Topic: Load Balance Web Servers

[SSBN]

Load Balance Web Pages

I have a question about the infrastructure built around my SEM 6.0.1 servers. I have a modified smoothwall 2.0 firewall with two SME 6.0.1 servers and one BlueQuartz server in my DNZ. What I want to do is split up where my web pages are or load balance a bit. For example I would like mydomaine1.com through 5 on SME 6.0.1 one. Mydomaine6.com through ten on SME 6.0.1 two. My database1.com on bluequartz Server.

I have tried this with reveres proxy but interactive content won’t work for me. It just seems to display and not let you enter databases etc.

I am aware of a few hardware solutions like Cisco LocalDirector that I think will let me say mydomaine1.com through five go to 192.168.1.2 server then mydomaine6.com to 10 go to 192.168.1.3 server.

My question is if I put a DNS server in my DMZ between my firewall and my web servers would it let me do this. If not what is the best way for me to do this. I have found things like http://www.keepalived.org/ but I would like something a bit simpler if it exists.

[Damian]

Hi SSBN,

My experience with round-robin style load balancing (via DNS) is that it doesn't work too well. You're better off actually checking the loading of your http servers and allocating requests accordingly.

I've had success load balancing 2x RedHat machines running JBoss in the past using 2x Heartbeat Failover machines and 2x LVS RH machines (running the JBoss). I guess in your case you'd only need the LVS part as High Availability doesn't appear in your post.

Check out http://www.linuxvirtualserver.org/ if you haven't already.

Damian