Managing network infrastructure with a small business server

Abstract

At the center of every network there is a router. A router is used to connect one network to another network. It has the responsibility of routing packets across different networks. The Food Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-FRI) Local Area Network (LAN) Infrastructure uses a traditional cisco router as an internet gateway and a firewall. This makes it possible for computers on the LAN to have internet access and also control traffic in and out of the network. However, in July 2017, the router became non-functional necessitating the need for replacement. In order to save cost, the IT team explored the possibility of substituting a real-life solution of a router-based firewall with an open source solution having an easy, manageable, and centralized graphical user interface (GUI) and integrated built-in network extensions. This study describes the methods and procedures taken by the IT team to implement a Linux small business server, Zentyal, as an open source firewall/gateway router alternative to the traditional cisco router. Results of this study shows a successful deployment of Zentyal on Dell PowerEdge T310 server as an internet gateway and firewall that supports 300 windows clients and laptops of staff of CSIR FRI. This solution has provided a unified single platform for the entire network infrastructure management and security