Lesson 4

Locating Network Resources

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Figure 1-7

Three horizontal networks connected by a backbone network

Locating Servers

Servers are among the most important components of a business network, and the

locations you select for them depend on who will be responsible for their daily oper-

ation and maintenance. In any case, servers should be more physically secure than

workstations, and they should have protection against power spikes and interruptions.

Some networks have departmental servers, and administrators prefer to physically

place them in the individual departments, leaving each group of workers responsible

for its own server. This policy generally affords less physical security for the server and

creates a greater risk of unauthorized access to the computer itself. Whenever possible,

you should locate departmental servers in locked closets, with appropriate power pro-

tection and environmental controls. In some cases, the utility closet on each floor of a

building, containing the hubs and patch panels, also functions as a server closet.

Other organizations prefer to place all their servers in a single data center, where pro-

fessional administrators can maintain them. This is often a preferable solution because

the data center is usually easier to secure physically and typically has sufficient power

and environmental controls already.