ACADEMIA

KEMP Technologies announced that its LoadMaster LM-3600 load balancer has been fully tested and validated for performing well using IPv4 or IPv6 at Layer 7. Thorough testing by Broadband Testing, a leading independent test lab facility, proved that KEMP's load balancers can support high levels of throughput -- just under 3 Gbps -- enabling high availability of business-critical web-based applications at Layer 7 with IPv4 or IPv6. Regardless of size or budget, businesses need load balancing to maintain web-based application performance and high availability. Broadband Testing has proved that KEMP Technologies can assure a seamless migration to IPv6 load balancing, without any performance loss.

Deployment of IPv6 is the only long-term solution to IPv4 address depletion. Especially for applications targeting consumption by mobile devices, businesses will need to ensure that their assets can be accessed over IPv6 networks to maintain the performance, predictability and reliability of network services expected. KEMP Technologies has worked to ensure that IPv6 migration is transparent to users by anticipating and resolving issues that may impact performance when new protocol support is added to networks. KEMP's efforts have been validated by Broadband Testing.

"In adding support for IPv6, KEMP Technologies was fully aware of the potential IPv6 performance issues and architected its new firmware in a way that not only eliminated possible performance gaps, but further optimized the kernel-level networking layer," noted Steven Broadhead, Broadband Testing founder and director. "The positive results confirmed both the scalability of the LoadMaster appliance, and its ability to handle complex Layer 7 operations at maximum performance levels. Many commentators have suggested that products operating at Layer 7 can take a significant performance hit when moving from IPv4 to IPv6, but in the case of the KEMP load balancing appliance we saw no performance hit whatsoever."

The testing lab fashioned a test bed using Spirent's Testcenter, to generate web traffic over both IPv4 and IPv6. Using real-world traffic scenarios, the testing firm created HTTP traffic using a 100KB transaction file with the testing goal of pushing the LoadMaster 3600 until packet loss occurred. In some cases, IPv6 throughput outpaced IPv4 throughput. Broadband Testing found that the LoadMaster could easily handle 3.4Gbps of Layer 4 and 2.9Gbps of Layer 7 throughput (from 8xGigabit Ethernet ports) and 5,000 SSL transactions per second.

"This validation of the LoadMaster's performance in an IPv6 environment is further evidence that KEMP anticipates customer needs as technology evolves," notes Jon Braunhut, Chief Scientist at KEMP Technologies. "KEMP customers can remain assured that KEMP load balancers are ready for IPv6 as demonstrated by Broadband Testing's comprehensive testing at Layer 7."

"World IPv6 Launch Day, June 6, is fast approaching," continues Braunhut. "As forward-thinking ISPs prepare to permanently enable IPv6 for their products and services, KEMP stands alongside them by offering its customers the best price/performance load balancing solutions which are fully enabled for IPv6."