TABLE OF CONTENTS Whenever you re connecting a computer to the Internet, that computer is open to sabotage. Worms and viruses can destroy entire systems, from the operating system right down to the hardware. Intruders can access servers on the Internet and obtain the passwords for administrative functions, using them later to wreak havoc on the system. Bored or unskilled programming students, also known as script kiddies, can download complex scripts from a hacker s Web site and test them on any vulnerable server just to see what happens.
Among many of the destructive attacks that can take place is the theft of confidential data. This activity is especially sensitive in the areas of e-commerce and financial systems; the theft of confidential data can destroy a company s competitive edge. Even a Citrix MetaFrame Presentation server, whose traffic consists mainly of graphics transmitted to clients and keyboard and mouse clicks received from clients, can be preyed upon by a saboteur.
Keeping the server farm running well across all servers is partly a matter of managing loads in addition to ensuring that data is kept safe. If a server farm is scaled up over time, it is likely that some servers will be more powerful than others. Some will have more processing power or more disk capacity, while others will have more memory. As such, some servers will be capable of supporting more sessions than others. Ensuring equitable load management can optimize a farm.
To protect...
