Data Center - Networks

[Maximus]

We have managed to give a good definition about the Data Center`s basics, so in this thread, I will focus only to the Data Center connectivity – Networks, and more specifically to the general request ``route`` from your computer to a dedicated server.
It is true that every Data Center uses unique system of hardware and software for its network, however, there are some general components used in all facilities. The main purpose of the network is to make possible all a traffic transfers between the servers in the Data Center and the outside world (Internet, The Web, etc…). In order for this goal to be achieved, a secure, ``wide`` and fast connection must be established. When you are accessing your server, you are simply entering the appropriate IP address/or domain name assigned to your server, in your internet browser tab. Once you have made a certain request to the server, a complex process including several procedures is ``triggered``. First, your request is going through a series of firewalls (usually hardware), packet inspection racks ( e.g. DPI), and switches, where it is checked for any security threats. Once it passes the security check (a couple of milliseconds), the request is decrypted, if any encryption method is used. Then your request is routed to a special switch, which is sending it to some kind of web-server through the switch`s route. From this webserver the request is finally ``arriving`` to your dedicated server, where it is processed. Sounds like a very long and slow process, but actually it takes some tiny parts of the second to be completely executed.