Which data center architecture allows for high scalability of Layer 2 domains?

The ability of a data center architecture to support high scalability of Layer 2 domains is well represented by the Spine and Leaf architecture. This design consists of two layers: the spine layer, which consists of high-speed switches that serve as the backbone of the network, and the leaf layer, which connects to the spine switches and hosts the servers and other network devices.

One of the key advantages of the Spine and Leaf architecture is its support for a full mesh topology between the spine and leaf switches. This configuration ensures that each leaf switch is interconnected with every spine switch, allowing for increased bandwidth and minimizing latency. As a result, the architecture can easily scale out by adding more leaf switches when additional server capacity is needed, which effectively expands the Layer 2 domain without introducing bottlenecks or limiting performance.

This scalability is critical in modern data centers, where demands for large amounts of traffic and low latency can require rapid growth of resources. The flexibility of adding switches to accommodate new workloads means that the network can scale horizontally while maintaining the properties required for efficient Layer 2 communication, such as broadcast and multicast functionality.

In contrast, other architectures like Core and Edge or Access and Distribution do not inherently provide the same level of scalability and efficiency for Layer 2 domains