Datasheet

Data Sheet
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Features and Benefits
Table 1 summarizes the features and benefits of the Cisco ACE 4710.
Table 1. Features and Benefits
Feature Benefit
Availability
Application switching The Cisco ACE 4710 represents the next generation of application switches, delivering tightly integrated, essential
application service functions in a single powerful system.
It provides load-balancing and content switching functions with granular traffic control based on customizable Layer 4
through 7 rules.
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Intelligent device load balancing: Cisco ACE provides support for Domain Name System (DNS), cache,
transparent caches, firewalls, intrusion detection system (IDS), intrusion prevention system (IPS), VPNs, and SSL
VPN.
●
Generic protocol parsing (GPP): Cisco ACE has native understanding of the following protocols: HTTP, FTP, DNS,
Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP),
Extended RTSP, RADIUS, and Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
The Cisco ACE GPP feature enables you to configure application switching and persistence policies based on any
information in the traffic payload for custom and packaged applications without requiring any programming.
The Cisco ACE performs payload parsing through hardware using a powerful regular expression (regexp) engine to
obtain maximum performance, unlike other software-based solutions.
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HTTP header manipulation: Cisco ACE supports the capability to modify, insert, or delete HTTP headers in both
client requests and server responses.
●
Partial server farm failover: Cisco ACE provides the capability to determine which server farm (primary or backup)
receives new traffic based on the number of available real servers (rservers).
●
TCP dump: Cisco ACE can capture real-time packet information for the network traffic that passes through the Cisco
ACE for enhanced troubleshooting.
●
Source network address translation (NAT) for virtual IP: Source NAT for virtual IP allows user to include a virtual
IP address in the NAT pool for dynamic NAT and port address translation (PAT), with the result that real-world IP
addresses are saved on the client-side network.
●
Source NAT for server farm: Source NAT can be provided on a backup server farm multiple hops away during the
failure of a primary server farm, resulting in continuous application availability.
●
Flexible network deployment: Cisco ACE can be configured in the following modes:
Routed mode: Cisco ACE can be configured to route the traffic when the client-side and server-side VLANs are on
different subnets.
Bridge mode: Cisco ACE can be configured to bridge traffic when the client-side and server-side VLANs are on the
same subnets.
●
Asymmetric server normalization (ASN): Cisco ACE can load balance an initial request from the client to a real
server; however, the server directly responds to the client, bypassing Cisco ACE.
Predictors Cisco ACE performs a series of checks and calculations to determine the server that can best service each client request
according to the load-balancing algorithm or predictor. Cisco ACE uses the following predictors to select the best server
to satisfy a client request:
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Adaptive response
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Least loaded
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Least bandwidth
●
Least connections
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Round-robin
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Hash address
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Hash cookie
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Hash header
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Hash URL
Persistence and
stickiness
Cisco ACE provides stickiness that allows the same client to maintain multiple simultaneous or subsequent TCP or IP
connections with the same real server for the duration of a session. Cisco ACE supports the following sticky methods:
●
Source or destination IP address
●
Cookie
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HTTP header, and Generic Protocol Parsing for session level persistence such as SSL session ID