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I like to think of infrastructure as everything from wall jack to wall jack. Thinking of infrastructure in this manner enables effective conversations with those who are less familiar with the various components. The term IT infrastructure is defined in ITIL as a combined set of hardware, software, networks, facilities, etc. (including all of the information technology related equipment) used to develop, test, deliver, monitor, control, or support IT services. Associated people, processes, and documentation are not part of IT Infrastructure. SwitchingA network switch is the device that provides connectivity between network devices on a Local Area Network (LAN). A switch contains several ports that physically connect to other network devices, including:
Early networks used bridges, in which each device “saw” the traffic of all other devices on the network. Switches allow two devices on the network to talk to each other without having to forward that traffic to all devices on the network. RoutersRouters move packets between networks. Routing allows devices separated on different LANs to talk to each other by determining the next “hop” that will allow the network packet to eventually get to its destination. If you have ever manually configured your IP address on a workstation, the default gateway value that you keyed in was the IP address of your router. FirewallsFirewalls are security devices at the edge of the network. The firewall can be thought of as the guardian or gatekeeper. A set of rules defines what types of network traffic will be allowed through the firewall and what will be blocked. In the simplest version of a firewall, rules can be created which allow a specific port and/or protocol for traffic from one device (or a group of devices) to a device or group of devices. For example, if you want to host your own web server and limit it to only web traffic, you would typically have two firewall rules that look something like this:
The source is the originating device. In this case, ‘any’ means ‘allow any computer to communicate’. Destination is the specific IP address of your internal web server. Port/Protocol defines what type of traffic is allowed from the source to the destination. Most firewall devices allow for a description for each rule that have no effect on the rule itself. It is used only for notes. Firewall devices can get complicated quickly. There are many different types of firewalls which approach managing traffic in different ways. Detailed firewall capabilities and methods are beyond the scope of this post. ServersA network server is simply another computer, but usually larger in terms of resources than what most people think of. A server allows multiple users to access and share its resources. There are several types of servers, with the following being among the most common:
Physical plantThe physical plant is all of the network cabling in your office buildings and server room/data center. This all too often neglected part of your infrastructure usually is the weakest link and is the cause of most system outages when not managed properly. There are two main types of cabling in the infrastructure:
Each type of cabling has several different subtypes, depending on the speed and distance required to connect devices. PeopleBy the strict ITIL definition, people are not considered part of the network infrastructure. However, without competent, well-qualified people in charge of running and maintaining your infrastructure, you will artificially limit the capabilities of your organization.
Server rooms/data centerThe server room, or data center in large organizations, can be thought of as the central core of your network. It is the location in which you place all of your servers, and it usually acts as the center of most networks. Infrastructure softwareInfrastructure software is perhaps the most “gray” of all infrastructure components. However, I consider server operating systems and directory services (like MS Active Directory) to be part of the infrastructure. Without multi-user operating systems, the hardware can’t perform its infrastructure functions. Related reading
Discover the next evolution in capacity, resource, and cost optimization86% of global IT leaders in a recent IDG survey find it very, or extremely, challenging to optimize their IT resources to meet changing business demands. These postings are my own and do not necessarily represent BMC's position, strategies, or opinion. See an error or have a suggestion? Please let us know by emailing . BMC Brings the A-GameBMC works with 86% of the Forbes Global 50 and customers and partners around the world to create their future. With our history of innovation, industry-leading automation, operations, and service management solutions, combined with unmatched
flexibility, we help organizations free up time and space to become an Autonomous Digital Enterprise that conquers the opportunities ahead. You may also likeAbout the author
Joe RoushJoe Roush has managed information technology in a variety of roles in several different industries. After getting his start managing systems migrations in Banking and Manufacturing, he has spent the past 15 years providing IT services to small government and education. Joe currently serves as a senior IT leader in higher education, specializing in IT strategy and helping organizations understand the value of technology infrastructure in delivering organizational results. What are the 3 primary components of infrastructure?There are essentially 3 pieces to IT infrastructures: infrastructure hardware, software and networking. There is some overlap for these infrastructure components, but his table shows a quick snapshot of typical examples for each. Keep reading to get an in depth look at what makes up your IT infrastructure hardware.
What are the main components of infrastructure?A traditional IT infrastructure is made up of the usual hardware and software components: facilities, data centers, servers, networking hardware desktop computers and enterprise application software solutions.
What are the most important components of IT infrastructure?Six of the most important IT infrastructure components. Network Switch. Network connectivity is the most fundamental part of any IT infrastructure. ... . Servers. ... . Firewalls. ... . Data Center. ... . Routers. ... . Software. ... . Updating your hardware. ... . Expanding your company's storage capabilities.. What are the 4 infrastructure systems?Key elements include database and information management systems, data communications networks and associated services, and applications software; the division into manufacturing-specific and nonmanufacturing-specific categories is particularly fuzzy for infrastructure elements.
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