What’s in a Network?

What in the world is a network? Generally speaking, think of a network as a spiderweb of interconnectivity where data can be sent and received through technology. Every business that interacts with the “world wide web” is actually part of a network. When “techies” discuss networks, they may be referring to a variety of components. It connects applications, users and endpoint devices.

Just to give you an quick overview of the complexities that make up a network, here are some terms you may hear: endpoint, ISP, IP, DMZ, MPLS, VPN, VLAN, router, switch, firewall. Let’s take a nose dive into some of the terms, but first let’s list some network goals and expectations.

Network Goals:

1. Ability to integrate endpoints with a reliable and secure connection
2. Ability to scale and grow
3. Have supervised management of all traffic in the network
4. The ability to connect all offices and remote employees easily, while still maintaining high security
5. Proper speed so work can be completed efficiently
6. Decrease bottlenecks to increase reliability
7. Proactive monitoring to increase security and mitigate downtime

Endpoint:

An end point is any device that connects the user to the network. From the user’s point of view, it can be anything from a computer, mobile device, camera, phone, or even a printer. From the network side, an endpoint can also be a router, switch or firewall that connects to the network by either wireless access or wiring/cabling.

Internet Service Provider (ISP):

For an endpoint or user to connect to the Internet, a service provider must allow access to the subscriber. Most of the service providers are called ISP’s, Internet Service Provider. ISP’s can be either be on the local or national level depending on the size and capabilities they offer. Often Internet Service Providers work directly with partner value added resellers to engineer a solution for the client’s internet connectivity demands for utilization. Value added resellers can also match speed and network design to fulfill the goals of clients.

Internet Protocol (IP) Address and Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN):

An analogy to explain what an IP address does is that it acts as a street address. A street address serves as a point for mail to get routed back and forth. It is a similar system in the technology world, but instead of mail there are packets of information being sent and received. Within IP addresses there are two different ways that they can be assigned. A Network Administrator can assign a static IP address, or can be assigned dynamically from DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). Static IP addresses are assigned to a network device where dynamic IP addresses are assigned from a pool of IP addresses on the network gateway. Additionally, some organizations need multiple VLAN’s to break up their private IP network traffic. A simple explanation is to imagine you have a privatized room with silos to connect and communicate back and forth. A company would create VLAN’s since large networks have different types of traffic, VOIP, web, storage, so as an extra security measure a company can separate out the traffic in VLAN’s. Additionally, with the different sections, one can be worked on without having to affect the others.

Router, Switch, Firewall:

The router and switch and firewalls are the traffic controllers in the network infrastructure connecting users. Those components determine the level of access, information flow, and security. This point is usually where a systems administrator or network administrator focuses primarily on network security. Security threats can come from a variety of directions, such as hackers, to what employees search for, even the strength of passwords. Systems administrators use tools that can monitor and restrict employees traffic and online presence by using software and hardware.

Switch:

A switch is a unit that allows devices to share the same data connection. It re-directs traffic and sends data to the right location. Switches are usually either managed or smart switches. Smart switches are the basic entry level option that have limited options and simple manageability. Managed switches on the other hand have more features and capabilities. Within both sections there are also many options depending on needs of the network.

Router:

A router is needed in a network to direct the flow of traffic between IP addresses. For example, if you needed to direct traffic from VLAN 1 to VLAN 2, the router would tell the device where to find the IP address. In some cases an office may already have a router but may have a need for wireless connectivity so one would install a wireless access point.

Firewall:

Firewalls act as a barrier between the computer and Internet. Firewalls can either be software or hardware. For example, routers can serve as a firewall. These barriers are located at the entry point of a network. A firewall is a security measure by monitoring traffic packets. Traffic packets are entered into a network web and move throughout until they are either allowed or blocked by security devices and user-defined rules. These packets carry instructions such as where information should be directed. If the packets do not meet the needed security measures they are blocked. Firewalls can either be incorporated into a router, stand-alone or be software that can be installed on a computer.

Engineering a scalable and efficient network can take either a solid pre-engineered solution or a team to organize and execute a design based on a company’s requirements. If a company has strict requirements or needs an intricate design one would call a value added reseller. A value added reseller can then utilize their team of Network engineers to design a solution and also work with their ISP partners to advocate for lowest pricing on behalf of the customer.

Originally published at metricloop.com on June 10, 2016.