The selection of networking services is an essential decision when it comes to creating a networking services infrastructure.
Equally important is the integration of those services. Your final design must produce a network that is manageable and clearly identifies the criteria for ensuring that the network's security, availability, and performance are maintained.
For example, you want to be sure that the networking services you decide to implement will work with your network application environment.
You may want to implement Proxy Server 2.0, but your applications are not
WinSock[1] compliant and cannot use the
SOCKS[2] or
Web Proxy service. In this case, you will need to reconsider your application or network services environment to assure seamless integration of your network solutions.
When you create your networking services design, remember that your design is the platform for the connectivity and protocol requirements of the organization.
You include multiple networking services into your design in order to do the following:
- Establish a network foundation
- Provide access to public networks
- Include connectivity for remote users and locations
- Support network-based applications and authentication methods
In the next lesson, I will discuss how organizational goals map to specific aspects of a design.