Network Design

[D@ve]

Hi Guys,

Just starting out on the road to become an MCSE and I have a few questions about how you'd design a large network.

If I had 250 Workstations and two good spec servers (both the same) and my the users needed:

File Sharing
Print Sharing
Internet Access
E-Mail with OWA
And Terminal Services for remote users

How would you devide the applications. Or would it be better (don't know if this is possible) to cluster the Servers??

Thanks for your help.

[NooNoo]

Hmmm 250 isn't particularly large... but Email/OWA means exchange server... so that would be on its own. Net access would be handled by a router and maybe ISA server or other proxy/firewall probably on the exchange box. That leaves data and terminal services on the other box.

[Matridom]

I would split them based on access so that security can be addressed..

put exchange and internet on one server, setup a VPN with it for remote access. this would be the server that takes the "brunt" of the internet hacks/scans/attacks, you want to keep the public services to a strict minimum. As NooNoo suggested, ISA server would be a good option here.
VPN would be used with ipsec so that you have a very secure connection for employees comming in to use terminal server or remote file access.

second computer would host the "internal" services, so file/print sharing and terminal server etc..

[D@ve]

Thanks for your feedback guys, I just needed some idea of how the pro's would do it!

[NooNoo]

You calling me a pro?


PS, seriously, in college they give you nice little scenarios with not real world problems. When you actually get to do it for real, you find yourself fending off the alligators...the empire builders, the budget cutters, the strategists, the guy who has a friend who knows about this stuff...

There is never an ideal solution, but college tries to get you to think of the problems, not just the solution.