Mention two advantages of the ToR switches in Data Center Design

Question

Options

• ALess unused ports on the switches
• BPossibly less expensive
• CLess cable sprawl
• DBetter issue isolation

• B
  6% (1)
• C
  94% (15)

Explanation

Top of Rack (ToR) switches sit at the top of each individual server rack, so servers connect to their local switch with very short cables instead of running long cables across the data center floor to a central switch - this directly reduces cable sprawl (C). Because each rack has its own dedicated switch, a failure or misconfiguration is naturally contained to that rack rather than potentially cascading across multiple racks, enabling better issue isolation (D).

Option A is wrong because ToR actually increases unused ports - each rack gets its own switch regardless of how many servers are in it, whereas End of Row (EoR) designs consolidate ports across many racks for better utilization. Option B is wrong because ToR requires more switches (one per rack), which typically raises hardware costs compared to EoR designs that share fewer, larger switches.

Memory tip: Think "ToR = Tidy and Contained" - cables stay tidy within the rack (less sprawl), and problems stay contained within the rack (better isolation). The two advantages are both about locality.

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