[abakan]

Hi all,

looking for a best practise here.
We are looking to host an application that needs to be accessed externally via http.
External companies will need access to this link.

Currently we have a cisco router on site and cisco switches.
General small business infrastructure, with no hosting currently

How will we go about hosting this app internally.

Yesterday, I've seen Microsoft private cloud, that may work for us.

I think the traditional approach is to create a DMZ on the routes and place the webserver in there.

What would your thoughts be on how best to achieve this?

Thanks in advance

[axer]

What type of WAN link have you there?

[rolion]

First,check what requirements the "application" has,could be that works on IIS or Apache or Tomcat or SQL or mySQL or dBase ...dunno...can be client-server based then you need VPN or it can be accessed from a standard browser and you'll need HTTPS !

Then,based on that,design your server or hosting package.

Then,check your WAN linkS,not link,maybe get a second dedicated SDSL line for the apps itself and do the routing/NATing work in the PIX.

Can be that works fine on external location,on ISP ,then way to go...

Or you can get a Virtual Shared or Virtual Dedicated Server from D15 ISP and another way to go...

There are many roads leading to Rome,sorry to your solution but all are based on the reqs for the application itself...come back with more info !

good luck

[abakan]

Hi guys,


Cheers for the replys.

DSL line from Eircom is the WAN, there wont be very much traffic on the webserver so we can use this method. 12Mb line -1Mb upload
could we put the web server on our private network and lock it down - or is that asking for trouble?
the website will run IIS - which I have running already internally, hosting some interanl website.
https would be the way to go for the site also.

Just unsure - what best practise would be for having the web site internally.

[rolion]

thanks for coming back...

First,i will get a SDSL 4/4 from IBB.

Does your internal staff needs internal access to application OR only external ? If only external,just get APP on IIS on IBB standalone !

If yes,then a hardware router/firewall with a proper routing table for WAN/LAN/DMZ and traffic shaping on 2xWANs and 1xLAN.

Then...tell us more about the aplication itself and IIS setup/security/loading !

[axer]

On that type of link you will have a very unreliable setup but if thats an acceptable situation then yes, get yourself a decent firewall (if you dont have one already) and keep the traffic completely separate to your normal lan. Dont put the web server on your domain and I would not put the internal websites on the same box. You would only need to setup https on the website if there is sensitive info on it.

I would look at using a hosting provider (or even using a cloud provider) if possible though since it is fairly cheap to get hosting now-a-days.

[Boskonay]

A cloud provider will give you what you need for 20-30 euro a month - not worth the grief or risk of doing it in house thb...

[rolion]

Originally Posted by Boskonay

A cloud provider will give you what you need for 20-30 euro a month - not worth the grief or risk of doing it in house thb...

Nothing personal BUT...
For the 'pleasure' of not being charged for:

"cloud setup" - €€€
online backup - €10 per GB
data bandwidth - €€
data traffic - €€
annual fees - €€
early adoption of this magic fcuking cloud tech ... cashless or priceless !

my advise...keep the ownership of the horses !!! keep them in your own yard.

[Boskonay]

All due respect, where are you getting those numbers?

There are cloud offerings, with infra based in Ireland, that, for €19.95 a month, ex VAT, will give you a Windows 2008 Server online, including everything you need - no setup fees, included backups, included bandwidth, traffic, and no other odd or mysterious fees.

At 20 quid a month, is it really worth the pain of trying to do it in house?

[rolion]

which ISP does it for a 20 ? thanks...

[Boskonay]

I don't want to 'self' promote - but I work with http://www.dediserve.com

Clouds in Dublin, London, Dallas.

[markpb]

Originally Posted by rolion

Nothing personal BUT...
For the 'pleasure' of not being charged for:

"cloud setup" - €€€
online backup - €10 per GB
data bandwidth - €€
data traffic - €€
annual fees - €€
early adoption of this magic fcuking cloud tech ... cashless or priceless !

my advise...keep the ownership of the horses !!! keep them in your own yard.

I'm not saying one is better than the other but most companies see the cash costs of hosting externally but can't see the hidden costs of doing it in-house. There are pros and cons to both. If you're hosting internally you'll have to pay for (depending on your required level of service): OS licensing, support costs, out of hours support costs, power, UPS, generator, air-con, network security, physical security, etc.

[rolion]

thanks to all for reply,+ / - ,but ... still... i haven't received any replies from OP regarding application requirements !!

[abakan]

Originally Posted by rolion

First,check what requirements the "application" has,could be that works on IIS or Apache or Tomcat or SQL or mySQL or dBase ...dunno...can be client-server based then you need VPN or it can be accessed from a standard browser and you'll need HTTPS !

Our customers who we deal with can access the website to see the status of jobs on our system.
The idea is that we copy over the files to the webserver 2 per day and the external users can log into the website and view the status of the job.

Originally Posted by rolion

Then,based on that,design your server or hosting package.

Then,check your WAN linkS,not link,maybe get a second dedicated SDSL line for the apps itself and do the routing/NATing work in the PIX.

Can be that works fine on external location,on ISP ,then way to go...

Or you can get a Virtual Shared or Virtual Dedicated Server from D15 ISP and another way to go...

There are many roads leading to Rome,sorry to your solution but all are based on the reqs for the application itself...come back with more info !

good luck

The traffic wont be significant on this link as the site will be read only. the user can filter/select outstanding jobs.
Max 10 users per day

There is some thought and more teasing out needed on taking the data from the application and allowing the webserver to view this data. I think a script to copy the data to a folder on the webserver, is what is required.

[rolion]

Sharepoint all the way...