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This document answers frequently asked questions about the Brocade ServerIron ADX
Series of application delivery switches. These high-performance application delivery switches
provide a broad range of application optimization functions to ensure reliable delivery of critical
applications. In addition, they offer enhanced operational simplicity and a seamless transition to
leading-edge technologies, such as IPv6.
Multitenancy: Supports multiple, fully isolated Brocade ADX instances running on the
same physical hardware while delivering applications and services at wire speed.
Improved SSL performance: Offers additional performance gains for encrypting traffic
with 2048 bit keys, providing a 70 percent boost in new SSL sessions per second.
Unified management and control: Includes a single control plane with enhanced GUI and
extended XML/SOAP API to enable the unified provisioning, monitoring, and
management of the application delivery tier while allowing administrative privileges to be
delegated to each instance.
Multitenancy
SSL
Q What are the software and hardware requirements for leveraging the new SSL
performance?
A With Brocade ADX 12.5, Brocade is updating the SSL modules for the Brocade ADX 4000
and 10000 chassis systems to increase performance for larger RSA key sizes (2048). By
installing the updated module in conjunction with the Brocade ADX 12.5 software,
customers will experience up to a 70 percent boost in new SSL sessions per second.
Q Can systems that support multiple SSL modules support both existing and new SSL modules?
A For platforms that support multiple SSL modules (SI-ADX-10000), all SSL modules will
need to be of the same type. During system boot, software checks will be in place to
ensure all SSL modules are of the same type.
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IPv6
Q How does the Brocade ADX Series help organizations transition to IPv6?
A The Brocade ADX Series eases migration to IPv6 by enabling service providers and
enterprises to maximize their existing IPv4-based investments while communicating with
the growing IPv6-based world, without requiring rip-and-replace upgrades.
The Brocade ADX Series enables IPv4 networks to interoperate with IPv6 networks via a
simple, standards-based Network Address Translation 64 (NAT64) gateway. As a result,
IPv4 clients can communicate with new IPv6 networks, and new IPv6-based clients can
communicate with the traditional IPv4 networksall without requiring forklift upgrades to
existing infrastructure.
The Brocade ADX Series also allows existing IPv4 applications to be advertised via an
IPv6-based VIP service. Existing servers and applications can then be slowly migrated to
IPv6 during their natural upgrade cycles. Brocade ADX switches load-balance traffic
destined to an IPv6 VIP among IPv4 application servers, enabling such application
servers to be upgraded to support IPv6 at an evolutionary rate. Additionally, Brocade ADX
switches load-balance traffic destined to IPv4 VIPs to back-end IPv4 or IPv6 application
servers.
Q What type of IPv6 deployments does the Brocade ADX Series support?
A The Brocade ADX Series supports IPv6 deployments involving SSL offload, Layer 3 DSR,
load balancing of infrastructure elements such as cache and firewalls (TCS and FWLB),
Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) in DNS cache-proxy override mode, and load
balancing of IPv4 services with back-end IPv4 and IPv6 servers (SLB446 and
SLB446+4). Additionally, features such as multi-topology IS-IS, OSPFv3 authentication,
and IPv6 element health checks are available.
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Q What benefits does the Brocade ADX Series provide to enterprise users transitioning to
IPv6 versus relying on their service providers to handle such a transition?
A If enterprises offer services on a public-facing Internet or intranet, then they must ensure
that their services are accessible equally by IPv4-only users and IPv6-only users.
Enterprises can instantly establish an IPv6 presence for critical business services such
as HTTP, DNS, and SSL. Such an approach does not require major updates to internal
infrastructureit uses the IPv6 Server Load Balancing (SLB) gateway to host virtual
services in IPv6 format and has back-end servers in IPv4 format.
Q How does the Brocade ADX Series enable the efficient provisioning and management of
application and network resources in the cloud?
A Brocade Application Resource Broker is an infrastructure software component that
simplifies the management of on-demand application resources within IT data centers. It
helps ensure optimal application performance by dynamically adding and removing
application and network resources as demand requires.
Brocade Application Resource Brokerwhich works in tandem with the Brocade ADX
Seriesprovides these capabilities through real-time monitoring of application resource
responsiveness, traffic load information, and infrastructure capacity information from
both server and network infrastructures. A programmable decision engine compares
application experience information with preconfigured rules. When thresholds are
exceeded, Brocade Application Resource Broker initiates provisioning actions to ensure
that necessary and appropriate application resources are available to meet Service Level
Agreements (SLAs).
These core capabilities are leveraged in the automation and orchestration of the cloud in
many scenarios, including elastic resource provisioning, cloud bursting, and business
continuity using vMotion across data centers.
Q Whats new in Brocade Application Resource Broker?
A Brocade Application Resource Broker 2.5 builds on the stengths of its resource
provisioning engine to enable cloud bursting as a hybrid cloud service. Organizations can
now expand their local resource footprint to a remote data center (public or private) in
response to oversubscription of local resources or as a proactive measure for planned
events, reducing the overall cost of service delivery.
In addition, Brocade Application Resource Broker 2.5 seamlessly integrates with custom
and third-party orchestration environments via a combination of RESTful APIs and
standard message bus support. This enables virtual solution suites and orchestration
frameworks such as VMware and OpenStack to communicate with Brocade Application
Resource Broker using a standard push or pull model.
Brocade Application Resource Broker also has enhanced its support for dynamic
resource provisioning in the public and private cloud with several new features, including
the option to clone a new server when the server pool assigned to a specific application
has depleted all of its resources. The process of managing Brocade ADX instances has
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also been simplified with the addition of auto discovery and richer reporting for
participating systems.
Q How does Brocade Application Resource Broker support business continuity?
A In conjunction with Brocade ADX software, Brocade Application Resource Broker plays a
key role in business continuity and disaster avoidance by enabling the seamless
redirection of both new and active users when moving VMs between data centers.
When an application mobility event occurs across data centers, the workflow is
automated by the Brocade Application Resource Broker to ensure an uninterrupted enduser experience. The system redirects client sessions to the right VMware server in a
manner that is fully transparent and non-disruptive to the client. The Brocade ADX also
has advanced capabilities that enable automatic detection of VM movement through the
interaction of Brocade Application Resource Broker with VMware Vcenter.
Q What virtual platforms does the Brocade Application Resource Broker support?
A As a broker, the software interacts with all of the leading hypervisor platforms, such as
VMware ESX, Citrix XenServer, and Microsoft Hyper-V platforms. The software itself can
be deployed in multiple form factors, including:
As a stand-alone application, supporting multiple hypervisors and enabling the
automated provisioning of VMs within heterogeneous virtual environments
As a seamlessly integrated plug-in to the VMware vSphere client
Q Can Brocade ADX 12.5 be integrated into custom or third-party applications to enable
Infrastructure-as-a-Service?
A Yes. The XML/SOAP API has been extended in release 12.5 to accommodate all of the
functionality available to the administrator of a multitenant device. So, tenants can be
managed from custom or third-party management solutions that choose to take
advantage of the API. In this way, providers can create a unified control plane for
managing their application delivery infrastructure. In addition, Brocade ADX software is
now tightly integrated with open cloud frameworks, such as OpenStack and CloudStack,
to provide a faster path to offering Infrastructure-as-a-Service.
Q What additional capabilities have been added to the APIs?
A In addition to support for multitenancy, the 12.5 release extends the XML/SOAP API to
provide enhanced support for device management, routing, historical reporting, and
VRRP. For further details on what has been added to the Web Services Description
Language (WSDL), see the programmers guide:
www.brocade.com/downloads/documents/html_product_manuals/SIADX_12500_XAPG
/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm#href=API_Title.01.1.html.
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Layer 7 content inspection: Enables advanced Layer 7 inspection of the HTTP URL,
cookie, host headers, and data for maintaining application flow persistence.
SSL and server connection offload: Offloads Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) negotiation
and connection management tasks from application servers, giving servers more
cycles for delivering critical applications and improving application response time.
Provides comprehensive support for a variety of cipher suites and 1024- and 2048bit SSL keys.
Dynamic cloud provisioning: Enables the automation and orchestration of core cloud
deployment scenarios, including elastic resource provisioning, cloud bursting, and
business continuity, using Brocade Application Resource Broker.
Q What is the default load balancing algorithm (predictor) for Brocade ADX?
A Starting with Brocade ADX 12.4, the default load balancing predictor is round-robin. The
default predictor in prior software releases is least-connection. If users upgrade from a
previous software version to version 12.4 or later, they can assume that the predictor is
round-robin if none had been previously configured on the system. If they had previously
configured a different predictor, then such pre-existing configuration will be honored
even after they upgrade to release 12.4.
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Q How does capacity-on-demand work for the Brocade ADX 1000 Series?
A The capacity-on-demand functionality available for the Brocade ADX 1000 Series allows
organizations to grow from the entry-level model (Brocade ADX 1008-1/1008-1F) to the
high-end model (Brocade ADX 1216-4/1216-4F) through software license keys, without
requiring hardware replacement. Organizations can double or quadruple system
performance, add 1 GbE and 10 GbE ports, and add software features as simple
upgrades. The same software license part numbers are used for both the Brocade ADX
1000 and 1000F platforms.
Q Do the Brocade ADX 1000F platforms have a built-in SSL hardware chip?
A Yes. They are equipped to be field-upgradable for future SSL acceleration function.
Q What modules are available for use with Brocade ADX chassis models?
A The following modules are available with chassis-based Brocade ADX 4000 and Brocade
ADX 10000 systems:
Management module: Handles all control functions, such as telnet, Secure Shell
(SSH), routing, and more.
Application Switch Module (ASM): Handles processing of application traffic.
Switch Fabric Module (SFM): Offers connectivity and raw switching among system
modules.
Interface modules: Offers three different types of line cards.
SSL expansion module: Provides hardware-based SSL offload to decrypt and then reencrypt SSL traffic, supported by 1024- and 2048-bit keys and a variety of cipher
suites. The SSL expansion module fits as a daughter card on the management module.
For more detailed descriptions of these modulesincluding port types, processors, and
switch capacityvisit the System Options tab on www.brocade.com/adx.
Q Can these modules be used on both the Brocade ADX 4000 and Brocade ADX 10000
chassis?
A Yes. All system modules are interchangeable between the Brocade ADX 4000 and
Brocade ADX 10000 chassis.
Q Do these platforms support the same software features?
A Yes. All Brocade ADX platforms run the same software and support the same set of
features with just one exceptionthe Brocade ADX 1008 does not support Global Server
Load Balancing (GSLB).
Q What are the available fiber optic and copper transceiver configurations (SKUs) for the
Brocade ADX 1000, 4000, and 10000 Series?
A Please refer to the System Options tab on www.brocade.com/adx.
Q Can I upgrade my Brocade ADX 1000 unit for SSL acceleration function?
A Yes. The Brocade ADX 1000 units shipped after February 1, 2010, have built-in SSL
hardware. This SSL hardware, however, is not activated at the factory unless the SSL
offload function is purchased. These Brocade ADX 1000 units can be quickly upgraded
in the field for SSL using a software license key.
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Q What about enabling SSL on a Brocade ADX chassis? Does it require buying a separate
SSL license?
A There is no need to purchase a separate SSL license for chassis systems. The Brocade
ADX 4000 and Brocade ADX 10000 chassis systems can be upgraded for SSL function
by purchasing an SSL expansion module. This module is then installed in the mezzanine
area of the management module.
Q Is the Brocade ADX Series compliant with the Network Equipment Building
System (NEBS)?
A Yes. The NEBS-compliant kit for Brocade ADX 1000 systems is available for purchase.
Q What is the Layer 2-3 pass-through traffic switching capacity of the Brocade ADX Switch
Fabric Module switch?
A The Layer 2-3 switching capacity of a Switch Fabric Module (SFM) is 160 Gbps. A Brocade
ADX 4000 system with one SFM has a backplane switching capacity of 160 Gbps. A
Brocade ADX 10000 system with two SFMs has a backplane switching capacity of
320 Gbps. A Brocade ADX 1000/1000F system has a backplane capacity of more than 54
Gbps. All these Brocade ADX systems can switch Layer 2-3 pass-through traffic at line rate.
management port is used only for management functions and cannot be used for
processing data traffic.
Q What support options and services are available for Brocade ADX switches?
A Brocade Global Services delivers world-class professional services and technical support
to enable the transition to virtualized data centers and cloud-optimized architectures.
Brocade Professional Services offers assessment, design, and implementation services
to help organizations optimize application delivery in cloud-optimized data centers.
Brocade Premier Support and onsite residencies help organizations maximize the
availability of mission-critical applications through personalized, preferential, and
proactive technical support.
Learn More
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