The network architecture is a methodology configured for network engineers to design scalable robust infrastructures to support today’s complicated business applications. When implemented correctly, the design methodology provides a foundation that is easily scalable with both tactical and strategic support for business applications. This architecture includes not only design and implementation guidelines but also measurement and documentation principles. When used properly, this methodology provides a complete systematic approach to design and implementation. Enterprise network design is about ensuring the user experience and meeting business objectives. Enterprises depend on different applications for productivity. With few exceptions, most applications today are network enabled. To perform their daily tasks, workers require access to network tools and applications. Therefore, users expect and also need to have access to networks and resources any time of day and from any location. These factors affect the network design and architecture.

Network Architecture types

There are several ways in which a network infrastructure can be designed. Network architecture refers to how network devices are organized in a system and how tasks are allocated between these devices. Two of the most widely used types of network architecture are peer-to-peer and client/server. Client/server architecture is also called 'tiered' because it uses multiple levels.

Peer-to-Peer

In a peer-to-peer or P2P network, the tasks are allocated among all the members of the network. There is no real hierarchy among the computers, and all of them are considered equal. This is also referred to as a distributed architecture or workgroup without hierarchy. A peer-to-peer network does not use a central computer server that controls network activity. Instead, every computer on the network has a special software running that allows for communications between all the computers.

Peer-to-peer is mostly used for file sharing. Here is how file sharing works: One computer user makes some of the files on the hard disk drive available for sharing. Information on these files is made available to the rest of the users so they can decide if they want to download one or more of these files. Once a second user has downloaded a file, this can also be made available to the rest of the users. So now there are two possible sources from which to download the same file. This is how files can be spread over thousands of users, one download at time.

A peer-to-peer network is robust in the sense that if one or several of the individual computers stop working for some reason, the network continues to function. On the other hand, the quality of the network depends completely on the contribution of individual participants. For example, in the case of file sharing, if very few people make their files available, there is very little for users to download.

Client/Server

In a client/server network, a number of network clients or workstations request resources or services from the network. One or more network servers manage and provide these resources or services. The clients are computers that depend on the server for data and software. Network servers are also referred to as computer servers, or simply servers. Sometimes a server is described in terms of specific service it provides, such as e-mail server, print server or storage server. Client-server architectures are organized into layers referred to as “tiers”.

Two-tier architecture - The system architecture consists of a data server layer and an application client layer. Data access computation is associated with the data server layer, and the user interface is associated with the client application layer.

Three-tier architecture - The system architecture consists of data server layer, an application server layer and a client application layer. The application server layer facilitates the separation of application logic from presentation, and promotes distributed processing. Multi-tier architecture - The system architecture is a superset of a three-tier architecture, and includes additional layers for data and/or application servers.

Key characteristics of Network Architectures

Architecture in the context of networking relates to the technologies involved and also the underlying protocols and programmed services. about these characteristics have to be taken into account.

Fault Tolerance

Communication technologies form part of our daily lives and often we don’t realize how much we rely on it. The Internet is probably the most obvious example. The name Internet comes from the words interconnected and networks, so you shouldn’t be surprised when there is more than one possible route your request for google.com will take between your computer and the server that delivers your page. This fault tolerance has been built into the Internet and provides a means for traffic to take alternate routes if a particular service or connection is unavailable at the time of the request. It is achieved by means of multiple connections between devices, and if one connection were to fail the other would still be available.

Scalability

If is frustrating and costly if you had to re-design network sections or an entire network just because you need to add some devices. A scalable network is designed using a layered, hierarchical model that mean adding additional nodes and groups of nodes doesn’t affect the existing network. Poor scalability can result in poor system and network performance. Structural scalability is the ability of a network infrastructure to expand without major modifications to its architecture.

Quality of Service

Networks must provide secure, predictable, measurable, and sometimes guaranteed services. Achieving the required Quality of Service (QoS) by managing the delay, delay variation (jitter), bandwidth, and packet loss parameters on a network becomes the secret to a successful end-to-end business solution.

Security

Without networks, data security would really just be a matter of securing the storage medium data is stored on in a physical location, in other words securing access to the hardware. With networks, the transfer of data from point A to point B can also be of concern to an organization. Confidentiality can be ensured by preventing unauthorized access to or theft of content using authentication systems that require strong passwords, and by encrypting content where appropriate. Integrity can be maintained by stopping the data from being modified or corrupted before it reaches the destination, and by ensuring the content is coming from a trusted source.

Conclusion

The Kosbit team network infrastructure engineer understands how connecting software, networking, and infrastructure applications is very important. The Kosbit team visualizes the delivery and maintenance of your infrastructure as an evolutionary process. We guarantee network environments that function for the future. Our infrastructure team understands everything about automation and programmability. We can help you scale your enterprise infrastructure. We have more than a decade of experience in designing, deploying, operating, and optimizing enterprise networking technologies and solutions. Our team has achieved a wide range of certifications, such as CCIE and JNCIE, that will improve your system.