A network architect must design a large-scale Cisco SAN topology. The customer has a limited budget, so a design that provides use of resources is required. To support this requirement, the architect

A collapsed-core design combines core and edge functions into fewer switches, which might be cost-effective for smaller SANs but typically does not scale efficiently for large-scale environments requiring extensive resource sharing.

A mesh SAN topology connects every switch to every other switch, offering high redundancy but leading to excessive cabling, high cost, and poor resource utilization with many underutilized links in a large-scale environment.

A core-edge SAN topology provides efficient resource utilization by centralizing high-performance switches in the core and connecting hosts and storage to less expensive edge switches. This design allows for sharing array ports, ISLs, and line card bandwidth, supports future expansion by adding more edge switches, and enables physically separated infrastructure for high availability.

Edge-core-edge is not a standard or common SAN topology; typical designs are core-edge, collapsed-core, or mesh.