Link load balancing

Link load balancing (LLB) balances outbound traffic across multiple Internet connections provided by different service providers. LLB enables the NetScaler applianace appliance to monitor and control traffic so that packets are transmitted seamlessly over the best possible link. Unlike with server load balancing, where a service represents a server, with LLB, a service represents a router or the next hop. A link is a connection between the NetScaler applianace and the router.

To configure link load balancing, many users begin by configuring a basic setup with default settings. Configuring a basic setup involves configuring services, virtual servers, monitors, routes, an LLB method, and, optionally, configuring persistence. Once a basic setup is operational, you can customize it for your environment.

Load balancing methods that are applicable to LLB are round robin, destination IP hash, least bandwidth, and least packets. You can optionally configure persistence for connections to be sustained on a specific link. The available persistence types are source IP address-based, destination IP address-based, and source IP and destination IP address-based. PING is the default monitor but configuring a transparent monitor is recommended.

You can customize your setup by configuring reverse NAT (RNAT) and backup links.