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Techniques in Advanced Server Load Balancing (ETH 240)

Prerequisites

To fully benefit from this course you should attended the Basic Switch/Router Configuration and Management (ETH 103) and the Introduction to Web Switching and Load Balancing (ETH 202). It is also recommended that you have previous exposure to general network management issues in a Brocade environment. A working knowledge of the Brocade CLI is a must.

We strongly recommend that students bring their own PC to act as the console during labs. Recommended personal hardware includes:

  • Laptop Personal Computer with W2000 or higher
  • Ethernet NIC card
  • CD Drive
  • Serial Interface (DB-9 Connector)
  • Netscape 6.1 or better or Internet Explorer 5.5 or better

Course Content

The ETH 240 course is an in-depth study of server load balancing using the Brocade ServerIron products. The course focuses in on advanced techniques of implementing Server Load Balancing (SLB) in a variety of network topologies. It includes an intense study of SLB theory of operations, configuration, network design and troubleshooting. The course is labs (hands-on) intensive and as result is fast moving. Key topics include but are not limited to; Load Balancing, Global Server Load Balancing, Transparent Cache Switching and Layer 7 switching.

Course Objectives

After completing this course, the student will be able to:

  • Identify key SLB techniques available using the Brocade ServerIron
  • Implement advanced designs and configurations in Server Load Balancing
  • Implement advanced SLB, Health Checks and Layer 7 switching features on the Brocade ServerIron products
  • Tune the Brocade SLB implementation for fast Active-Active failover
  • Determine the appropriate SLB design for a given network requirement
  • Interconnect Brocade L2/L3 Switch Routers with the Brocade L4-7 SeverIron based on a network design
  • Troubleshoot the in class design implementations using the CLI show commands

Course Outline

Overview – Review
Review basic SLB architecture
Recognize Current Features in Layer 2 SLB
Recognize Current Features Layer 3 SLB
Describe Layer 7 switching Cookie/URL switching/hashing and cookie insertion
Define the purpose of health check and types of health checks
List security features SYN-Guard and SYN-Defense
Server Load Balancing
Discuss L2 vs.L3 SLB option
Barrel Processors - Dynamic Distribution
Configure basic SLB as review/start point for more complex labs
Configure primary and backup servers
Configure SLB using VLANs with Virtual Routing Interfaces
Configure OSPF for use in SLB with VRRP/E
Setup multiple sub-nets and multiple virtual routing interfaces
Configure SLB using NAT
Configure Stateless TCP/UDP ports
Describe the SLB session table
Set SLB session table parameters
Policy-based SLB
Health Check
Describe how basic health-check works
List the differences between active and passive health checks
Configure Boolean health checks
Develop Scripted health checks
Implement scripted heath checks
Layer 7 Switching
Describe the difference in persistence using URL/Cookie switching and/or hashing.
Use cookies for session persistence
Describe Cookie insertion
Insert a Cookie into an HTTP header using cookie switching and hashing
Global Server Load Balancing
List the GSLB metrics and their function
Describe and Configure Global Server Load Balancing with metrics set to different values
List the advantages and disadvantages of the different GSLB options (including IP-Weight and Site-Weight)
Describe and configure Route Health Injection for GSLB
Transparent Cache Switching
List the key TCS design techniques
Configure Active-Active TCS with a remote cache server
Configure for proxy caching
Configure TCS and SLB using the same ServerIron
ServerIron Security
Security
Discuss SYN-Guard/SYN-Defense
Configure SYN-Guard/SYN-Defense
Describe the benefits of rate limiting
URL Filtering
Transaction Rate Limiting
Connection Rate Limiting
Troubleshooting
Use the sys-log to find problems
Use the show command to solve data delivery problems
BP Console commands
Tracking Session Information

Who should attend

The Target Audience for this course is as follows:

  • Customers or Resellers who are experienced with Brocade Products
  • Network technicians with installation configuration, and troubleshooting experience with Brocade Products
  • Network Administrators responsible for implementing layer 4 through layer 7 network solutions.
  • Network support staff that will act as network device installers and first-line support for a local to global sized business environment.