RE: Load is balanced web app is on Windows 2000 or 2003 servers?......

["Shawn Jackson" <sjackson () horizonusa com>]

        The Advanced Server and DataCenter editions have a NLB (Network
Load Balancing) as an option. I've used NLB as a load balancing solution
for a Terminal Server farm and its works well for the overall cost. I've
heard that using NLB with SQL Clustering works well, but have never
tried it. On a larger NLB we used Dell's BigIP as a balancing solution
with link state detection it worked fairly well at balancing a 'network'
load but didn't take into account system resources.

NLB Technical Overview:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/TechNet/prodt
echnol/windows2000serv/deploy/confeat/nlbovw.asp

NLB Terminal Services How To (Good for almost anything)
http://www.microsoft.com/seminar/shared/asp/view.asp?url=/Seminar/en/200
30424vcon91/manifest.xml

Win2K Resource (admin) Kit NLB Info
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/prodt
echnol/windows2000serv/reskit/distsys/part3/dsgch19.asp

Example Setup for a Web Application
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/itsol
utions/ecommerce/deploy/rollout/duwwsr.asp


Network load balancing can work in many different ways. You can have a
'round robin' configuration where connections alternate from server to
server. For web servers, especially geographically diverse web servers,
most people use a form of DNS load balancing, which is just a round
robin approach. From the experience I've had a stateful NLB solution
uses information on the other hosts in the 'cluster' to make decisions
on how to deal with the request. This information is usually a
heartbeat, link load detection, network traffic, request information,
processor/memory load, etc. 
A stateless solution is more like round-robin, where very little
information is required and tends to have much less overhead.

        Hope I could be of help!

Shawn Jackson
Systems Administrator
Horizon USA
1190 Trademark Dr #107
Reno NV 89521
www.horizonusa.com
 
Email: sjackson () horizonusa com
Phone: (775) 858-2338
       (800) 325-1199 x338

-----Original Message-----
From: zyberGeek () comcast net [mailto:zyberGeek () comcast net] 
Sent: Monday, December 01, 2003 3:15 PM
To: security-basics () securityfocus com
Subject: Load is balanced web app is on Windows 2000 or 2003
servers?......

Without acquiring an third party appliance or software, what would be
the best way to determine what the best setup for load is balanced web
app is on Windows 2000 or 2003 servers?

I am interested in learning configuration details about load balancing,
such as stateless vs. stateful, server affinity, etc.

Help, anyone?

Thanks,

Z.G

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