Enterprise Hardware

The various categories of hardware components typically found in a small enterprise environment can be grouped into six main categories, namely: 

1. Client Devices 
2. Servers 
3. Network Equipment 
4. Storage Systems 
5. Data Centre Equipment 
6. Specialised Hardware 

Let's briefly explore each category of enterprise hardware and its purpose in an enterprise environment.

Client Devices

Client devices are the endpoints used by employees or customers to access enterprise applications and services. They facilitate productivity, collaboration, and communication within the organisation. 

In the diagram below, the devices highlighted with a red box represent the client hardware commonly found within a small enterprise business network. Clients such as workstations and mobile phones are the endpoints employees or customers use to access enterprise applications and services. You can see how client devices connect to an enterprise network in the diagram below:

Client devices can connect to an enterprise network either through wired or wireless connections. Desktop computers, laptops with Ethernet ports, printers, and VoIP phones can connect using Ethernet cables, which plug into the device's Ethernet port and connect to a network switch or router.

Laptops, smartphones, tablets, and Wi-Fi-enabled printers connect to the network via Wi-Fi. These devices authenticate using a Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and a password.

Types of Client Devices

Let's consider the types of devices your clients may have. They may be from a variety of devices selected to meet client needs, ranging from devices capable of basic tasks such as e-mails and browsing the Internet to high-performance devices and specialised devices such as VoIP phones;

• Desktop Computers and Workstations: High-performance devices for demanding tasks such as graphic design, engineering, and data analysis. 
• Laptops and Mobile Devices: Portable devices (like tablets, mobile phones, and pods) that enable employees to work remotely and stay connected. 
• Thin Clients: Lightweight devices relying on a central server for processing power, ideal for environments requiring centralized management. 

Servers

Servers are the backbone of enterprise IT, providing the computational power and resources needed to run applications, manage data, and support business operations.  

They handle complex processes, from managing multiple users’ queries every second, hosting websites, and setting up a shareable drive for network devices, to processing-intensive workloads such as database transaction management that require high computing power. 

Watch - Servers Explained (7:13 minutes)

In this video, the narrator says, “A server is not just a physical computer, a server is actually a role that a computer takes. Because any ordinary desktop computer can be set up as a Server.” 

What does this statement mean to you?

A server is a dedicated or specialised computer that provides services on behalf of clients, such as ordinary desktop computers or workstations.  

The term "services” here could refer to either of two things: 

1. Services could be a range of tasks or functions (processing, storage, security, application, and data distribution and management functions) that the server performs to support and facilitate operations for the client devices.  
2. Services could be resources (the tangible and intangible assets that a server provides to client devices to support their operations) that the server makes available to client devices. Examples of resources include: 

• Processing Power e.g., CPU cycles, RAM 
• Storage e.g., Disk space 
• Network Bandwidth 
• Data e.g., Files, documents, and databases tables or content 
• Software and Applications e.g., Hosted applications 
• User and Access Management e.g., Authentication Services or access control 

So, based on their purpose of design, servers serve two primary functions: 

1. Information Provision: Servers disseminate information to other computers connected to the network. This includes sharing files, databases, and other resources required by client devices. 
2. Resource Provision: Servers allocate resources to networked devices, enabling them to perform specialised tasks such as hosting websites, handling email communications, and executing various network services. 

The image below shows an example of a client-server relationship. The client sends a request for a service, which could be any of the services mentioned in the table above, and then the server responds by making that service available to the client. The client-server relationship is crucial.

Different types of servers serve different purposes. How many of the servers below have you used before?

• File Server: Manages and stores files, allowing clients to access, save, and share documents and data. 
• Database Server: Hosts databases and provides data management services, enabling clients to query and manipulate data. 
• Web Server: Delivers web pages and content to client browsers over the internet or an intranet. 
• Application Server: Runs applications and provides backend services to web applications. 
• Mail Server: Manages the sending, receiving, and storage of email messages. 
• Chat and Messaging Server: Facilitates real-time communication through chat and instant messaging services. 
• Authentication Server: Verifies user credentials and manages login access to various systems and applications. 
• Directory Server: Provides centralized authentication, authorization, and account management services, often using LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol). 
• Print Server: Manages print requests and queues, allowing multiple clients to share printers. 
• DNS Server: Translates domain names into IP addresses, enabling clients to locate resources on the network. 
• DHCP Server: Automatically assigns IP addresses to client devices on the network. 
• Virtual Machine (VM) Server: Hosts multiple virtual machines, allowing clients to run different operating systems and applications on a single physical server. 
• Backup Server: Manages data backup processes and stores backup copies to protect against data loss. 
• Firewall Server: Monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on security rules. 
• Proxy Server: Acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers, providing security and performance benefits. 

Server Form Factors 

Server form factor in this context refers to the size, shape, and overall packaging of hardware device/server. Servers typically come in one of three different form factors Tower, Blade, and Rack servers.  

Tower Servers

In terms of appearance, tower servers are similar to conventional desktop tower PCs. The outdoor units are vertical and consist of all essential components, such as processors, hard drives, motherboards, network units, etc., so that they can perform the required functions. 

1. power supply
2. chassis fan outflow
3. motherboard I/O panel
4. expansion card slot (in use)
5. expansion card slot (not in use)
6. optical drive
7. unused optical drive
8. front I/O panel (audio and USB)
9. temperature display
10. power button
11. fan vents for airflow

Most servers are housed in a traditional tower case, similar to the tower cases used for desktop computers.  A typical server tower case is 18-inches high, 20-inches deep, and 9-inches wide and has room inside for a motherboard, five or more hard drives, and other components.  Tower cases also come with built-in power supplies. 

However, tower servers are very large and require considerably more storage space compared to rack or blade servers. Therefore, any company that wants to install tower servers must take the necessary measures for the required storage space.  

Rack Mount Servers

If you need only a few servers, tower cases are fine. You can just place the servers next to each other on a table or in a cabinet that’s specially designed to hold servers. If you need more than a few servers, though, space can quickly become an issue. 

For example, what if your departmental network requires a bank of ten file servers? You’d need a pretty long table. 

Rack-mount servers are designed to save space when you need more than a few servers in a confined area.

A rack-mount server is housed in a small chassis that’s designed to fit into a standard 19-inch equipment rack. The rack allows you to vertically stack servers in order to save space.

Server Support - Micropls Computer Services

The advantages of a rack server include better space conservation for rack servers, increased scalability, maximized airflow when coupled with a cooling system, and ease of regular computer maintenance and diagnostics, given that their design allows technicians and operators to easily slide rack servers in and out of them.

Blade Servers

Blade servers are designed to save even more space than rack-mount servers.  

A blade server is a server on a single card that can be mounted alongside other blade servers in a blade chassis, which itself fits into a standard 19-inch equipment rack. A typical blade chassis holds six or more servers, depending on the manufacturer. 

Blade servers are commonly deployed in large data centers due to their space-saving capabilities and high processing power. 

Blade cabinets play a crucial role in blade server setups, handling essential functions like cooling, networking, and power distribution. These cabinets house multiple blade servers, collectively forming a blade system within a single housing. In the image below you can see an IT engineer mounting the blade in its cabinet.

_{The Difference between a Blade Server and Rack Server (rack-solutions.com.au)}

So why would you choose blade servers over other types of servers? 

• Power efficiency: One of the key benefits of blade servers is that you do not need a separate power supply for each server. Instead, the blade enclosure provides power for all its blade servers. Some blade server systems provide rack-mounted power supplies that can serve several blade enclosures mounted in a single rack. 
• Hot Swappability: Blade servers can be configured to be hot-swappable, allowing for seamless replacement of malfunctioning blades without disrupting overall system operation. This feature enhances system reliability and facilitates redundancy, ensuring continuous operation even in the event of hardware failures. 
• Less Need for Cables: One of the biggest benefits of blade servers is that they drastically cut down the amount of cable clutter. Rather than having to run individual cables for each server, blade servers can have one cable (often fibre) run to the chassis, thus reducing the total cable requirements. 
• High Processing Power in Minimal Space: Blade servers are renowned for their ability to deliver exceptionally high processing power while occupying minimal physical space. By densely packing multiple server modules into a single chassis, blade servers offer unparalleled computing density, making them ideal for environments where space is limited or costly. 

Summary 

Servers form the essential backbone of IT infrastructure, supporting crucial functions like the Internet, email services, enterprise-level applications, databases, and local networks. As a system administrator and IT professional, mastering the configuration, deployment, and maintenance of various servers is imperative. It's crucial to ensure high availability and scalability to meet the evolving needs of organizations in today's dynamic technological landscape. 

Servers of different types exist today. Several servers can perform multiple jobs, such as hosting websites, sending and receiving emails, safeguarding internal networks, etc. On the other hand, dedicated servers such as database servers or print servers focus on one objective. 

Watch - What is a Server (Deepdive) (17:50 minutes)

If you would like to take a deeper dive into understanding server's function and form, watch the video below.

Network equipment ensures seamless communication and data transfer within and outside the enterprise. It connects various devices, enabling efficient data exchange, collaboration, and access to resources. 

We now have a clear idea of some of the core hardware equipment found in a typical enterprise network. The core components include: 

• Routers: Direct data traffic between different networks, ensuring efficient and secure data transmission. 
• Switches: Connect devices within the same network, facilitating data exchange and communication between servers, storage, and client devices. 
• Firewalls: Protect the network by monitoring and controlling incoming and outgoing traffic based on security rules 
• Wireless Access Points: Extend the network's reach, providing wireless connectivity for mobile devices. 
• Load Balancer: Distribute network or application traffic across multiple servers to prevent overloads and ensure high availability. 
• VPN appliances: Provide secure remote access to the network, enabling employees to connect safely from various locations.

Storage Equipment 

Storage systems manage and store the vast amounts of data generated and used by enterprises. They ensure data is available, reliable, and secure, supporting business continuity and compliance requirements. 

Enterprise storage is usually a centralised repository for business information that provides common data management, protection, and sharing functions through connections to computer systems. 

Common Types of Enterprise Storage 

Storage Area Network (SAN): This is a dedicated high-performance network of dedicated storage devices providing block-level storage to servers, ideal for large-scale data environments and virtualization. 

SAN interconnects pools of disk or  solid-state storage and shares it with multiple servers so each one can access data as if it were directly attached.

Network-Attached Storage (NAS): This is a dedicated storage device connected to the network, allowing multiple client devices and users to share and access files from a central pool of disk storage. 

The data stored on the NAS can be accessed easily by users on the same network, allowing for faster collaboration and improved communication among teams. 

With the right setup, multiple users can access and edit shared files simultaneously. This makes it easier for organizations to manage their documents, photos, music, videos, and other forms of digital media.

Watch - NAS vs SAN- Network attached storage vs Storage area network (4:27 minutes)

Watch the following video to get a visual understanding of how NAS and SAN work.

Direct-attached storage (DAS) is a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state Drive (SDD) directly connected to a single computer (server or workstation) that cannot be accessed by other computers or servers – mostly suitable for local storage needs. 

Unlike NAS and SAN, DAS is not networked through Ethernet or FC switches. 

Because DAS data isn't networked, it offers better performance for its attached server. However, that also means DAS data can't be pooled and shared among servers. 

Activity

There are newer storage technologies that are rapidly developing and becoming commonplace as storage options. Research the following enterprise storage technologies:

• Flash Arrays Storage 
• Non-Volatile Memory Express 
• Storage Class Memory 
• Hyper-Converged Infrastructure  
• Object Storage 
• Tiered Storage Solution 
• Cloud-based Storage Services  

How to Decide on the Best Solution for Your Storage Challenge 

Enterprise storage technology and options are challenging to understand. There are so many options. You need to consider:

• What is the best solution for your storage challenge? 

The following are some of the approaches that can help make an informed decision and start solving your storage challenges:

1. Assess Your Storage Needs: 

• Understanding the Mechanics: Take the time to understand the various data storage formats, disk types, and associated technology, as well as the cloud-based and on-premises options. This will help you select the right tool for your needs. 
• Capacity: Determine the amount of data you need to store currently and estimate future growth. 
• Performance: Identify performance requirements, such as read/write speeds, latency, and IOPS (input/output operations per second). 
• Data Type: Consider the types of data (structured, unstructured, transactional, archival, etc.). 
• Access Patterns: Analyze how frequently data is accessed, updated, or archived. 

2. Evaluate Data Protection and Security Needs: 

• Backup and Recovery: Ensure the solution offers robust backup and disaster recovery capabilities. 
• Security: Look for encryption, access controls, and compliance with regulatory requirements. 

3. Plan for growth: Your enterprise storage considerations should include your data needs now and in the future. 

• Scalability: Choose a solution that can scale up or out easily as your data grows. 
• Flexibility: Consider hybrid solutions that offer both on-premises and cloud capabilities. 

4. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): 

• Initial Costs: Evaluate the upfront costs of hardware, software, and implementation. 
• Operational Costs: Consider ongoing costs such as maintenance, power, cooling, and staffing. 

5. Vendor Support and Ecosystem: 

• Support: Assess the level of support and service provided by the vendor. 
• Ecosystem Integration: Ensure compatibility with your existing infrastructure and applications. 

6. Technology Trends and Futureproofing: 

• Innovation: Stay informed about emerging technologies and trends. 
• Future-Proofing: Choose solutions that can adapt to future advancements and changing business needs. 

 How to Start Solving Your Enterprise Storage Challenge 

1. Conduct a Needs Assessment: 

• Audit Existing Infrastructure: Evaluate your current storage infrastructure, identify bottlenecks, and assess what is working and what is not. 
• Define Requirements: Clearly outline your storage requirements based on capacity, performance, security, and scalability needs. 

2. Engage Stakeholders: 

• Collaborate with Departments: Involve various departments (IT, finance, compliance) to understand their specific storage needs and constraints. 
• Set Priorities: Align storage solutions with business objectives and prioritize critical needs. 

3. Research and Shortlist Solutions: 

• Market Research: Investigate available storage technologies and solutions. Consider consulting industry reports and reviews. 
• Vendor Discussions: Engage with vendors to understand their offerings, conduct demos, and gather detailed information. 

4. Pilot and Evaluate: 

• Pilot Projects: Implement pilot projects or proof of concepts (POCs) to test shortlisted solutions in a real-world environment. 
• Evaluate Performance: Assess how well each solution meets your requirements based on performance, reliability, and ease of use. 

5. Develop a Strategy and Implementation Plan: 

• Strategic Plan: Create a comprehensive storage strategy that aligns with your overall IT strategy and business goals. 
• Implementation Plan: Develop a detailed implementation plan, including timelines, resource allocation, and risk management. 

6. Monitor and Optimise: 

• Monitoring: Implement monitoring tools to continuously track storage performance and usage. 
• Optimisation: Regularly review and optimize your storage infrastructure to ensure it continues to meet your evolving needs. 

Data Centre Equipment 

Data center equipment supports the physical infrastructure needed to house and maintain servers, storage, and network devices. It ensures optimal environmental conditions and reliable power for IT operations. 

Cooling Systems

• Air Conditioning Units: Maintain optimal temperature and humidity to prevent overheating and ensure hardware longevity. 
• Liquid Cooling: Advanced cooling method using liquids to dissipate heat, often used in high-performance environments. 

Power Management

• Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS): Provide backup power during outages, ensuring continuous operation and preventing data loss. 
• Power Distribution Units (PDU): Distribute electrical power to data center equipment, often with monitoring capabilities to manage power consumption. 

Racks and Enclosures

• Server Racks: Standardized frames to hold servers, storage devices, and networking equipment, optimizing space and organization. 
• Cable Management: Systems to organize and secure cables, ensuring efficient airflow and reducing the risk of damage. 

Specialised Hardware 

Specialised hardware caters to specific needs and applications within the enterprise, often providing unique capabilities that standard hardware cannot. 

Types of Specialised Hardware

• Mainframes: Large-scale computers for critical applications requiring high volumes of transaction processing, such as banking and healthcare systems. 
• High-Performance Computing (HPC) Clusters: Groups of powerful computers working together to perform complex computations, used in scientific research and simulations. 
• IoT Devices: Internet of Things devices collect and transmit data from various sensors and endpoints, enabling real-time monitoring and automation in industrial and commercial applications. 

For anyone involved in designing, managing, or utilizing various hardware components within an enterprise environment, it is essential to understand certain key concepts and terminologies. 

Connectivity is the key

It is very important to understand the value of seamless connectivity in driving enterprise business processes.  

Connectivity in enterprise IT refers to the ability of systems, devices, and applications to communicate and exchange data seamlessly.  

From a hardware perspective, connectivity refers to the infrastructure and mechanisms that enable communication and data exchange between different hardware components within an enterprise. This includes: 

• Network Interfaces: Ensuring that servers, storage systems, and client devices are equipped with network interfaces (Ethernet, Fibre Channel, etc.) to facilitate seamless connectivity. 
• Network Topologies: Designing network architectures (such as star, mesh, or hybrid topologies) that optimize data flow and minimize bottlenecks. 
• Interconnects: Utilizing high-speed interconnects like InfiniBand or NVMe over Fabrics to enhance data transfer rates and reduce latency. 
• Protocols: Standards such as TCP/IP, HTTP, and HTTPS that facilitate communication between devices. 
• Redundancy: Implementing redundant network paths to ensure continuous connectivity even in the event of a hardware failure. 

Best Practices that Drive Seamless Connectivity

• Redundant Pathways: Implementing multiple network pathways to prevent a single point of failure. Implementing redundant network paths to ensure continuous connectivity even in the event of a hardware failure. 
• Bandwidth Management: Ensuring adequate bandwidth to meet the needs of the organization. 
• Security: Using encryption, firewalls, and other security measures to protect data in transit. 

Hardware Optimisation 

Optimisation involves enhancing the performance, efficiency, and utilization of enterprise hardware. Common hardware optimization approaches includes : 

• Performance Tuning: Adjusting system parameters and configurations to maximize the performance of servers, storage systems, and networks. 
• Resource Allocation: Implementing virtualization and workload balancing to ensure optimal use of hardware resources. 
• Energy Efficiency: Using energy-efficient hardware components and power management techniques to reduce operational costs. 
• Software Optimisation: Employing software solutions like caching, compression, and deduplication to improve data processing and storage efficiency. 

How to Optimise Your Enterprise’s Network Performance 

Network optimisation involves best practices that can enhance your network performance. Whether your enterprise has already implemented some of these practices or plans to do so, here are several ways you can optimise an enterprise network performance: 

1. Upgrade your network hardware:  

•  Regularly update network hardware, such as routers, switches, and firewalls, to the latest standards. 
•  Ensure that network software and firmware are up to date to benefit from performance improvements and security patches. 

2. Bandwidth Management:  

• Prioritise critical applications and services to ensure they receive the necessary bandwidth. 

3. Load Balancing: 

• Distribute network traffic across multiple servers or pathways to prevent overload on any single component. 
• Implement redundant paths to ensure continuous availability and reliability. 

4. Implementing Caching and Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): 

• Use caching to store frequently accessed data closer to users, reducing latency. 
• Deploy CDNs to distribute content geographically, improving load times for remote users. 

5. Security Enhancements: 

• Implement robust security measures, such as firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, and regular security audits. 
• Protect the network from malware and cyberattacks that can degrade performance. 

6. Wireless Network Optimisation: 

• Optimise wireless network settings, such as channel selection and power levels, to reduce interference and improve coverage. 
• Regularly survey and assess wireless performance to ensure optimal connectivity. 

7. Efficient Data Management: 

• Implement data compression and deduplication to reduce the amount of data transmitted over the network. 
• Use efficient data transfer protocols to minimise latency and maximise throughput. 

Scalability 

Another advantage of a corporate network is scalability. Whether expanding your home office, building an extended part of your house, or preparing for more connected devices, enterprise networks can provide reliable support for significant adjustments. When you prepare your network for expansion, you can save money and prepare for future developments. 

Scalability refers to the capability of enterprise hardware to grow and adapt to increasing workloads and expanding business needs without compromising performance. This includes: 

• Horizontal Scaling: Adding more hardware units (servers, storage devices) to distribute the load and enhance capacity. 
• Vertical Scaling: Upgrading existing hardware components (CPU, memory, storage) to boost the capabilities of current systems. 
• Modular Design: Utilising hardware systems that support modular expansion, allowing easy addition of resources as needed. 
• Cloud Integration: Leveraging cloud-based resources to scale operations dynamically and handle peak loads efficiently. 

Redundancy and Resiliency 

Redundancy and Resiliency are two key attributes of a durable and fault-tolerant enterprise system. Both terms are often used interchangeably but they are different. 

Resiliency is the ability of enterprise hardware to withstand failures, self-recover from fault, and continue operating without significant disruption. While redundancy is simply duplication of hardware or system. 

 To build resilience into enterprise hardware, the following could be done:  

• Redundant Components: Using redundant hardware (power supplies, network interfaces, storage devices) to prevent single points of failure. 
• Failover Mechanisms: Implementing failover systems that automatically switch to backup hardware in case of a failure. 
• Data Protection: Employing RAID configurations, backup solutions, and disaster recovery plans to safeguard data. 
• Fault Tolerance: Designing systems that can continue operating correctly even when some components fail. 

Reliability refers to the consistency and dependability of enterprise hardware in performing its functions correctly over time. This includes: 

• High-Quality Components: Using robust and durable hardware components designed for enterprise-grade performance. 
• Proactive Maintenance: Conducting regular maintenance, updates, and monitoring to prevent issues and ensure optimal performance. 
• Predictive Analytics: Utilizing predictive maintenance tools to anticipate and address potential hardware failures before they occur. 
• Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Establishing SLAs with hardware vendors to ensure timely support and repairs, minimizing downtime. 

Activity

Consider the two examples below. Which of the two designs would achieve redundancy and resiliency? How so?