secure borderless networking using 802.1x to place users from different parts of the business into segregated networks at layer 3.
All switches will have the feature sets to support MPLS/ VRF / OSPF / EIGRP / BGP etc.
We quickly dismissed the idea of using VRF-Lite due to the sheer number of Vlans we would need to managage and maintain, the point to point links alone just to get one additional VRF on each floor required far too many Vlans.
As a result we are now considering deploying MPLS. The obvious benefits include scalability and manageability, the fact that all switch to switch links can now be routed, instead of having to using SVIs.
My query is one of design surrounding MPLS and how this maps to an enterprise network with a routed access layer. Do Cat 4500s become the CEs and take part in MPLS / BGP and Label Distribution, or does the BGP peering and Label Distribution only occur between the Distrubtion - Core - Distrubtion layers, mapping to the PE - P - PE topology in an ISP environment, the access layer simply uses the IGP (OSPF in this case) to learn routes ?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Chris.

Hi Andy,
Thanks for your response.
I have been doing a little bit more research it seems the Cat 4500s do not support MPLS!! Nor do Cisco have any plans to support it on this platform. I find this a little rediculous considering the level that Cisco are pitching this platform. With the Sup 7E only VRF Lite is supported, with plans to support EVN (which still uses trunk links for logical separation).
So it looks like we are going to have to go back to the drawing board.
(perhaps we should have gone HP or Juniper!)
Chris.

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6500 or 4500 for the access layer

I would like to get some input as to the best switch to use at the access layer. I am considering both the 6500 with a Supervisor 32 and the 4500 with a Supervisor 5. I am using the Sup 720 in the data center so staying with a single platform is appealing although the 4500 clearly appears to out perform the Sup 32.
Does anyone have experience with the Supervisor 32? Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Go with the 6500 with the Sup32. Cisco has a bundle with a chassis, Sup32, and a Fan for the reduced price.
Few reasons the Sup32 is a better choice.. (engage your Local Cisco account team for a overview to compare architectures)
Same Layer2 engine as the Sup720. This means you will receive the same Layer2 performance as the Sup720 would using classic line cards
Modular IOS and the Same IOS as your core. This allows you to only have to test and maintain one code for the network
Can upgrade to a Sup720 later if your needs change. (or the next version line cards as well without replacing chassis)
higher density POE support in the 6500 chassis.
Many more features are supported in Hardware on the Sup32 due to the PFC3B.
Control Plane Policing. Hardware policiers
Service module support
Dont let PPS fool you on the spec sheets. Look at the architecture as a whole. The Sup V on the 4500 is a shared memory architecture and has a limited "punt path". The Sup32 has a 1Gbs punt path and the SupV is under 250k pps. The Sup V also does not have a dedicated L2 engine like the Sup32 does (PFC3B vs asic)
Your profile also lists you as with a financial firm. With multicast in the equation, the 6500 is always the best bet. The Multicast features/policers support in hardware to insure reliability and low latency switching is a perfect fit for the Sup32/Sup720.
With the Sup32 you can have the same reliability you have in the core. Also, the 6500 bundle cost comes to roughly the same cost as the 4500.

Opening a new file in photoshopcc and the file name is displayed but no white working canvas. you can see it as a layer in the layers panel and if i draw on the grey area i can see int on the layer but not on the main screen.

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Selecting (and resizing, for example) a layer under the top layer via the Program Monitor

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Using CS5
I am in the timeline and have selected layer 1 which is a video layer
Layer 2 is a title layer.
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But when I go to the Program Monitor and select it Layer 2 (the title layer) becomes selected, preventing me from selecting and manually resizing/repositioning Layer 1.
The above example is a simplified version of what I usually find myself doing. Usually I have many layers above a layer that I want to resize or reposition (or do something else) but when I try to resize or repositon via the program monitor I am only able to manipulate the top layer.
Any suggestions, other than locking every layer other than what I want to resize etc .?
Thanks
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Hi Bill,
No they are separate orginal tracks.
Is there a way to "select" a layer below the top layer via the Progam Monitor -- and perform modifications on that lower level -- such a manually resizing on the Program Monitor. I find if I want to do it via the Program Monitor I have to temporarily lock the top layer.
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Rowby

I created a new layer and copied the contents of another layer into the new layer. Now whenever I ed

I have a template that I am editing. I have created new layers by duplicating an existing layer. The problem I am having is that anytime I make a change to a duplicated layer it changes the original as well. ie if I attempt to edit the action script on the new layer it changes the action script on the original? It seems as though they are linked and I can not find a way to unlink them??

You should be able to edit the immediately present contents of different layers without affecting other layers, but if you are editing anything at a level below the layer, such as doubleclicking to edit an object in that timeline, you are changing it anywhere it is used.

Exclude an layer from the adjustment layer

Hi ,
i don't know why adobe still didn't add this option to after effects !!!!!!!!
we have alot of problems with this
i can't just keep pre-comping stuff !!!!!
adding a simple column between the 'track mat' and the 'parent' to exclude the selected layer from an adjustment layer in top of it will simple thing's Up .
please consider this option
My bests

Hey guys.
I was stuck with the same problem, so I found a way to solve it with minimal changes.
I have a silly 2d animation representing days and nights passing by. To improve the sensation, I put an adjustment layer to tint all layers below every time the moon rises. But the adjustment layers also tints the sun and moon and with my current structure, full of overlaps, it will be a pain to reorder and mask all layers. So I simply duplicate the layer that I was working on and rename it to "MEGA LUMA MASK" and put them just above the adjustment layer. Inside this new duplicated layer, I tint all layers to total black, except for the moons and suns, which I tint to total white. What I got was a perfect luma mask that respects all overlaps without needing to touch the structure. Finally I just set the track matte of the adjustment layers to Luma Inverted!
No pre composes (kinda), no crazy masks. Of course an adjustment layer exception system would be better, but it's a clean, fast and versatile solution.

Which layer is the target layer?

How can I determine which layer among those in the ->layersDescriptor structures corresponds to the target layer?
In photoshop cc x64 pc
-- all the read channel numbers seem to be unique
-- all channels have ->target=1
(edit after more work with layersDescriptor)
the information presented has a lot of errors and omissions, such that it's impossible
in principal to display layers the same way as photoshop does. Invisible "pass through"
layers are listed as visible. Layers with "stroke" special effects are indistinguishable
from normal layers.

Layers with "stroke" special effects are indistinguishable
from normal layers.
Here is how to find stroke (keyFrameFX, descLayer is starting layer descriptor, in this case code also look if effects are visible)
hasKey=0;
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Regards,
Momir Zecevic

Subtitles wont work on the secon layer of the dual layer disc

even with scripts the subtitles goes automatic to stream 1 on the data (videos) in the second layer.
the gprm info some how gets lost in the break point.
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Dub division

How is the project set up?
Is it one long track that crosses the layer break?
Are the scripts attached properly?
What are the scripts?
Take a look here for some info to force subtitles
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=2069686#2069686
and an example project
http://www.geocities.com/mypix013/Subtitles.zip
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We currently have a stored procedure that assigns users to the appropriate groups based on the domain info and role info from an ERP database after they are imported and synched up by the authentication source.
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Is NAT allowed between the Access Point and WLAN Controller?

Suppose that the AP and Controller communicate over a L3 network.
Can NAT be performed in between?
For example, suppose that the AP is connected to an ADSL router that performs NAT.

Just to expand on what George had said, when the controller sends the discovery response to an AP the controller's ap-manager interface IP address is embedded in the response. So if this packet gets NATed the embedded address won't. So just make sure they AP can route packets to whatever address is configured on the controller. The controller doesn't need to see the AP's configured address, this one could be NATed.

Switches for Access, Distribution, and Core Layer

I have this case study in school and we are tasked to build a network in a school. So we've decided to use the three layer hierarchical model. I'm not sure about what switch is best for these layers but I've decided that I'll use 3750 for the Access layer, 4500E for the Distribution layer, 6500 for the Core layer. Are these the ideal switches for each layer? If not, could you suggest any switch that is better than the current? Need your suggestions or thoughts about this. Thanks in advance!

Hi Seb, thanks for replying. My groupmates and I have already decided that we're going to have a distribution layer. So basically, is 3750 enough to be the backbone/core of the network? We're configuring the to have a Layer 3 design so that makes me choose on 3750 on distrib and core rathen than 2960 switches cause I think that's better than Layer 2 though I don't know specifically what makes it better. Do you know? So I could have a thorough explanation when I present it to my professor. As for the budget, the case study didn't give us any limit so I think layer 3 would be a better choice than layer 3. Thanks Sib, appreciate it.

I have several layers for this image: Background, Moon, Tree, Grass and Clouds. When I try to use the Move tool to move the Moon, the tool jumps to the Tree layer. The same thing happens with the other layers as well (except the background layer). How

I have several layers for my image: Background, Moon, Tree, Grass and Clouds. When I try to use the Move tool to move the Moon, the tool jumps to the Tree layer. The same thing happens with the other layers as well (except the background layer). How can I keep the move tool from jumpimg to the Tree layer?

1. Pre-select (highlight) the layer to move in the Layers panel. or-
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and maybe
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I've got the move tool and the layer selected...

but for some reason I can't get the text to align anywhere. The align buttons are acting as if they are greyed out. Is there something I'm missing?

You need at least two layers selected (the text layer and the background layer) or the text layer and a selection (i.e. Select All...) for the alignment commands and buttons to enable and to alight the text to the document.

Bandwidth from Access Layer to Distribution Layer

Folks:
I am currently on Chapter 12 of “CCNP Switching 642-813, Official Certification Guide” ISBN: 978-1-58720-243-8. I am currently not grasping the three layers entirely, and I was hoping someone could offer insight in a different way.
I believe I understand, that switches in the Access-Layer can be layer2 devices (2950, etc), and devices in the Distribution Layer should be Multilayer devices such as Layer-3 switches (3750) and inter-vlan routing takes place at the Distribution layer. But what I do not understand – how does one account for bandwidth and traffic from the Access Layer switches to the Distribution Switches?
Let use a 24 port 2950 switch located at the Access-Layer. If everyone was online and communicating, the total traffic for the switch would be 4.8 Gbps. The latter is due to each port providing 100 Mbps but in Full-Duplex, so (100*2)*24. So, how does an engineer spec out the required uplink ports from the Access Layer to the Distribution?
I am sure this is easy; however, I am not getting the concepts. Any insight is great.

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As noted by Peter, edge hosts don't generally all concurrently push/pull their full port bandwidth for substained periods. However, host bandwidth usage often varies much by "kind" of host. For example, many server hosts are "busier" than most user hosts, so when designing networks you normally design for lower oversubscription ratios for server hosts than for user hosts. Old rule-of-thumbs ratios suggest oversubscription ratios of about 8:1 to 4:1 for servers, and about 48:1 to 24:1 for users.
Keep in mind that oversubscription ratios can be "skewed" by what the host is doing, i.e. not all server or user hosts have similar bandwidth demands. For example, your primary mail server or primary file server might be much "busier" than other server hosts. Likewise, some user hosts might be much "busier", for example, years ago I supported a LAN segment of CADD (20) workstations which had more traffic on their local LAN than the (2,000 user) corporate backbone.

6500 access layer QoS

I have 6506E Sup32 PFC3B 12.2(18)SXE device at the access layer of the network and would like to implement QoS (for access ports) for Voice, Video.
I suppose that untrusted microflow policing is best for me. But documents say that such kind functionality works for L3 MSFC routed traffic. For PFC3b I can use "mls qos bridged" for bridged traffic on specified vlans. Does it really work for input service policy on access ports for traffic from user ports (if I use this command on user's int VLAN)?
Distribution and core layers of my networks are MPLS based.
Config:
interface FastEthernet2/1
switchport
switchport access vlan 10
switchport mode access
switchport voice vlan 30
no ip address
spanning-tree portfast
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interface Vlan30 ! also for Vlan 30
ip vrf forwarding VOICE
ip address 10.168.8.254 255.255.255.0
ip helper-address 10.168.2.33
ip helper-address 10.168.2.34
ip pim sparse-dense-mode
mls qos bridged
policy-map IPPHONE+VIDEO
class VOICE
police flow mask src-only 320000 8000 conform-action set-dscp-transmit ef exceed-action drop
class VIDEO-INTERACTIVE
police flow mask src-only 2400000 8000 conform-action set-dscp-transmit af41 exceed-action drop
class CALL-SIGNALING
police flow mask src-only 32000 8000 conform-action set-dscp-transmit cs3 exceed-action policed-dscp-transmit
class class-default
police flow mask src-only 5000000 8000 conform-action transmit exceed-action policed-dscp-transmit

This URL should help you:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps700/products_tech_note09186a00801c8c4b.shtml

Layer 3 to the Access Layer and MPLS Design Considerations

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