Nortel Networks WEB OS 212777 - Manual (Page 118)

Web OS 10.0 Application Guide
118 n Chapter 6: Server Load Balancing
212777-A, February 2002
Understanding Server Load Balancing
SLB benefits your network in a number of ways:
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Increased efficiency for server utilization and network bandwidth
With SLB, your Alteon Web switch is aware of the shared services provided by your
server pool and can then balance user session traffic among the available servers. Impor-
tant session traffic gets through more easily, reducing user competition for connections on
overutilized servers. For even greater control, traffic is distributed according to a variety
of user-selectable rules.
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Increased reliability of services to users
If any server in a server pool fails, the remaining servers continue to provide access to
vital applications and data. The failed server can be brought back up without interrupting
access to services.
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Increased scalability of services
As users are added and the server pool’s capabilities are saturated, new servers can be
added to the pool transparently.
Identifying Your Network Needs
SLB may be the right option for addressing these vital network concerns:
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A single server no longer meets the demand for its particular application.
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The connection from your LAN to your server overloads the server’s capacity.
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Your NT and UNIX servers hold critical application data and must remain available even
in the event of a server failure.
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Your Web site is being used as a way to do business and for taking orders from customers.
It must not become overloaded or unavailable.
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You want to use multiple servers or hot-standby servers for maximum server uptime.
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You must be able to scale your applications to meet client and LAN request capacity.
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You can’t afford to continue using an inferior load-balancing technique, such as DNS
round robin or a software-only system.