Network Infrastructure and Desktops

This section presents intranet as an insider anticipates it. It is focused on the major technical topics related to the intranet. The idea is to discuss the main intranet components and issues, without going too deeply in to details. The title Inside the intranet should emphasize the fact that the intranet itself, as a self−sufficient network, is a point of interest. This section addresses both intranet aspects: hardware and software, as some other intranet−specific issues.

25.3.1 Network Infrastructure and Desktops

An intranet presents a size−restricted network, usually contained within several rooms, a floor, several floors or a building. Intranet users belong to the same company, organization, department, division, or some other organizational entity, but always within the same administrative control. An intranet connects users workstations, better known as desktops desktop computers with intranet servers, providing a workable environment to run the business more efficiently. A restricted area covered by an intranet makes a ground for an economical implementation of the high−tech technologies in a number of various ways. An intranet could be even realized as a single local area network LAN. However, it is always better, performance−wise, to organize an intranet as a hierarchical network instead of a flat one. Subnetting is always beneficial regarding the network throughput and speed. An intranet realized as a wide area network WAN also has other advantages. For LAN and WAN see Chapter 14. A direct consequence is that the Intranet implements the same technologies used on the Internet. All hardware and software pieces of an intranet are déjà vu from the Internet. The basic intranet infrastructure includes the same kind of twisted−pair, fiber optic, and even wireless transmission links, bridges, hubs, switches, routers, and gateways, already seen and known from the Internet. The most common LAN technologies are Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, ARCnet, as well as Token Ring. Sometimes ISDN and dial−in connections are also in use. A clientserver model is the main characteristic of the intranet. The clients are desktop computers that are connected by high−speed links into the intranet network. The server is a powerful, high−speed computer with a larger disk capacity. It provides a specific service to the desktop clients. Both servers and desktops contain the network support software that is required to run the network and carry out the certain service. An example of the network service is the Web service; a firewall is another example. Web software allows the server to support HTTP so it can exchange information with the clients. Firewall software will provide the security needed to protect internal information from the outside world. Browser software allows the use of hyperlinks to go from one place to another in a document, or to go to a completely different document. These three pieces of software are basic for an intranet today, but other network software already in use on the Internet can be added to provide other useful functions. Intranet is not only a hardware−software tale. A successful intranet primarily depends on the staff that is running this intranet. As always, the human factor is again crucial for a success. An intranet often involves new staffing, and consultants may be needed to get the project started. After the intranet is in place, a Web developer and an information designer will be needed. People will also be needed to train employees in using the intranet. 646 The needed glue to make an intranet operational, despite all existing differences, is the implemented network software. TCPIP is the dominant network protocol implemented in the intranet, although some other network protocols are also used, like Novel Netware IPX or Microsoft NetBIOS. This is slightly different from the Internet where TCPIP is the almost exclusive protocol in use. At the end, what can we conclude? In general, the intranet infrastructure matches the Internet in both areas: hardware and software. The same hardware and software or at least very similar ones means that all Internet−based skills could be fully implemented on the intranet. This statement is also valid for UNIX administration skills.

25.3.2 Internal Services