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ServerIron 4G Series

ServerIron 4G Series
  • Industry's most feature-rich application switch at the best entry price to deliver acceleration, availability and security to critical enterprise applications
  • Choice of models optimized for non-Web and secure Web applications with integrated hardware-based SSL acceleration and security
  • The only switch in class in the industry with redundant, removable and hot swappable AC & DC power supplies for easy maintenance and ultra high availability applications

Overview

The ServerIron 4G series application switches meet the demand for secure and optimized delivery of growing Web and triple-play services in the small- and mid-sized enterprise data centers.  This entry-level switch series features the industry's most feature-rich and affordable switches with support for a broad range of IP-based applications. The ServerIron 4G series offers an integrated purpose-built Web Firewall to protect enterprises' Web-enabled applications from growing threats that target service disruption and compromise of sensitive information. This switch series packs powerful data-center class resiliency features and hardware-based security and acceleration to deliver rich application benefits previously only accessible to and affordable by large enterprise and service provider organizations.

A choice of three models in the series—ServerIron 4G, ServerIron 4G-SSL and ServerIron 4G-SSL-FIPS—leverage the same purpose-built architecture of high-end ServerIron switches, and deliver it in the most affordable entry price range for smaller organizations and data centers that support approximately 1,000 users or greater. The ServerIron 4G switch is ideally suited to deliver high-performance, availability and security to non-Web IP applications, and where entry price is a key consideration. The ServerIron 4G-SSL features integrated hardware Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) acceleration to increase the performance of secure Web transactions in enterprise and e-commerce environments by offloading SSL processing from servers and centralizing SSL certificate management. This switch delivers unparalleled SSL performance of up to 500 Mbps SSL throughput in its class for a small price premium. The ServerIron 4G-SSL-FIPS is designed for the federal government, healthcare and financial verticals with certification for Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 Level 2 requirements. The ServerIron 4G-SSL-FIPS comes with a FIPS 140-2 Level 2 certified SSL accelerator. The FIPS standard specifies the security requirements that are to be satisfied by a cryptographic module utilized within a security system protecting unclassified information within computer and telecommunication systems (including voice systems).

As IP applications become the business foundation for most organizations, including smaller enterprise, e-commerce,service providers and government agencies, there is a growing demand for cost-effective application acceleration and delivery solutions to maintain always-on services with optimized performance. Businesses will see an immediate improvement in the performance and uptime of their critical applications like Oracle, BEA, IBM Websphere, Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft LCS. With purpose-built features to enable these and other popular applications, the ServerIron 4G solution accelerates delivery of business-critical services to local and remote users.

Foundry's ServerIron 4G series is an ideal choice for these customers with the industry's best price, performance and features in the entry class. It delivers many unique features not available in the entry class market , including support for redundant and hot swappable AC and DC power supplies, integrated Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) for multi-site redundancy and disaster recovery, and wire-speed Gigabit rate Denial of Service (DoS/DDoS) attack protection to business-critical server and application infrastructure. With these features, organizations can benefit from easy maintenance, robust security and geographic redundancy for their services across a network of global data centers.

The ServerIron 4G series supports traffic management, high availability and security for a broad range of applications critical to business operations, including e-mail, Web, DNS, and Voice over IP (VoIP). The solution also features advanced acceleration and security for Web-based applications, including hardware-based SSL acceleration, bandwidth optimization using http compression, server connection offload with http connection pooling, and Web firewall security to protect against emerging attacks that impact service uptime and compromise of sensitive information. Additionally, the ServerIron 4G series supports multi-site redundancy and scalability using DNS- or IP-based GSLB for geographic distribution and scalability of critical services among multiple data centers. Integration of all these critical capabilities into the TrafficWorks™ OS architecture and consolidation of Web firewall functions into the ServerIron 4G series simplifies the data center infrastructure, delivers better return on investment (ROI), and eliminates the need to purchase costly additional appliances that are limited to one function and tedious to manage.

As IP- and Web-based applications have become critical drivers for businesses, application switching technology has been widely adopted by many large organizations to increase availability and performance of these applications.  However, cost, complexity and appliance proliferation to achieve different benefits has created a barrier for most organizations with small-scale applications and data centers. The new ServerIron 4G switch family eliminates these barriers by integrating advanced application delivery features into a resilient hardware switch design at industry's most attractive price.

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Features

ServerIron 4G Platform Features

  • Compact and Resilient Design: The ServerIron 4G features resilient fixed-configuration switches in a compact space saving size (1.5 RU high) making it simple to replace appliance products and servers.
  • Datacenter Class Redundancy: Delivering high availability and non-stop networking is of utmost importance in network application delivery. Hardware redundancy features such as redundant, removable and hot swappable AC & DC power supplies are critical for maximum uptime
  • Integrated SSL Acceleration Option: The ServerIron 4G-SSL system is embedded with integrated hardware SSL acceleration for secure Web applications
  • Flexible Connectivity Options: With four ports of Gigabit copper and fiber combination, and 100 Mbps copper connectivity options, the ServerIron 4G switch offers maximum flexibility for deployment in most networks.
  • The ServerIron 4G-SSL-FIPS comes with a FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) 140-2 Level 2 certified SSL accelerator. The FIPS standard specifies the security requirements that are to be satisfied by a cryptographic module utilized within a security system protecting unclassified information within computer and telecommunication systems (including voice systems).

ServerIron 4G Series Product Features

Traffic Management

  • Extensive Layer 7 Features: Rich application intelligence, including URL, cookies, HTTP headers, XML tags, SSL session IDs, request type, and SIP/VoIP traffic, to deliver application scalability, security and acceleration.
  • Superior Connection Performance: ServerIron 4G switches deliver unprecedented application transaction performance in class with support for up to 40,000 connections per second.
  • Advanced Load Balancing: A rich set of methods to load balance client traffic to multiple servers to increase availability and scalability of critical applications.
  • Sophisticated Health Monitoring from Layer 2 through 7: Customizable server and application health monitoring permits rapid failure detection and service recovery to maintain maximum uptime
  • Hardware and Software Based Hitless Failover: High availability features such as Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol, multi-switch session mirroring and redundant management modules with session synchronization maximize uptime in the most critical environments.

Web Acceleration

  • Integrated Hardware SSL Acceleration: With the SSL integrated model, the ServerIron 4G series delivers superior performance and server SSL offload for secure Web transactions and other SSL-enabled applications.
  • HTTP Connection Multiplexing for Server Optimization: ServerIron's HTTP connection multiplexing eliminates the need for servers to sustain large connection load. Server connection load reduction increases service performance and ultimately the cost of server upgrades.
  • Clientless Bandwidth Optimization with Compression: Using standards-based clientless browser compression to transparently condense content provided by the server on return, the ServerIron reduces bandwidth utilization and decreases download times.
  • End-to-End SSL Support: For high security applications, the Web accelerators can terminate SSL, process content in the Layer 4-7 engine, and re-encrypt traffic to the back-end servers for total security and confidentiality.
  • Centralized Certificate Management: Provides added security, easy manageability and investment savings from multiple certificates. Client side certificates and revocation lists prevent illegal use and abuse of SSL applications.

Security

  • Superior DoS/DDoS Protection: Wire-speed Gigabit rate DDoS/DoS attack protection, including protection against SYN/ACK flood attacks up to 1.2 million TCP SYN packets per second for uncompromising application performance with robust protection.
  • Granular Application Level Rate Limiting: ServerIron switches can control amount of traffic a particular client is sending to a server, which prevents abuse and attacks while increasing the availability of applications without blocking legitimate traffic.
  • E-Mail Spam Mitigation: The switches feature advanced policy-based SPAM mitigation with. E-mail SPAM can be blocked, permitted or redirected based upon millions of good, bad or unknown IP reputation policies.
  • Advanced Web Firewall: The Web Firewall features fully inspect Web transactions to protect Web servers from buffer overflow, cross-site scripting, cookie poisoning, forceful browsing and other attacks. Server cloaking hides server and application identity to prevent targeted attacks.
  • FIPS 140-2 Level 2 certification for SSL acceleration on ServerIron 4G-SSL-FIPS

Global Load Balancing

  • Global Server Load Balancing (Multi-Site Redundancy): The ServerIron switches can be enabled for this application with the premium TrafficWorks OS version to offer multi-site redundancy and scalability for IP and Web applications using standards-based DNS and IP routing.
  • Total Transparency to Existing DNS Solution: Works with the existing DNS servers left in place with standards-based interoperability to protect the investment of the current infrastructure. The ServerIron offers increased and independent scaling of the global DNS performance.
  • Intelligent Traffic Distribution and Persistence: With advanced site load distribution features such as weighted and proximity metrics, and adaptable site specific configurations can be created to provide content localization and efficient traffic delivery.
  • Secure Communication between Sites: The ServerIron utilizes a secure GLSB protocol with authentication and encryption to prevent attacks against the infrastructure global data center infrastructure.

Voice Over IP / SIP Load Balancing

  • Advanced SIP/VoIP Intelligence and Protocol Support: As more voice services become standardized on SIP, the importance of high availability increases. The ServerIron software is "SIP Aware" for maximum voice availability.
  • SIP Proxy/Registrar Load Balancing and Persistence: The ServerIron protects the SIP servers from unwanted traffic and load balances REGISTER and INVITE messages to multiple registrar servers while keeping persistence via the Call ID.
  • SIP Specific L7 Health Monitoring: The ServerIron has SIP aware health monitoring and will sends periodic SIP messages to the servers to ensure that only servers with responsive application are used for client traffic

Advanced L2/3

  • Integrated Full-Function Layer 2/3 Switching and Routing: Industry's most comprehensive Layer 4-7 switching platform with advanced Layer 2/3 switching and routing for cost-effective and simplified network design with device consolidation. Wire-speed layer 2/3 performance for traffic not targeted to the application servers.
  • sFlow Network Monitoring: Industry's only Layer 4-7 switch with hardware-assisted standards-based and always-on sFlow network traffic monitoring on application flows and Layer 2/3 switched traffic.
  • High Performance Stateful IP NAT: Deploying network address translation on the ServerIron protects servers and reduces load on the high cost firewalls

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Specifications

  ServerIron 4G ServerIron 4G-SSL ServerIron 4G-SSL-FIPS
Concurrent Sessions 5,000,000 5,000,000 5,000,000
Application Throughput 1.5 Gbps 1.5 Gbps 1.5 Gbps
Layer 4 Connection Performance (CPS) 40,000 40,000 40,000
Layer 4 Transaction Performance (TPS) 350,000 350,000 350,000
Layer 7 Connection Performance (CPS) 15,000 15,000 15,000
Layer 7 Transaction Performance (TPS) 35,000 35,000 35,000
SSL Transaction Performance (TPS) N/A 8,500 7,200
SSL Bulk Throughput N/A 500 Mbps 300 Mbps
Concurrent SSL Sessions N/A 16,000 16,000
SSL Certificates N/A 512 512
DDoS & DoS (SYN Flood) Protection (SYN/Sec) 1 million 1 million 1 million
Number of 100Mbps ports 4 4 4
Number of Copper Gigabit ports 4 4 4
Number of Fiber Gigabit Ports 4 4 4
Total number of ports 4 4 4
Base Layer 3 Features Supports servers on different subnets from that of Virtual IP address Supports servers on different subnets from that of Virtual IP address Supports servers on different subnets from that of Virtual IP address
Advanced Layer 3 Features (Premium TrafficWorks OS Upgrade Required) OSPF, RIPv2, VRRP, VRRP-E, Static Routing OSPF, RIPv2, VRRP, VRRP-E, Static Routing OSPF, RIPv2, VRRP, VRRP-E, Static Routing
Physical dimensions 2.625"h x 17.5"w x 23"d(6.67 x 44.5 x 58.4 cm) 2.625"h x 17.5"w x 23"d(6.67 x 44.5 x 58.4 cm) 2.625"h x 17.5"w x 23"d(6.67 x 44.5 x 58.4 cm)
Weight 30 lbs (15 kg) 30 lbs (15 kg) 30 lbs (15 kg)
Power Requirements AC input voltage: 100vAC @ 3.5A MAX, 240vAC @ 1.5A MAX, 50-60Hz per auto-sensing, auto-switching power supply. DC input voltage: -36vDC to -48vDC @ 9.0A MAX AC input voltage: 100vAC @ 3.5A MAX, 240vAC @ 1.5A MAX, 50-60Hz per auto-sensing, auto-switching power supply. DC input voltage: -36vDC to -48vDC @ 9.0A MAX AC input voltage: 100vAC @ 3.5A MAX, 240vAC @ 1.5A MAX, 50-60Hz per auto-sensing, auto-switching power supply. DC input voltage: -36vDC to -48vDC @ 9.0A MAX

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System Options

Part Number Description
ServerIron 4G Base Platforms
SI-4G 1.5 RU fixed configuration ServerIron with 4-port combo (fiber & copper) and 1 AC power supply (RPS5)
SI-4G-SSL 1.5 RU fixed configuration SSL-integrated ServerIron with 4-port combo (fiber & copper) and 1 AC power supply (RPS5)
SI-4G-SSL-FIPS 1.5 RU fixed configuration SSL-integration FIPS 140-2 level 2 certified ServerIron with 4-port combo (fiber & copper) and one AC power supply (RPS5)
ServerIron 4G Power Supply Options
RPS5 Redundant AC Power Supply for ServerIron 4G and 4G-SSL
RPS5DC Redundant -48 V DC Power Supply for ServerIron 4G and 4G-SSL
ServerIron 4G Mini GBIC Options
E1MG-SX 1000Base-SX mini-GBIC optic, MMF, LC connector
E1MTG-SX 1000Base-SX mini-GBIC optic, MMF, MTRJ connector
E1MG-LX 1000Base-LX mini-GBIC optic, SMF, LC connector
E1MG-LHA 1000Base-LHA mini-GBIC optic, SMF, LC connector
E1MG-LHB 1000Base-LHB mini-GBIC optic, SMF, LC connector, 150km Maximum reach
E1MG-TX 1000BASE-TX Mini-GBIC Copper, RJ-45 Connector
ServerIron 4G Premium Software Upgrade
SI-4G-TW-PREM ServerIron 4G Premium TrafficWorks GSLB and Layer-3 Upgrade

* DC power and redundant power options available

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Literature

Datasheets

Applications

Solutions Guides

White Papers & Application Notes

General

Load Balancing

Content Switching

Security

Application Support

Research & Test Reports

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How To Buy

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Related Links

Certification

  • Learn more about the SAP® Certified Integration for the ServerIron® family of application delivery switches running TrafficWorks Release 10.x.
  • View certificate

Research Reports

Awards

In The News