Exploring the Linux-based Zeus load balancer
OLYMPIAN
On today’s networks, distributing requests in a cluster of web servers requires more than just assigning the requests in a round robin. The Zeus ZXTM 7400 appliance demonstrates the technical finesse necessary to keep busy websites running.
Even the most powerful web server eventually reaches its limit. Getting help isn’t a problem; the load redistribution can be complicated. Each server cluster needs to distribute requests intelligently to use resources in a meaningful way, and the client should not notice what is going on behind the scenes. One way of achieving this is the ZXTM 7400 appliance by Zeus Technology [1], which I recently tested. Techniques Load balancers distinguish between physical servers and virtual IPs (VIPs). In this case, the physical servers are web servers. Each web server has a unique IP (real IP, or RIP). The VIP is only configured on the load balancer.