IT Infrastructure of a Company - Coursework Example

IT Infrastructure IT Infrastructure Part Organizations are, in most occasions, faced with the need to make decisions on the way they should fulfill their processing needs. Such decisions manifested themselves in the mainframe, client/server and distributed infrastructure strategies that organizations follow. Here to discuss is description of each, what they do and how they work. Client/Server Infrastructure Client-server infrastructure is an infrastructure type in which a server is used to host, deliver and manage a number of services and resources that the client needs. In particular, the server has the duty to house and provide a number of computing intensive and high-end services to clients upon demand. Typical service examples include storage, application access, printer services, file sharing and direct access to the raw computing power associated with the server. Often, this type of infrastructure will have one or additional client computers establishing connections to a central server via an internet connection. So widespread are the things that a client/server infrastructure can do. Typical examples include the following. First, it allows for use of servers to administer an entire network set-up including setting of access rights plus resource allocation. Consequently, an organization will need a lower number of support staff to administer centralized security accounts compared to other situations where access rights are to be configured on individual computers. Second, it provides an avenue for more efficient backup services ahead of possible data loss. In that case, an organization reduces worries in an event of data loss impairing the business operations. Finally, a client/server infrastructure can improve an organization’s change processes considering that a mere server upgrade can suffice in upgrading all client machines. Even though, it is possible to use the client/server infrastructure in programs resident on an individual computer, the concepts turn more useful in the network arena. In such a situation, the client initiates a connection that targets the server via an internet-based Wide Area or Local Area Networks (WLAN or LAN). After the server has met the client-submitted request, the connection gets terminated. Clients use browsers to seek for resources or services from the server. Distributed Infrastructure A distributed infrastructure (DI) refers to a set of heterogeneous networked computers that coordinate and communicate their actions through passing of messages. The operation of a distributed infrastructure is such that the distribution remains transparent in the user’s perspective thus making the system appear as an individual integrated utility. DI is ideal for business entities intending to take advantage of the capabilities that pertain to multiple computational units that often span across wide geographical areas. Sometimes, use of DI is informed by a desire to gather data from broadly dispersed locations like sensors in traffic lines and web pages that relate to different servers. In other instances, usage is driven by an intention to carry out enormous computational tasks that are not performable using a single CPU. One area in which the distributed infrastructure is widely used is in the web hosting services. These services take advantages of at least five distributed servers for Mail, SQL, Web, Hyper-V, and DNS. The benefits of this step include the following. First, every server is configured to attain optimal performance in the light of the service that it is meant to provide. Second, every service is entirely isolated from the other. And finally, the step allows for scheduled maintenance on an individual server without impairing the operation of the other servers. One important feature of a distributed infrastructure is that no process is executed on one processor but will instead span several processors. This manner of operation needs mechanism that aids inter-process communication through messages. The messages allow for asynchronous, program-to-program and high-speed communication that is coupled with reliable delivery. Passing of messages between any two pair of processes is aided by two message communication functions: send plus receive. Treating messages as data items, DI breaks up messages in order to render them transmittable as streams of bytes using a communication network in a way that permits the reconstruction of the initial structure upon arrival at the destination. Mainframe Infrastructure Mainframe Infrastructure (MI) is a is a type of infrastructure that involves high-performance computer leveraged for large-scale computing functions that need heightened security and availability in comparison with what other small-scale systems can offer. Mainframes were historically intended for centralized instead of distributed computing roles, even though that differentiation daily grows blurred as small computers become more powerful and the mainframes get more multi-purpose (Weller, R., & International Business Machines Corporation, 2010). This type of infrastructure always features a scale and power with the potential to let IT facilities to drive business values upon proper optimization and management. MI offers a foundation for a number of business processes in sectors such as healthcare, insurance and finance and hosts many of the facilities that are considered to be very critical to the operation of these business enterprises. Institutions desiring to process vast data amounts have a higher likelihood of embracing mainframe infrastructure as a fundamental foundation of their IT organization. The infrastructure is capable of supporting wide range operation environment including terminals plus online screens. Organizations using this infrastructure mainly intend to take advantage of the processing capabilities associated with MI. In addition, the infrastructure supports several gigabytes (GB) of main memory plus terabytes for use in disk storage. In mainframes, it is the platform manufacturer to specify the software and hardware configurations for the platform. As a result, every mainframe manufacturer is obliged to make sure that every component associated with this information technology configurations fit with one another in order to result into optimal performance. This gives the implication that every component of the IT infrastructure will feature capabilities to do the following: comply with centrally administered job priorities and process, remain available as system commands that can be automated via scripts, meet the security requirements predefined by a centrally adjustable resource, remain robust in the face of application errors and maintain synchronous communication with other components in case of release changes. Part 2 IBM’s Mainframe Infrastructure Source www.ibm.com/developerworks/data/library/techarticle/dm-0505zikopoulos/ Ponapto’s Client/Server Infrastructure Source: support.panopto.com Google’s Distributed Infrastructure Source: code.google.com References Weller, R., & International Business Machines Corporation. (2007). Introduction to the new mainframe. Poughkeepsie, NY: IBM, International Technical Support Organization. Read More