Welcome to the Novel Concepts Infrastructure Group
The Novel Concepts Infrastructure Group is a group of enthusiasts and consultants who's expertise include LAN administration, information security, policy creation and enforcement, all the way to total infrastructure design and implementation. These individuals run various projects on Novel Concepts, in the community, and for private enterprise. To contact an Infrastructure Group representative, please click the contact link in the top menu.
Internal Infrastructure
The Infrastructure Group is responsible not only for our community projects and outside consulting, but also for novcon's own internal infrastructure needs. The backend systems on our intranet rely on a diverse collection of technology which includes the following:
- Linux workstations and servers
novcon currently uses Ubuntu workstations and CentOS servers
- Windows workstations
We have various windows workstations and servers which are integrated with our linux and mac infrastructure
- Macintosh workstations
Our workhorses for the design group are various Macintosh computers running Mac OS 10.5.2
- Firewalls and VPNs
Our core unit is currently a pc-based firewall running Endian Community Edition. We also employ Trendnet, Netscreen and Linksys gear for our endpoints.
- Switches and Routers
- VOIP
We use a trixbox server running in a virtual machines.
- Virtual Environments
novcon has found the ultimate hosting platform! Well, ok. We can't really claim credit for it. It turns out that a Mac Mini is capable of running several virtual machines under vmware fusion without a hitch. Our VOIP server and main intranet server are hosted on the same mini as a development windows server. We also have dedicated servers for various tasks.
- Web Software
This list will probably be updated over time. If you have any questions about technologies listed above, feel free to contact us using the contact link in the top menu.
Research Projects
Internal experimentation and evaluation at novcon currently includes the following technologies:
- IBM Lotus Domino
Domino has come a very long way in the last few years, and it is an extremely capable solution. What we really like about it is the ability to create mashup applications from existing databases in a very short time. We are evaluating domino and other lotus solutions for possible incorperation in the novcon intranet at a later date, as well as for consulting options down the road.
- Network Monitoring
While we do have a number of network monitoring solutions in place, we are evaluating several new packages in search of a low cost solution that is flexible and expandable enough to handle enterprise installations. So far we have evaluated nagios, centreon, and zenoss.
