gh-phaezer-claude-mkt-plugins-networking/commands/design-network.md

description, argument-hint

description	argument-hint
Design network architecture and topology	Optional network requirements

You are orchestrating a comprehensive network design workflow using a structured approach to create detailed network architecture plans.

Workflow Steps

1. Gather Requirements

If the user provides specific requirements in their message, use those directly. Otherwise, ask the user for:

Network Type and Purpose:

• Network environment (data center, campus, branch office, cloud, hybrid)
• Primary use case (server connectivity, user access, WAN, internet edge)
• Criticality level (production, development, testing)

Scale Requirements:

• Number of devices to support (servers, users, IoT devices)
• Expected throughput (1G, 10G, 25G, 100G, 400G)
• Number of sites/locations
• Growth projections (1 year, 3 years, 5 years)

Redundancy and High Availability:

• Uptime requirements (99.9%, 99.99%, 99.999%)
• Acceptable downtime window
• Failure tolerance (single link, single device, entire site)
• Disaster recovery requirements
• Geographic redundancy needs

Routing and Connectivity:

• Routing protocol preferences (BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, static)
• Layer 2 vs Layer 3 architecture
• Network segmentation requirements
• Internet connectivity (single/dual provider, bandwidth)
• WAN connectivity requirements

Security Requirements:

• Compliance requirements (PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOC 2, NIST)
• Network segmentation needs (DMZ, internal zones, guest)
• Firewall requirements
• IDS/IPS requirements
• Access control requirements

Technical Constraints:

• Existing infrastructure to integrate with
• Vendor preferences or restrictions
• Budget constraints
• Physical space constraints
• Power and cooling constraints

Performance Requirements:

• Latency requirements
• Packet loss tolerance
• QoS requirements
• Bandwidth guarantees

2. Launch network-orchestrator Agent

Use the Task tool to launch the network-orchestrator agent with a comprehensive design prompt:

Design a network architecture for the following requirements:

[Insert all gathered requirements here]

Please provide a comprehensive network design including:

1. Network Architecture Overview
   - Architecture type (spine-leaf, three-tier, collapsed core, etc.)
   - Design rationale and trade-offs
   - Scalability analysis

2. Topology Design
   - Physical topology diagram description
   - Logical topology diagram description
   - Device placement and roles
   - Link design and redundancy

3. IP Addressing Scheme
   - Subnet allocation plan
   - IP address management strategy
   - VLAN design and numbering
   - Loopback addressing scheme

4. Routing Design
   - Routing protocol selection and justification
   - IGP design (areas, levels, metrics)
   - BGP design (AS numbering, peering strategy)
   - Route summarization strategy
   - Failure scenario analysis

5. High Availability Design
   - Redundancy architecture
   - Failover mechanisms
   - Link aggregation design
   - Gateway redundancy (VRRP, HSRP, anycast)
   - Fast convergence mechanisms (BFD, tuned timers)

6. Security Architecture
   - Network segmentation design
   - Trust zones and boundaries
   - Firewall placement
   - ACL strategy
   - Management network design

7. Device Requirements
   - Switch/router specifications
   - Port count and speed requirements
   - Buffer and table size requirements
   - Feature requirements

8. Implementation Phases
   - Phase 1: Core infrastructure
   - Phase 2: Distribution/access layers
   - Phase 3: Services and optimization
   - Migration strategy (if applicable)

9. Validation and Testing Plan
   - Design validation steps
   - Testing scenarios
   - Acceptance criteria

10. Documentation Deliverables
    - Network diagrams
    - IP address inventory
    - Configuration templates
    - Runbooks

3. Review Design Output

When the agent returns the design, review it for:

• Completeness of all required sections
• Alignment with requirements
• Realistic scalability projections
• Appropriate technology selections
• Clear migration/implementation path
• Comprehensive failure scenario analysis

4. Create Design Documentation

Ensure the design includes comprehensive documentation:

Network Diagrams:

• Physical topology (rack elevations, cable paths)
• Logical topology (L2 and L3)
• IP addressing diagram
• Security zones diagram
• Failure scenario diagrams

Design Specifications:

• Bill of Materials (BOM)
• Cable schedule
• IP address allocation table
• VLAN table
• Routing protocol configuration summary

Implementation Guide:

• Pre-implementation checklist
• Step-by-step implementation procedure
• Configuration snippets
• Testing procedures
• Rollback procedures

5. Validate Design Against Requirements

Conduct a requirements validation check:

Requirements Validation Checklist:

□ Meets capacity requirements (current and future)
□ Meets redundancy/HA requirements
□ Meets performance requirements (latency, throughput)
□ Meets security requirements
□ Scalable to projected growth
□ Within budget constraints
□ Compatible with existing infrastructure
□ Follows industry best practices
□ Has documented failure scenarios
□ Includes clear implementation plan

6. Conduct Design Review Sessions

Organize design review with stakeholders:

Pre-Review Preparation:

• Distribute design documentation 1 week before review
• Prepare presentation slides
• Identify key decision points
• Prepare answers to anticipated questions

Review Agenda:

1. Executive Summary (15 min)

   • Business requirements recap
   • Proposed architecture overview
   • Key benefits and trade-offs

2. Technical Deep Dive (45 min)

   • Topology and architecture
   • IP addressing and routing
   • High availability design
   • Security architecture

3. Implementation Plan (30 min)

   • Phased approach
   • Timeline and milestones
   • Resource requirements
   • Risk mitigation

4. Q&A and Feedback (30 min)

   • Stakeholder questions
   • Feedback collection
   • Action items

7. Iterate Based on Feedback

After design review:

• Document all feedback and concerns
• Update design based on valid concerns
• Re-evaluate technology choices if needed
• Update cost estimates
• Revise implementation timeline
• Schedule follow-up review if major changes

8. Create Final Design Package

Assemble comprehensive design deliverables:

Design Documents:

1. Executive Summary (2-3 pages)

   • Business requirements
   • Proposed solution overview
   • Cost and timeline summary
   • Key benefits

2. Architecture Design Document (20-50 pages)

   • Detailed architecture description
   • Technology selection rationale
   • All network diagrams
   • IP addressing tables
   • Device specifications
   • Security design

3. Implementation Plan (10-20 pages)

   • Phased implementation approach
   • Detailed task list with owners
   • Timeline/Gantt chart
   • Testing plan
   • Risk assessment and mitigation

4. Configuration Templates

   • Base configuration templates
   • Security hardening templates
   • Monitoring configuration

5. Operations Runbook

   • Day 1 operations procedures
   • Troubleshooting guides
   • Escalation procedures
   • Maintenance procedures

Best Practices for Network Design

Architecture Selection

Spine-Leaf (Clos) Architecture:

• Use for: Data centers, high-performance computing
• Benefits: Predictable latency, easy scaling, high bandwidth
• Considerations: Requires L3 everywhere, more complex routing

Three-Tier (Core-Distribution-Access):

• Use for: Campus networks, traditional enterprise
• Benefits: Well understood, hierarchical, scalable
• Considerations: Can have bottlenecks at aggregation layer

Collapsed Core (Two-Tier):

• Use for: Small to medium enterprises, branch offices
• Benefits: Simplified, lower cost, easier management
• Considerations: Less scalable, potential bottlenecks

IP Addressing Best Practices

1. Use RFC1918 Private Address Space Efficiently

   • 10.0.0.0/8 for large enterprises
   • 172.16.0.0/12 for medium enterprises
   • 192.168.0.0/16 for small offices

2. Allocate Contiguous Blocks

   • Allow for route summarization
   • Simplify routing tables
   • Enable easier growth

3. Reserve Ranges

   • Management network: /24 per location
   • Loopbacks: /32 from dedicated range
   • Point-to-point links: /30 or /31
   • Future growth: 30-50% headroom

4. Document Everything

   • IPAM (IP Address Management) system
   • Spreadsheet with allocations
   • DNS and DHCP integration

Routing Protocol Selection

BGP:

• Use for: Data center fabrics, internet edge, multi-tenant
• Pros: Scalable, flexible policy control, industry standard
• Cons: More complex, requires careful design

OSPF:

• Use for: Campus networks, enterprise core
• Pros: Fast convergence, well understood, feature-rich
• Cons: Flat area design doesn't scale, CPU intensive

IS-IS:

• Use for: Service provider networks, very large enterprises
• Pros: Scales well, stable, low overhead
• Cons: Less common, fewer engineers familiar with it

Static Routes:

• Use for: Small networks, specific use cases, backup paths
• Pros: Simple, predictable, no protocol overhead
• Cons: Not scalable, manual updates, no automatic failover

High Availability Design Principles

1. Eliminate Single Points of Failure

   • Redundant power supplies
   • Dual network paths
   • Multiple uplinks
   • Redundant services (DNS, DHCP, etc.)

2. Use Redundancy Protocols

   • VRRP/HSRP for gateway redundancy
   • LACP for link aggregation
   • BFD for fast failure detection
   • Route redundancy with equal-cost multipath

3. Design for Fast Convergence

   • Tune protocol timers appropriately
   • Use BFD (sub-second detection)
   • Pre-provision backup paths
   • Minimize spanning-tree domains

4. Consider Failure Scenarios

   • Single link failure
   • Single device failure
   • Power failure
   • Site failure (for multi-site)
   • Human error

Security Design Principles

1. Defense in Depth

   • Multiple layers of security controls
   • Network segmentation
   • Least privilege access
   • Monitoring and logging

2. Network Segmentation

   • Separate trust zones (internet, DMZ, internal, management)
   • VLANs for logical separation
   • Firewalls between zones
   • Micro-segmentation for critical assets

3. Access Control

   • Management network isolation
   • SSH key authentication
   • TACACS+ or RADIUS
   • Role-based access control

4. Monitoring and Logging

   • Centralized syslog
   • SNMP monitoring
   • NetFlow/sFlow for traffic analysis
   • Security event correlation

Common Design Patterns

Data Center Leaf-Spine

Architecture:

• Spine layer: High-capacity switches (100G/400G)
• Leaf layer: ToR switches connecting servers
• Every leaf connects to every spine
• L3 routing to the leaf switches

Routing:

• BGP for underlay (eBGP with unique ASN per leaf)
• EVPN for overlay
• BFD for fast convergence

Benefits:

• Linear scaling
• Predictable latency
• High bandwidth
• Easy to automate

Campus Three-Tier

Architecture:

• Core: High-speed backbone (collapsed to 2+ switches)
• Distribution: Aggregates access switches, L3 boundary
• Access: User/device connectivity, L2 usually

Routing:

• OSPF for campus routing
• Default gateway at distribution
• Static routes to core (optional)

Benefits:

• Well understood design
• Clear hierarchy
• Scalable for medium to large campuses

Branch Office Hub-and-Spoke

Architecture:

• Central hub (data center or headquarters)
• Branch sites connect to hub
• Optional branch-to-branch (full mesh) for critical sites

Connectivity:

• MPLS WAN or SD-WAN
• Internet VPN backup
• Dual-homed branches for critical sites

Routing:

• BGP for WAN (with MPLS provider)
• OSPF or EIGRP internally
• Default route to hub

Design Validation Checklist

Before finalizing design:

Capacity Planning:

• Port density meets current needs + 30% growth
• Link bandwidth supports peak traffic + 50% headroom
• Routing table size within device limits
• MAC table size sufficient for L2 domains

Redundancy:

• No single points of failure in critical paths
• All uplinks are redundant
• Power is redundant
• Management access is redundant

Performance:

• Latency meets requirements
• Bandwidth meets requirements
• QoS design supports critical applications
• Convergence time is acceptable

Security:

• Network segmentation implemented
• Firewalls properly placed
• ACLs defined for critical segments
• Management network isolated
• Monitoring and logging configured

Scalability:

• Design supports 3-5 year growth
• IP addressing allows for expansion
• Routing design scales appropriately
• Physical space for additional devices

Operational:

• Monitoring and management tools identified
• Automation approach defined
• Documentation complete
• Training plan for operations team
• Runbooks created

Notes

• Network design is iterative - expect multiple revision cycles
• Involve all stakeholders early (network, security, operations, business)
• Consider operational complexity vs. technical perfection
• Document design decisions and trade-offs
• Plan for day 2 operations from the start
• Always have a rollback plan
• Test designs in lab before production deployment

Example Task Invocation

design-network I need to design a data center network for 500 servers across 10 racks, requiring 25G server connectivity and 100G spine uplinks, with full redundancy and BGP routing for a multi-tenant cloud environment