Designing Content Switching Solutions: (Networking Technology)

A practical guide to the design and deployment of content switching solutions for mission-critical applications in data center environments Design and deploy content switching solutions in the data center using this definitive guide Learn about various content switching design approaches with implementation details, requirements for each solution, and design caveats Examine detailed case studies that include configuration examples based on deployed content switching solutions Explore scaling server load balancing within the data center, integrated data center design, and GSLB using DNS or IP Assists network administrators in managing their content switching solutions With the advent of e-commerce and Internet-accessible applications, more and more enterprises and service providers rely on data center services to grow their businesses. Content switching solutions, such as load balancing, caching, and disaster recovery for applications, are an essential data center technology and a key to helping businesses run in an efficient and redundant fashion. Understanding content switching solutions is a must for network designers, engineers, and administrators who need to scale their networks to meet the demands of their business.   Designing Content Switching Solutions helps you understand content switching solutions using Cisco® content switching products. You’ll get a thorough grounding in the theories and concepts behind content switching and then examine specific solutions through case studies. The case studies in Designing Content Switching Solutions emulate real-world scenarios for the solutions covering some of the common features and functionality deployed in production networks.   Designing Content Switching Solutions begins by introducing you to server load balancing (SLB), load balancing HTTP, VPNs, firewalls, and migrations between SLB devices. From there, you move to Secure Socket Layer (SSL) using Cisco products, including providing end-to-end encryption from client to server using backend SSL. Later chapters explore advanced techniques, such as how to provide distributed data center solutions using global server load balancing (GSLB) and how to conduct scaling and integration of SLB with SSL and GSLB.   Intended for data center architects and managers, network engineers, network administrators, and project managers, Designing Content Switching Solutions shows you the best practices for each content switching solution, enabling you to design and deploy the most critical content switching solutions in the data center.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Introduction Part I    Server Load Balancing (SLB) Chapter 1    Introduction to Server Load Balancing     Why Load Balance?         Scalability         Availability and Redundancy         Security         Cost Effectiveness     History of Server Load Balancing         First-Generation Load Balancers         Second-Generation Load Balancers         Third-Generation Load Balancers     Characterization of the Application         Protocol and Port         Sessions per Second         Duration of Transaction         Concurrent Sessions         Idle Timeout         Back End Sessions         Session Stickiness     SLB and SLB Modes         Dispatch Mode         Directed Mode     SLB Designs         Layer 2 Design         Layer 3 Design         One-Armed Design         Direct Server Return     Deciding on a Load Balancer     Review of Infrastructure Design Concepts         VLANs         STP         Dot1Q Trunking         Dual Homed Servers     Summary Chapter 2    Introduction to the Cisco Content Services Switch     CSS 11500 Platforms Overview         CSS 11501         CSS 11503         CSS 11506     CSS 11500 Architecture         Distributed Architecture         CSS 11500 Modules         Switch Control Module for the Cisco 11500         SSL Module for the Cisco 11500         I/O Modules for the Cisco 11500         Session Accelerator Module for the Cisco 11500     Load Balancing with CSS 11500         Services, Owners, and Content Rules         CSS 11500 Flow Overview     WebNS Software Features         Infrastructure-Level Features         Load-Balancing Algorithms         High Availability         SSL Integration for Security and Performance         Local and Global Load Balancing         Site and System Security         Summary of WebNS Features     Case Study: CSS-Based Solution         Server and Application Requirements         Management and Security Requirements         Infrastructure Requirements         Design Options         Traffic Flow         Test and Verification     Summary Chapter 3    Introduction to the Cisco Content Switching Module     Benefits of the Content Switch Module     CSM Architecture     Load Balancing with Content Switching Module         Real Server, Virtual Server, SLB Policy, and More         Load Balancing Methods         VLAN Tag         Client Group (Access Control List)         IP Protocol Support         High Availability         Connection Redundancy         User Session Persistence     A Typical CSM Traffic Flow     Routing with CSM     CSM Network Integration Options         CSM Layer 2 Design—Bridged Mode         CSM Layer 3 Design I—Routed Mode with MSFC on the Client Side         CSM Layer 3 Design II—Routed Mode with MSFC on the Server Side         CSM Layer 3 Design III—One-Armed CSM Design         CSM Layer 3 Design IV—Direct Server Return     Case Study: CSM-Based Solution         Server and Application Requirements         Management and Security Requirements         Infrastructure Requirements         Design Options         Traffic Flow         Test and Verification     Summary Chapter 4    Layer 7 Load Balancing and Content Customization     Benefits of Layer 7 Load Balancing         Scalability and Application Acceleration         Session Persistence         Content Customization     Introduction to TCP         Data Segments         TCP Headers         TCP Connection Establishment and Termination         TCP Flow Control     Introduction to HTTP         Protocol Details         HTTP Header Fields         Differences Between HTTP Versions 1.0 and 1.1     Layer 7 Load Balancing Mechanisms         HTTP Methods-Based Load Balancing         HTTP URL-Based Load Balancing         HTTP Cookie-Based Load Balancing         HTTP Cookie Passive-Based Persistence         HTTP Cookie Learn-Based Persistence         HTTP Cookie Insert-Based Persistence     Case Study: Layer 7–Based Solution         Server and Application Requirements         Infrastructure Configuration         Probe Configuration         Online Download Application         Online Shop Application         Online User Profile Application         Maximum HTTP Request Parse Length         CSM Configuration         Test and Verification     Summary Chapter 5    Firewall Load Balancing     Reasons for and Benefits of FWLB         Scalability         Redundancy         Manageability     Types of Firewalls         Packet-Based Firewalls         Application-Based Firewalls         Application Gateway or Proxy Firewalls         Layer 2 or Stealth Firewalls     Case Study: Firewall Load Balancing         Server and Application Requirements         Security Requirements         Infrastructure Requirements         FWLB Design Considerations         FWLB Probes         Traffic to the Firewalls         Traffic from the Firewalls         Router or Secure Mode         Bridge Mode         FWLB Algorithms         Configuration Details of the INET Segment         Configuration Details of the DMZ Segment         Configuration Details of the LAN Segment         Test and Verification     Summary Chapter 6    Transparent and Proxy Cache Load Balancing     Benefits of Caching     Caching Overview     Mechanics of HTTP Caching         HTTP Response Status Code         HTTP Request Methods         HTTP Cache-Control Directives         Expiration and Validation         Request Authentication     Cisco Application Content Networking and Caching         ACNS Roles         ACNS Content Types         Content Engine Architecture     Transparent Caching Modes         WCCP Protocols         Redirection with the CSS         IP Spoofing     Proxy Caching Overview     Server Proxy (Reverse Proxy Caching)     Supported Protocols on the Content Engine     Authentication and Management on the Content Engine     Content Engine Models     Case Study: Content Engine in a Transparent Caching-Based Solution         Design Requirements         Design Options         Configuration Details     Summary Chapter 7    Load Balancing Streaming Video Servers     Benefits of Load Balancing Streaming Video Servers         Scalability         Redundancy     Introduction to Streaming         Video Streaming Clients and Protocols         Methods of Video Stream Initiation     Types of Streaming Video Servers         Apple QuickTime         RealMedia         Windows Media Technology     Streaming Video Protocols         Microsoft Media Server (MMS)         RTP and RTSP     Case Study: Load-Balancing Solution for Video Streaming         CSS-Based Solution         CSM-Based Solution     Summary Chapter 8    Virtual Private Network Load Balancing     Benefits of VPN Load Balancing     Introduction to Virtual Private Networks     Virtual Private Network Protocols         Internet Key Exchange Protocol (IKE)         ESP and AH     Case Study: VPN Load-Balanced Solution         IKE Requirements         ESP Requirements         IPsec over UDP Requirements         Design Options         Directed Mode Solution         Dispatch Mode Solution     Summary Chapter 9    Content Switching Device Migrations     Motivation Behind Migration         Evolution of Load Balancing         Advanced Load-Balancing Methods         Scalability and Performance         Software Features and Functionality     Migration Planning         Migration Team         Fallback Plan         Methods and Procedures for the Maintenance Window         Application Testing     Case Study: Migration from CSS to CSM         Infrastructure Requirements         Server and Application Requirements         Migration Configuration and Design Details     Summary Part II    Secure Socket Layer Chapter 10    SSL Offloading     Introduction to SSL         Public Key Cryptography         SSL Protocol Communication         SSL Protocol Structure         SSL Protocol Versions     Introduction to SSLMs         SSLM for the Catalyst 6500         SSLM Deployments         SSLM on the CSS     Case Study: CSM and SSLM–Based Solution         Design Requirements         Design Details of a CSM and an SSLM–Based Solution         Configuration Details     Summary Chapter 11    Back-End SSL Offloading     Back-End SSL on Modules         Back-End SSL on the SSLM for the Catalyst 6500         Back-End SSL on the SSLM on the CSS     Case Study: Back-End SSL Solution         Requirements         Design Options         Configuration Details Summary Part III    Distributed Data Centers Chapter 12    Global Server Load Balancing     Motivation for GSLB     Domain Name System (DNS) Overview         DNS Architecture Components         DNS Resolution Process         DNS Resource Records and Zones         Types of DNS Queries     Global Site Selector         GSLB Using GSS         GSS Features and Performance     Case Study: GSLB Solution Using GSS         Requirements         Topology         GSS Network Setup         GSS Secondary GSSM Activation         CSS Setup in Primary Data Center         CSS Setup in Secondary Data Center         GSS Setup for the www.roundrobin.com Domain         GSS Setup for the www.sticky.com Domain         Configuration Details     Summary Chapter 13    IP-Based GSLB Using RHI     Benefits of Using RHI     Architecture     Active/Standby Site-to-Site Recovery         Autonomous System Prepending         BGP Conditional Advertisements         Design Limitations     Implementation Details for Active/Standby Scenarios         AS Prepending         BGP Conditional Advertisement     Active/Active Site-to-Site Load Distribution     Implementation Details for Active/Active Scenarios         OSPF Route Redistribution and Summarization         BGP Route Redistribution and Route Preference         Load Balancing Without IGP Between Sites         Subnet-Based Load Balancing Using IGP Between Sites         Application-Based Load Balancing Using IGP Between Sites         Using NAT in Active/Active Load-Balancing Solutions     Summary PartIV    DataCenter Designs Chapter 14    Scaling Server Load Balancing within a Data Center     Benefits of Scaling Content Switching         Scalability         Performance     Scaling Methodologies         Distribution of Applications         Using DNS for Application Scalability         Using Route Health Injection for Application Scalability     Application Distribution Approach     DNS-Based Scaling Approach         Predictable Traffic Flow         Ease of Management and Maintenance     RHI-Based Scaling Approach         CSM RHI Configuration         MSFC RHI Configuration and Routes     Scaling Beyond Server Capacity     Case Study: Scalable SLB Environment         Server and Application Requirements         Management and Security Requirements         Infrastructure Requirements         DNS-Based Design         RHI-Based Design         Testing Maximum Connections     Summary Chapter 15    Integrated Data Center Designs     Motivations Behind Integrated Data Center Designs     Data Center Design 1: FWSM in the Core and Layer 3 CSM in Aggregation         Design 1 Topology Details         Design 1 Details         Design 1 Configuration Details     Data Center Design 2: Layer 3 FWSM and Layer 2 CSM in Aggregation         Design 2 Topology Details         Design 2 Caveats         Design 2 Configuration Details     Data Center Design 3: Layer 3 FWSM and Layer 2 CSM in Aggregation         Design 3 Topology Details         Design 3 Caveats         Design 3 Configuration Details     Data Center Design 4: Layer 3 FWSM and Layer 2 CSM in Aggregation         Design 4 Topology Details         Design 4 Caveats         Design 4 Configuration Details     Case Study: Integrated Data Center Design         Design Details         Primary CSS (CSS 11506-1) Configuration Details         Backup CSS (CSS 11506-2) Configuration Details         Catalyst 6509 Configuration Details         FWSM Configuration Details     Summary Index

About the Author :
Zeeshan Naseh, CCIE (#6838), is a Technical Leader in Cisco's Advanced Technologies Services Group, focusing on content switching and data centers. He has designed content switching environments for major Cisco Enterprise and Service Provider customers.   Haroon Khan, CCIE No. 4530, is a network design consultant in the Cisco Advanced Technologies Services Group, focusing on content switching, security, and data center design. He has helped design content switching environments for major Cisco Enterprise and Service Provider customers.