COMPUTING > Cloud Servers > Design a data center > Basic infrastructure

16.1 Basic infrastructure

Aruba Cloud provides the basic tools for creating dedicated Cloud networks and architecture, such as Cloud Servers, virtual switches and Public IPs.

Aruba Cloud solutions supplement these tools with basic infrastructure to increase their potential and facilitate the construction of more complex and structured architectures. In the same simple way that Cloud Servers can be created, configured and managed, you can also create, configure and manage virtual machines such as:

A Web Server is a Cloud Server configured with all the software and applications required in order to provide the Web services and content. The most common use of a Web Server is to host one or more websites, but it is also ideal for hosting business applications that can be accessed via the Internet.

A Web Server can either be based on Linux or Windows Operating System. For Linux Web Servers the Apache platform is adopted while thebWindows Web Servers are provided with IIS (Internet Information Services).
* On Windows Web Servers you will find already installed and configured: IIS, Windows Components, .NET Framework 4.0, PHP, ActivePerl - Community Edition, MyODBC 3.51 - MyODBC 5.1.X - MySQL .NET, MVC3, WSE3.0, ASP.NET AJAX 1.0.

** On Linux Web Servers you will find already installed and configured: Apache, PHP + GD library,Perl, Phyton, Webmin.

Both Linux and Windows Web Servers support most common languages of server side pages, and for ones that aren't supported, they can still be installed by the user: PHP, ASP, ColdFusion Markup Language, JavaServer Pages, Perl CGI, Python, Ruby on Rails.
A Database Server is a Cloud Server in which a database management system has already been installed. * On the Linux system MySQL is installed and configured as a database manager. The server is also equipped with all the Tools necessary for managing the Database also via browsers such as PhpMyAdmin and Webmin.

** MSSQL is the ideal solution for developing Web and non-Web applications, with architectures from the simplest to the most complex; it enables archiving and management of a large amount of data and users, as well as also managing to satisfy access volumes in a high performance way. Of course, the main selling point is the perfect integration with all systems, languages, and tools available from Microsoft for developers. MSSQL is available on Aruba Cloud on the VMwareand OpenStack hypervisor, and when creating your own Cloud Server Database it is advisable to configure a virtual machine with high performance, especially in terms of vCPU and/or RAM, all the more so if it is required to perform several concurrent requests. Remember that the calculation of the cost of the MSSQL license differs from all the other resources, in that it is priced with a calendar monthly cost.
The Firewall is a network tool (hardware and/or software) that filters any packages that pass to a network or a computer, and only allows them to get through if the packages fulfil all the previously configured security criteria.

The server firewall is a simple Cloud Server on which suitable software is installed that, when properly configured, is able to guarantee maximum security. Setting up a Cloud Server private network and making sure that the Firewall is the only Cloud Server connected to the Internet network, ensures the security of the entire private network. Protecting your private network from any threats from the Web ensures secure and controlled access to the resources within your network.

Aruba Cloud only offers the firewall service on VMware hypervisor. Aruba Cloud Firewall Cloud Servers can also serve as load balancers.
 
A very, very important, if not decisive, aspect for any web-based architecture is ensuring the security of your data and therefore of your Cloud Servers by protecting them from malicious access and any intrusion attempts.
Regardless of how complex the structure that you want to create is, it is always advisable to insert a Cloud Server Firewall between the connection to the Internet and the structure that you want to protect.
For optimal protection of the structure, the Firewall Server needs to be connected to the virtual switches and be the only Server with access to the Internet, so that the Firewall is the only link point between the Cloud Servers and the Internet and therefore can filter all the traffic based on the rules that are set.
It's possible to use the Cloud Server Firewall both as a firewall interface and as a simple Cloud Server. However we highly advise you do not: by logging in as a root user (and not that of the firewall management) and changing any of the Cloud Server parameters you may cause it to be unusable.
A Mail Server is a Cloud Server configured with applications ideal for email management.
A Storage Server is a server connected to the network that has the primary task of providing a path to one or more shared disks for storing and archiving files such as images, movies, audio files, and/or any type of document. The Storage Server is used solely and exclusively for storing data: processing them and the peculiarities of the servers connected to the same network as the Storage Server. This allows extreme versatility in the interface and when exchanging data between different operating systems operating in the same network, ensuring integrity and security.
A Cloud Server for Storage does not need a lot of processing power (vCPUs); however it need a large storage capacity, then at least one or more large disks, and in some cases it may require a small amount of RAM to improve the performance of data access.

Aruba Cloud only offers Storage Servers on VMware hypervisor.
A Virtual Desktop is a Cloud Server with features typical of a normal desktop computer already equipped with some software and applications.

Aruba Cloud only offers Virtual Desktop on VMware and OpenStack hypervisor.
A Remote Desktop is a Cloud Server that enables the user to access and control another computer (or Cloud Server) connected to the internet.
A Collaboration Server is a Cloud Server that enables the user to make use of installed web applications to manage team activities and projects.