Barracuda Networks Load Balancer 240

Barracuda Load Balancer 240 Overview:

According to industry analysts, fewer than 20% of mission critical Internet applications achieve internal objectives for continuous availability. Challenges include maintaining uptime when servers fail, scaling data center capabilities to handle increased load, and protecting infrastructure from network vulnerabilities.

Designed to help organizations achieve their availability objectives, the Barracuda Load Balancer integrates IP load balancing and network intrusion prevention into an affordable and easy to use appliance. The Barracuda Load Balancer provides comprehensive failover capabilities in case of server failure, distribution of traffic across multiple servers, and integrated protection from network intrusions. Barracuda Load Balancer

• Internet sites with high traffic requirements, including Web, FTP, media streaming, and content delivery networks
• Hosted applications using thin-client architectures, such as Windows Terminal Services
• Other IP services requiring optimal performance, including SMTP, DNS, RADIUS, TFTP

Powerful Enterprise-Class Solution

The Barracuda Load Balancer’s integrated Service Monitor ensures that servers and their associated applications are operational. In the event of server or application failure, the Barracuda Load Balancer facilitates automatic failover to ensure continuous availability. The Barracuda Load Balancer also assists in orchestrating scheduled maintenance windows on specific servers while maintaining application availability through other servers in the server farm.

To mitigate risks associated with failures of the load balancers themselves, two Barracuda Load Balancers can be deployed in an active/passive configuration. In the event of failure of a primary active Barracuda Load Balancer, the secondary Barracuda Load Balancer will automatically activate and assume the identity of the primary load balancer so as to maintain application availability.

Easy to Use and Maintain

The Barracuda Load Balancer is extremely easy to deploy, featuring automatic discovery and configuration tools through an intuitive Web interface. To minimize ongoing administration associated with security, the Barracuda Load Balancer automatically receives current intrusion prevention and security updates from Barracuda Central, an advanced 24/7 security operations center that works to continuously monitor and block the latest Internet threats.

The Barracuda Load Balancer also facilitates automatic configuration through a Web-based application programming interface (API) and system monitoring through SNMP.

Affordable

While price and complexity have historically restricted some organizations from deploying load balancers, the Barracuda Load Balancer is designed for organizations of all sizes. With no per port or per server license fees, the Barracuda Load Balancer is the most affordable enterprise-grade load balancing solution in its class.

Features:

Load Balancing for all IP-based applications

The Barracuda Load Balancer is designed to provide fast and comprehensive IP load balancing capabilities to any IP-based application, including:

• HTTP
• HTTPS (SSL)
• SSH
• SMTP
• IMAP
• RDP (Terminal Services)
• POP3
• NTP
• ASP
• Streaming Media
• DNS
• LDAP
• RADIUS
• TFTP
• Other TCP/UDP based services

Intrusion Prevention System

Many security technologies are integrated into the Barracuda Load Balancer. The set-and-forget, best of breed Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) helps secure your network, even if you miss a patch or if an exploit manages to get past your existing security. In addition to the Denial of Service (DDoS) protection provided for all load balanced servers by the built-in IPS, the Barracuda Load Balancer will also automatically block any exploits that are detected across multiple protocols, with no extra configuration required. Exploit signatures are regularly updated at Barracuda Central, and are automatically delivered to your Barracuda Load Balancer via Energize Updates.

Auto-Discover Mode

ll models of the Barracuda Load Balancer support Auto-Discovery of Real Servers and Services, to ensure quick and easy deployment of new servers. For common services, there’s no need to manually configure each port. The Barracuda Load Balancer automatically detects which services are running on a specified server, which saves on deployment and configuration time.

IP Persistence

The Barracuda Load Balancer supports technology that directs clients back to the same server to establish session server persistence. In environments where session persistence is required, Layer 4 IP persistence provides a fast and reliable solution for most configurations including most encrypted e-commerce traffic, database, and Terminal Services configurations. The timeout is fully configurable and can be enabled on a service level.

Scheduling Policy

Multiple scheduling technologies are supported by the Barracuda Load Balancer, including server weighting, Weighted Least Connection (WLC), and Weighted Round Robin (WRR).

Automated Service Monitor

A fully integrated service monitor is available on all Barracuda Load Balancers, which allows for easy re-configuration of your servers based on the availability of your upstream and downstream infrastructure components. Downed servers are automatically removed from the farm within seconds of server failure.

Multiple Deployment Modes

The Barracuda Load Balancer supports three different operating modes for the most flexibility of any load balancer on the market. Route-path offers the most flexibility, while Bridge-path allows deployment without changes to existing IP infrastructure. Direct Server Return allows up to 10GB throughput, ideal for content delivery networks.

High Availability

High Availability is easy to set up with the Barracuda Load Balancer's Web interface. Simply point the secondary (backup) Barracuda Load Balancer to the primary Load Balancer’s management IP address, and the load balancer synchronizes configurations to establish a highly available network that brings your server farm to enterprise grade availability.

Web Administrative Interface

The Barracuda Load Balancer configuration is executed through an intuitive Web interface. With features such as quick server and service adding, health monitoring, and Auto-Discover, the Barracuda Load Balancer is easy to use -- a typical configuration can be performed in less than ten minutes!

Model Comparison:

The Barracuda Message Archiver archives emails for organizations of all sizes. The entry level Barracuda Message Archiver 350 handles up to 500 users. The higher capacity Barracuda Message Archiver 950 handles up to 6,000 users. These specifications are not limits of the system, but are the recommended capacity.

Model Comparison	Model 240	Model 340	Model 440	Model 640
CAPACITY*
Maximum Throughput	95 Mbps	950 Mbps	950 Mbps	950 Mbps
Real Server Support	10	35	50	250
SSL Offloading/Acceleration		150 TPS	200 TPS	2,000 TPS
HARDWARE
Rackmount Chassis	1U Mini	1U Mini	1U Mini	1U Fullsize
Dimensions (in.)	16.8x1.7x14	16.8x1.7x14	16.8x1.7x14	16.8x1.7x22.6
Dimensions (cm.)	42.7x4.3x35.6	42.7x4.3x35.6	42.7x4.3x35.6	42.7x4.3x57.4
Weight (lbs./kg.)	12 / 5.4	12 / 5.4	12 / 5.4	26 / 11.8
Ethernet	2 x 10/100	2 x Gigabit	2 x Gigabit	14 x Gigabit
AC Input Current (Amps)	1.0	1.2	1.4	1.8
ECC Memory
FEATURES
Layer 4 Load Balancing
Direct Server Return
Intrusion Prevention
High Availability
Layer 7 Load Balancing
Cookie Persistence
SSL Offloading
Programming Interface/API
Hardware SSL Acceleration

*Capacity depends on environment and selected options.

Deployment:

The Barracuda Load Balancer supports three different operating modes for the most flexibility of any load balancer on the market. Route-path offers the most flexibility, while bridge-path allows deployment without changes to existing IP infrastructure. Direct Server Return allows up to 10GB throughput, ideal for content delivery networks.

Route-path

Route-path provides the most flexibility, allowing load balancing of servers that are downstream from the Barracuda Load Balancer. In this configuration, the WAN and LAN interfaces of the Barracuda Load Balancer must be on separate logical networks.

Bridge-path

Bridge-path is the simplest deployment to configure. Users may place the Barracuda Load Balancer in line with their existing IP infrastructure, and add load balanced servers as required without changing IP addresses. With this type of deployment, the WAN and LAN interfaces must be on physically separate networks, with the LAN interface on the same logical switch as the servers being load balanced.

Direct Server Return

Direct Server Return (DSR) provides an optimal throughput configuration, while allowing existing servers to maintain their original IP addresses. With DSR, requests come through the WAN interface of the Barracuda Load Balancer and are handed off directly to the real servers via the WAN port, while the servers respond directly to the request through their own interfaces. This implementation requires the use of a Loopback adapter placed on the load balanced servers.

Deployment Chart

LB Topology Requirements By Mode

(WAN/LAN Interfaces)	Logical Networks	Physical Networks
Route Path	2	1+
Bridge Path	1+	2
Direct Server Return	1	1

 

Administration:

Configuration of the Barracuda Load Balancer is accomplished through a simple Web interface. All you need is a Web browser on a system with network access to the Barracuda Load Balancer -- there is no software to install, or any media to lose.

The Web screens are comprehensive, allowing you to configure virtually every part of the system. Administrators can choose to use a “quick add” function that assumes default settings for servers, or they can edit individual real servers/services and manually specify settings for optimal configurations.

The Barracuda Load Balancer’s administrative tools feature state-of-the-art statistical reporting tools that give you a visual edge on performance of your highly available network.

The Barracuda Load Balancer’s Health Status feature allows quick and easy access to the health and performance of your configured servers and services.

Screenshots:

The following screenshots illustrate the Web user interface of the Barracuda Web Application Controller.

	Basic -> Status Displays a snapshot of the Barracuda Load Balancer performance. Administrators can easily see the type of traffic being load balanced, available servers, health of the appliance and high availability configuration, along with other traffic statistics helpful for troubleshooting and performance monitoring.		Basic -> Services Features simple one-line setup for administrators to start load balancing in minutes. Advanced configuration can found by clicking Edit next to one of the services or real servers.
	Basic -> Event Log Displays a history of system events in a simple paginated log format, such as IPS security events, server outages, testing failures and administrator logins. The system also records events to a syslog server as configured.		Basic -> Intrusion Prevention The Barracuda Load Balancer features integrated Intrusion Prevention System (IPS). With a simple global on/off or exempt interface, administrators can easily configure and add IPS to help protect load balanced servers.
	Basic -> Health Displays the performance of the Services and real servers. Administrators can view active connections on each real server or load balanced service, or easily bring down a server for system maintenance without interrupting the rest of the infrastructure.		Advanced -> Backup Displays the interface to configure and set up automatic backups of the Barracuda Load Balancer's configuration.

Barracuda Load Balancer FAQ:

Why use a load balancer?

Deploying a load balancer helps achieve constant server availability as well as simple scalability. It allows administrators to easily perform server maintenance, and a painless way to add systems to a load balanced server farm.

How easy is the Barracuda Load Balancer to configure?

The Barracuda Load Balancer provides the industry’s easiest configuration via an intuitive Web interface. Normal setup can be performed in a few simple steps. Most customers are able to set up their load balancing configurations within 10 minutes.

Does the Barracuda Load Balancer have any security features?

The Barracuda Load Balancer has a built-in Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), as well as Access Control Lists (ACL) and a SSL-secured Web user interface.

How does the Barracuda Load Balancer’s internal IPS work?

The Barracuda Load Balancer’s integrated Intrusion Prevention System uses a refined set of constantly updated vulnerability definitions to automatically block malicious attacks as they happen. When an attack is detected, the Barracuda Load Balancer simply sends a TCP RESET in both directions (server and client)

What protocols does the Barracuda Load Balancer support?

The Barracuda Load Balancer supports any TCP or UDP service.

What is a real server?

A “real server” is the actual physical server which holds the content or runs the application that is delivered to the client via the Barracuda Load Balancer. It's a much more efficient measurement to size a cluster for load balancing, as estimating the number of transactions per second can be difficult.

How many real servers does the Barracuda Load Balancer support?

The entry-level Barracuda Load Balancer 240 supports up to 10 real servers, while a higher-end Barracuda Load Balancer 640 can support up to 250 real servers.

Do I need any additional hardware to be able to load balance?

You may need additional switches depending on your deployment configuration. The Barracuda Load Balancer includes two ports: a WAN and LAN interface.

When should I use Layer 4 IP persistence?

Client IP persistence is useful in applications which require session persistence. For example, Web-based shopping carts or any service which requires a login and/or uses multiple requests would be a good candidate for IP persistence. Is it easy to add new servers to the server farm? Real servers can be added to the configuration with one step using the Barracuda Load Balancer’s Web interface.

What can I use the Barracuda Networks API for?

Available on the Barracuda Load Balancer 440, the Application Programming Interface (API) facilitates scripted implementation of any setting available in the Web interface. Most often used by ISPs and MSPs, this allows for load balanced services (including intrusion prevention) to be integrated into existing customer build scripts.

What is the Service Monitor?

The Service Monitor actively watches all real servers, their connections and performance.

How does the Barracuda Load Balancer handle failed servers?

When the Service Monitor detects a downed real server, the Barracuda Load Balancer automatically removes the server from the load-balanced cluster. If the real server becomes available, it will automatically place the server back in the distribution queue. Real servers may also be placed in “maintenance mode,” which gracefully removes them from any bound services in order to facilitate server maintenance or upgrades. When the real server is available again, administrators simply enable the server through the Barracuda Load Balancer’s Web interface.

 What protocols and applications are supported by the Barracuda Load Balancer?

The Barracuda Load Balancer works with any TCP/UDP service or application.

What sort of configuration flexibility does the Barracuda Load Balancer offer?

The Barracuda Load Balancer supports route-path, bridge-path and direct server return configurations. Server weights are fully configurable along with flexible scheduling options, such as round-robin and least connections.

What is Direct Server Return?

Ideal for high bandwidth and content delivery networks, Direct Server Return is a load balancing configuration which facilitates responses to server requests being delivered directly to the network rather than being routed back through the load balancer. This configuration can be used to deliver 10x bandwidth throughput versus route-path or bridge-path modes.

Configuration of Direct Server Return is easy, and uses the built-in non-ARPing loopback adapter which is included in all Windows and Linux servers.

What is a VIP (Virtual IP)?

The VIP, or Virtual IP Address, is the IP address that is used to access load-balanced services. What is a Service? A “Service” is the combination, or binding, of a Virtual IP address, ports and real server IP addresses.

Documentation:

Download the Barracuda Networks Load Balancer Data Sheet (.PDF)