NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: NEAL WEINBERG ON PRODUCT REVIEWS 11/11/04 Today's focus: Array Networks
Dear [EMAIL PROTECTED], In this issue: * A front-end device from Array Networks * Links related to Product Reviews * Featured reader resource _______________________________________________________________ This newsletter is sponsored by Cisco Systems Special Report: Bridging the Gap; Enterprise ROI IT professionals today don't indulge in the latest-greatest technology for their own sake; instead they concentrate efforts on projects that are most likely to help achieve business goals. Read about the challenges and opportunities when IT starts 'bridging the gap' and directly contributes to enterprise ROI. http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=87979 _______________________________________________________________ WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE NEW DATA CENTER? Sign up for Network World's Data Center Newsletter in which Johna Till Johnson and the team at Nemertes Research will provide an ongoing assessment of current data center business drivers and future trends; concrete advice and guidance for IT executives seeking to consolidate data centers, improve disaster recovery, and deploy virtualization techniques. Click here to subscribe: http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=87901 _______________________________________________________________ Today's focus: Array Networks By Neal Weinberg The Array TM is an example of a device that is good at many things, but does not excel in any one area. However, Array's delivery approach to front-end devices lets you buy a base unit with typical load-balance features and then add on other features as you need them. The Array TM's Web-based interface is generally clean and relatively intuitive but it's not without its quirks. A confusing GUI made it bothersome to determine if configuration changes took hold. We also had trouble with monitoring graphs for our unit even after an Array engineer investigated the problem. The core load-balancing features of the box contain familiar algorithms like round-robin and least connections. However, load balancing also can be based on URL request type. Even better, you can determine where to route a request based on arbitrary HTTP request headers values. TCP offload features are part of the equation helping to offload the back-end servers. The Array TM can perform basic URL rewriting such as changing file extensions from .asp to .htm or cleaning a query string from ?id=test to /id/test. Basic content filtering can be performed to block requests based on signatures you define. The Array documentation obtusely suggests the box supports response rewriting, but we couldn't get this to work. However, some basic response needs such as dumping server headers can be done from within the GUI. The Array's reverse-proxy cache feature called SpeedCache is well done and offers an ample cache size that ranges from 512M to 2G bytes depending on the device configuration. Caching is mostly automatic and invalidates changed content properly. The device also provides features to force objects in cache manually, as well as support for byte-ranges in cache, which would be useful for big files or PDF files in particular. We were happy to find the ability to inspect items in cache and flush them easily because that can be useful when debugging. Overall, if caching is one of the main features you want besides load balancing and connection management, the Array TM warrants a closer look. For the full report, go to: <http://www.nwfusion.com/reviews/2004/1025rev.html> RELATED EDITORIAL LINKS Array device protects biz traffic Network World, 02/17/03 http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2003/0217array.html Web front-ends shoot for speed, scalability Network World, 10/25/04 http://www.nwfusion.com/reviews/2004/1025revpresepective.html _______________________________________________________________ To contact: Neal Weinberg Neal Weinberg is features editor at Network World, in charge of product reviews, Buyer's Guides, technology primers, how-tos, issue-oriented feature stories and the Technology Insider series. You can reach him at <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. _______________________________________________________________ This newsletter is sponsored by Cisco Systems Special Report: Bridging the Gap; Enterprise ROI IT professionals today don't indulge in the latest-greatest technology for their own sake; instead they concentrate efforts on projects that are most likely to help achieve business goals. Read about the challenges and opportunities when IT starts 'bridging the gap' and directly contributes to enterprise ROI. http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=87978 _______________________________________________________________ ARCHIVE LINKS Reviews archive: http://www.nwfusion.com/reviews/index.html _______________________________________________________________ FEATURED READER RESOURCE NEW! Website dedicated to Networking for Small Business now available The editors of NW Fusion and PC World have combined all their expert advice, authority, and know-how into a powerful new tool for small businesses, the new Networking for Small Business website. Get news, how-to's, product reviews, and expert advice specifically tailored to your small business needs. Find help with Security, Broadband, Networking, Hardware, Software, and Wireless & Mobile technology at: <http://www.networkingsmallbusiness.com/> _______________________________________________________________ May We Send You a Free Print Subscription? You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered at your fingertips each day. Now, extend your knowledge by receiving 51 FREE issues to our print publication. 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