Identify components of a logical architecture

Exam: Microsoft 70-667 - TS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Configuring

There are a number of ways in which the components can be arranged in a logical architecture design. Every component offers different options in terms of sharing and isolation.

It is important to know the following before we begin with logical design:

• Goals relate to sharing and isolation.
• The advantages and disadvantages for going with a particular choice.

The logical architecture of SharePoint 2010 can be represented as:

The components are discussed in detail below:

• Web Applications: This is the highest level component that is a part of the logical structure in a far. A farm can have one or multiple web applications. SharePoint products are used for creating an IIS Website. It is possible to extend a Web Application by four times and construct four additional zones. This has the effect of having up to five IIS Websites that can be associated with a single Web Application. Each Web Application can be assigned a unique dcal structure domanin name.

  Web applications are used for separating content available to authenticated and anonymous users and isolating the users. In addition it can also be used for enforcing permissions by creating a definite policy. Web Applications can also be used for optimizing database performance and manageability.

• Site Collection: this refers to the group of Websites owned by the same person and sharing administration settings. For every site collection there is a top level Website. A site collection can contain multiple subsites. Even though the prescribed upper limit for number of site collections per content database is fifty thousand, performance starts to get affected at ten thousand.

  Site Collections bring in many opportunities of sharing and isolation having an impact on permissions and feature deployment. Master pages, Page layouts, Images and Site templates can be shared within one site collection. Sharing cannot be done across site collections.

  Isolation at the site collection level can also be done. A Site Collection can inherit permissions from the site at the top level but not from others. A user cannot navigate amongst site collections.

• Sites: A site comprises of one or more than one Web pages and other items that are related. Lists and libraries also exist in Sites. As per guidelines it is best to keep the number of websites in a Site Collection less than 25,000. A number above 5,000 can impact performance. Further subsites can be created adding in to the number of sites in a site collection.

  In Sites in-built navigation is available between subsites of a site collection but it is not available between Site Collections. Separate Sites can be easily subjected to cross-site scripting attacks that can be launched from other sites in the same domain.

An important point to remember in logical architecture is that when a Site Collection is created, a top level site is also created. Even though these two are separate components they co-exist. A site collection without a top level site is not possible and a top level site is not possible without a Site Collection.