This chapter lists the configuration features of the Load Balancer components so you can determine which features to use for managing your network:
To optimize balancing the load across servers and ensure that the "right" server is chosen, see:
Dispatcher supports load balancing across your servers for HTTP, FTP, SSL, SMTP, NNTP, IMAP, POP3, Telnet, SIP, and any other TCP or stateless UDP based application.
When load balancing SSL (HTTPS) traffic:
In order to direct clients to different sets of servers for the same Web address, you can add "rules" to your Dispatcher configuration. For more information, see Configure rules-based load balancing.
To ensure SSL clients return to the same SSL server based on SSL ID in the client request, see the section on >configuring content-based routing with SSL.
To direct HTTP clients to different sets of servers using rules based on matching the URL content of the client request, see Dispatcher's content-based routing (cbr forwarding method) and Using rules based on the request content for more information.
The advantage of using Dispatcher's cbr forwarding method is that it provides a faster response to client requests than the CBR component. Also, Dispatcher's cbr forwarding does not require the installation and use of Caching Proxy.
If your network includes fully secure SSL (client through server) traffic, the advantage of using the CBR component (in conjunction with Caching Proxy) is that it can process the encryption and decryption required in order to perform content-based routing. For fully secure connections, the Dispatcher's cbr forwarding can only be configured with SSL ID affinity because it cannot process the encryption and decryption to perform true content-based routing on the client request's URL.
Wide area load balancing can be achieved through several different methods.
CBR integrates load balancing with WebSphere® Application Server's Caching Proxy to proxy client requests to specified HTTP or HTTPS (SSL) servers. To use CBR, Caching Proxy must be installed and configured on the same machine. For information on how to configure Caching Proxy in order to use CBR, see Step 1. Configure Caching Proxy to use CBR.
With the CBR component (or the Dispatcher component's cbr forwarding method), you can provide the following advantages to your clients:
If your network requires fully secure SSL traffic (client through server), the advantage of using the CBR component (in conjunction with Caching Proxy) is that it can process SSL encryption/decryption in order to perform content-based routing.
For fully secure SSL connections, the Dispatcher's cbr forwarding can only be configured with SSL ID affinity because it cannot process the encryption/decryption to perform true content-based routing on the client request's URL.
For HTTP traffic, the advantage of using Dispatcher's cbr forwarding method is that it provides a faster response to client requests than the CBR component. Also, Dispatcher's cbr forwarding does not require the installation and use of Caching Proxy.
To allow content-based routing of SSL traffic:
In order to direct clients to different sets of servers for the same Web address, you can add "rules" to your CBR configuration. For more information, see Configure rules-based load balancing.
Site Selector load balances a name service request across a group of servers.
To direct client requests to different sets of servers for domain name resolution, you can add "rules" to your Site Selector configuration. For more information, see Configure rules-based load balancing.
Site Selector can run in both a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN).
In a WAN environment:
Cisco CSS Controller enhances the Cisco switches' server load-balancing capabilities with greater application and system awareness. The controller uses more application sensitive and system sensitive metrics to calculate server weights dynamically. The weights are provided to the switch using SNMP. The switch uses the weights when processing client requests resulting in server load optimization and improved fault tolerance.
To optimize balancing the load across servers and ensure that the "right" server is chosen, see:
For more information about configuring high availability, see High availability.
Nortel Alteon Controller enhances the Nortel Alteon switches' server load-balancing capabilities with greater application and system awareness. The controller uses more application sensitive and system sensitive metrics to calculate server weights dynamically. The weights are provided to the switch using SNMP. The switch uses the weights when processing client requests resulting in server load optimization and improved fault tolerance.
To optimize balancing the load across servers and ensure that the "right" server is chosen, see:
For more information about configuring high availability, see High availability.