The LoadMaster supports content switching, which is sometimes referred to as URL switching. This enables the LoadMaster to direct specific requests to specific Real Servers based on the contents of the requested URL.

For example, if there are two groups of servers - one to serve images and the other to serve all other content - you can create rules to separate these two types of request. Any URL that includes /images in it, for example http://example.com/images/demo.jpg, is directed to the image server(s). Anything else is directed to the other server(s).

Content switching enables the LoadMaster to break up traffic based on the content of the request. Traffic can be examined by the:

  • Request URL
  • HTTP Header
  • Source IP address
  • Body of a request
Note: Content rules only apply to HTTP or HTTPS traffic. If you want to match or edit the traffic, you must offload/re-encrypt SSL traffic.
Note: The maximum number of content rules that a LoadMaster can have is 1024.
Note: In this document, the term content switching does not refer to the process involved with Layer 2 switching. Instead, content switching refers to the switching of traffic between different servers, depending upon what content was requested.

Document Purpose

This document describes various aspects of the Content Rules feature of the LoadMaster. It describes in detail how to configure the Content Rules feature using the LoadMaster Web User Interface (WUI).

Intended Audience

Anyone who wishes to learn about or implement Content Rules with the LoadMaster.