Network Architecture
Modern converged networks include different traffic types, each with unique
requirements for security, Quality of Service (QoS), transmission capacity,
and delay. Some examples include:
■ Voice signaling and bearer
■ Core application traffic, such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
or Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
■ Database transactions
■ Multicast multimedia
■ Network management
■ “Other” traffic, such as web pages, e-mail, and file transfer
Cisco routers are able to implement filtering, compression, prioritization,
and policing (dedicating network capacity). Except for filtering, these capabilities
are referred to collectively as QoS.
Although QoS is wonderful, it is not the only way to address bandwidth
shortage. Cisco espouses an idea called the Intelligent Information Network
(IIN). IIN builds on standard network design models to enable these new
services to be reliable and layered on top of traditional data delivery.