Running the Netra Proxy Cache Array in an NIS-only Environment

Load Distribution in an NIS-only Environment

Load distribution in a Netra Proxy Cache Array is optimum in an environment where resolution of the name of proxy cache service provided by the array occurs on a continual basis. This occurs in a network where the name service acknowledges the time-to-live (TTL) of the name-to-address entries made available by the array DNS. Examples of such a name service are the DNS (using bind v. 4.9.3 or later) or NIS, as shipped with Solaris 2.6.

In an environment where name resolution is static or occurs infrequently (such as with pre-Solaris 2.6 NIS), you might be able to use browser facilities, such as the Proxy Access Control (PAC) file, to force name service lookups on an ongoing basis.

Resolving the Name of the Proxy Cache Service

For an NIS-only environment, the following are two alternatives for resolving the name of the proxy cache service provided by a Netra Proxy Cache Array. Other alternatives are available.

• Configure the NIS server to forward unresolved queries to a DNS server that delegates the proxy cache's zone to the array. Set the Array DNS Proxy Records Time-To-Live property in the Advanced array configuration page, described in "DNS", to a low value, such as 3 seconds.

• Assign an NIS service name for each service address in the array. By doing this, you achieve failover functionality. However, the DNS configuration on the array becomes redundant.

• The browser's PAC file might have a facility for name resolution.