Introduction. I. AN INTRODUCTION TO SERVER FARMS.
1. Overview of Data Centers. Data Centers Defined. Application Architecture Models. Data Center Architecture. Data Center Services. Summary.
2. Server Architecture Overview. Network Attachment. Client and Server Packet Processing. TCP and Server Applications. UDP and Server Applications. Server Availability. Configuring a Web Server. Network Architecture Design Options. Summary. For Further Reading.
3. Application Architectures Overview. Taxonomy of Applications and Hosted Servers. Integration of Applications. Multitier Applications. Network Architecture Considerations. Multitier Design Case Study. Summary. For Further Reading.
4. Data Center Design Overview. Types of Server Farms and Data Centers. Data Center Topologies. Fully Redundant Layer 2 and Layer 3 Designs. Fully Redundant Layer 2 and Layer 3 Designs with Services. Summary.
5. Data Center Security Overview. The Need for a Secure Data Center. Vulnerabilities and Common Attacks. Network Security Infrastructure. Security Fundamentals. Data Center Security Framework. Summary.
6. Server Load-Balancing Overview. Load Balancing Defined. Key Concepts of Load Balancing. High Availability Considerations. Generic Load Balancer Architecture. Summary.
II. SERVER FARM PROTOCOLS.
7. IP, TCP, and UDP. Layers and Protocols. IP. TCP. TCP Flow Control. UDP. Summary. References.
8. HTTP and Related Concepts. Resources and Messages. MIME. HTTP Overview. HTTP General Header. Request Header. Response Header. Entity Header. Summary.
9. SSL and TLS. SSL Overview. SSL Operations. Performance Implications of SSL. Authentication and Digital Certificates. SSL Ciphersuites. Analyzing SSL Traces. Summary. For Further Reading.
10. DNS Essentials and Site-Selection Considerations. DNS Architecture. DNS Components. DNS Resolution Process. Redundant Name Servers. Transport Protocols. DNS Caching. Distribution of Multiple Records. DNS Server Placement. Site-Selection Considerations. Summary. For Further Reading.
11. Streaming Protocols Overview. Download-and-Play, HTTP Streaming, and Real-Time Streaming. UDP Versus TCP. Analog and Digital Video. Codecs. Packetization. Transport Formats. Control Protocols. Unicast, Multicast, and Stream Splitting. Streaming Products. Summary.
III. INFRASTRUCTURE PROTOCOLS.
12. Layer 2 Protocol Essentials. IEEE. Ethernet. Ethernet Switching. Layer 2 Protocols. VLANs and Trunks. EtherChannels. STP. Summary. For Further Reading.
13. Layer 3 Protocol Essentials. ARP Protocol and Tables. HSRP, VRRP, and GLBP. OSPF. EIGRP. NAT. Summary. For Further Reading.
14. IBM Data Center Technology. Mainframes. IBM Data Center Components. Mainframe Attachment Options. IBM Networking. SNA over TCP/IP. Sysplex and Parallel Sysplex. IBM Data Centers Today. Summary.
IV. SECURITY AND SERVER LOAD BALANCING.
15. Security Protocols and Technologies. Cryptography. U.S. Government and Cryptography. NIST and FIPS. Export-Grade Ciphers. PKI. Authentication Protocols and Technologies. Network Management Security. Summary.
16. Load-Balancing Modes and Predictors. Modes of Operation. Load-Balancing Algorithms. Summary.
17. Server Health Management. Load-Balancing Terminology. Server Management. Server Management Interface. Server Failure Detection. Probe Types. Out-of-Band Probes. Case Study: Server Health for Virtual Hosting. Case Study: HTTP and HTTPS. Summary.
18. Session Tracking and Cookies. What a Session Is and Why It Matters. Cookies. How Servers Track User Sessions. Session Persistence for Server Clusters. Summary. For Further Reading.
19. Persistence Mechanisms on Load Balancers. The Concept of Session Persistence. Persistence Considerations for Clients Using Proxy Servers. Persistence Using Session Sharing Servers. Session Persistence Mechanisms. Source IP Sticky. Cookie Sticky. URL Sticky. HTTP Redirection Sticky. SSL Sticky. Case Study. E-Commerce Applications. Summary.
V. DATA CENTER DESIGN.
20. Designing the Data Center Infrastructure. Topology Overview. Switching Paths. Using VLANs to Virtualize the Physical Data Center Infrastructure. Link Redundancy and Load Distribution. Spanning-Tree Considerations. Internal Redundancy Considerations. Layer 2 Data Center Design. Layer 3 Data Center Design. Summary.
21. Integrating Security into the Infrastructure. Defining Security Zones. Internet Edge. Deploying Antispoofing Filtering. Using uRPF. Using ACLs. Implementing Traffic Rate Limiting. Securing Routing Protocols. Route Filters. Neighbor Router Authentication. Deploying Stateful Firewalls. Implementing Intrusion Detection. Internet Edge Design. Campus Core. Intranet Server Farms. Server-Farm Design Alternatives. Management Network. Summary.
22. Performance Metrics of Data Center Devices. Traffic Patterns Overview. Performance Metrics Overview. Load Balancer and SSL Offloader Metrics. SSL Offloaders Performance Metrics. Testing Performance Metrics. Summary.
VI. APPENDIXES.
Appendix A: Character Sets. Appendix B: HTTP Header Fields. Appendix C: Video Encoding Mechanisms. Appendix D: Loopback Interface Configuration Procedures. Appendix E: Configuring Servers to Insert Cookies. Appendix F: Client-Side and Server-Side Programming.