Spine-Leaf Topology

Question 1

Definition

Answer 1

Spine-leaf architecture is a modern network topology consisting of two layers: the Spine (main switches) and the Leaf (access switches).

Question 2

Spine Switches

Answer 2

These form the central part of the network, interconnecting all leaf switches. They handle high-capacity data transmission efficiently.

Question 3

Leaf Switches

Answer 3

Positioned closer to data sources (servers, storage systems), they aggregate traffic and forward it through the spine for routing.

Question 4

Full-Mesh Network

Answer 4

Each leaf switch connects to every spine switch, reducing latency and eliminating traditional hierarchical models.

Question 5

Scalability:

Answer 5

Scalability depends on spine node port capacity, not leaf node ports.

Question 6

Redundancy:

Answer 6

Redundant connections between spine and leaf pairs are unnecessary due to multiple leaf connections.

Question 7

Optimized Data Transfer

Answer 7

Spine-leaf topology optimizes east-west data transfer in data centers.