After switching from a Layer 4 to a Layer 7 configuration, I ran the WebAvalanche again. Results showed the expected increase in response time--14 ms at Layer 4 to 5,870 ms at Layer 7--and a decrease in the number of gets per second served--10,000 at Layer 7 versus 13,000 at Layer 4 (see "Performance Results," above).
Although the SI 100's $34,995 starting price puts it in the same field as F5 Networks' competing devices, the series will appeal to the midmarket enterprise in need of an affordable, high-availability Layer 2-7 switching solution. The advantage of not having to configure groups at Layer 4 and the ability to clone servers give this content switch an edge. Still, Foundry may want to address the complexity involved in building rules and group/VLAN identification issues before it goes head-to-head with F5.
Technology editor Lori MacVittie has been a software developer and a network administrator. Write to her at [email protected].
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