Riverbed Updates Steelhead with RiOS 5.0

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Riverbed isn't sitting still in optimizing application traffic over wide-area networks (WANs).

Today the company unveiled Riverbed Optimization System (RiOS) version 5, the software that sits inside its Steelhead appliances. Among the many upgrades, a few make it especially worthy of a full-blown point release, according to the company.

The first is Exchange 2007 acceleration. While the messaging platform from Microsoft debuted with a slew of new features and a new protocol, MAPI 2K7, the downside is that it can all add up to considerable network overhead if enterprises choose to take advantage of all or even a good amount of the advanced options available to them.

RiOS 5.0 tests have been shown to decrease Exchange 2007 traffic by up to 97 percent. In this example, bandwidth utilization dipped to under 1 MB from over 17 MB on a 256K WAN while downloading a 6.4 MB email attachment. Transfer times plummeted to under 5 seconds versus over two minutes on a T1. These results were achieved after an initial Steelhead transfer in both instances. Initial transfers generally halve (or less) transfer times and bandwidth.

But Exchange isn't the only recipient of Riverbed's traffic-boosting tech.

Some other application-specific nods go to SharePoint, CRM from Microsoft and Siebel, SAP NetWeaver, and PeopleSoft (include JD Edwards under that umbrella). Additionally, RiOS 5.0 accelerates Oracle 11i applications in HTTP mode. SSL traffic, the staple of secure Web communications, gets a boost as well.

And if traffic between sites can't be neatly pigeonholed, all traffic enjoys a measure of optimization thanks to patented logic dedicated to "deduplicating traffic over the WAN," says Harold Byun, Senior Marketing Manager for Riverbed.

All told, Steelhead appliances have been known to reduce bandwidth utilization roughly 60 to 90 percent and provide from 5 to 50 times the application acceleration performance. Byun informs that in at least one case, they have been responsible for a customer "downgrading circuits with their ISP."

This release also marks the debut of the RiOS Services Platform, which grants Steelhead hardware the ability to pull double duty and provide virtualized edge services. It works on a partition that allows customers to "run applications and services on it," says Byun.

Riverbed hopes this new approach, which is patterned on open platforms, will give customers new and interesting ways to manage, secure and maintain the integrity of their data. For starters, some initial forays include "local print, streaming video, and IP address management," according to Byun.

But more are on the horizon.

This is due to a design meant to help Riverbed circumvent the shortcomings of other "Jack of All Trades" products. By allowing vendors to enhance Steelhead in ways that fit their core competencies, the company expects RiOS Services Platform to underpin "best of breed" solutions for a modest additional cost and without having to deploy another appliance.

RiOS 5.0 also debuts three WAN visibility modes to bolster the delivery of wide-area data services. These modes include the default Correct Addressing mode along with Correct Addressing + Port Visibility and Full IP and Port Visibility, though the latter requires changes to the network infrastructure. Also new are a new tweaks to the Web-based Steelhead interface and a broader range of role-based administration options.

RiOS 5.0 is available in March 2008 and comes standard on Steelhead hardware. Click here for more information on Riverbed's Steelhead appliances. Remote client software is also available.