Network infrastructure vendors are gearing up to deal with exploding demands on Web servers, promising to keep resources available and to minimise the wait for users.
The newest breed of Web switches, a variation on "server switches" designed to link servers with load-balancing and anti-redundancy capabilities, offers the capability to discover detailed information about Web sessions so one can be treated differently than another. The switches can examine cookies, URLs, electronic-commerce shopping baskets, and other characteristics as criteria for directing Web traffic.
US company ArrowPoint Communications will shortly announce a high-performance uplink for its stand-alone CS-100 switch, which so far has processed traffic on a central processor.
Alteon will also unveil a line of Web data-centre switches, as well as a new corporate name. The Alteon 700 Series switches, eight-slot and 14-slot chassis will be the first products introduced under the new Alteon WebSystems corporate name.
