Introduction to the Infrastructure Planning and Design Series

Published: November 12, 2007   |   Updated: February 25, 2008   Planning the next generation of technical infrastructure for corporations is a complex and daunting task. If done well, the Information Technology (IT) group’s capabilities are well aligned with the business and will be a strategic asset for the company. If done poorly, IT can be a barrier to the agility of the organization.  The success of any infrastructure is measured in how well the infrastructure choices that are made match the objectives of the business. Although there are often hundreds or even thousands of pages of product documentation available, historically it has been very difficult to find guidance on how to appropriately plan the core infrastructure for an organization. The Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) series provides architectural guidance for Microsoft® infrastructure products. The series is designed to present the reader with the most concise planning guidance for Microsoft technologies. It also provides a means to validate design decisions with the business to ensure that the solution meets the requirements of both business and infrastructure stakeholders. This paper describes the background for the guides as well as the format of each guide and defines characteristics common to all of the guides. Background In 2002, Microsoft Systems Architecture (MSA) 1.5 was released; it provided plan, design, build, and operations guidance for both an enterprise and an Internet data center. Test data centers, upon which the guides were based, were built and validated in an extensive lab. This provided Microsoft customers with the confidence that the guidance being provided was applicable in real-world scenarios—not “ivory tower” thinking. An update to MSA 2003, known as Microsoft Systems Architecture 2.0, consolidated the enterprise and Internet data centers into a single data center based on Windows Server® 2003. Figure 1. Architectural guidance historical timeline In early 2005, the MSA series was updated and rebranded as Windows Server System® Reference Architecture (WSSRA). Although there have been some minor updates and an occasional new service added to the WSSRA platform, there has not been a major revision to the guidance since 2005. WSSRA is a complex set of guidance spanning more than 3,500 pages of content. According to surveys that were conducted, this material—while valuable—was difficult for readers to consume. The IPD series is the next step in the evolution of architectural guidance for Microsoft infrastructure. IPD is designed to make the consumption of architectural guidance easier for the reader. Over time, the services covered by WSSRA will be updated and placed in the IPD format. Initially, the IPD series will focus on helping the reader to architect individual technologies such as Windows Server virtualization, Windows Server 2008 Active Directory®, and Windows Deployment Services. As the IPD portfolio grows, additional guides will be introduced to offer more complex scenario guidance. These new IPD scenario guides will utilize the materials provided in IPD technology guides to assist the architect in planning for more complex scenarios that require multiple infrastructure technologies. Who Should Use These Documents The IPD documents are designed to be used by the following IT personnel: Infrastructure planners and architects who have a firm operational grasp of the technology. Partners and consultants who design infrastructure solutions. Systems engineers who need to learn how their systems will be integrated into the overall infrastructure. Business managers who wish to understand how the technology decisions being made both support and affect the business.

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