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Why are Loadbalancer.org appliances so
reasonably priced? |
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Originally
we worked with large ISP partners who needed a simple cost effective
load balancer to re-brand and re-sell to their customers. We only use
Open Source technology to reduce development overheads. We strive to
keep low overheads with minimal marketing so that you get these great
appliances for half the price you would expect. |
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Can
I load balance SAP, SIEBEL, ORACLE, PEOPLESOFT, etc? |
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You
can load balance ANY TCP or UDP packets, but you meant to say:
Will the
load balancer magically fix a poorly designed application?
No. If your application does not have a persistent backend storage
device (a database) then you only get increased performance, failover
will lose the session. THIS IS THE SAME FOR ALL LOAD
BALANCERS - NO PERSISTENCE IN THE APPLICATION = NO SESSION FAILOVER. Persistence
by source ip address is useful for: Terminal Services, Streaming Media
and HTTPS. Persistence is fully supported by every Loadbalancer.org
appliance. Loadbalancer.org appliances also support cookie insertion
and re-write. |
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Don't
I need a layer 7 switch? |
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Loadbalancer.org
appliances fully support Layer 7 switching utilizing the high
performance Ha-Proxy. But, a layer 7
switch is basically a proxy server. Layer 7 switching is very slow.
Instead of switching by URL just switch at layer 4 using DNS. For
example instead of switching on /shop and /browse switch on
shop.mysite.com and browse.myshop.com.
Don't believe the
marketing hype over a very simple and slightly pointless technology.
If you want to scale out a Layer 7 solution then take a look at Willy
Tarreau's excellent article.
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Don't
I need SSL switching or acceleration? |
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Loadbalancer.org
appliances fully support SSL termination using Pound.
This is to enable the load balancer to process SSL Layer 7 traffic
including cookies etc. If you want to scale a solution like this you
may want to invest in some cheap SSL accelerators.
If you are working at Layer 4 as recommended you don't need to worry
about SSL acceleration, what the heck do you think you have a load
balancer for? Just add more SSL capable web servers.
NB. If anyone can explain what
possible use SSL switching is please let us know. |
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Don't
I need Cookie/URL/SSL persistence? |
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Loadbalancer.org
appliances fully support Layer 7 switching and cookie persistence
utilizing the high performance Ha-Proxy.
But, you should never require
persistence on
your load balancers, that's just poor design.
If your application is so poorly coded that it needs persistence then
source ip persistence works fine, whereas cookie/url/SSL are client
dependent.
Persistence is sensible for something like Windows Terminal Server (to
keep the same session) or HTTPS (to avoid excessive re-negotiation of
keys). Remember, if you REQUIRE persistence you'll get NO FAILOVER!
HOW TO:
Configure ASP.NET for Persistent SQL Server Session State Management |
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Don't
I need GSLB (Global Server Load Balancing)? |
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Nice idea, shame
it doesn't work. The only method that works is to use multiple DNS A
records and BGP which your ISP can sort out for you. GSLB is a
marketing gimmick and does not work.
Why DNS Based
Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) Doesn’t Work.
Before you use GSLB for failover have you first made your primary site
indestructible? i.e.
2 x Internet feeds
2 x Switch fabrics
2 x Firewalls
2 x Load balancers
3+ x Web Servers
2+ x Database Servers
More sensible thoughts on GSLB:
http://blogs.sun.com/davew/entry/thoughts_on_global_server_load
http://devcentral.f5.com/weblogs/ksalchow/archive/2009/06/03/shame-on-gslb-shame-on-me.aspx
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Can't
I just use the load balancer in Windows Advanced Server? |
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Um,
it's expensive, CPU & network intensive and doesn't even
support application health checking. Microsoft explain for themselves
just how bad it is here.
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Don't
I need a consultant? |
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No.
It's child's play to set up a Loadbalancer.org appliance.
NB. This is also why your consultant
will try to sell you a product that requires a week long boot camp to
understand how to switch it on.
If you would prefer to use a consultant just ask one of your choice to
contact us directly for back up and support. |
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Can
I have 24*7 support? |
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Yes,
our Premium support package is 24*7 with a 1 hour SLA. Send an email to
support@loadbalancer.org
and we will endeavor to answer your question as fast as we can. If you
prefer you can use the 24 hour call center to do exactly the
same thing. |
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Can
I have on site 4 hour response hardware maintenance? |
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No.
Why not buy a Hot Spare / Dev unit instead? We give a large discount on
a 3rd load balancer appliance purchased at the same time. You can also
use the Software Virtual Appliance as a drop in replacement in the
event of a disaster. |
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Can
I have next day hardware replacement? |
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Yes,
we can offer next day hardware replacement in America & Europe,
with best effort in other locations. |
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Can
I load balance two Internet connections? |
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No.
That's called 'link balancing' or 'WAN
balancing'. try Riverbed.
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