|
|
|
Introduction to Round Robin DNS
If you have multiple servers with unique IP addresses, consider
taking advantage of the round robin capabilities of IP profiles.
Round robin configuration refers to a list of IP addresses that
are assigned to a domain or hostname. Requests for the domain or
hostname are distributed equally among the IP addresses on the
list. This increases the stability of your server network by sharing
the load.
Round Robin for Email Servers
Members running multiple email servers may wish to take advantage
of our round robin DNS capability by creating an IP Profile listing
the IP addresses of their mail servers. This profile could then
be attached to the hostname created for email requests.
Can I use one server two-thirds of the time?
To share the server load using a two-thirds to one-third ratio,
enter one IP address on the list twice (2X) and a second IP address
just once.
Round Robin DNS vs. Load Balancing
Round Robin does share the load equally among servers, however,
it is different from what is commonly termed "load balancing".
Load balancing distributes connection loads across multiple servers,
giving preference to those servers with the least amount of congestion.
In Round Robin, server distribution remains on a rigid "one
IP address to one user" rotating basis, but it still evenly
distributes your server requests among your servers.
Round Robin DNS Advantages and Disadvantages
One of the prime advantages of using Round Robin DNS is being
able to take one of the server systems "out of the loop" for
maintenance. Removing one of the entries on the list will have
no effect on your visitors.
However, be aware that if one system on your server list fails,
it will appear to the user as intermittent failure because they
will connect to the inactive server only a portion of the time.
|
