Nat-Based Configuration; Planning; Key Benefits; Scalability Parameters - Novell IFOLDER 3.8 - DEPLOYMENT Deployment Manual

NAT-Based Configuration

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Organizations utilize Network Address Translation (NAT) to secure server access and identity. This
helps users access all services through a single public IP address.
Section 11.1, "Planning," on page 51
Section 11.2, "Key Benefits," on page 51
Section 11.3, "Scalability Parameters," on page 51
Section 11.4, "Deployment Scenarios," on page 51

11.1 Planning

This type of setup benefits organizations that do not want to expose the Open Enterprise Server
(OES) 2 servers to the external network, so they have a common router that routes the information to
the servers. The router ensures that the servers are not exposed to the external network and that they
are safeguarded from attacks. A single public IP address can be used for all the services that are
provided through multiple physical servers.

11.2 Key Benefits

The key benefits of deploying a NAT-based configuration are as follows:
It saves IP addresses by having one IP address represent a group of computers.
The iFolder server is safeguarded because the users are inside the NAT network.
If a Web Access server is needed, it can be configured outside the NAT network for external
users.

11.3 Scalability Parameters

Even though this provides an additional layer of access control and security, it does not affect the
scalability of the application. Depending upon the type of setup you deploy, refer to the scalability
parameters section in the respective chapters. For example, if you deploy a single-server setup, see
Section 2.3, "Scalability Parameters," on page

11.4 Deployment Scenarios

Consider the example of a small organization that needs to set up multiple iFolder servers for data
sharing and backup, and it has a limited number of IP addresses that are available for public use. The
organization is not planning to expose all the iFolder servers to the external network even though
firewall and traffic filters like ZoneAlarm* can be deployed. Also, the organization is not ready to
bear the additional costs of deploying firewall and traffic filtering software.
The routers available in the market come with built-in traffic filtering and maintain a database of
known attacks. This helps the organizations track and avoid security threats and attacks.
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