Virtual Servers
This feature allows you to make Servers on your LAN accessible to Internet users. Normally, Internet users would not be able to access a server on your LAN because:
•Your Server's IP address is only valid on your LAN, not on the Internet.
•Attempts to connect to devices on your LAN are blocked by the firewall in The Load Balancer.
The "Virtual Server" feature solves these problems and allows Internet users to connect to your servers, as illustrated below.
Figure 4-2: Virtual Servers
Note that, in this illustration, both Internet users are connecting to the same IP Address, but using different protocols.
Connecting to the Virtual Servers
Once configured, anyone on the Internet can connect to your Virtual Servers. They must use The Load Balancer's Internet IP Address (the IP Address allocated by your ISP).
e.g.
http://205.20.45.34
ftp://205.20.45.34
•To Internet users, all virtual Servers on your LAN have the same IP Address. This IP Address is allocated by your ISP.
•This address should be static, rather than dynamic, to make it easier for Internet users to connect to your Servers. However, you can use the Dynamic DNS feature (explained later in this chapter) to allow users to connect to your Virtual Servers using a URL, instead of an IP Address.
e.g.
HTTP://my_domain_name.dyndns.org FTP://my_domain_name.dyndns.org
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