Server Load Balancing (Paperback)

by Tony Bourke (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
An increasing number of shops are putting clustering and load-balancing technologies into place so as to provide high availability and an economic way to scale server capacity. The slender Server Load Balancing explains the state of the art in multiple-server technologies implemented at Layers 4 and 5 on the OSI network model. Though author Tony Bourke includes a fair bit of good information on configuring four commercial load-balancing solutions, the most valuable part of his work is his high-level discussions of how load balancing fits into a larger network environment, and his explanations of the relative merits of alternative approaches to the problem. A comparison of flat-based solutions with designs based on Network Address Translation (NAT) is part of this book's value; further appeal takes the form of dozens of network diagrams that document typical working solutions.

Bourke shows his familiarity with real-life design constraints by documenting various load-balancing solutions and pointing out what each can do for an organization--he points out that a host that implements a NAT-based balancing solution can double as a firewall, thereby saving some money that would have been required for a dedicated security device. He also provides introductory material on the competing solutions' administration interfaces, enabling implementers to get a head start on their work without wading into vendor documentation. --David Wall

Topics covered: The problems presented by requirements for high availability and failover, and the solutions that server load balancing can provide. In addition to general information on flat- and NAT-based load balancing solutions, this book documents strategies for implementing Alteon WebSystems, Cisco CSS, F5 BIG-IP, and Foundry ServerIron.

Review
'This has been well written with clear precise instructions, together with diagrams, on the many subjects, thus ensuring that the network administrator, not only understands the reasons behind the tasks, but also provides clear instructions in a step by step process.' www.four-runner.com

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.; 1 edition (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596000502
• ISBN-13: 978-0596000509
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #587,075 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Only deals with the simple web server load balancing, October 30, 2001

By A Customer

This deals mainly the web based load balancing. This is the simplest solution since the sessions only last for ms. It has a good hands on approach to router configuration and network design but lacks hardcore application design that this topic deserves.

There is no discussion on complex systems which require sessions to last for days and how to distribute state between multiple servers. There is also no discussion on locking mechanisms, determining load, primary/backup determination, latency across WANs, distributed objects, DB failover, server synchronization, heartbeat implementations, shifting load for scheduled down time, or dynamic router configuration or alternative scheduling mechanism apart from round robin.

I think the title "Web Server Load Balancing" would be a more appropriate title and if that is what your goal is then this is the book for you.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dissappointing, April 19, 2002

By	Pyschederilict "Pyschederilict" (Sparta, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

I expected a lot more from this book that while admittedly was the first that covered the topic, but did not really explain things in detail. Half of the book is on configurations that you can download from vendor web sites and the real design issues are never really addressed. The author runs a web site on teh topic and also is a known expert so this made the book more dissappointing.
The first O'Reilly book I have ever regretted buying.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars At the title I was impressed, July 25, 2005

By	C. Miller "IdoNotes" (Missouri) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

But after digging into the content I was forced to re-evaluate my first impression. I looked to this book to guide me through numerous pieces and choices of server load balancing on a fair but balanced agenda. What I found was far too much information that was simply digested and reformatted from vendor and free areas.

I look to an expert on a topic to give new insight and twists to anything they write. The lack of any personal commitment or recommendation was surprising. Which made the book more into a mid-level technical guide with no path or strategy summary as I would expect. A good beginner type book for the basic information. It was well organized and had decent flow. Chapter 5 seemed to offer the most promise, but never quite concluded with anything concrete.