System Design Architecture

One of the more challenging aspects of system administration is tackling the broad concept of system architecture. In some cases, we have it easy, our budget is so low or our needs so simplistic that we simply do not need to consider any but the most basic options. But for many systems, we have broader needs and a great number of factors to consider making system architecture potentially challenging in many ways.

We now understand platform concepts, locality, and the range of services normally associated with providing an environment onto which we can install an operating system. Now we have to begin describing how we can combine these concepts into real world, usable designs. Most of system design is just common sense and practicality. Remember nothing should feel like magic or a black box and if we get services from a vendor, they are using the same potential range of technology and options that we are.

We are going to talk about risk and availability...