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Nauticus Simplifies Load Balancing

N2000 configuration is a familiar process to those who use Cisco's IOS CLI (command-line interface). If you want a sexy UI, you won't be disappointed by the elegant, Flash-enhanced Web configuration option, complete with real-time statistical graphing.

The big drawback for those interested in gigabit connectivity is the use of small GBICs.




Nauticus N2000

click to enlarge

I needed to use FC-to-SC converters to connect to Spirent's WebAvalanche and WebReflector in our Green Bay, Wis., Real-World Labs®. I needed to do the same when connecting to Extreme Network's Summit7i--a necessity for including our Synthetic Network's gigabit copper-connected NetPressure clients for testing. The Nauticus processors cannot handle tristate interfaces, and, unfortunately, Nauticus chose 10/100 instead of a single-state gigabit copper interface, which the processors could support.

The most difficult part of configuration is adjusting to the device's virtual switching technology. The virtual switch (vSwitch) is like a VLAN for Layer 3 and above. It has its own memory and a user-configurable percentage of the processor. A vSwitch's routing tables (vRouter) and services are not accessible by other vSwitches; they are completely self-contained. Although it is possible to purchase an N2000 without this feature and use it as a strict Layer 4 server load-balancing device, the real power of the N2000 is in its virtualization and TCP termination capabilities.

Load Balancing

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