Part 8: Designing a Scalable Cisco Network Topology: Static and OSPF Routing Between Distribution and Core for Network Reachability

Now that your Layer 3 switches (Dist1 and Dist2) are routing between VLANs and providing redundant default gateways using HSRP, the next goal is to connect your internal network to the core routers (ISP1 and ISP2) for Internet access and external communication.

This part focuses on implementing routing between the Distribution Layer and the Core Layer using a combination of Static Routing and OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) — a dynamic routing protocol commonly used in enterprise networks.

Objectives

• Establish Layer 3 routing between distribution switches and core routers.
• Use static routes where appropriate (for simplicity).
• Configure OSPF to enable dynamic route exchange.
• Ensure full reachability between VLANs and the outside network.