Packet Tracer - Data Center Exploration - Physical Mode

Objectives
Part 1: Explore the Characteristics of a Small Data Center
Part 2: Create a Plan for Expanding the Current Data Center
Part 3: Configure the Data Center Devices to Expand the Capacity

Background / Scenario
Data centers are often referred to as the brain of an organization storing and analyzing data, providing
communication both internally and to clients, and providing the tools necessary for research and development
activities. The data center must be constructed in such a manner that it can securely and efficiently provide its
full range of products and services regardless of what catastrophe occurs. There are many different systems
that go into the construction of a data center but for this activity we shall concern ourselves only with the
networking components.
Data centers can range in size from only a few servers to housing hundreds or even thousands of servers.
Whatever the size, the data center must be constructed in an extremely organized manner to simplify
management and troubleshooting of a complex environment. Another design characteristic is to make the
data center more robust by using redundancy to eliminate any single point of failure. This could involve
adding extra devices to provide physical redundancy and/or using technologies such as First Hop
Redundancy Protocols (FHRPs) and link aggregation to provide logical redundancy.
In this Packet Tracer Physical Mode (PTPM) activity, most of the devices in the Toronto and Seattle data
centers are already deployed and configured. You have just been hired to review the current deployment and
to expand the capacity of the Data Center 1 in Toronto.

Instructions

Part 1: Explore the Characteristics of a Small Data Center

In Part 1, you will explore the characteristics of the existing data centers (DC).

Step 1: Explore the physical layout of the data centers.

a. How is the Branch Office physically connected to the data centers?
Type your answers here.
b. What logical configuration in the Branch Office provides redundancy?
Type your answers here.
c. How is Data Center 1 connected to Data Center 2?
Type your answers here.
d. How are the devices in Data Center 1 physically organized?
Type your answers here.
e. Does the Data Center 2 equipment layout differ from Data Center 1?
Type your answers here.
f. Why is the physical organization of the data center devices important?

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Packet Tracer - Data Center Exploration - Physical Mode

Type your answers here.

Step 2: Explore the naming and addressing conventions in both Data Center 1 and Data Center
2.
a. How are the devices named in the data centers?
Hint: Rack is abbreviated as R and Server is abbreviated as S.
Type your answers here.
b. How are the devices addressed in the data centers?
Type your answers here.
c. Why is the naming and addressing of the data center devices important?
Type your answers here.
Step 3: Explore data center redundant layer 2 technology.
Examine DC1 R0 Switch A and DC1 R0 Switch B.
a. Navigate to the Data Center 1 Server Room in Toronto. From Rack_0, click DC1 R0 Switch A > CLI
tab and DC1 R0 Switch B > CLI tab. Arrange the windows side by side.
b. What technology is used to provide redundancy and stability in their configuration?
Type your answers here.
c. What is the purpose of this technology?
Type your answers here.
d. What is the total bandwidth over Port-channel1?
Type your answers here.
e. What will happen if the FastEthernet 0/1 port on DC1 R0 Switch A fails and why?
Type your answers here.
Step 4: Explore data center redundant Layer 3 technology.
Examine the DC1A_Router and DC1B_Router.
a. From Rack_0, click DC1A_Router > CLI tab and DC1B_Router > CLI tab. Arrange the windows side by
side.
b. What technology is used to provide redundancy and stability in their configuration?
Type your answers here.
c. What is the purpose of this technology?
Type your answers here.
d. Which router and interface will be used as the default gateway for the 172.16.0.0/16 network and why?
Type your answers here.
e. Which router and interface will be used as the default gateway for the 10.16.0.0/16 network and why?
Type your answers here.
Part 2: Create a Plan for Expanding the Current Data Center
In Part 2, you will create a plan for adding a new rack of equipment to the current data centers.

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Packet Tracer - Data Center Exploration - Physical Mode

Step 1: Determine what equipment is required to add one new rack of equipment to both Data
Center 1 and Data Center 2.
From your review of the two current data centers in Part 1, determine the equipment required to add a new
rack of equipment to Data Center 1. When scaling the infrastructure of a data center construction, it is
important to standardize construction and configuration whenever possible.
Open configuration window

a. What new switches are required? How should they be connected? What should their names be?
Type your answers here.
b. How are the R5 switches connected to the R0 switches?
Type your answers here.
c. How many servers should be added to Rack_5? How should they be configured and with what
addresses?
Type your answers here.
d. How should the servers be connected to the network?
Type your answers here.
e. How would the above information change for adding a new rack to DC2?
Type your answers here.

Part 3: Configure the Data Center Devices to Expand the Data Center Capacity
In Part 3, you will install and configure the equipment for the new rack in DC1. Use the information from Part 2
for specifics.

Step 1: Install the required equipment in Rack_5

a. Drag two 2960 switches to the top of Rack_5.
b. Drag six servers to Rack_5.
c. Click the first server in Rack_5 and, under MODULES, click and drag a second PT-HOST-NM-1CFE
interface to the open slot. Click the Power button below the second interface.
d. Click the Config tab and set the display name DC1-R5S1. Close the server window.
e. Repeat Step1c and 1d for the other five servers, incrementing the server number as necessary (DC1-
R5S2, DC1-R5S3, and so on).

Step 2: Configure IP addressing for the servers in Rack_5.

a. What is the FastEthernet0 default gateway and DNS address for all servers in Data Center 1?
Type your answers here.
b. What is the FastEthernet1 default gateway and DNS address for all servers in Data Center 1?
Type your answers here.
c. In conformance with the addressing scheme of servers in Rack_0 through Rack_4, complete the
following Addressing Table for the servers in Rack_5.

Server Interface IP address Subnet Mask Default Gateway DNS Address

DC1-R5S1 FastEthernet 0 blank blank blank blank

DC1-R5S1
FastEthernet1 blank blank blank blank

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Packet Tracer - Data Center Exploration - Physical Mode

DC1-R5S2 FastEthernet 0 blank blank blank blank

DC1-R5S2
FastEthernet1 blank blank blank blank
DC1-R5S3 FastEthernet 0 blank blank blank blank

DC1-R5S3
FastEthernet1 blank blank blank blank
DC1-R5S4 FastEthernet 0 blank blank blank blank

DC1-R5S4
FastEthernet1 blank blank blank blank
DC1-R5S5 FastEthernet 0 blank blank blank blank

DC1-R5S5
FastEthernet1 blank blank blank blank
DC1-R5S6 FastEthernet 0 blank blank blank blank

DC1-R5S6
FastEthernet1 blank blank blank blank
Blank Line - no additional information

d. Using your documentation, configure IP addressing for the servers in Rack_5. Be sure to configure both
interfaces. Click the server, and then the Config tab. Configure the default gateway and DNS server in
Global Settings. Use the dropdown menu next to Interfaces to switch interfaces. Then click
FastEthernet0 under INTERFACES to configure the IP address and subnet mask. Repeat for
FastEthernet1.
Note: Due to the limitation of Packet Tracer server simulation, you will be warned about the default
gateway addresses and the 2nd DNS address. Click OK to these messages and continue. In addition,
only the FastEthernet0 DNS address is graded and only the FastEthernet1 default gateway address is
graded.

Step 3: Configure the display name and hostname for the switches in Rack_5.
Note: Make sure your display and host names conform to the standard. Packet Tracer will grade your
connections and configuration as incorrect if your display names are incorrect.
a. Click the first switch in Rack_5, and then the Config tab.
b. Set the Display Name to DC1 Rack 5 Switch A and Hostname to DC1R5_SwitchA.
c. Click the second switch in Rack_5, and then the Config tab.
d. Set the Display Name to DC1 Rack 5 Switch B and Hostname to DC1R5_SwitchB.

Step 4: Connect cables for the Rack 5 equipment.

Note: Make sure your connections conform to the pattern established in the other racks. Packet Tracer will
grade your connection as incorrect if you connect to the wrong switch port.
a. For each server, connect a copper straight-through cable from the FastEthernet0 port to the correct port
on DC1R5_SwitchA and a copper straight-through cable from the FastEthernet1 port to the correct port
on DC1R5_SwitchB.
Hint: Complete both connections for DC1-R5S1 before proceeding down the rack.
b. Connect a copper straight-through cable from the FastEthernet0/1 port of DC1 Rack 5 Switch A to the
FastEthernet0/23 port of DC1 Master Switch A and from the FastEthernet0/2 port of DC1 Rack 5
Switch A to the FastEthernet0/24 port of DC1 Master Switch A.
Note: After connecting to the Rack_5 switch, use the bottom scroll bar to scroll to the left to connect to
the appropriate Rack_0 master switch.

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Packet Tracer - Data Center Exploration - Physical Mode

c. Connect a copper straight-through cable from the FastEthernet0/1 port of DC1 Rack 5 Switch B to the
FastEthernet0/23 port of DC1 Master Switch B and from the FastEthernet0/2 port of DC1 Rack 5
Switch B to the FastEthernet0/24 port of DC1 Master Switch B.

Step 5: Configure LACP between DC1 Master Switch A and DC1 Rack 5 Switch A.
DC1_MasterSwitchA(config)# interface range f0/23-24
DC1_MasterSwitchA(config-if-range)# switchport mode trunk
DC1_MasterSwitchA(config-if-range)# switchport trunk native vlan 99
DC1_MasterSwitchA(config-if-range)# channel-group 6 mode active
Creating a port-channel interface Port-channel 6

DC1_MasterSwitchA(config-if-range)# no shutdown
!--------------------------------------------------------
DC1R5_SwitchA(config)# interface range f0/1-2
DC1R5_SwitchA(config-if-range)# switchport mode trunk
DC1R5_SwitchA(config-if-range)# switchport trunk native vlan 99
DC1R5_SwitchA(config-if-range)# channel-group 1 mode passive
Creating a port-channel interface Port-channel 1

DC1R5_SwitchA(config-if-range)# no shutdown

Step 6: Repeat the above to aggregate the appropriate ports between DC1R5_SwitchB and
DC1_MasterSwitchB.

Step 7: Verify that the ports have been aggregated.

What protocol is Po1 using for link aggregation? Which ports are aggregated to form Po1 on
DC1R5_SwitchB? Record the command used to verify.
Type your answers here.
Close configuration window

Reflection Questions
1. What is a data center?
Type your answers here.
2. What benefits does a data center provide for an organization?
Type your answers here.
3. Why is redundancy important in a data center?
Type your answers here.
4. What elements of a data center should incorporate redundancy?
Type your answers here.
5. What is the importance of EtherChannel in a data center environment?
Type your answers here.
End of Document

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