CCNA Data Center DCICT 640-916 Official Cert Guide

Access Layer

The access layer is the first point of entry into the network for edge devices, end stations, and servers. The switches in the access layer are connected to two separate distribution layer switches for redundancy.

The data center access layer provides Layer 2, Layer 3, and mainframe connectivity. The design of the access layer varies, depending on whether you use Layer 2 or Layer 3 access. The access layer in the data center is typically built at Layer 2, which allows better sharing of service devices across multiple servers. This design also enables the use of Layer 2 clustering, which requires the servers to be Layer 2 adjacent. With Layer 2 access, the default gateway for the servers can be configured at the aggregation layer. ...