Datasheet

Evaluating Network Topology and Providing Technical Recommendations

Evaluating Network Topology and

Providing Technical Recommendations

Evaluating the network topology on which Exchange Server 2007 will communicate is important

so that you will not be surprised by problems that have been forgotten in planning. Especially in

the network area, changes need time to be implemented, so considering this well will save time later

when implementing Exchange Server 2007.

Reviewing Current and Planned Network Topology

The first step is to collect all information about your network, the perimeter network, and its exter-

nal collections as thoroughly as possible from a variety of sources. They include the following:

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Physical network topology (verify that TCP/IP is used everywhere, and that IPv4 or IPv6

and IP subnets are used according to location)

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Physical network connections or links internally (LAN and WAN links, router, etc.)

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Any external physical network connection (e.g., Internet, partner companies, etc.)

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Interconnection of physical network connections (i.e., hub-and-spoke, ring or star, point-

to-point)

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Physical network speed (separate between guaranteed bandwidth and available band-

width for every network link)

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Any network protection that might interfere (e.g., firewalls that protect physical links or

network link encryption devices that reduce the link speed)

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Firewall port availability to external and internal systems

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Server name resolution used in locations or between locations (i.e., DNS/WINS name

resolution)

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Defined namespaces in DNS

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Perimeter network servers (any servers that are located in a perimeter network, especially

any server that provides SMTP-relay functionality)

Make sure you write down any changes that might occur in the near future so you can

include them in the planning from the start.

In large organizations, gathering this information might be quite a time-

consuming effort, as you have to sit together with many different network

teams to get a thorough understanding of the details of the network! If you

want to evaluate a global network including many sites, make sure you talk

to at least one network team on every continent and ask them for their

opinions. This will provide you with much insight into their current net-

work problems and potential that you can use when planning the messag-

ing design.

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