Balance our server, and services, is one of the most important thing that is necessary keep in mind in particular when these services are critical and fundamental for end-users. This main rule is valid for Private but also for Public as well.
In the first case we have many options but is necessary create a multi-layer protection. With the Microsoft public cloud, Azure, we have by default two type of balancing:
- DNS Level: traffic balance with Azure Traffic Manager
- Network Level: traffic balance with Azure Load Balancer
Azure Traffic Manager is a good solution when we have many servers deployed in different Regions because we split the traffic by DNS. Azure Load Balancer allows to split traffic from public port, like the classic Network Load Balancer present on Windows Server. This last feature, open a new problem: manage the traffic by the header.
To resolve this, is necessary use an advancer balancer that can read the URL header and also the source port in order to redirect the traffic to the right servers.
Kemp offer a solution called LoadMaster for Azure, similar like LoadMaster on-premise. For who don’t know the product, Kemp LoadMaster is a balancer, available physical and virtual, with the support to Layer 4 and Layer 7.
The question is: why I should use an external balancer instead the Microsoft’s solutions? The answer is in the first part of article: necessary to manage header, the port, the certificate and much more….in one word: flexibility.
Kemp LoadManager for Azure is available from Marketplace, figure 1, and this means that you must open the new Preview portal, called Ibiza, available from web site https://portal.azure.com. Versions starts from Free up-to 10G, so you can test the product and, if you are happy, upgrade to full version.
Figure 1 – Kemp on Azure
Before start, I want give you two articles to understand how to Azure balance the traffic and how to deploy LoadBalancer for Azure.
Load balancing for Azure infrastructure services
LoadMaster for Azure
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