1

Chapter 1

Introduction

The Intel

®

NetStructure

Cache Appliance is a carrier-class caching appliance that offers
high performance, high availability, and simple centralized management. The appliance
automatically and efficiently copies network documents and images, bringing them closer
and serving them faster to your users.
When placed strategically in a network, the appliance can serve user requests for objects
from its cache or the caches of neighboring appliances rather than have requests served
from an origin server. This relief results in improved network performance, and a
perceived higher quality of service. At the same time, the appliances reduce Internet
bandwidth usage by eliminating redundant requests for popular documents.
This chapter provides the following overviews:
What is an Intel® NetStructure™ Cache Appliance?‚ on page 2
Intel NetStructure Cache Appliance features‚ on page 3
How to use this guide‚ on page 5