Nortel Nortel Passport 8100, Reference Manual, Page: 84 / 252

Alteon Content Director (ACD) 75
Alteon Content
Director (ACD)
Overview
The Alteon Content Director (ACD)is a Layer 7 client and content proximity solution for geographically
distributed domains. Based on breakthrough, patent-pending technology, the ACD is the industry’s only
global server load balancing (GSLB) solution that delivers request-to-content routing based on Layer 7
attributes, true user proximity as well as network and server health and performance.
Customer Profile
• Enterprise: the ACD improves intranet and
extranet performance and application
availability, enabling advanced streaming
applications like e-Learning.
• Service Provider: the ACD allows service providers
to offer intelligent content delivery networking
(CDN) services that significantly enhance the
end-user ’s experience and improve
network efficiency.
Typical Applications
• Content Delivery Networks (CDN)
• Global application and sub-domain
load balancing
• Streaming delivery
• Enterprise / Service Provider
network optimisation
• High-availability applications
Key Points
• Accurate Request-to-Content Routing: The ACD
selects the best site from the perspective of the
user, not the user’s domain name server (DNS).
• Content-aware Site Selection: The ACD chooses
best site based on requested content.
• Performance: The ACD dramatically improves the
overall user web experience by dynamically
selecting fastest-responding site, accounting for
user proximity, server health and load. The
proximity database maintained by the ACD, which
is learnt and built during site selection, further
speeds up site selection process.
• Understanding Streaming Protocols: The ACD
inspects content inside Real Time Streaming
Protocol (RTSP). This offers flexibility to content
provider in developing streaming application.
Features and Benefits
• Intelligent site selection based on specific content
being requested which improves service
robustness and efficiency of web content delivery.
• Layer 7 load balancing / routing based on patterns
contained in HTTP headers, enabling site selection
based on language, client access devices, etc.
• Real-time knowledge of latency, packet loss
and server health.
• Multiple site selection algorithm for
maximum flexibility.
• HTTP and native RTSP supported.
• Client Network Cache contains client information
learnt by the ACD over time, storing millions of
client networks.
This speeds up the lookup process.
• Site persistence based on HTTP cookies
allows e-business application deployment.
• Highly scalable architecture supports thousands
of sites.
Ordering Information
For further information please contact your
local Nortel Networks Representative.