Front End Network

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The six front-end Web servers, SMTP and DNS server, and anadministration tools server make up the Front End network. TheBIG-IP controllers also belong to the Front End network as well asto the Internet Space network.

The Internet Platform and Operations group used a private ClassC network 172.16.1.0/24 on the Front End network. Because it wasprivate, it was not divided into subnets.

  • Network: 172.16.1.0

  • Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

  • Subnet broadcast address: 172.16.1.255

  • Available network addresses: 172.16.1.1 to 172.16.1.254

The network address assignment is as follows:

  • BIG-IP Internal VIP: 172.16.1.2

  • BIG-IP Internal DIP 1: 172.16.1.3

  • BIG-IP Internal DIP 2: 172.16.1.4

  • SMTP and DNS server Front End IP: 172.16.1.5

  • Front-end Web servers Front End IPs: 172.16.1.101 to172.16.1.106

  • Terminal services, debugging, and administration tools serverFront End IP: 172.16.1.107

Again, because the pair of BIG-IP controllers forms a fail-overcluster, they require an internal VIP. An NAT Internal IP is usedas the default gateway on the IP configurations of the otherservers for configuring NAT on BIG-IP.

All servers are configured to use the domain controllers on theBack End network as DNS servers. However, the Back End servers haveno Internet access, and so can't resolve Internet DNS names.To resolve this problem, the Internet Platform and Operations groupset up DNS service in the Front End network and configured the BackEnd domain controllers to forward Internet DNS resolution requeststo this DNS server in the Front End network.