If you have been following this series up till now, meaning you actually have read part one through five, then Content Switching should be a relatively easy concept to grasp. If you understand what a vServer is, how a service and server object are bound to each other and that we use monitors to constantly check if all is up and running then you are basically good to go. All we need now is a content switch vServer and a basic load balance setup and take it from there.
Citrix NetScaler… The basics continued, part three. High Availability!
I think we are all familiar with the term High Availability, or HA in short. It simply means that if a single machine or system fails we will have another equally configured system, or multiple, in standby mode or actively participating a.k.a. active / active, ready to take over when needed. This way we won’t loose any of the functionality that the failing, or failed, machine was providing us with. Which in the case of the NetScaler could be anything from a Gateway to Load Balancing, SSL offloading, Content Switching and more. Needless to say that the Citrix NetScaler has some nifty build-in HA capabilities as well.
Citrix NetScaler… The basics continued, part two. Static routes, SNIP and MIP!
Before we jump into what a static route actually is and why we would like, or need, to configure one we must first have a basic understanding of the so-called SNIP, or Subnet IP Address, in full. And while we are at it, we will have a quick look at the MIP, Mapped IP Address, as well. Both er important to understand how traffic flows through a NetScaler device.