Cisco LocalDirector
Encyclopedia
Cisco LocalDirector is a server load balancing appliance, discontinued in 2003, based on the Network Address Translation
(NAT) technology Cisco Systems acquired when they bought Network Translation, Inc. The LocalDirector was conceived by John Mayes in late 1996 during a post-acquisition meeting with one of the chief engineers from Netscape Communications Corporation. During the meeting, the Netscape engineer told John Mayes that there were, "probably 10 customers in the world with a load balancing problem". Because of this, the decision was made to begin development on the LocalDirector.
Brantley Coile, who had written the code for the PIX firewall
for NTI and later Cisco, started coding of the LocalDirector very shortly after this meeting. As a result of the NTI acquisition by Cisco Systems in late 1995, Brantley hired a team of four long-time associates who were developers: Richard Howes, now at Steelbox Networks
, and Pete Tenereillo worked for NTI prior to the Cisco acquisition, and Jim Jordan and Tom Bohannon, also at SteelBox, were hired immediately after the acquisition. Together the four developed the code for the Finesse OS and LocalDirector (Finesse was also used in the Cisco version of the PIX). The majority of the LocalDirector code was shared with the early PIXes.
Though F5 and Cisco started development of a load balancing product around the same time, F5 needed to re-staff and re-develop after the first attempt. The LocalDirector was the industry's first load balancer. It first shipped to a customer in April 1996, only four months after development started, beating the next earliest competitors, F5 and HydraWeb, to market by a full year.
Load balancing provides three important functions. It provides server availability, server scalability and the ability to manage server by bringing them on and off line.
All LocalDirector models were built with Intel-based/Intel-compatible motherboards, along with Intel and Digital
network chipset
s. The LocalDirector utilizes a proprietary operating system that Cisco calls Finesse. The PIX firewall today uses a derivative of the same operating system. All systems boot from flash memory.
Network address translation
In computer networking, network address translation is the process of modifying IP address information in IP packet headers while in transit across a traffic routing device....
(NAT) technology Cisco Systems acquired when they bought Network Translation, Inc. The LocalDirector was conceived by John Mayes in late 1996 during a post-acquisition meeting with one of the chief engineers from Netscape Communications Corporation. During the meeting, the Netscape engineer told John Mayes that there were, "probably 10 customers in the world with a load balancing problem". Because of this, the decision was made to begin development on the LocalDirector.
Brantley Coile, who had written the code for the PIX firewall
Cisco PIX
Cisco PIX is a popular IP firewall and network address translation appliance. It was one of the first products in this market segment....
for NTI and later Cisco, started coding of the LocalDirector very shortly after this meeting. As a result of the NTI acquisition by Cisco Systems in late 1995, Brantley hired a team of four long-time associates who were developers: Richard Howes, now at Steelbox Networks
Steelbox Networks
Steelbox Networks Inc. is a privately owned company that engineers devices to distribute, store and retrieve large amounts of video data across IP networks...
, and Pete Tenereillo worked for NTI prior to the Cisco acquisition, and Jim Jordan and Tom Bohannon, also at SteelBox, were hired immediately after the acquisition. Together the four developed the code for the Finesse OS and LocalDirector (Finesse was also used in the Cisco version of the PIX). The majority of the LocalDirector code was shared with the early PIXes.
Though F5 and Cisco started development of a load balancing product around the same time, F5 needed to re-staff and re-develop after the first attempt. The LocalDirector was the industry's first load balancer. It first shipped to a customer in April 1996, only four months after development started, beating the next earliest competitors, F5 and HydraWeb, to market by a full year.
Load balancing provides three important functions. It provides server availability, server scalability and the ability to manage server by bringing them on and off line.
All LocalDirector models were built with Intel-based/Intel-compatible motherboards, along with Intel and Digital
Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry and a leading vendor of computer systems, software and peripherals from the 1960s to the 1990s...
network chipset
Chipset
A chipset, PC chipset, or chip set refers to a group of integrated circuits, or chips, that are designed to work together. They are usually marketed as a single product.- Computers :...
s. The LocalDirector utilizes a proprietary operating system that Cisco calls Finesse. The PIX firewall today uses a derivative of the same operating system. All systems boot from flash memory.
History and hardware/software specifications
| Model | LocalDirector 47-3158-01 |
410 | 415 / CA-LDIR | 416 | 417 | 417G | 420 | 430 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | 2Q96 | 1997 | ? | 1999 | ? | ? | 1998 | 1999 |
| Discontinued | ? | ? | 1998 | 2002 | 2003 | 2003 | ? | 2002 |
| CPU Central processing unit The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in... type |
Intel Pentium | Intel Pentium Pro Pentium Pro The Pentium Pro is a sixth-generation x86 microprocessor developed and manufactured by Intel introduced in November 1, 1995 . It introduced the P6 microarchitecture and was originally intended to replace the original Pentium in a full range of applications... |
Intel Pentium Pro | Intel Celeron Celeron Celeron is a brand name given by Intel Corp. to a number of different x86 computer microprocessor models targeted at budget personal computers.... (SL3BA) |
Intel Pentium III Pentium III The Pentium III brand refers to Intel's 32-bit x86 desktop and mobile microprocessors based on the sixth-generation P6 microarchitecture introduced on February 26, 1999. The brand's initial processors were very similar to the earlier Pentium II-branded microprocessors... |
Intel Pentium III Pentium III The Pentium III brand refers to Intel's 32-bit x86 desktop and mobile microprocessors based on the sixth-generation P6 microarchitecture introduced on February 26, 1999. The brand's initial processors were very similar to the earlier Pentium II-branded microprocessors... |
Intel Pentium II Pentium II The Pentium II brand refers to Intel's sixth-generation microarchitecture and x86-compatible microprocessors introduced on May 7, 1997. Containing 7.5 million transistors, the Pentium II featured an improved version of the first P6-generation core of the Pentium Pro, which contained 5.5 million... |
Intel Pentium II Pentium II The Pentium II brand refers to Intel's sixth-generation microarchitecture and x86-compatible microprocessors introduced on May 7, 1997. Containing 7.5 million transistors, the Pentium II featured an improved version of the first P6-generation core of the Pentium Pro, which contained 5.5 million... |
| CPU speed | 133 MHz | 166 MHz | 200 MHz | 433 MHz | 600 MHz | 600 MHz | 300 MHz | 450 MHz |
| Chipset | Intel 430HX | Intel 440GX | Intel 440FX | Intel 440BX | ? | ? | Intel 440BX | Intel 440BX |
| Default RAM | 16 MB | 32 MB | 32 MB | 32 MB | 512 MB | 512 MB | 128 MB | 384 MB |
| Boot flash device | Daughtercard | Daughtercard | Daughtercard | Daughtercard | Onboard | Onboard | Daughtercard | Daughtercard |
| Default flash | 2 MB | 2 MB | 2 MB | 2/4 MB | 16 MB | 16 MB | 2 MB | 2/4 MB |
| Default interfaces | 2 | ? | ? | Three LD-FE | ? | ? | Three LD-FE | One LD-QUADFE |
| Max interfaces | 4 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Fixed interfaces | No | No | No | No | Six 10 10BASE-T Ethernet over twisted pair technologies use twisted-pair cables for the physical layer of an Ethernet computer network. Other Ethernet cable standards employ coaxial cable or optical fiber. Early versions developed in the 1980s included StarLAN followed by 10BASE-T. By the 1990s, fast, inexpensive... /100baseT |
Two 1000baseSX and two 10/100baseT | No | No |
| Expansion cards supported | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Floppy drive | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Some | No | Yes | Yes |
| Failover Failover In computing, failover is automatic switching to a redundant or standby computer server, system, or network upon the failure or abnormal termination of the previously active application, server, system, or network... supported |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Model | 410 | 415 | 416 | 417 | 417G | 420 | 430 | |
List of PCI and ISA expansion cards for the LocalDirector
- Flash Memory cards
- LDIR-2MB-Flash - 2MB ISA flash memoryFlash memoryFlash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...
card for all LocalDirectors except the 417/417G. Identical to the 2MB flash card used in early PIXes.
- LDIR-2MB-Flash - 2MB ISA flash memory
-
- PEP upgrade card - 4MB ISA flash upgrade card for the LD 416/430, so named because it, like all of the flash cards used in the PIX/LocalDirector/SSG6510 devices, was manufactured by Productivity Enhancement Products, or PEP. Uses two AMD AM29F016D chips for flash memory, and the BIOS resides on an AMD AM29F010b chip. Description printed on the card itself indicates that it was designed as a 16MB flash card, but six of the eight possible locations silkscreened on the PCB for the 29F016D chips are not populated. It is not comparable to any card used in the PIX, nor does the PIX OS recognize its flash chips. Mentioned in the 3.2 release notes http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/iaabu/localdir/ld32rns/ldrnv32/ldrnv323.htm.
- Network interface cards
- LD-FDDI - 32 bit/33 MHz dual port PCI FDDI card based on the Interphase 5511 FDDI card (PB05511-002).
- LD-FE - 32 bit/33 MHz single port 10/100 Fast Ethernet card. Based variously on the Intel 82557, 82558, or 82559 chipsets.
- LD-GE - PCI Gigabit Ethernet (1000baseSX) PCI card. Based on the Intel 82542 chipset. Does not support autonegotiation of speed or duplex. Identical to the PIX expansion card, the PIX-1GE. Mentioned in the version 3.2.1 installation guide http://www.cisco.com/en/US/customer/products/hw/contnetw/ps1894/prod_release_note09186a008007ef41.html.
- LD-QUADFE - 32 bit/33 MHz Four port 10/100 Fast Ethernet card. This Osicom-manufactured PCI card came in two varieties. The two kinds can be differentiated visually: when installed in the chassis, the Digital-based card's link speed/activity lights (one amber and one green) are on the left side of the RJ-45 jack, and the Intel card's link speed/activity lights (both green) are on the right side of the RJ-45 jack.
- One version, identified by the OS as an rns23x0 card, was based on the Digital 21140/21152 chipset, and it did not support autonegotiation of speed or duplex; the part numbers on the card were 2340, 123400-21 and SC401234-25T.
- The other version, identified by the OS as an i82557 card, was based on the Intel 82558 chipset and was identical to the Cisco PIX expansion card, the PIX-4FE; the part numbers on the card were 124040-01 and either SC402404-25T or SC402404-01T.
- NI-2FE - PCI dual-port 10/100baseTX Ethernet card.