The Application Front End
Understanding Next-Generation Load Balancing AppliancesWhite Paper
Overview
To accelerate download times for end users and provide a high performance, highly secure foundation for Web-enabled content and applications, networking functions need to be streamlined. Increasing the physical number of point product hardware appliances has proven ineffective. An integrated solution that takes a comprehensive approach to application delivery is needed. Learn about:
The limitations of data center Web architectures based upon multiple, disparate point solutions
Application Front Ends; integrated functions and associated benefits Array Networks’ industry leading AFE implementation
The
Application
Front End
Understanding Next-Generation Load Balancing Appliances
Introduction
Today’s Internet users demand faster and faster download times for dynamic Web content and enterprise applications. The “eight second”
rule no longer applies in today’s Internet marketplace. As the demand for more and more content at accelerated speeds continues to grow, businesses are forced to find ways of being able to meet this rising demand. The initial industry response was to purchase more servers, firewalls, routers, caching devices, switches and point acceleration appliances. This attempted solution only succeeded in shifting network bottlenecks while increasing cost and complexity in the network. In typical data centers, URL requests must travel a path through several appliances, supplied by numerous vendors, to access desired data.
Figure 1: Typical Data Center Web Architecture
To decrease download times for end users and provide a high performance, highly secure foundation for Web-enabled content and applications, networking functions need to be streamlined. Increasing the physical number of point product hardware appliances has proven ineffective.
Copyright © 2004 Array Networks, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Understanding Next-Generation Load Balancing Appliances
An integrated solution that takes a comprehensive approach to application delivery is needed, a solution that:
Provides multi-layer security and guaranteed availability, “must haves” without which nothing else matters
Dramatically improves end-user application experience, enhancing workforce productivity and customer loyalty
Improves infrastructure utilization while eliminating cost and complexity, allowing you to do more with less - more easily
The Application Front End
Array Networks’ patent-pending technology is enabling network managers to integrate key functions into one solution. Array Application Front End (AFE) appliances truly integrate the critical networking functions of server load balancing, global server load balancing, link load balancing,
application firewall, clustering, SSL acceleration, compression, and caching. This single, integrated approach to complex networking functionality virtually eliminates compatibility issues that have become commonplace when IT professionals are forced to rely on multiple vendors to supply system elements individually.
Figure 2: Next-Generation Data Center Web Architecture
The
Application
Front End
The
Application
Front End
Understanding Next-Generation Load Balancing Appliances
Integrated Application Optimization & Security
Fully integrated Array Application Front End appliances perform the following functions:
Server Load Balancing
Array appliances employ multiple orthogonal approaches for mapping connectivity to the Web. The appliances support up to four thousand separate virtual services and real services organized by real service groups. The Array uses content mapping rules to map URLs to distinct real service groups to balance loads across multiple servers. Each appliance uses standard or weighted round robin or least connections as the balancing protocol to determine the most efficient server.
Global Server Load Balancing
Array AFE appliances analyze client HTTP requests for data, and current Web traffic conditions, to balance loads according to
geographical proximity and content type. If congestion exists at a Web server farm in one region, or if a Web farm in another region can serve the content more expediently, the Array appliance redirects the client’s HTTP request to the appropriate alternate region.
ISP Link Load Balancing
Array appliances easily distribute traffic across multiple network links without configuring complex BGP settings on routers. The feature is an essential component in an overall performance, disaster recovery, and cost reduction strategy - continuously monitoring the health of multiple links and automatically and intelligently redirecting traffic to higher availability or lower cost links as appropriate.
Webwall Application Firewall
The Array appliance contains several built-in security mechanisms to protect Web servers from attack. The Array offers access control lists;
protection against syn-flood attacks, fragmentation, and DoS attacks;
and stateful packet inspection as well as single packet attack prevention. This level of content integrity reduces the need for third party firewalls and multiple DMZs. It is also worth noting that
administration of the platform is only possible over secure channels.
Copyright © 2004 Array Networks, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The
Application
Front End
Understanding Next-Generation Load Balancing Appliances
Clustering
Array Networks’ proprietary technology and clustering capabilities allow network managers to seamlessly add capacity and availability to their Web infrastructure. Each Array platform in a cluster acts independently to route incoming content requests while simultaneously monitoring the other units for both load balancing and efficiency. If any unit in the cluster falls below performance parameters, another unit takes over immediately and the load is adjusted accordingly. Up to 32 Array appliances can be clustered to provide industry-leading levels of scalability and availability.
Connection Multiplexing
As the number of connections coming to a server increases, eventually the server runs out of resources. Connection multiplexing converts a large number of short connections into a much smaller number of higher-throughput connections. The feature takes advantage of server bulk-throughput optimized settings without changing configurations or content – significantly improving server utilization.
SSL Acceleration
The Array AFE acceleration proxy accepts secure connections from end users, performs decryption, and forwards requests on to Web servers or the Array cache. As cleartext responses come back, the SSL proxy re- encrypts them and sends them back to the end user. This allows the cleartext connections to exist only in a private (and secure) network, while encrypted connections are required for transmitting to end users on the Internet or an insecure network. Offloading CPU-intensive SSL encryption and decryption is yet another method by which the Array AFE significantly improves server performance.
SpeedCache Server Side Caching
Array appliances designate up to 2GB of RAM for server side (reverse proxy caching) caching. Array AFEs utilizes a fast parsing algorithm processing HTTP requests from end users through to the server and back again. Each cacheable element delivered from a Web server farm employing an Array solution is stored for future delivery, increasing embedded content delivery speeds, while being fully HTTP 1.0 and 1.1 compliant.
Compression
The
Application
Front End
Understanding Next-Generation Load Balancing Appliances
Array SpeedStack Technology
Point networking solutions spend up to 80% of their processing time managing TCP/IP and parsing HTTP requests; as processing is repeated for each solution added to a network, performance suffers.
Array SpeedStack™ technology performs TCP/IP and HTTP processing once in a manner that eliminates the need for repeat work. While
competitors attempt to re-purpose legacy products to serve the evolving needs of the enterprise data center and Web-enabled applications, Array is the only vendor providing solutions built from the ground up and optimized for next-generation networks. Array’s patent-pending
SpeedStack technology delivers a level of performance simply not possible with point solutions or integrated solutions based on legacy technology
Unprecedented Product Value
Array Networks integrates SLB, GSLB, LLB, application firewall, connection multiplexing, SSL acceleration, compression, and caching into one platform, which can be clustered for redundancy, scalability, and unprecedented performance. Array Networks’
Application Front End appliances offer an integrated solution for the enterprise data center that delivers unprecedented value:
Reduces server load by requiring fewer requests for the origin server to process
Offers full content management functions that start at the server and end at the edge of the Internet
Simple installation of single or cluster of platforms
Substantially leverages current Web server farm infrastructure Integrated solution drastically reduces equipment costs
Reduced latency by delivering cacheable data from regions closer to the client’s POP at the edge of the Internet
Eliminates multiple component compatibility issues Scalability and robustness against flash crowds
Copyright © 2004 Array Networks, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The
Application
Front End
Understanding Next-Generation Load Balancing Appliances
Summary
With Array Application Front End appliances, the capital investment required for optimal application performance is dramatically reduced. To gain the same functionality provided by an Array appliance, network managers would have to purchase, and configure, as many as twelve (with redundancy) separate components of hardware and software. And even with these unnecessary expenditures, wouldn’t be able to match the performance of the Array integrated Application Front End
appliance.
About Array Networks
Array Networks is a world leader in secure application
acceleration and deployment appliances for global enterprises.
Built upon the Array SpeedStack(TM) technology, Array’s unified
secure content access solutions enable industry-leading
performance, integration, scalability and ease of implementation
and management. Headquartered in Milpitas, California with
sales offices in the U.S., Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America,
Array engineers and manufactures its products in the Silicon
Valley and sells them through direct and indirect channels across
the globe.
Array Networks, Inc.
www.arraynetworks.net
