Radware bolsters firewall load balancer

Radware next week will announce a new version of its firewall load balancer, a product designed to keep incoming and outgoing traffic moving by distributing it among two or more firewalls.

FireProof 1.31 adds support for proxy-based firewalls - the firewalls that create a virtual IP address and direct all clients to that address.

Previously, FireProof only worked with transparent firewalls, those that go completely unseen by clients. Such firewalls, which are becoming increasingly common, serve only to allow or deny incoming or outgoing traffic.

Firewall load balancing is becoming increasingly popular among enterprise networks. In fact, Radware says its FireProof line now accounts for about a quarter of the company's sales.

Mark Hoover, president of consultancy Acuitive, says most companies only have one firewall - a surefire way to get network congestion. He recommends that companies install multiple firewalls and a firewall load balancer to ensure reliability and redundancy.

Firewall load balancers come in two flavors: a dedicated appliance, such as FireProof, or a switch, such as Foundry Networks' ServerIron and Alteon WebSystems' AceDirector. Foundry's and Alteon's switches, like Radware's device, also support proxy and transparent firewalls.

Radware claims its FireProof device, which is based on an Intel chip and includes an embedded processor dedicated to load balancing, is nonintrusive and easier to configure than a switch. Alteon and Foundry counter by saying that a switch is much faster and has many more features, such as the ability to perform Layer 2 through Layer 7 switching.

Radware's FireProof performs only the firewall load-balancing function, Hoover says. The device can be less expensive than a switch, he adds.

FireProof 1.31 is shipping now, and lists for $6,500 for a two-port Ethernet version, and $11,500 for a two-port Fast Ethernet model. The four-port Ethernet box lists for $7,500, and the four-port Fast Ethernet device goes for $12,500.

Radware: www.radware.com