Interior
Chapter 6
Platform Architecture
Version 2.0
Interior
Chapter 6
Platform Architecture
Version 2.0
6.1 Introduction
and Background
Principle 1: Reliable, Available Technologies
Principle
2: Equipment Replacement
6.3.2 Platform Dependent Operating
Systems:
6.3.9 Thin Client Only Servers
The focus of the Interior Enterprise Architecture is on providing guidance for information technology (IT) issues and initiatives that are Interior-wide or multi-bureau in scope. The Platform architecture addresses the technology components of the IT infrastructure including end-user equipment, server equipment, operating systems, peripherals, wireless devices and interfaces.
If used correctly, the Interior Enterprise Architecture will act as a catalyst for those looking to capitalize on its contents and better understand the full meaning of its guidance. This understanding will permit IT personnel to better engage the non-IT organization in discussions around tradeoffs and priorities within the proper governance structure (e.g., Management Initiatives Team (MIT), Information Technology Management Council)). The Interior Enterprise Architecture is not intended to be the “last word” (e.g., some automated checklist for product selection). It is intended to be one of the “first words” to assure that Interior’s mission priorities and its IT priorities remain closely aligned.
Because Interior is incorporating the OMB’s Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) models, the technical guidance provided by the subject area experts within a domain spans both the Service Component Reference Model (SRM) as well as the Technical Reference Model (TRM). For the Platform domain, the SRM elements are as follows:
Service Domain(s): The Back Office Services Domain defines the set of capabilities that support the management of enterprise planning and transactional-based functions.
Service Type(s): Assets / Materials Management – defines the set of capabilities that support the acquisition, oversight and tracking of an organization's assets.
Component(s): Computers / Automation Management – defines the set of capabilities that support the identification, upgrade, allocation and replacement of physical devices, including servers and desktops, used to facilitate production and process-driven activities.
These SRM service elements are likewise supported by Interior’s IT (technical) infrastructure (e.g., servers, networks). Within this infrastructure are individual TRM components for which this domain team is providing guidance. The graphic below outlines those TRM elements for this domain that support the service needs of the SRM.
Additionally, it’s doubtful that a single domain chapter
from the TRM can be used to address a substantive issue. More realistically, a few architecture
domains may need to be reviewed when addressing an important IT decision. For example, if Interior was considering the
creation of a new
The
principles listed below provide guidance for the design and selection of
technology components that will support the Platform technology needs of Interior-wide IT
initiatives.
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Principle 1: Reliable, Available Technologies
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Provide reliable, readily available current platform technology that supports process interoperability and the protection, availability and communication of data and information throughout the system life cycle. Rationale: · IT platform products are typically commodity items. · More reliable data. · Promotes a more common, interoperable platform infrastructure. · Ensures information is readily available and effectively shareable. · Ensures a basic level of reliability of the IT infrastructure. Implications 1. The definition of reliability will vary from technology to technology based upon the criticality of the function being performed, the needs of the customer, and security and data integrity requirements. 2. Supporting policies regarding security, privacy, confidentiality, information sharing, information integrity, utility and data relevance must be developed and implemented. 3. Supports the continuity of operations and disaster recovery; planning and testing will be performed routinely. 4. Applications dictate platform requirements; therefore, do not over engineer platform solutions. 5. Leads to products that adhere to industry standards and open architecture 6. Promotes the opportunity for greater interoperability with Interior business partners. 7. Deploy platforms that promote the ability to integrate data systems across Interior. 8. Need to perform change, problem and configuration management. 9. Proper planning must
take place for platform retirement. 10. Platform technologies must be accessible to those with disabilities in accordance with Section 508 and other relevant guidance. |
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Principle 2: Equipment Replacement |
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Use a total cost of ownership model throughout the IT platform lifecycle to ensure that the most cost effective approaches are explored and assessed. Rationale: · Reusing platform components saves time and money. · Extends the Return on Investment of a platform. · IT platform products are typically commodity items. Implications 1. Need to agree upon a Total Cost of Ownership model. 2. Need to identify and retain “reusable” components; avoid making reuse analysis more consuming than the potential benefit. 3. Leads to reuse of components throughout Interior. 4. A policy and a methodology need to be established that enables reuse of platform components throughout Interior. 5. Applications dictate platform requirements; therefore, do not over engineer platform solutions. 6. Off-the-shelf products will be compared to in-house development costs. 7. Priority will be given to products adhering to industry standards and open architecture. 8. The cost of development, implementation/transition, training, support, disaster-recovery, and retirement, as well as the impacts of flexibility, scalability, ease of use and reduction of integration complexity will be considered. 9. Need for license management expertise across the department and managed continuously (e.g., Contracting Officer, COTR). 10. Need for hardware inventory control system for tracking equipment. 11. Need for procedures for dealing with full hardware lifecycle components (e.g., budgeting, forecasting, disposal). |
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The Platform technology components in this domain include:
The classifications for any products or standards within this domain are:
Life Cycle Definition/
Classifications Meaning
Preferred Product/standard of choice; support available; recommended.
Contained Develop solutions using these standards or products only if there are no suitable alternatives categorized as preferred; if a preferred product is available that will meet the requirements, plans should be developed to move from contained to preferred as soon as practical.
Obsolete Being phased out; (e.g., vendor support ending); plans should be developed to rapidly phase out and replace (often to avoid substantial risks).
Research Product/standard to be used in conjunction with technology research efforts only (e.g., testing, pilots).
Rejected Product/standard has been evaluated and found not to meet technical architecture needs.
Wireless / PDA - Wireless defines the technologies that use transmission via the airwaves while the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) is a handheld computer that serves as an organizer for personal information and communication. It generally includes at least a name and address database, to-do list and note taker.
General Users:
Field Personnel:
Field Personnel (Heavy GIS need):
The operating system (OS) is a workstation’s lowest-level software that is always functioning even when no application program is running. The services an operating system provides and its general design philosophy exert an extremely strong influence on programming style and on the technical cultures that grow up around the machines upon which it runs.
Operating System/Desktop:
Web Servers are usually dedicated computer devices that provide World Wide Web services on the Internet. They can include the hardware, operating system, Web server software, TCP/IP protocols and a Web site’s content (e.g., Web pages).
Operating System- Intel Design:
Operating System- Unix Design:
Server Software-Windows Design:
Server Software-Unix/ Linux/ NetWare Design:
Media Servers are usually dedicated computer devices that provide optimized management of media-based files such as audio and video streams and digital images.
Operating System- Intel Design:
Operating System- Unix Design:
Application Servers are dedicated computer devices that execute the specific business logic that incorporates the functional capabilities of an application. Usually, this device is connected via a network to one or more individual workstations.
Operating System- Intel Design:
Operating System- Unix Design:
Portal servers are computer devices that provide information services in such a way that the level of integration and customization of this information is controlled by the end users (e.g., customers, employees). The design and management of this type of service is significantly more complex than a simple Web server.
Operating System- Intel Design:
Operating System- Unix Design:
Print Servers are dedicated computer devices that are set up on a network to route print requests and status information between computers and printers connected by a network. A typical print server routes print requests for multiple computers and printers on a network.
Operating System- Intel Design:
Operating System- Unix Design:
Messaging Servers are usually dedicated computer devices that are responsible for delivering various messages within a network (e.g., email, instant messaging).
Operating System- Intel Design:
Operating System- Unix Design:
Thin Client Only Servers are computer devices that provide necessary software services (e.g., applications, disk storage) to workstations that are configured with a minimal set of capabilities (e.g., network connectivity); these workstations are sometimes referred to as “dumb terminals.”
Operating System- Intel Design:
Operating System- Unix Design:
Server Software-Windows Design:
Server Software-Unix/ Linux/ NetWare Design:
File Servers are computer devices that provide files and directories to workstations connected through a network. These devices are often used for file protection (backups) for the storage available on an individual workstation.
Operating System- Intel Design:
Operating System- Unix Design:
Storage devices are components of technology designed to provide shared storage access across a network. These devices provide extended storage capabilities to the network with reduced costs compared to traditional file servers. These devices can incorporate various types of disk and tape media as well as the mechanisms that read and write to the media (e.g., laser).
Backup- Nearline:
Backup- Offline:
Backup- Archive Offline:
NAS & SAN:
Tape Libraries:
Servers / Computers refers to the underlying hardware architectures that are the foundation for any computer device (e.g., desktop).
Desktop:
Laptop:
Servers:
Mainframe:
Peripherals are various devices that can be connected to computers to provide additional capabilities and service. These connections can be internal or external. Printers are probably the most common example of a peripheral.
Printers:
Power Supplies:
Deployment Management consists of various tools and
capabilities that permit management of remote devices (e.g., desktops, servers)
across an organization.
Desktop Image Control:
Server Image Management- Unix:
.
Desktop Installation Service:
The Domain Principles, because they are derived from Interior’s business direction and strategies, provide the primary direction and guidance around technology decisions within this domain. Additional benefit may sometimes be obtained by reviewing Select Best Practices. These reflect the valuable insights from either domain team members’ experiences or other public sector organizations.
TRM Focused
Select
Best Practice 1: Encryption – All transmissions should be encrypted.
Select
Best Practice 2: Security – For security, communications should pass through servers and not via client-to-client.
Select
Best Practice 3: Service Packs – Implementation of vendor service packs
should be completed within 6 months of issuance.
Select
Best Practice 4: Single Host, Single Service – Avoid installing multiple key services on a single host. Each individual
key service should have its own host.
Key services should be isolated on separate hosts so as not to affect each
other if one should crash or need intervention. When multiple key services
reside on one host server, a single server fault or the failure of one service
can interrupt all services on that host.
For external servers, single function servers enhance manageability,
service and security.
Select
Best Practice 5: High Performance – For solutions needing high reliability, high availability, high transaction rates and high security, use Unix/ RISC architecture.
Select
Best
Practice 6: Server Consolidation
– Consolidate like applications
wherever possible on a single server.
Select
Best
Practice 7: Uniformly Configured
Servers – For reliability and ease
of support, place each major application on a uniformly configured server. This
may require that each major application be implemented on its own server. Use
the same reference configuration on these servers. When planning for
consistency, it is important to use the same versions of network software and
network interface cards. Performance tuning for specific servers makes overall
maintenance more difficult. In the long run, it is more cost-effective to
implement more powerful hardware than it is to spend time on individualized
tuning and maintenance.
Select
Best
Practice 8: Network Attached
Storage- For offices with multiple
file servers, use NAS as opposed to "islands" of direct access
storage (DAS).
Select
Best
Practice 9: Network Backups- For sites with multiple servers & network
capacity, network backups using libraries are used instead of server backups.
Select
Best
Practice 10: Storage Access
Networks- For Data centers needing
high reliability, availability, and high transaction rates, use SAN's instead
of "islands" of DAS.
Select
Best
Practice 11: Tape Libraries- For Data centers needing high reliability,
availability, and high transaction rates, use tape libraries.
Select
Best Practice 12: Remote Administration- Design for Remote Administration- Systems that include Wake On LAN (Local Area Network) capability, remote administration over a network, and remote diagnostics will allow proactive monitoring and problem solving without requiring an onsite visit for hardware or software troubleshooters. Such systems also allow remote distribution of software and updates.
Select
Best
Practice 13: Risk Assessment- A risk assessment checklist should be
available & used by system administrators.
Select
Best
Practice 14: Standard Imaging- Workstations with a standard image installed
on them start with a known compatible set of software components. Servers that
start with a standard server image are easier to manage and configure since
baseline Bureau requirements are already built into the image and don’t have to
be reset each time a new server is put in place.
Select
Best
Practice 15: Experienced Personnel-
Experienced personnel with broad IT
background are in short supply.
Select
Best
Practice 16: Capacity Planning-
Use capacity planning to extend the
life cycle of platforms & devices.
The quality of the Interior-wide guidance provided within this TRM chapter is a reflection of the efforts of the Platform Domain team. The members of the team are:
Organization Name
Bureau of Land Management Bruce Allen
Michael Garrett
Wayne Sheperd
Bureau of Reclamation Byron Kellogg
Minerals Management Service James Feagans
National Park Service John Snyder
Office of Surface Mining Edward Zubel
JoEll Hartman
Office of Special Trust Brian Gallagher
US Fish and Wildlife Service Rhoda Upshur-Dunn
Bjorn Aberg
US Geological
Survey Garry
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