DMZ VM design




Please excuse the basic graphic but it illustrates the point.
More and more I am seeing companies implementing VMWare servers in a similar manner to the image here. They are using separate NIC`s for LAN and DMZ but essentially are hosting all DMZ and LAN servers on a single VMWare server. When challenged about this, it ultimately comes down to the cost savings etc. I am a great believer in virtualization, however not as depicted here. In my opinion DMZ guest systems should always be running on separate physical hardware to the LAN Servers (Whether VM or not).

The DMZ is typically used to host servers which are internet facing and therefore by default more prone to being attacked. If a DMZ server is compromised then in a good design, the path to the internal network is through an ACL on the firewall and therefore can be controlled very strictly from a single point. If this is then deployed as per the diagram, a compromised DMZ server on the same VM architecture to the LAN severs somewhat circumnavigates the security provided by the firewall if the VM host itself can be compromised.

The document attached is from VMWare and discusses their options for this deployment.  There are several configurations offered but my preference would be to keep the firewall as the main point of security.
VMware DMZ Deployment

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