F5 Networks, Inc., the Seattle-based provider of Internet traffic and content management products, this morning divulged details of their upcoming EDGE-FX release, including a strategic alliance with streaming and caching powerhouse, Inktomi Corp.
Through this alliance, F5 will integrate Inktomi Traffic Server network cache and Traffic Server Media-IXT software within its EDGE-FX Cache family of products, allowing for improved the flow of content, including streaming and dynamic media, across the Internet and enterprise networks.
According to Jeff Pancottine, senior vice-president of marketing and business development at F5 Networks, the new caching products will snap readily into F5’s Internet Control.
Under terms of the alliance, Inktomi software and F5’s products will be tightly integrated through F5’s iControl Application Program Interface. This interoperability will enable intelligent cooperation between the Inktomi Traffic Server solutions and F5’s iTCM products.
In addition to the feature-rich capabilities of the Inktomi Traffic Server solutions, F5 will be adding new features to EDGE-FX, including Bandwidth Policy Management and DNS Caching.
The F5 Bandwidth Policy Management feature enables enterprises to limit the rate of traffic flow through EDGE-FX, freeing it to serve as a policy enforcement point.
The F5 DNS Caching feature enables EDGE-FX to proxy/cache DNS requests to an upstream DNS server or F5’s 3-DNS global load balancer.
F5 plans to release the new EDGE-FX Cache platforms in Q2 of 2001.
