F5 Labs Announces BIG/ip LB, A New Entry-Level Load Balancing Solution.SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 1998-- $9,990 for unlimited Internet server license F5 Labs, Inc., today announced the addition of a new entry-level product to its BIG/ip(R) family of intelligent load balancing and high availability solutions. The new product, called BIG/ip LB, enables smaller businesses to ensure the availability of their Web sites and other applications for just $9,990 for unlimited Internet servers and network devices. It also allows users to upgrade to more advanced BIG/ip systems without losing their investment in the entry-level product. "This product broadens our reach to offer load balancing protection to smaller companies that want to guarantee full-time access to their Web site or those that require high availability of other network functions," said Steve Goldman, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for F5 Labs. "With a low price point and a built-in migration path, BIG/ip LB provides key advantages over other entry-level solutions on the market." Like other members of the BIG/ip family, BIG/ip LB is an active device that intelligently allocates Internet and Intranet service requests across a group of network servers to ensure high availability of content and QoS for IP services for end users. The product intelligently load balances Web, e-mail, news, LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) A protocol used to access a directory listing. LDAP support is implemented in Web browsers and e-mail programs, which can query an LDAP-compliant directory. , telephony, multimedia and other IP protocol traffic; database access; and FTP FTP in full file transfer protocol Internet protocol that allows a computer to send files to or receive files from another computer. Like many Internet resources, FTP works by means of a client-server architecture; the user runs client software to connect to , firewall and cache server traffic, automatically routing client requests to the most available server. Key features of BIG/ip LB include: - Four load balancing options that allow administrators to route requests to the fastest server connection (fastest), the next server in a predetermined pre·de·ter·mine v. pre·de·ter·mined, pre·de·ter·min·ing, pre·de·ter·mines v.tr. 1. To determine, decide, or establish in advance: sequence (round robin), the server with the least number of current connections (least connects), or the server that best fits the request according to a system that assigns weights for factors such as server capacity (ratio). - BIG/config, a browser-based graphical installation and configuration tool that provides simple point-and-click configuration of all BIG/ip LB features. - Full security, including hardened operating system and encryption of all communication between the administrator and BIG/ip using the Secure Socket Layer (SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) The leading security protocol on the Internet. Developed by Netscape, SSL is widely used to do two things: to validate the identity of a Web site and to create an encrypted connection for sending credit card and other personal data. ). - Bi-directional Network Address Translation (NAT (Network Address Translation) An IETF standard that allows an organization to present itself to the Internet with far fewer IP addresses than there are nodes on its internal network. ) capability, simplifying network configuration for administrators. - Port mapping options that enable users to distribute network traffic across multiple ports, effectively multiplying the amount of traffic that can be routed in and out of a server, conserving IP addresses and optimizing utilization of network resources. - Persistent destination address capabilities that maximize the efficiency of caches by sending requests for the same destination to the same cache, minimizing the need for caches to retrieve content from the Internet. - Support for all TCP/IP TCP/IP in full Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol Standard Internet communications protocols that allow digital computers to communicate over long distances. protocols as well as any UDP UDP (uridine diphosphate): see uracil. (User Datagram Protocol) A protocol within the TCP/IP protocol suite that is used in place of TCP when a reliable delivery is not required. connectionless protocol, including streamed audio and video and Internet phone communications for interactive online applications. BIG/ip LB ships as a Pentium II 266MHz rackmount system with 64MB RAM (upgradeable to 1GB RAM), two 10/100 UTP Ethernet Interface Cards (upgradeable to Gigabit Ethernet or FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) Often pronounced "fiddy," it was a LAN and MAN access method that had its heyday in the mid-1990s. FDDI was an ANSI standard token passing network that transmitted 100 Mbps over optical fiber up to 10 kilometers. ), and full SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) A widely used network monitoring and control protocol. Data are passed from SNMP agents, which are hardware and/or software processes reporting activity in each network device (hub, router, bridge, etc. management capabilities. The product comes with 90-day free 12x5 telephone support. An annual priority service agreement with 12x7 toll free technical support, free software updates and 24-hour replacement is available separately for $2,000. Users requiring a redundant solution can trade up to F5's BIG/ip HA, which adds a second chassis for automatic failover, or BIG/ip HA+, a two-chassis Pentium II 450MHz system with 128MB RAM for higher bandwidth needs, at a substantial price advantage. Both BIG/ip HA and BIG/ip HA+ also offer traffic prioritization capabilities for rate shaping and e-commerce applications; IP packet filtering for enhanced security; and the ability to perform application layer testing to ensure that all the different processes involved in creating a dynamic page are thoroughly checked before service requests are routed to the client; and other value-added features. All BIG/ip products are vendor- and platform-independent solutions that do not require additional software installation on servers. They function with all TCP/IP-based operating systems including Windows NT, all UNIX UNIX Operating system for digital computers, developed by Ken Thompson of Bell Laboratories in 1969. It was initially designed for a single user (the name was a pun on the earlier operating system Multics). platforms and Mac/OS. BIG/ip LB will be available in February. For more information, visit http://www.f5.com or call 888/88-BIGIP (888/882-4447) or 206/447-1817. About F5 Labs F5 Labs, Inc., is a privately held software company funded, in part, by Menlo Ventures and IDG IDG International Data Group IDG Integrated Drive Generator IDG Installation Design Guide IDG Internet Discussion Group IDG Inset Dielectric Guide IDG International Dangerous Goods (mail, shipping) Ventures of Menlo Park and San Francisco, respectively. F5 Labs' BIG/ip(R) platform and 3DNS (Domain Name System) A system for converting host names and domain names into IP addresses on the Internet or on local networks that use the TCP/IP protocol. For example, when a Web site address is given to the DNS either by typing a URL in a browser or behind the * System enable organizations to provide reliable, consistent access to their mission critical Internet and Intranet applications through the fail-safe use of scalable content servers. The company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and has offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Boston, New York Boston is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 7,897 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Boston, Massachusetts. The Town of Boston is an interior town of the county and one of the county's "Southtowns. , Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Munich, Germany. F5 Labs is located on the web at www.f5.com. BIG/ip is a trademark of F5 Labs, Inc. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |
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