Slashdot Mirror
Load Balancers for Linux?
scales asks: "We currently use the Dispatcher component of IBM's WebSphere Edge Server as a load balancer on some Red Hat boxes where I work, and the boss has asked me to look into OSS alternatives. I've already been pointed at Linux Virtual Server and Ultra Monkey, and I was wondering if any readers have had any experience with these packages, or had any opinions they could offer about other products." Ask Slashdot last visited a similar topic way back in 1999, so I think it might be time for an update.
1> that is great, I am sure you can find support there for almost anything. Including stuff that has support for non OSS projects.
2> That is great what if it is not in the "HOWTO's?". Last time I checked I did not see a HOWTO: What do do when your OSS load balancer goes down and they don't have any support. This is a blanket answer that assumes that what ever he gets has a howto. It also assumes that I can wait on e-mail. Or search for help or anything else under the sun that takes time. I don't want to be in this possition to have to go find help, I want to know it is there. Where, when, and my call...OSS programers/hackers/anything unless you find the right group that is getting paid is not this.
3> Ahhh...ok that is great. You know this personally that every one of them lists the developers? I can call them? I can e-mail them and expect a response quickly? NO you say? mabye...I don't think I want to wait someones e-mail response on the future of my company. Sorry that just does not cut it.
4> Ok now we are getting someplace. This is called support, which is what I said you need to check into. Glad that you agree.
That last statement is an assumption. Period. You don't know that the guy the wrote the OSS is not a high school kid. Not that it even matters. What happends when someone tells you they don't know.
Your telling me that if I had websphere, cisco, or microsoft that you can HONESTLY that a business can get the same support from people for free you can from paying someone? No you can't not for all of them, not for even 10% of them. So I said make sure you have support....find the one that falls in the 10%, buy a product with support at the ready. I did not say "don't get OSS". I said get something with support, your the one the jumped at "OSS does not have support". Why is that?
I don't have time to wait for and e-mail, or a programmer to come back from snowboarding...or whatever when a 4million hit a day e-com site goes down. Sorry, you just can't play in that league without some security around your hardware, software, and everything else. Which your average everyday OSS project just does not have. Sorry if I got your nickers in a twist. Just the way it is.
Neck_of_the_Woods
#/usr/local/surf/glassy/overhead
I have to second this. We use lvs on our mail system (close to 1 million email accounts) and on our web cluster (over 10,000 sites doing terabytes of data per month).
Much cheaper then using a commercial product and a simple pentium2 w/ 128mb can handle quite a lot of traffic.
You won't get access to new code unless you have a support contract, that's just the way most vendors work. Often times a support contract costs more than the unit you bought on ebay, so keep that in mind.
Unlike switches or other network devices, load balancers need constant upgrading.