Specifications

Chapter 1: Introduction 1
Chapter 1
Introduction
This chapter provides an overview of the Barracuda Link Balancer and includes the following topics:
Overview .............................................................................................. 1
Features of the Barracuda Link Balancer ........................................... 2
Technical Support ................................................................................ 6
Overview
The Barracuda Link Balancer routes and manages traffic across multiple Internet connections or
WAN links. By using multiple inexpensive connections from one or more Internet service providers,
you can reduce the need to purchase high speed and high cost links. Supported links include T1, T3,
E1, DSL, cable, fiber optic and MPLS. The Barracuda Link Balancer:
• balances incoming and outgoing network traffic across multiple links
• provides automated failover in case of link failure
• manages bandwidth
• performs Quality of Service (QoS) for Internet applications
• includes DHCP server and DNS caching server functionality
• can act as a traditional firewall or can be installed in front of your existing firewall
• provides site-to-site VPNs with link failover and failback.
The Barracuda Link Balancer is not designed for load balancing that distributes incoming traffic
across servers. If you are interested in that functionality, the Barracuda Load Balancer may meet your
needs.
As shown in Figure 1.1, the Barracuda Link Balancer provides an interface between multiple Internet
connections and your clients and servers.