Re: [gentoo-server] Load Balanced Web Host?

[Dan Podeanu]

Cisco delivers sortof enterprise class web clustering - Cisco Local Director
& co. Afaik they do stuff software.
Foundry Networks delivers enterprise class, hardware web clustering - Server
Iron series.

There are also a myriad (ok, 3-4 of them :p) of software solutions for posix
compatibles, but you'll have to google for them.

Depending on the size of your cluster, what exactly you need to do and what
you want to prevent, DNS round robin might or might not be a good idea. One
should write a book about it :)

Cheers,
Dan.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Sanders" <rob-lists@××××××××.com>
To: <gentoo-server@l.g.o>
Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2004 7:35 PM
Subject: Re: [gentoo-server] Load Balanced Web Host?


> On Thursday 08 April 2004 12:05 pm, Tony VanScoy wrote:
> > I just embarked on the ability to distribute compilation over a network
> > of machines using distcc.  I've always known about this capability but I
> > didn't think I'd have the hardware/software/money to do something like
> > that.  distcc to the rescue.
> >
> > The reason I covered that is because I share the same interest in load
> > balancing some of my web servers as I do distributed compilation.  But
> > can load balancing web servers be as simple as distcc?  I don't think
> > so.  I mean quite a bit more would have to go into somthing like this
> > right?  Can anyone give me some pointers??
>
>
> It could be as simple as using a round robin DNS entry.  While considered
a
> poor mans load balance, it has worked quite well for me in the past.  I've
> banaced two web servers, and they both run about 80Mbps at its peak.   You
> could double entry one host, and send it traffic twice as often (in
theory)
> to account for different types of machines.  It doesnt take load into
> consideration, and it not the best way to balance, but it works.
>
> Also, you could use hardware to do it.  You would have an external IP,
then
> create a nat enviroment for the servers.  OpenBSD kernel
> http://www.openbsd.org/faq/pf/pools.html
> is good at this, and provides a _very_ good enviroment.  You can do the
same
> in linux, its all your taste.  I prefer OpenBSD for dedicated network
> applications, but I don't use it for anything that is not directly
> intergrated (i.e web servers themselves).
>
> Cisco has some nice hardware balancers, and there are a few projects in
linux
> to do HA clustering.  I'll toss these 2 cents in the pool, and let others
add
> ;)
>
> Rob
>
>