TCP/IP routing and workload balancing

You can route and balance the TCP/IP traffic of your system by using its integrated routing capabilities to eliminate the need for an external router.

The routing and workload balancing methods, as well as the background information, can help you understand the options available for you to use on your system. Each method is described using a figure so that you can see how the connections are made. These methods do not include instructions on configuring the routing techniques. The focus of this topic collection is on the routing principles and concepts you should know so that your system works better for you.

Why these methods are important to you

The techniques in these methods might cut down the overall cost of your connections because you can use fewer external routers and servers. Using these routing methods, you can free up IP addresses because you will be managing them in a more effective way. By reading the workload balancing methods, you can get better overall system performance by balancing the communications workload on your system.

• What's new for V5R4
  This topic highlights the changes made to this topic collection for V5R4.

• Printable PDF
  Use this to view and print a PDF of this information.

• TCP/IP routing functions by release
  Before you plan to use a routing function, make sure that your system is at the correct release to support the function that you want to perform.

• Packet processing
  Having a better understanding of packet processing helps you decide how to implement routing functions.

• General routing rules
  These rules apply to TCP/IP in general and to TCP/IP on the i5/OS^® operating system.

• Routing connectivity methods
  Routing deals with what path the network traffic follows from its source to its destination and how that path is connected.

• TCP/IP workload balancing methods
  Workload balancing is redistributing network traffic and workload of heavily accessed machines across multiple processors, multiple interface adapters, or multiple host systems.

• Scenario: Adapter failover using virtual IP and proxy ARP
  Virtual IP addresses allow you to assign an address to the system rather than to a specific interface. You can define the same address to multiple systems, which allows many new options for load balancing.

• Related information for TCP/IP routing and workload balancing
  Listed here are the product manuals and IBM^® Redbooks™ (in PDF format), Web sites, and information center topics that relate to the TCP/IP routing and workload balancing topic. You can view or print any of the PDFs.