Database Infrastructure Fundamentals

As you continue through the SQL Server Database Administration series, get the foundational information, concepts, and background knowledge that you need to be a successful database administrator. Although your job may not require that you deploy a server or configure TCP/IP settings, you need to understand the basic underlying infrastructure that your database systems are running on. With the increasing move to cloud computing, it becomes even more important, as a database administrator, to know how computer resources, storage, networking, and security are configured and will affect your systems.

Start with an overview of compute resources and how SQL Server works with operating systems. Explore hardware, from CPU to drives, strengths and weaknesses of different types of storage, and memory options. Learn about networking terminology and the various types of networks—peer-to-peer, client-server, LAN, WAN, and more—and find out how they work. Then get important security details. Hear about users, groups, roles—who you are and what you can do. Plus, look at permissions, encryption, and public key cryptography. With these critical insights, demos, and best practices, add key skills and concepts to your database administrator expertise.