Comprehensive Overview of the IT System Architecture on Data center

This article outlines the architecture depicted in the provided diagram, detailing its key components and their interactions. The architecture integrates several essential technologies and services to deliver a robust, secure, and scalable IT solution.

1. Network Infrastructure

Router and Firewall

  • Acts as the first line of defense against external threats.
  • Facilitates secure communication between external clients (e.g., Android/iOS apps, web browsers) and the internal infrastructure.

Layer 2 Switch

  • Provides internal network connectivity, ensuring efficient data transmission between servers and services.
  • Operates at the data link layer to manage communication within the local network.

2. Access and Proxy Layer

Nginx Reverse Proxy

  • Handles incoming requests and routes them to appropriate backend services.
  • Provides SSL termination, load balancing, and caching for optimized performance.
  • Integrates with Keycloak for authentication and authorization.

Keycloak

  • Centralized identity and access management system.
  • Manages user authentication (e.g., OAuth2, OpenID Connect) and authorization.
  • Ensures secure access to backend services and APIs.

3. Application Layer

Apache with PHP-FPM

  • Hosts the application logic, handling user requests and executing PHP scripts.
  • Collaborates with Nginx for efficient request handling.
  • Integrates with backend services such as MySQL, Redis, and RabbitMQ.

Redis

  • Provides session handling for fast and reliable data storage.
  • Ensures user session persistence and scalability for high-traffic applications.

RabbitMQ

  • Message broker for asynchronous communication between services.
  • Manages background task queues and decouples components for better performance.

4. Database Layer

MySQL Master-Slave Configuration

  • MySQL Master: Handles write operations and processes complex queries.
  • MySQL Slave: Maintains a replicated copy of the master database for read operations, ensuring high availability and load balancing.
  • Supports horizontal scalability and reduces the load on the master database.

Sphinx Full-Text Search

  • Provides fast and efficient indexing and full-text search capabilities.
  • Works alongside MySQL for enhanced data retrieval, especially in large datasets.

5. Email and Communication Layer

Proxmox Mail Gateway

  • Protects the email system from spam and malware.
  • Acts as a relay between external email services and the internal mail server.

Mail Server (Postfix/Dovecot)

  • Postfix: Handles email delivery.
  • Dovecot: Manages email retrieval through POP/IMAP/Swift protocols.
  • Integrated with SpamAssassin for spam filtering.

6. External Interfaces

Clients

  • Android/iOS Devices: Access the system via mobile apps.
  • Web Browsers: Interact with the system through a web interface.
  • IoT Devices: Extend functionality for smart devices and sensors.

7. Data Flow and Communication

  1. Client Interaction:
    • External devices (e.g., Android, web browsers) send requests via the internet.
    • Requests are routed through the router, firewall, and Layer 2 switch to reach the Nginx reverse proxy.
  2. Authentication and Authorization:
    • Nginx forwards requests to Keycloak for user authentication and authorization.
    • Once validated, requests are sent to the backend application hosted on Apache with PHP-FPM.
  3. Session and Cache Management:
    • Redis handles user sessions to ensure a seamless experience.
  4. Database Operations:
    • Application writes data to the MySQL master database and reads from the MySQL slave for optimized performance.
    • Sphinx indexes data from MySQL for enhanced search capabilities.
  5. Message Queues:
    • Background tasks and inter-service communication are managed via RabbitMQ.
  6. Email Management:
    • Proxmox Mail Gateway processes incoming and outgoing emails, securing them from spam and malware.
    • Postfix and Dovecot handle email delivery and retrieval for end-users.

8. Scalability and Reliability

  • The architecture ensures scalability with a master-slave database setup and independent components.
  • Fault tolerance is achieved through message queuing and replication.
  • Reverse proxy and caching mechanisms enhance performance under heavy loads.

Conclusion

This architecture is a well-structured solution for modern applications, balancing security, scalability, and performance. By leveraging industry-standard tools like Nginx, Keycloak, Redis, RabbitMQ, and MySQL, it provides a resilient and adaptable foundation for diverse use cases.