Global Server Selector - Adaptive Applications - BlueCat Gateway - 21.1

Global Server Selector Administration Guide

Locale
English
Product name
BlueCat Gateway
Version
21.1

BlueCat Adaptive Applications are licensed, out-of-the-box applications that provide you with advanced DDI functionality with minimal configurations. Adaptive Applications extend the functionality of the BlueCat core Adaptive DNS platform, DNS Integrity, in specific areas to drive increased customer value and competitive differentiation.

The BlueCat Global Server Selector (GSS) Adaptive Application simplifies the configuration and update of DNS for globally distributed applications by providing a method to configure DNS to direct users to the nearest available server without the need for complex Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) solutions. With this Adaptive Application, you can configure DNS to perform the following:
  • Automatically update DNS responses based on server availability.
  • Direct endpoints to the best application servers for their location.
  • Give different DNS responses to clients behind Network Address Translation (NAT).
  • Integrate with existing app monitoring using simple APIs.


The GSS Adaptive Application is built on BlueCat Gateway and includes the following two workflows:
  • The GSS application
    • Uses Address Manager to store configuration information that can be read or written using the Address Manager API.
    • Uses dynamic DNS updates to store state information that can be read or written on a DNS/DHCP Server with a Primary DNS configuration.
    • Uses RPZ zones on DNS Cache servers to provide different responses depending on the region. The RPZ zones are updated by GSS using dynamic DNS updates when the health status or configuration changes. When the RPZ zone is updated, the Primary DNS server sends a Notify message to the DNS Cache servers which then request a zone transfer of the RPZ zone change.
  • The GSS health check server
    • Uses the GSS APIs to retrieve the health check configuration.
    • Checks the health of the application server on a set schedule.
    • Uses the GSS APIs to update health information.