RE: Info Request: Looking for alternatives in HA/Load balancing firewalls that are also scalable and modular. . .

["Paul Melson" <pmelson () gmail com>]

-----Original Message-----
are also scalable and modular. . .

> We're currently spec'ing functional requirements for a new web-based
implementation of a 
> number of enterprise apps.  One obvious problem is the firewall system: it
needs to be both 
> load-balancing and high-availability, AND scalable.  We're still getting a
feel for 
> potential traffic, but we expect to have a requirement for in-line
expansion of the system 
> while remaining online.

Sounds like a big firewall.  I'm curious, though, as to why load-balancing
is a requirement.  My experience has been that an appropriately-sized single
firewall as part of a fail-over pair is more reliable and performs better
than a comparable load-balanced firewall.  


> One of the obvious candidates is the Nortel Alteon platform, but that 
> also limits us to FW-1.   We're nowhere close to downselect on a 
> platform or a firewall, but I'm looking for alternative platforms to start
getting info on, 
> so we can make sure the requirements we develop can actually be
IMPLEMENTED in reality. . .

If it were me, I'd look at SPLAT with ClusterXL over Alteon.  You'll lay out
some dough for load-balancing with ClusterXL, but at least the hardware can
be (relatively) cheap.

The only other firewall vendor I can think of that does (or at least claims
to do) load-balancing is Symantec Enterprise Firewall.  However, you may
also want to look at third-party load-balancing solutions like Radware
FireProof or Foundry ServerIron.

PaulM


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