Edge DNS Global Service Load Balancing
Intelligent, flexible load balancing at the DNS layer
Challenge
Application GSLB keeps control
locked in siloed teams and
expensive appliances, limiting
agility, increasing costs, and
making it hard to extend smart
traffic steering to where users
and applications live.
Solution
BlueCat Edge DNS GSLB
introduces intelligent, policy-
driven traffic control into the
DNS layer, providing DDI teams
with real-time, scalable, and
cost-effective control over how
users access applications.
Benefits
The brains behind the balancing: a rules-based order that starts at the network/subnet level
Organizing sites using DNS segmentation and zero-trust DNS methods provides critical controls for handling traffic and implementing security policies suited to different client types (e.g., IoT). Segmentation enhances routing, enforces access controls, and safeguards against malicious activity. Zero-trust DNS verifies that devices communicate only with authorized endpoints, enabling real-time threat identification and proactive policy enforcement.
Migration is easy. NetOps teams with existing DNS business logic organized by site, country, region, city, or other breakout typologies can transfer that logic to Edge DNS GSLB. Rules are implemented at the network level to base distribution on subnets, with domain-level exceptions as needed.
Figure 1. DNS GSLB network/subnet methodology fits any existing network typology
Figure 1. DNS GSLB network/subnet methodology fits any existing network typology
Mechanisms and strategies
Use cases
1. Multiregion disaster recovery
Ensure availability for critical services (e.g., app.example.local) across regions with routing that adapts to network conditions. Define resolution logic based on consumer and producer subnet groupings to match current infrastructure.
Figure 2. Normal operations with primary endpoints online
During normal operations, consumer networks (e.g., Subnet A and Subnet B) resolve to healthy primary production networks (Subnet M and Subnet N). Responses are optimized and distributed based on business-aligned policies (geographic affinity, capacity, performance).
If Subnet M and Subnet N become unavailable (e.g., outage, DDoS), DNS GSLB dynamically reroutes traffic to Subnet O in another city or cloud region—without waiting for TTLs or manual reconfiguration.
For partial failures (e.g., only Subnet N down), traffic shifts to Subnet M immediately. Once health checks confirm recovery, traffic rebalances according to the original priority logic—no manual adjustments required.
A single gateway or shared service fronting multiple applications can be health-checked and governed by a single GSLB rule to redirect all dependent applications if the gateway becomes unavailable.
2. Per-application multinetwork delivery
Define precise, domain-specific routing policies for each application—even within the same consumer network block—so different applications can use distinct network paths and priorities without extra infrastructure.
Example: All queries from IP Block A route to Subnet M by default, but app.example.local is overridden to Subnet P.
Example: In IP Block A, dev.example.local routes to Subnet P (performance/proximity), while hr.example.local routes to Subnet M (compliance/data residency).
This enables nuanced, application-level routing across shared environments with centralized visibility and control.
Key differentiators
Simplified management
Apply rules at the network level to reduce DNS configuration complexity. Create subnet-level rules with domain exceptions where needed.
Enhanced performance and availability
Distribute traffic across multiple servers (with response randomization), reinforced by health checks and prioritization.
Flexibility
Adjust rules and priorities as business logic, network conditions, or requirements evolve.
Solution benefits
Lower costs
Deploy scalable DNS GSLB to regions and sites that cannot justify costly load balancers.
Reduce risk
Enforce routing rules that keep traffic aligned with policies—even during outages—to minimize downtime, misrouting, and compliance gaps.
Complete control
Bring DNS GSLB under the tools and teams that own resolution and traffic policies at the source.
Delight users
Deliver reliable, performant, localized service every time users open their browser.
BlueCat’s Intelligent Network Operations (NetOps)
BlueCat’s Intelligent NetOps solutions provide the analytics and intelligence needed to enable, optimize, and secure the network to achieve business goals. With an Intelligent NetOps suite, organizations can more easily change and modernize the network as business requirements demand.
