iControl provides the means by which F5's BIG-IP platform can be automated, integrated, and flexible such that it can adapt in real-time to changing network and application infrastructure conditions inside and outside the data center. Whether you are building out a new infrastructure or adapting to new technology, using iControl can enable unprecedented levels of control over and visibility into the application delivery process.
F5 White Paper
F5 BIG-IP v10
The unified, adaptable, manageable Application Delivery Controller has arrived.and it's a "Perfect Ten."
by Lori MacVittieTechnical Marketing Manager, Application ServicesWhite Paper F5 BIG-IP v10
Contents
Introduction 3
Unified 4Symmetric adaptive compression 5iSessions 5
Adaptable 5Resource Provisioning 6Route Domains 6P re-Parsed Classes 6
Manageable 6Remote Authentication 7Dashboard 7Templates 8Centralized Request Logging 8
Summary 9
2White Paper F5 BIG-IP v10
Introduction
Looking back over the evolution of application delivery from its roots in load balancing to its current status as half-network, half-application infrastructure, it is, like hindsight, easy to understand how and why the evolution occurred. Application-specific problems that could be addressed by an intermediary eventually were, leading to a more application-aware device than its load balancing forbearers. When more flexibility and intelligence was introduced into the application delivery platforms of yesteryear, the more value these platforms provided for both IT and the business alike.
As applications have increasingly moved to web-based delivery systems, it became apparent that traditional network-oriented problems such as latency, bandwidth, and transport-layer protocol management were not so easily separated from the applications themselves, which were being delivered over the network. The behavior of an application and the protocols over which it was delivered-the size and type of data, even the operating system and environment in which the applications were deployed-had an impact on the network, and vice versa.
Solutions appeared quickly to deal with the flood of emerging problems; bandwidth management, bandwidth reduction, caches, web acceleration, security, and storage solutions all became necessary components to a successful web application deployment.
But as is the case with treating any illness, the cure was almost worse than the disease. Every additional solution added to the infrastructure increased the complexity, the cost of management, the time to deploy, and the potential security risks involved in deploying and delivering applications over a network. Latency increased, available bandwidth seemed to decrease, and meanwhile applications grew more complex as the web environment edged toward the apex of being as rich as its client-server ancestors.
Just as IT was beginning to figure it all out, along came new models and trends and a new financial environment. Consolidation, cloud computing, and virtualization are having a major impact on the face of the data center-reducing options in some areas and opening new doors in others. The face of IT is about to change yet again if it is to survive the chaotic environment in which we currently deploy applications, which means so must the network and application delivery infrastructure.
33White Paper F5 BIG-IP v10
The timing could not be better, then, to introduce F5's newest and most innovative application delivery solution yet-the most adaptable, unified, and ® ®manageable application delivery solution to date: F5 BIG-IP version 10.
Unified
Web applications were, at one time, confined to the web. The complexity involved in delivering applications over the web was confined to difficulties in supporting differences between the major browsers.
Today, the explosion of possible clients combined with user profiles and transport mediums is overwhelming. The need to manage access and delivery policies based on type of user (contractor, customer, and employee), medium of access (DSL, LAN, wireless), and device (laptop, BlackBerry, iPhone, mobile, desktop) makes what was once a simple process a complex interconnection of flowcharts and spreadsheets.
The number of point solutions in both data centers and wiring closets is rapidly expanding in an attempt to manage the increasingly complex combinations of how to connect a user to the best resource given the conditions and factors that exist right now. Yet distributing the responsibility for optimizing and securing applications defeats the very important goals of consolidation and reduction in overall costs to deploy and manage applications.
BIG-IP v10 offers a platform for unified application delivery services that understands th... [download for more]
