The Barracuda Link Balancer provides the ability to balance your organization's outbound Internet traffic across two or more separate WAN links. Such links can be from the same ISP or different ISPs, with the device automatically monitoring the health and saturation of each link and sending client links to the most appropriate WAN connection. In the event that one of the WAN links fails, the device can both automatically route client requests to the remaining active links, while simultaneously monitoring the failed link and bringing it back online when it is restored.

The device is deployed at the organization's perimeter, either in place of the existing firewall (between the LAN switch and the Internet), or just outside the existing firewall (between the firewall and the Internet). The device includes 2, 3, or 6 ports for WAN connections (i.e., WAN traffic can be sent across from 2 to 6 links), and an additional port that connects to the existing LAN switch. All ports are 10/100 Ethernet, with the exception of the highest model (the 430) where the LAN port is Gig Ethernet.

Management of the device is via a browser-based interface, with initial setup consisting of plugging in the WAN links, plugging in the LAN link, and then configuring each of the WAN links through the interface (WAN gateway, IP, speed, network mask, etc.). In addition to the automated link balancing, clients can be configured with a permanently designated WAN link or to a specific link for a defined time period, if desired.

Additional key features of the device include support for the definition of firewall rules and enforcement, and support for basic QoS (bandwidth management) settings for pre-defined or custom (by defined port ranges) applications. (Bandwidth management and QoS is supported only in the two higher models.) Also provided by the product are NAT support (including 1:1 NAT assignments), port forwarding, DHCP server, and caching DNS server capabilities.

Three models of the product are available (230, 330, 430), supporting 2, 3, and 6 WAN links, respectively. All are mini-1U devices. The high end model (the 430) additionally supports custom branding and an API for external application integration.

The Barracuda Link Balancers are available now, with pricing starting at about $2,000. Visit the Barracuda Networks Web site for further information.