A network is just like a snowflake. It’s a unique a beautiful thing, right? Except when it’s not unique or beautiful. Snowflakes may all look different, but in the end they are all made of frozen water in a crystalline structure. They look different but behave very similarly.
Networks aren’t complicated if you follow some basic rules. The list that Daniel Dib outlines is pretty simple. Lots of routing, don’t stretch switching domains, and use the easy defaults whenever possible. He rightly points out that the snowflakes start falling when you start playing with the non-default settings and try to optimize things that don’t need to be played with.
Snowflakes cost money. They cost you when you need to hire someone to maintain them. And if you ever want to install new equipment you’re going to pay extra to maintain the integrations between your new gear and your snowflakes. It’s a really good idea to avoid them if at all possible.
Read more of Daniels’s thoughts at: Snowflake Networks
