Load Balancer. Readers valued the network load balancing (NLB) features
of Windows Server 2003 R2 more than those of its more specialized competitors.
Windows 2003's NLB is primarily designed to distribute traffic to the members
of an NLB cluster in which the members effectively offer their own self-contained
service or instance of an application. An NLB cluster can have as many as 32
server types, each essentially running on its own. Users don't choose servers
and alternate servers; rather, NLB assigns a new IP address, which any of the
NLB cluster members can respond to. NLB distributes the incoming requests to
one of its members through a distributed algorithm, and if a member of the NLB
cluster becomes unavailable, NLB quickly responds and stops directing clients
to that server. Windows 2003's NLB requires no shared disk subsystem.
See associated figure
Network Analyzer. In your Windows network, do you often find yourself
needing to sniff out network problems, dig up performance problems, hunt down
noncompliant users, and shut down problematic devices before they result in
downtime? You need to check out the landslide winner of this category, Sunbelt
Software's Lan-Hound, a network analyzer that captures and decodes network traffic
between systems and devices. The tool lets you view network communications in
plain English rather than binary language. Viewing specific packet details shows
exactly what's happening in your network, and the tool's Packet Capture and
Packet Decode features help you isolate problems. LanHound also includes network-monitoring
functionality, letting you view network statistics and trend information.
See associated figure
Network Layout and Design Tool. Eking out a narrow victory in this category
is Neon Software's LANsurveyor for Microsoft Office Visio 2003, which you can
use to automatically create a precise map of your LAN—or your entire WAN—in Visio format. All you need to do is launch the product, verify your network
settings, and enter your SNMP information. LANsurveyor for Visio then searches
your network and displays your network diagram, which includes all the discovered
nodes connected to the appropriate network segments, complete with IP addresses
and Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs). LANsurveyor for Visio is available
exclusively in the Microsoft Office Visio 2003 Resource Kit for IT Professionals,
which also includes Altima Technologies' NetZoom Stencils and Visual Network
Design's Rackwise.
See associated figure
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