Networking on HDFC

IT Assignment on Networking

Abhishek Srivastava PGDM Sec B Roll.no 04 Acharya Institute Of Management & Sciences

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NETWORKING NETWORKING DEFINITION: In information technology, a network is a series of points or nodes interconnected by communication paths. Networks can interconnect with other networks and contain subnetworks .The most common topology or general configurations of networks include the bus, star, token ring, and mesh topologies. Networks can also be characterized in terms of spatial distance as local area networks (LANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), and wide area networks (WANs).A given network can also be characterized by the type of data transmission technology in use on it (for example, a TCP/IP or Systems Network Architecture network); by whether it carries voice, data, or both kinds of signals; by who can use the network (public or private); by the usual nature of its connections (dial-up or switched, dedicated or non-switched, or virtual connections); and by the types of physical links (for example, optical fiber, coaxial cable, and Unshielded Twisted Pair). Large telephone networks and networks using their infrastructure … The act of working using computer network; the act of connecting computers into network; the act of meeting new people in a business or social context

Types of networks: Personal area network A personal area network(PAN) is a computer network used for communication among computer devices close to one person. Some examples of devices that are used in a PAN are personal computers, printers, fax machines, telephones, PDAs, scanners, and even video game consoles. Such a PAN may include wired and wireless connections between devices. The reach of a PAN is typically at least about 20-30 feet (approximately 6-9 meters), but this is expected to increase with technology improvements .

Local area network A local Area Network (LAN) is a computer network covering a small physical area, like a home, office, or small group of buildings, such as a school, or an airport. Current wired LANs are most likely to be based on Ethernet technology, although new standards like ITUG.hn also provide a way to create a wired LAN using existing home wires (coaxial cables, phone lines and power line.

Campus area network A campus area network (CAN) is a computer network made up of an interconnection of local area networks (LANs) within a limited geographical area. It can be considered one form of a metropolitan area network, specific to an academic setting. In the case of a university campus-based campus area network, the network is likely to link a variety of campus buildings including; academic departments, the university library

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NETWORKING and student residence halls. A campus area network is larger than a local area network but smaller than a wide area network (WAN) (in some cases). The main aim of a campus area network is to facilitate students accessing internet and university resources. This is a network that connects two or more LANs but that is limited to a specific and contiguous geographical area such as a college campus, industrial complex, office building, or a military base. A CAN may be considered a type of MAN (metropolitan area network), but is generally limited to a smaller area than a typical MAN. This term is most often used to discuss the implementation of networks for a contiguous area. This should not be confused with a Controller Area Network. A LAN connects network devices over a relatively short distance. A networked office building, school, or home usually contains a single LAN, though sometimes one building will contain a few small LANs (perhaps one per room), and occasionally a LAN will span a group of nearby buildings.

Metropolitan area network A metropolitan area network (MAN) is a network that connects two or more local area networks or campus area networks together but does not extend beyond the boundaries of the immediate town/city. Routers, switches and hubs are connected to create a metropolitan area network.

Wide area network A wide area network(WAN) is a computer network that covers a broad area (i.e. any network whose communications links cross metropolitan, regional, or national boundaries. Less formally, a WAN is a network that uses routers and public communications links. Contrast with personal area networks (PANs), local area networks (LANs), campus area networks (CANs), or metropolitan area networks (MANs), which are usually limited to a room, building, campus or specific metropolitan area (e.g., a city) respectively. The largest and most well-known example of a WAN is the Internet. A WAN is a data communications network that covers a relatively broad geographic area (i.e. one city to another and one country to another country) and that often uses transmission facilities provided by common carriers, such as telephone companies. WAN technologies generally function at the lower three layers of the OSI reference model: the physical layer, the data link layer, and the network layer

Global area network A global area networks (GAN) (see also IEEE 802.20) specification is in development by several groups, and there is no common definition. In general, however, a GAN is a model for supporting mobile communications across an arbitrary number of wireless LANs, satellite coverage areas, etc. The key challenge in mobile communications is "handing off" the user communications from one local coverage area to the next. In IEEE Project 802, this involves a succession of terrestrial WIRELESS local area network (WLAN)


NETWORKING Virtual private network A virtual private network (VPN) is a computer network in which some of the links between nodes are carried by open connections or virtual circuits in some larger network (e.g., the Internet) instead of by physical wires. The data link layer protocols of the virtual network are said to be tunneled through the larger network when this is the case. One common application is secure communications through the public Internet, but a VPN need not have explicit security features, such as authentication or content encryption. VPNs, for example, can be used to separate the traffic of different user communities over an underlying network with strong security features. A VPN allows computer users to appear to be editing from an IP address location other than the one which connects the actual computer to the Internet.

Internetwork An Internetwork is the connection of two or more distinct computer networks or network segments via a common routing technology. The result is called an internetwork (often shortened to internet). Two or more networks or network segments connect using devices that operate at layer 3 (the 'network' layer) of the OSI Basic Reference Model, such as a router. Any interconnection among or between public, private, commercial, industrial, or governmental networks may also be defined as an internetwork. In modern practice, interconnected networks use the Internet Protocol. There are at least three variants of internetworks, depending on who administers and who participates in them: • • •

Intranet Extranet Internet

Intranets and extranets may or may not have connections to the Internet. If connected to the Internet, the intranet or extranet is normally protected from being accessed from the Internet without proper authorization. The Internet is not considered to be a part of the intranet or extranet, although it may serve as a portal for access to portions of an extranet.

Intranet An intranet is a set of networks, using the Internet Protocol and IP-based tools such as web browsers and file transfer applications, that is under the control of a single administrative entity. That administrative entity closes the intranet to all but specific, authorized users. Most commonly, an intranet is the internal network of an organization. A large intranet will typically have at least one web server to provide users with organizational information.


NETWORKING Extranet An extranet is a network or internetwork that is limited in scope to a single organization or entity but which also has limited connections to the networks of one or more other usually, but not necessarily, trusted organizations or entities (e.g., a company's customers may be given access to some part of its intranet creating in this way an extranet, while at the same time the customers may not be considered 'trusted' from a security standpoint). Technically, an extranet may also be categorized as a CAN, MAN, WAN, or other type of network, although, by definition, an extranet cannot consist of a single LAN; it must have at least one connection with an external network.

Internet The Internet consists of a worldwide interconnection of governmental, academic, public, and private networks based upon the networking technologies of the Internet Protocol Suite. It is the successor of the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) developed by DARPA of the U.S. Department of Defense. The Internet is also the communications backbone underlying the World Wide We (WWW). The 'Internet' is most commonly spelled with a capital 'I' as a proper noun, for historical reasons and to distinguish it from other generic internetworks. Participants in the Internet use a diverse array of methods of several hundred documented, and often standardized, protocols compatible with the Internet Protocol Suite and an addressing system (IP Addresses) administered by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority and address registries. Service providers and large enterprises exchange information about the reachability of their address spaces through the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), forming a redundant worldwide mesh of transmission paths.

Diagram of Networking


NETWORKING


NETWORKING HDFC BANK (PROFILE) Housing Development Finance Corporation Founded in 1977 by Hasmukh bhai Parakh HDFC Bank was incorporated in August 1994 Among the first in new generation commercial banks Registered office in Mumbai, India Promoted by HDFC, the parent company IPO in India in 1995 Listed in NSE, BSE, NYSE(ADR) Type: Public Founded :1994 Headquarters :HDFC Bank Ltd., Mumbai, India Industry Banking, Insurance, Capital Markets and allied industries Products Loans, Credit Cards, Savings, Investment vehicles, Insurance etc. Net revenue :Rs. 2,509.6 crores Net income :Rs. 4,634.3 crores Website :www.hdfcbank.com Current Status 761 branches 1977 ATM’s in the country 327 cities in India All branches are OLRT connected 16 branches in Middle east 6 in Africa Representative offices in Hong Kong, New York, London & Singapore

Networking at HDFC HDFC Bank had a centralized IP-based network right since its inception. All branches across the country converge at their respective zonal hub location, which in turn conects to the data center at Chandivili, Mumbai. Network Based on the bank's hub & spoke architecture for the network, the branches are distributed under different regions and each major location has a regional hub. The branches falling under a location connect to the hub at the main region. These hubs then connect to the central site (data center) using a combination of 2 Mbps and 64 Kbps pipes, depending on the total volume of the transactions that pass through. C.N. Ram, Head-Information Technology, HDFC Bank says, "Each branch is connected to their regional hub, as to connect every branch directly to the data center involves huge costs. This kind of architecture helps save cost."


NETWORKING A highlight of HDFC Bank's network is the presence of two or more hubs in one location. "To balance the load and reduce the dependency on a single line, the bank has two hub locations within a region to share the load. The branches are split between the two hubs, so that one hub failure does not incapacitate all the branches in that region," explained C.N. Ram. A step ahead In the coming years HDFC Bank plans to deploy connections, with built-in redundancy in the network. For example, Madras could be connected to Bangalore and Kolkata, with all three of them being connected to Chandivili. Therefore, if the Kolkata-Chandivili link fails, then Kolkata will use the Madras link to connect to the Chandivili data center. The bank is also considering alternate connectivity solutions as VSATs are relatively more expensive, and in remote areas it is difficult to set up the required infrastructure. The bank has tested CDMA and GSM solutions—specially for ATMs as they consume very small bandwidths. The bank's servers have also undergone phases of development inline with the bank's expansion plans. Servers The bank started with applications on SCO-Unix boxes from Compaq almost eight years back. The software then used was MicroBanker from i-flex Solutions (then called CITIL). The set-up supported about 10 branches initially. "With an expansion in the number of branches the bank felt the need to consider Unix/RISC boxes rather than an Intel/SCO Unix platform, and selected the Sun platform. Since then the bank has been running applications on a Sun platform," said C.N. Ram. With the growth in transaction volumes, number of branches and the number of users the hardware platform has also been upgraded. Till recent times the database was operating on a direct attached storage (DAS), and from 1st April 2003 the bank switched to storage attached network (SAN). The bank's earliest server was a Sun Ultra 170; over time it moved to Sun Ultra 3500, 4500, and then Sun E10 K. Now the applications run on Sun's Star Fire 15K Server. Banking applications The bank uses separate software for corporate and retail banking as there was no single package that met both their business requirements. On the corporate side HDFC Bank started with MicroBanker and then moved to Flexcube in 2002. They use Flexcube UBS, which operates on a Compaq Alpha box-GS160. This


NETWORKING database was also on DAS and was moved to SAN over last year (December 2002). The bank uses SAN solutions from Hitachi Data Systems. On the retail side the bank uses Finware from i-flex solutions. The bank did not face any serious migration issues as they use upgraded products or new products usually from the same vendors. The vendors have programs that enable the migration or upgrades. "When HDFC Bank had acquired Times Bank in 2000 all the Times Bank customers were shifted from their package (called Kapiti) to HDFC Bank's Finware and MicroBanker. We had the vendors develop the software required to migrate the data from Kapiti to Finware so that the task for the operating departments was greatly reduced and the conversion was done in a short space of three months with minimum disruption to customer service," said C.N. Ram. Storage The bank currently deploys SAN but feels they will need to consider NAS sometime in the future. According to C. N. Ram the bank's storage requirement is growing at a rate of four to five percent every month. With an increase in data volume, the capacity of the hardware also needs to be updated. This calls for huge investments as all areas like backup, disaster recovery and others need to be addressed. The bank has to store data for seven years as per the RBI guidelines, and as it is not necessary to store the data on-line—the bank uses tapes for off-line storage. The bank anticipates storage costs to come down, and bulk purchases would be economical. Disaster Recovery setup C.N. Ram says, "Our approach is that we need to protect our data first as the basis for a business continuity plan." The bank has a disaster recovery (DR) site at Chennai. The data at the main center is replicated in real-time on-line at the Chennai site. The data is stored on the servers at the DR site and the database is constantly replenished. If some disaster was to occur, data (up to the last second) will be replicated, and be available. This gives both, the bank and the customer a feeling of security.

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Networking on HDFC

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