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Compare.

Campus two-tier aggregation vs DC Clos fabric — when each pattern fits and how oversubscription differs.

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network · deep · draft

Collapsed core

A two-tier campus where distribution and core roles share one redundant aggregation pair. Access dual-homes north; WAN and shared services attach at that pair — there is no separate core tier.

Problem. A full three-tier design adds a dedicated core pair that is unnecessary when the site is small and distribution can also perform campus aggregation and edge/services attachment.

Scenarios
3
Failures
5
Primary cites
5

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network · deep · draft

Spine-leaf / Clos

A folded Clos fabric where every leaf connects to every spine, giving equal-cost east-west paths and predictable scale-out without STP-blocked aggregation links.

Problem. Classical three-tier DC designs optimized for north-south traffic leave blocked links, uneven ECMP, and awkward east-west scaling once server-to-server traffic dominates.

Scenarios
3
Failures
5
Primary cites
6

Open deep page Presenter