Introduction

To this point, we ve talked about general concepts as they relate to network security and enterprise design considerations. In this chapter, we start getting into the specifics of planning and implementing an ISA Server solution for your network.

Planning your ISA Server installation before actually performing it is absolutely critical. As with Windows 2000, the amount of thought and analysis you put into your design will help optimize ISA performance and will minimize the chance of making a substantial error that will adversely affect your security or access schemes.

ISA Deployment: Planning and Designing Issues

When you decide to put together an ISA Server solution for your organization, you should plan ahead. ISA Server is an integral part of your security configuration scheme, and you do not want to merely install the server and hope that everything works out right. Carpenters have an old saying: Measure twice, cut once. If you thoroughly map out your design, you ll avoid pitfalls in your deployment and further down the line.

In this section, we focus on planning and design issues as they relate to the installation of ISA Server. The primary issues of concern are:

• Network and hardware specifications

• The edition of ISA Server to be installed

• The mode in which ISA Server will be installed

• Standalone versus array configurations

• Client configuration requirements

• ISA Server Internet connectivity

You should make firm decisions about each of these ISA Server design issues before you begin your installation. The conclusions you reach at this...