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Determining Network Requirements

The purpose of this infrastructure planning step is to identify network requirements needed to support the Siebel deployment.

This topic is a step in Process of Infrastructure Planning.

To determine network requirements

1. Use the information on average and peak workloads to verify that there is sufficient network bandwidth to handle network traffic to and from, as well as within, the Siebel deployment.
2. Determine whether you will use data encryption. If so, define data encryption policies. Then add data encryption protocols to the diagram created in the previous topic (Mapping Siebel Deployment Elements to Platforms).
3. Define firewall requirements. If you are creating a network DMZ, also define requirements for proxy servers and other items that will be installed in the DMZ.

   Include network address translation (NAT) and HTTPS requirements.

4. Analyze interactions and dependencies between networking components.

   For example, you plan to use HTTP/SSL between browsers and Web servers. You also plan to install a Web server load balancer. Typically, Web server load balancers cannot do HTTP, URL-based load balancing unless the load balancer has an integrated SSL accelerator.

   An SSL accelerator allows SSL connections to be terminated at the Web server load balancer. This allows the load balancer to parse packet information and perform HTTP, URL-based load balancing.

5. Write down the virtual IP (VIP) address used by Web server and Siebel Server load balancers. Make sure the requesting component is set up to access the VIP. Furthermore, make sure you have configured firewalls to allow VIP traffic to go through.
6. Select port numbers for all network components that listen on TCP ports.

   This includes Web server load balancers, Web servers, Siebel Server load balancers, Siebel Servers, and server clusters. For a full description of Siebel Server components that require a port number assignment, see Siebel System Administration Guide.

   The default TCP port number for Web server-to-Siebel Server traffic is 2321. This is the port number of the Siebel Connection Broker (SCBroker); however, you can configure the port number. If a third-party HTTP load balancer is deployed, then you must set it up to communicate with Siebel Servers using the SCBroker port. You cannot assign the Siebel Gateway Name Server and Siebel Servers port numbers higher than 32767.

   If Siebel load balancing is deployed, then the load balancing configuration file must reference this port number. See Choosing a Load Balancing Method.

   Also, verify that firewalls are configured to communicate with the correct TCP ports.

7. Consider any other factors that may affect networking connectivity.