SERVICE DESCRIPTION WAN PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION This dcument has been prepared by Predictive Netwrks slely fr service descriptin purpses.
INTRODUCTION This dcument utlines the service descriptin f Predictive Netwrks Applicatin Perfrmance Optimizatin services. The bjective is t enable crpratin t btain mre granular insight int applicatin perfrmance and netwrk lad characteristics f the WAN cnnected lcatins, thrugh a centralized device deplyment. Tday s wider issue f applicatin delivery and visibility has becme very cmplex. Many different types f applicatins are demanding resurces frm the shared Wide Area Netwrk services. It has becme increasingly mre difficult t distinguish business frm recreatinal traffic. It is becming apparent that increasing bandwidth capacity is nt a slutin fr seamless delivery f business critical applicatins ver the WAN. Research by the Aberdeen Grup has shwn in their WAN Optimizatin reprt that issues such as visibility int applicatin perfrmance and end-user experience as well as managing applicatin perfrmance in virtualized envirnments is becming mre prevalent. It als shwed that Applicatin Perfrmance Management increases in bandwidth requirements due t rlluts f new applicatins and lack f visibility int applicatin perfrmance were the tp tw cncerns that rganizatins have fr applicatin perfrmance management. PREDICTIVE NETWORKS 1
Predictive Netwrks has build a unique and state f the art slutin addressing Visibility, Cntrl and Optimizatin f WAN-based applicatin infrastructures. Predictive Netwrks has the technlgy, experience, and services in place t manage perfrmance in a structured way and achieve the fllwing gals such as: Achieve an imprved and mre cnsistent user experience fr sme business critical applicatins glbally A mre cst efficient capacity planning f netwrk bandwidth Imprve n reactive and pr-active fault management regarding applicatin perfrmance and availability Increased visibility/understanding f applicatin behavir and perfrmance Areas f Cst Savings and Cst Mitigatin This dcument details hw we deliver insight int WAN applicatin usage characteristics enabling crpratins t determine the true peratinal usage per remte site per applicatin review the mnthly cst f the WAN avid unnecessary investments in applicatin acceleratin technlgy and assciate maintenance cst reduce supprt staff. Each assignment entails a mdular apprach; the implementatin will include a baseline f the WAN applicatin infrastructure using a single applicatin visibility prbe n the WAN cnnectin between the server netwrk and the WAN and prfessinal services with data analysis and a mnthly reprt and can be expanded t multiple deplyment f applicatin perfrmance ptimizers and acceleratrs. Enjy reading this psitining paper Kind regards, Predictive Netwrks Wilfried van Haeren President PREDICTIVE NETWORKS 2
1. UNIFIED PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT Take Charge f Yur Netwrk and Applicatins With netwrk traffic grwing expnentially, applicatin perfrmance and WAN ptimizatin are tw f the biggest IT challenges that rganizatins face. Until nw, netwrk managers and administratrs lacked a cmprehensive slutin fr mnitring and managing netwrk resurces and bandwidth while meeting user expectatins fr fast applicatin respnse. Exinda revlutinizes the way rganizatins manage their netwrk by ffering an affrdable and easy t use appliance that delivers visibility, cntrl and ptimizatin. Unified Perfrmance Management Many rganizatins rely n a number f different pint slutins fr netwrk mnitring, reprting and applicatin acceleratin. This apprach adds cmplexity and increases the administrative burden n IT staff. With the Unified Perfrmance Management (UPM) slutin, all f the cre capabilities needed t effectively manage a WAN are incrprated int a single netwrk appliance. These tightly integrated capabilities include real-time mnitring, reprting, traffic cntrl, ptimizatin and intelligent acceleratin. Users can tggle between a simplified r advanced interface and may als chse a centralized management platfrm fr cntrlling multiple appliances acrss the netwrk. The utcme f UPM is t enable crpratins t btain mre granular insight int applicatin perfrmance and netwrk lad characteristics f the WAN cnnected lcatins, thrugh a centralized device deplyment. Predictive Netwrks as Gld Partner f Exinda has the technlgy, experience, and services in place t manage perfrmance in a structured way which results int: An imprved and mre cnsistent user experience fr sme business critical applicatins A mre cst efficient capacity planning f netwrk bandwidth Increased visibility and understanding f applicatin behavir and perfrmance. PREDICTIVE NETWORKS 3
2. OVERVIEW EXINDA Exinda is a glbal prvider f WAN ptimizatin and applicatin acceleratin prducts. The cmpany has helped ver 2,000 rganizatins wrldwide reduce netwrk perating csts and ensure cnsistent applicatin perfrmance ver the WAN. With a single Exinda appliance, rganizatins can effectively mnitr, manage and ptimize their entire netwrk. Unlike ther slutins, Exinda requires n additinal mdules r add-n cmpnents. This makes Exinda nt nly mre affrdable but faster t implement and easier t manage. The cmplete, purpse-built Exinda slutin allws netwrk managers t spend their time ptimizing the netwrk instead f managing the varius pint slutins themselves. The Exinda Value Prpsitin The prpsitin cnsists f Integrated netwrk visibility, cntrl and ptimizatin in a single plug-and-play appliance Affrdable, all-in-ne slutin accelerates deplyment, reduces cmplexity and lwers ttal cst f wnership (TCO). Market-leading supprt fr Micrsft Active Directry ensures fine-grained visibility and cntrl dwn t the individual user level Service Delivery Pint (SDP) prvides centralized management frm a single interface The hardware platfrm cnsists f the x700 series fr mnitring and ptimizatin and the x800 series, which includes Acceleratin. On Octber 12, 2009 Exinda annunced its new tp-f-the-line WAN ptimizatin platfrm, the Exinda 8760. It tps ut at 5 Gbps, the first WAN Optimizatin devices t break the 1 Gbps barrier. With Exinda s architecture, custmers can scale frm 100 Mbps t 5 Gbps n a single appliance that supprts a range f ptimizatin features, including applicatin visibility, QS, prtcl ptimizatin and acceleratin. The Unified Perfrmance Management prgram by Exinda cnsists f: PREDICTIVE NETWORKS 4
Applicatin Visibility Layer 2 thrugh 7 Mnitring L7 Signatures P2P, HTTP, VIP, Citrix, Messaging, Streaming, mre Behaviral Based Classificatin - Encrypted Apps Bit Trrent, Skype Deep Drill Dwn Inspectin crrelate hsts/applicatin usage and breakdwn Tp Talkers, Cnversatins Real Time Mnitring Applicatin Respnse Time Measurements Applicatin Specific Analysis Mdules WAN Optimizatin supprting Layer 2 thrugh 7 classificatin Precise Plicy-based Traffic Management and Shaping (QS) Diffserv Packet Classificatin and Marking Hstname, URL, HTTP file Wildcard classificatin Traffic Discard/Blck Time f Day Plicies Adaptive Respnse Applicatin Acceleratin supprting Wide Area File Services (WAFS) TCP Acceleratin CIFS Acceleratin WAN Memry Cmpressin A Scalable Centralized Management envirnment using SaaS based prtal technlgy. Hsted service prvided by Predictive Netwrks based ut f Lndn, ON Prvisin, cnfigure, and manage devices Centralized reprting frm multiple Exinda appliances Dashbard views t cnslidate WAN wide data Immediate r scheduled cnfiguratin changes and sftware updates Multi user supprt with rle based administratin PREDICTIVE NETWORKS 5
3. EXINDA DEPLOYMENT Visibility starts with mnitring the current applicatin flws acrss a Wide Area Netwrk. Devices very suitable fr this task are the EX x700 series typically installed at a central data center site. Deplyment utline The hardware devices available range frm 2 Mbps link devices t 5 Gbps high-end mnitring systems. In mnitring-nly mde, it will be deplyed as a nn-intrusive cnfiguratin This tplgy is used when custmers need t mnitr nly, withut installing the Exinda in in-line mde. The Exinda will mnitr and reprt n all applicatins presented n the SPAN/mirrr prt. This is regularly used t perfrm netwrk audits as it prvides great flexibility in restricted and cmplex netwrk envirnments. FROM MONITORING TO OPTIMIZING An x700 series appliance as mnitring-nly device can be upgraded t an applicatin ptimizer by psitining the appliance between the central switch and the utbund ruter enabling the appliance t wrk in ptimizatin mde. This allws the activatin f QS n the basis f plicies and applicatin signatures. Quality f Service is an extremely pwerful technique that maximizes the perfrmance demanded by users and applicatins. In ptimizatin-mde the appliance will be deplyed in-line. In many infrastructures the WAN tplgy is f a hub-and-spke mdel whereby all data flws frm remte site t central data center. A single device deplyed at the central lcatin is sufficient t mnitr and cntrl all flws. PREDICTIVE NETWORKS 6
Web-based crprate applicatins, Thin Client and Telnet sessins can take advantage f a higher pririty than a less time critical service such as File Transfer Prtcl (FTP) r Email. Crpratins may wish t allcate amunts f bandwidth t different divisins r business units such as a guaranteed amunt f bandwidth t custmer service r manufacturing applicatins and users. Often this reduces csts by eliminating netwrks designed fr peaks in traffic rather than averages whilst simultaneusly decreasing respnse time fr users. The high-end x700 appliances supprt multiple WAN interfaces, ffering the mnitring and cntrl f private WAN and Internet traffic t and frm the main site. PREDICTIVE NETWORKS 7
FROM MONITORING & OPTIMIZATION TO ACCELERATION In acceleratin deplyment, requiring 2 r mre Exinda devices, the appliances will use traffic traversing the WAN t aut discver each ther. Fllwing aut discvery, and successful versin negtiatin, they will begin t accelerate applicatins between them. The acceleratin happens based n Exinda s default plicies. These plicies can be altered using the management prtal. The x800 series enable next t mnitring and ptimizatin, the acceleratin functinality. T Accelerate r nt t Accelerate Sme applicatins simply dn t benefit frm applicatin acceleratin, but d benefit frm QS. Secure applicatins like ssh r VIP applicatins fr example will nt benefit frm acceleratin. Fr these applicatins, Exinda appliances will priritize these and make sure they get the service they deserve. Typical prtcls that Exinda accelerates are: CIFS, FTP, HTTP, Data backups (unencrypted), Ltus Ntes, Nvel, Sme applicatins that Exinda nly applies QS t are: VIP, Citrix and ther thin client applicatins The appliances include a cmbinatin f QS and acceleratin plicy templates. In a QS + Acceleratin template Exinda will apply a best practice plicy set fr cntrlling and accelerating applicatins. The x800 series f Exinda ffer next t mnitring and ptimizatin als acceleratin. PREDICTIVE NETWORKS 8
4. SERVICE DELIVERY POINT Exinda's Service Delivery Pint (SDP) is available thrugh Predictive Netwrks as hsted Sftware as a Service and licensed by the number f appliances t be managed. The hsted service further simplifies the WAN ptimizatin prcess by eliminating the need t buy, install, maintain and upgrade management hardware and sftware. Since there is n capital investment, SDP ffers a 70-90 percent savings cmpared t similar client/server slutins. SDP utshines traditinal centralized management systems (CMS) by eliminating the cst, risk and cmplexity f such implementatins. SDP prvides a quicker return n investment as it can be deplyed quickly, typically in ne week versus three mnths r mre fr a traditinal CMS. SDP prvides full visibility int netwrk usage at applicatin layer 7 while mst CMS nly fcus n netwrk layer 3. Predictive Netwrks as Gld Partner ffers the SDP appliance hsted at it s secure data center facility in Lndn, ON, Canada. Exinda's Clsed Lp Netwrking (CLN), a cmbinatin f Exinda's traffic management appliances and Exinda's SDP, assists CIO's with addressing their three highest pririty business initiatives: Increasing user prductivity due t cnsistent service levels Prviding service cntinuity Reducing nging peratinal csts CLN and SDP Netwrks are under cnstant traffic cngestin frm internal business applicatins, internal nnbusiness applicatins and unwanted external applicatins. Netwrk managers struggle t keep pace with this ever increasing number f applicatin flws and, therefre, find it difficult and resurce intensive t maintain apprpriate service levels. CLN and the functins that SDP ffers within the CLN architecture prvide an autmated prcess t address this predicament. Cntinual mnitring, aut-adaptive respnses and steerage adjustments prvide cmputer cntrlled, cmprehensive management f netwrks. The sftware dashbard and reprting functin is available thrugh the Service Delivery Pint. In the pilt nly ne device will be deplyed. The capture data is pushed t the SDP using secure HTTP (HTTPS) file transfer. PREDICTIVE NETWORKS 9
5. APPLICATION RESPONSE-TIME MEASUREMENT Traditinal latency measurement technlgies prvide a ne-dimensinal view f the actual cause f the prblem. A typical example f such a technlgy is ICMP ech request/respnse, mre cmmnly knwn as ping. Ideally, ping is a cmputer netwrk tl used t test whether a particular hst is reachable acrss an IP netwrk. Hwever, using interval timing and respnse rate, ping als estimates the rund--!trip time, which is essentially a measure f netwrk latency. Anther technlgy that might help is mnitring the server lad using Simple Netwrk Management Prtcl (SNMP) server mnitring. Mnitring server lad during times f pr applicatin respnse might reveal any server lad related perfrmance issues. These technlgies hwever, nly prvide an insight int the prblem f slw applicatin respnse withut identifying the real cause f the prblem. Applicatin Respnse Measurement Applicatin Respnse Measurement (ARM) is a tl that helps get t the rt f the prblem, identifying the cause f the delays. ARM passively mnitrs TCP transactins t get estimates f delays n the netwrk and server. The results f the mnitring are brken dwn and presented in a way that the cause f the delays is bvius t the administratr. ARM enables rganizatins t Quantify applicatin perfrmance frm the end user perspective Detect hw lng end users are waiting fr their applicatins t respnd Pinpint if a prblem is netwrk r server related Help fine-tune QS plicies t cntrl respnse times. ARM enables applicatin supprt teams t view their applicatin behavir, characteristics and pay lad frm an infrastructure angle. Using SDP and rle-based lgins, apps teams can be ffered rle specific dashbard infrmatin. PREDICTIVE NETWORKS 10