Until this release of Flash Media Server, clients always connected directly to the computer where the application was running. These applications were running locally, since their execution occurred on the same computer that the clients were connected to. This release of Flash Media Server introduces the concept of remote execution of applications. Flash Media Server can now run applications locally as an origin server or remotely as edge servers. Edge servers are not a different kind of Flash Media Server, rather, they are configured to run applications remotely.
Deploying edge servers in your organization offers significant benefits. Enhanced security is one benefit. Applications running on the origin server are no longer directly exposed to the Internet. All requests for Flash Media Server services are routed through known and secure connection points. These connectors are called edge, or proxy, servers; the terms are interchangeable. Administrators can monitor the traffic on edge servers. The access log files for each edge server lets administrators verify that the connections are authorized. The log files also identify unauthorized requests for connections.
The edge server-origin server deployment is flexible. Edge servers let administrators scale up or redistribute access to Flash Media Server without dismantling their current deployment. Administrators can add edge servers. Administrators can reallocate edge servers to match realignments of users and sites within an organization, or changes in the flow of traffic among the sites.
Deploying edge servers lets administrators distribute the incoming connection requests for Flash Media Server services. Traffic between clients and the origin server uses the existing bandwidth and system resources more efficiently. More traffic occurs locally between the clients’ computers and the edge server. Without edge servers, all clients have to connect to a Flash Media Server origin server, no matter where that server is located.
Edge servers mediate communications traffic between the organization’s trusted network and an untrusted network such as the Internet. Using edge servers does not remove the need for a firewall to manage the traffic at an IP level, but does provide an additional layer of security at the application level.
With an edge-origin deployment strategy, all connection requests from users’ computers for Flash Media Server services are redirected to an edge server. The edge server receives the request from the user’s computer, but the edge server is not running the application. The edge server makes the connection to another computer, called the origin server, where the application is running. When the origin server fulfills the request for Flash Media Server services, it sends the application’s data back to the edge server, which in turn forwards the data to the client (the user’s computer).
It may seem to the users that they are directly connected to the origin server where the application is located. The edge server does make it appear as if it is running the application. The edge server’s role, however, is to mediate the communications between clients and the origin server. Edge servers authenticate the users and authorize their requests for web services.
For example, when Flash Media Server is deployed solely on one computer and is running just one application instance, system and network resources may not always be sufficient when a large number of users in an organization want to connect almost simultaneously to Flash Media Server from multiple locations. Such might be the case in an enterprise-wide meeting or conference. When too many users want to access the same application at the same time, the existing bandwidth and system resources can be overwhelmed. Increased latency is another indication that resources need to be reconfigured or reallocated.
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