Radware today announced the introduction of the Cache Server Director ™ (CSD), an intelligent cache (proxy) server management and load balancing system. Designed for organizations that employ cache server farms on their networks, the CSD provides optimal utilization of Internet access and storage resources.
Traditionally, cache servers require a time-consuming client configuration procedure, and users that are not configured to a cache server access the Internet directly. This results in non-optimal use of cache resources, delay in response time, and wasted bandwidth. Radware's CSD eliminates the need to configure individual clients. It intercepts HTTP requests, according to predefined parameters, and redirects them to the cache server where the requested URLs have previously been stored.
The CSD provides full fault tolerance between cache servers. Should a cache server fail, the CSD will redirect all requests to another cache server, providing users with uninterrupted access to the Internet. In addition, the CSD offers complete redundancy between CSD units, assuring no single point of failure. These features together ensure maximum uptime of the caching service for the entire cache server farm.
Using a sophisticated smart caching mechanism, the CSD directs clients to the cache server where the requested URL has previously been stored, thereby eliminating duplication of cached information on different servers. "This highly advanced feature increases server hit rate, optimizes usage of cache server farms, and ultimately saves valuable access time spent retrieving Web pages directly from the Internet," said Roy Zisapel, president of Radware Ltd.
In addition, the CSD includes an advanced load balancing algorithm for handling client requests for non-cached URLs. The CSD checks the load on each cache server, ensuring that the load is distributed equally between the servers according to the load balancing scheme. This way, the performance of the entire cache server farm is optimized.
To further ensure even distribution of server load, the CSD intelligently monitors user requests for popular URLs and automatically transfers them to the least loaded cache server. This unique capability provides effective load balancing and minimizes the storage space required for caching.
The Radware CSD solution allows you to transparently incorporate any cache server in your server farm, enabling you to employ different cache servers with varying performance capabilities. In addition the CSD offers full scalability to ensure a smooth growth path.
Radware Ltd., a RND company, is a member of the multi-million dollar RAD Group, a family of 13 independent companies serving diverse markets and technological niches within the networking and communications industry. Radware provides enhanced information access by optimal utilization of server resources, be they Internet, Intranet, or Extranet applications. The company's flagship product, the Web Server Director ™ (WSD), is already installed in many Fortune 500 companies and is employed by major Internet Service Providers worldwide.
The WSD has been enthusiastically received by the professional data communications and internetworking communities and, in competition with all other major server load balancers, has won numerous awards, including the prestigious PC Magazine Editor's Choice award; Network magazine's Product of the Year 98 award; ZD Internet Lab's NetBest award; the Spring Internet World '98; Los Angeles, Best of Show award; and Network Computing's Best Value award.