[ExchangeList] Re: SMTP Load Balancer

my advise:

- buildout network redundancy - just consider it, even if it's a much cheaper 
backup circuit. use bgp multihoming to advertise your public ip blocks.  
otherwise investing in a complex interior would be moot if you lost local loop 
- connectivity to your upstream provider.  perhaps it's a data center and you 
have some additonal confidence in the local side.

- load-balancing - we implement and maintain most of the commercial 
loadbalancers, windows NLB and also some open source.   use windows NLB if all 
you need to do is basic 2 system and smtp. it's pretty easy to use. if you have 
more advanced application needs, avialablity/performance awareness and larger 
number of systems then consider a dedicated hardware solution.  We have recntly 
started doing more work with coyote point LBs.  They are much cheaper than F5 
or netscalar (but without many of the bells and wistles, more advanced 
technologies).  They make the jump from server based to central based a little 
more rational,  again, depending on your needs.

hit me off-line if you'd like to chat more re the network and LB thoughts.

byron
Byron Kennedy 
Principal
kennedytechnologygroup

www.kennedytechgroup.com

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Chris Wall 
  To: exchangelist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2006 11:05 AM
  Subject: [ExchangeList] Re: SMTP Load Balancer


  We used to use the BigIP devices as well, but since NLB (network load 
balancing) was introduced for free with Windows 2003, we use that as our 
solution and no longer use the expensive BigIP devices.

   

  I would recommend looking into that.


  Chris

   


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  From: exchangelist-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
[mailto:exchangelist-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Mike French
  Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2006 1:52 PM
  To: exchangelist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  Subject: [ExchangeList] SMTP Load Balancer

   

  Kinda off topic? But I have to ask:

   

  Scenario:

   

  Multiple Firewalls (5) on the perimeter

  Single Large pipe to the INET

   

  We need to load balance SMTP traffic to the Perimeter firewalls (SMTP is the 
only concern), if firewall 1 is saturated then go to firewall 2 and so on. 

   

  My question is, since I have little experience with load balancers, anyone 
have a short list of vendors that they have had good luck with that provides 
this type of load balancing? I would imagine this scenario would be pretty 
simple. F5 BIG-IP for instance? Or is that over kill? Just looking to narrow 
down a search without having to "Drink the Kool-aid" from vendor contacts.. 

   

  Mike French

  Acclaim Networks
  754 Port America Place
  Suite 150
  Grapevine, TX 76051
  (888) 327-5647
  (817) 488-1030 x104
  FAX (817) 488-1103
  Mike.French@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
  www.acclaimnetworks.com

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