300-320 · Question #610
Management has chosen to implement a top-of-the-rack data center design. Which two benefits of moving to this model are true? (Choose two.)
The correct answer is A. easier per rack upgrades B. decreased cabling costs. Top-of-rack (ToR) design places a switch inside each rack, which simplifies individual rack upgrades and reduces the length of copper/fiber runs to the aggregation layer.
Question
Management has chosen to implement a top-of-the-rack data center design. Which two benefits of moving to this model are true? (Choose two.)
Options
- Aeasier per rack upgrades
- Bdecreased cabling costs
- Cdirectly connected racks in the row
- Dfewer ports required in the aggregation
- Efewer switches to manage
How the community answered
(22 responses)- A91% (20)
- C5% (1)
- D5% (1)
Why each option
Top-of-rack (ToR) design places a switch inside each rack, which simplifies individual rack upgrades and reduces the length of copper/fiber runs to the aggregation layer.
Each rack contains its own switch, so upgrading or replacing equipment in a single rack is isolated from the rest of the infrastructure, enabling easier per-rack lifecycle management.
Server-to-switch cabling is contained within the rack using short patch cables instead of long runs to a centralized end-of-row or middle-of-row switch, significantly decreasing cabling costs.
ToR does not directly connect adjacent racks; racks connect upward to aggregation or spine switches, not laterally to each other.
ToR increases port requirements in the aggregation layer because every ToR switch needs uplinks, whereas a centralized model consolidates those connections.
ToR increases the total number of switches to manage because each rack requires its own dedicated switch rather than sharing a fewer number of centralized switches.
Concept tested: Top-of-rack data center access layer design
Source: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/data-center-virtualization/data-center-designs-application-centric-infrastructure.html
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