[TriLUG] [OT] Content/Load Balancing switches

[bak]

Hi folks!  I'm new to the list (and to the area) and delurking.

I've used Radware, F5, and HP SAs as an admin.

My 2-minute executive overview take:

Radware is great for a switch-like, low-key experience.  They're 
relatively cheap for hardware load balancers.  You get extra 
functionality like SSL and link balancing with extra bits of hardware.  
Sometimes they can be pretty hard to troubleshoot.  If you want global 
balancing/failover, that's part of all their "AS" type switches.

F5 is the other 'big name' option.  These boxes are more like Brocade 
switches: it's running embedded Linux in there, and if you want to run 
tcpdump, you can.  You get extra functionality by buying a 'bigger' box 
and then paying F5 for more licensing.  If you want to do global 
balancing/failover, you have to get one of their DNS devices.

If you have money to wave around, I've found both Radware and F5 are 
more than happy to give you a demo unit for 2-4 weeks.

--bak

Matt Pusateri wrote:
> We use radware at our corporate office and at one of our overseas's
> offices, so I would say we're happy with radware as well.
>
> Matt
>
> On Tue, January 9, 2007 6:32 am, Tarus Balog wrote:
>   
>> On Jan 8, 2007, at 6:05 PM, Chris Bullock wrote:
>>
>>     
>>> We are possibly getting ready to start supporting a vendor that can
>>> use load balancing.  What are the preferred vendors and models for
>>> load balancers?  My preference is for HP but I have been told that
>>> HP has discontinued their line of load balancing switches.  I would
>>> prefer *not* to buy Cisco, just because I dislike their stratagy of
>>> having to purchase upgrades and I also dislike their license model,
>>> but please lets not go off on that tangent.
>>>       
>> I'm at a client site that is using Radware and seems happy with it,
>> FWIW.
>>
>> -T
>>
>> _______________________________________________________________________
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