Layer 4
Optimize speed and throughput with Layer 4 load balancing. Explore essential techniques like DSR and NAT, understand the benefits, core differences from Layer 7, and learn how to deliver high-performance, transparent application traffic.
Storage
How to load balance a MariaDB Galera Cluster for performance and HA using LVS & Ldirectord
While a single MariaDB server might suffice for your application's backend, a MariaDB Galera Cluster offers significant advantages, making it a far superior solution...
Direct Server Return
The complete guide to Layer 4 load balancing: How it works, when to use, and how to configure
Layer 4 load balancing is a quick way of distributing application or network traffic across multiple servers...
How to overcome the peculiarities of load balancing Cisco ACI environments
A customer was having challenges deploying load balancers in their Cisco ACI environment. So we set to work finding a solution...
Comparisons
Compare Layer 4, 7, and Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) techniques
The first question we always ask our customers is: "are you looking for performance, reliability, maintainability — or all three?"..
Direct Server Return
Achieving unrivaled performance with media and video streaming on demand
For the uninitiated, layer 4 DR mode is a high performance load balancing method available on our appliances. It works by having all response traffic flow from the servers straight back to the clients...
Automation
Solving the Layer 4 ARP problem on Linux with Ansible
The ARP problem for Layer 4 DR (Direct Routing) mode is something that needs to be solved for each of your Real Servers in the virtual service...
How-tos
How to achieve client source IP transparency with your load balancer
Working with our pre-sales customers, there is a misconception that you always need source IP transparency - which is not always the case...
Performance
Layer 4 vs Layer 7 load balancing - we still love DSR, but…
Direct server return, direct routing - no matter what you call it, using DSR maximises the throughput of return traffic and allows for near endless scalability. Here's why we still love it...
Direct Server Return
15 years later, we still love DSR: Why Layer 4 DR mode rocks
For the uninitiated, Direct Server Return is a clever trick which entails directly routing packets to the chosen real server...
Direct Server Return
Why Direct Server Return (DSR) is simply awesome
Direct Server Return (DSR) is my favorite way to load balance application servers because it’s simple, transparent, and super fast...
Direct Server Return
Yahoo’s L3 Direct Server Return (DSR), an alternative to LVS-TUN, explored
L3 DSR is an alternative technique to achieve direct server return at Layer 3. Instead of using an IPIP tunnel like LVS-TUN it changes the destination IP address like LVS-NAT when sending the traffic to the real server...
Direct Server Return
Layer 4 Direct Routing (LVS-DR) and Layer 4 TUN (LVS-TUN) in AWS
LVS-DR and LVS-TUN are both forms of Direct Server Return where the load balancer only has to deal with one half of the connection...
Layer 4
How to enable SNAT in LVS (xt_ipvs) and iptables
The vast majority of layer 4 load balancers use LVS in two-arm NAT mode...
Direct Server Return
Load balancing via Direct Routing has several key advantages over NAT based methods
One of the (many) traditional problems with load balancing is the requirement to change your infrastructure in order to implement a hardware load balancer...
Direct Server Return
Direct Routing aka. Direct Server Return — How to solve the ARP problem on Windows Server 2022
Direct Routing aka. Direct Server Return (DSR) aka. N-Path is a great load balancing method. And it is, without doubt, the fastest method possible...