• Combines the port density and
connectivity of the Passport 8600
modular switch with award-
winning Alteon Web
Switching technology
• Provides Local and Global Server
Load Balancing and health
checks, to optimize existing
server infrastructure and
minimize costs
• Enables Firewall and VPN Load
Balancing, which can run simul-
taneously with server load
balancing, for economical
security deployments without
bottlenecks
• Delivers Content Intelligent
Switching and session-level
persistence to maximize
profitability while minimizing
infrastructure impact
Switching in the Web data center
demands a unique set of capabilities, due
to the time-sensitive nature of accessing
Web content. A Web Switch must be able
to quickly handle an enormous number of
sessions, while ensuring that the Web
servers it is connected to are topologically
close to the user, healthy, and able to fulfill
the users’ request in the least possible time.
It must balance the load coming into the
servers, firewalls, or VPNs. The Web
Switch must protect the servers against
Denial-of-Service attacks, overloaded
Intrusion Detection servers and flash
crowds. It must ensure persistence, to
eliminate e-commerce pitfalls like broken
shopping carts and Web forms, while
remaining easy to deploy. And a Web
Switch must enable new traffic types,
including streaming media and wireless.
Alteon Web
Switching Module
Alteon WSM Benefits
Nortel Networks
Intelligent Internet
Product Brief
Introducing Nortel Networks Alteon Web
Switching Module (WSM). The WSM
brings all the capabilities of Alteon’s award-
winning stackable Web Switches to a
modular format that is affordable, scalable,
and easy to customize for every users’
unique needs. The combination of the
Alteon WSM and Nortel’s Passport 8600
creates a complete, high capacity, carrier-
class switching system of unprecedented
scale. Service providers, hosters, content
providers, e-businesses and enterprises can
now get state-of-the-art Web OS Traffic
Management while aggregating large
numbers of 10/100/1000 Ethernet
connections to servers, routers,
firewalls, and caches.
