Components in a Drifting Architecture

When we talk about drifting architecture, we mean all the pieces that together make up the IT infrastructure of an outfit. It’s about networks, servers, storage, services, and security, and how it all hangs together.

You’re gonna put together a little component rundown and explain how at least three components work alongside each other. Start with a known network, whether it’s home or school. You don’t need admin access to observe and explain the parts.

What in tarnation is an Operational Architecture?

An operational architecture is a lay o’ the land showin’ all the IT components in a setup and how they’re connected. Think of it as a map o’ the whole IT system. It includes everything from physical hardware to software and security measures.

For a small outfit, this might be as simple as a router, a server, and a few PCs. For a bigger operation, it could include hundreds o’ servers, multiple networks, cloud services, and a whole heap more.

Network Components

The network is the cornerstone of a production architecture. Without the network, no devices can communicate.

Video: How hubs, switches and routers split up traffic

The video explains the difference between a hub, switch and router, and what role they play in a network.

A typical sequence looks like this:

Internet → Router/gateways → Firewall → switch → devices (computers, servers, APs)

The internal network ties everything up via switches while routers/firewalls control what goes on into it from outside sources too.”

Task 1 - Map Your Home Network

What kind of network gear y’all got at home? Most folks have at least a router from their internet provider. Try to figure out:

If you don’t have access to your home network, use the example architecture down in “Putting It Together.” Distinguish between what ya observe and what ya assume.

• Gotcha a router, a switch, or both combined?
• Ya runnin’ yer own access point, or is the WiFi built right into that router?
• What’s the IP address on yer router? (Tip: ipconfig in the command line on Windows)

Servers an’ Clients

In a runnin’ architecture, we tell apart servers from clients:

Video: What Makes a Machine into a Server

The video explains what characterizes a server and how servers differ from ordinary client machines.

A server doesn’t have to be a big, expensive rig. An old laptop runnin’ Linux and sharin’ files across the network is technically a server. It’s all about the role, not the size.

Storin’

Data gotta be stored somewhere, ya see. In a proper setup, there’s a few options:

Services and Software

The servers in an operational architecture run all sorts of services. Here’s a few common ones:

Watchin’ and Securin’

To keep a runnin’ architecture healthy, we gotta know what’s goin’ on:

Task 2 - You Followin’ 3-2-1?

Give some thought to yer own school files:

• How many copies ya got of yer projects?
• You just usin’ OneDrive, or ya keep some stuff local too?
• What happens if ya lose access to yer Microsoft account?

Lots o’ folks find out they only got one copy. That’ll do ‘til it don’t.

Virtualizin’

Instead o’ havin’ a physical machine fer each service, we can use virtualizin’ to run multiple services on the same hardware:

Virtualizin’ is one o’ the most important concepts in modern IT operations. It saves space, power, and makes it easier to manage the services.

Puttin’ It Together

Video: Ways to Hook Up a Network

This video shows common network topologies an’ how devices can get hooked together different ways.

Here’s an example of what a simple operational architecture might look like fer a small school:

flowchart TD
    I["Internet"] -->|network| RB["Router / Firewall"]
    RB -->|network| SW["Switch"]
    SW -->|network| S["Physical server with Proxmox"]
    SW -->|network| AP["WiFi Access Point"]
    SW -->|network| P["Printer"]
    SW -->|network| E["Student PCs"]
    S -->|runs| V1["VM: Web Server, Nginx"]
    S -->|runs| V2["VM: File Server, SAMBA"]
    S -->|runs| V3["Linux VM with Docker"]
    V3 -->|runs| C["Containers: Grafana and Loki"]

Here’s a rundown on these parts. “Network” means how them units connect up, while “runs” shows where that software or virtual machine is workin’. Them Docker containers in this example are runnin’ inside that Linux virtual machine. Use dem arrow texts when ya gotta explain how it all fits together.

Task 3 - Draw the School’s Architecture

Give it a go and sketch out a simple overview of your school’s IT infrastructure (or at home if you prefer). Feel free to use pen an’ paper, or some tool like draw.io.

• What network gear do ya got?
• How many networks do y’all reckon the school runs on? (Tip: students an’ staff are likely sittin’ on different networks.)
• Which services does yer crew rely on every day? (WiFi, file storage, printin’, email…)

No need t’ know everything down to the last nail. The whole point is startin’ t’ think in systems.

Ya can draw that overview or whip up a numbered component list with named connections. Explain verbally or in writin’ how at least three components come into play when a student opens a website. If all ya done was list names, add what each part does an’ which other parts it depends on. Compare it against the example architecture an’ pick one relationship ye’d like t’ dig deeper into.

Summary

Wanna put the knowledge to work on a standalone job? The Network and Server Offerin’ has you pick out parts and tell ‘em why they fit for a customer. Monitoring and Logging got the basics and guides that back up the assignment with Grafana. Each task got its own requirements; open up the specific one before you get started.

A run-of-the-mill architecture is about understandin’ the whole picture:

• Network ties it all together
• Servers deliver the goods
• Storage looks after the data
• Security keeps threats at bay
• Monitoring gives ya an eye on things
• Virtualization saves resources

Once you can describe these components and explain how they hang together, you’ve got a solid grip on the operational architecture.