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This book is organized into nine chapters. While certain basic knowledge of networking and Internet protocols is assumed, a quick review of any concept critical to understanding the functionality of load balancers is usually provided. Chapter 1 introduces the concepts of load balancers and explains the rationale for the advent of load balancing. It includes the different form factors of load−balancing products and major applications for load balancing. Chapter 2 explains the basics of server load balancing, including a packet flow through a load balancer. It then introduces the different load−distribution algorithms, server−and−application health checks, and the concept of direct server return. Chapter 2 also introduces Network Address Translation (NAT), which forms the foundation in load balancing. It is highly recommended that readers unfamiliar with load−balancing technology read Chapters 2, 3, and 4 in consecutive order. Chapter 3 introduces more advanced concepts in server load balancing, such as the need for session persistence and different types of session−persistence methods. It then introduces the concept of Layer 7 switching or content switching, in which the load balancer directs the traffic based on the URLs or cookies in the traffic flows. Chapter 4 provides extensive design examples of how load balancers can be used in the networks. This chapter not only shows the different designs possible, but it also shows the evolution of the design and why a particular design is a certain way. This chapter addresses the need for high availability, including designs that tolerate the failure of a load balancer. Chapter 5 introduces the concept of global server load balancing and the various methods for global server load balancing. This chapter includes a quick refresher of Domain Name Server (DNS) and how it is used inglobal server load balancing. Chapter 6 describes how load balancers can be used to improve the scalability, availability, and manageability of firewalls. It also addresses various high−availability designs for firewall load balancing. Chapter 7 includes a brief introduction to caches and how load balancers can be utilized in conjunction with caches to improve response time and save Internet bandwidth. Chapter 8 shows application examples that use different types of load balancing. It shows the evolution of an enterprise network that can utilize the various load−balancing applications discussed in prior chapters. This chapter also introduces the concept of content distribution networks, and shows a few examples. Chapter 9 ends the book with an insight into what the future holds for load−balancing technology. It provides several dimensions for evolution and extension of load−balancer functionality. Whether any of these evolutions becomes a reality depends more on whether load−balancing vendors can find a profitable business model to market the features.