Hi Mate,
The reverse proxy servers can perform many tasks, like:
Note: this info from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_proxy
- Reverse proxies can hide the existence and characteristics of the origin server(s), The ACE will do that.
- Application firewall features can protect against common web-based attacks. Without a reverse proxy, removing malware or initiating takedowns, for example, can become difficult, The ACE has some built-in security features, you can refer to this document for full detail:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/docs/app_ntwk_services/data_center_app_services/ace_appliances/vA3_2_7/configuration/security/guide/securgd.html
- In the case of secure websites, the SSL encryption is sometimes not performed by the web server itself, but is instead offloaded to a reverse proxy that may be equipped with SSL acceleration hardware. The ACE can do this:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/docs/app_ntwk_services/data_center_app_services/ace_appliances/vA3_2_7/configuration/ssl/guide/sslgd.html
- A reverse proxy can distribute the load from incoming requests to several servers, with each server serving its own application area. In the case of reverse proxying in the neighborhood of web servers, the reverse proxy may have to rewrite the URL in each incoming request in order to match the relevant internal location of the requested resource. The ACE can do that perfectly.
- A reverse proxy can reduce load on its origin servers by caching static content, as well as dynamic content. Proxy caches of this sort can often satisfy a considerable amount of website requests, greatly reducing the load on the origin server(s). Another term for this is web accelerator. A reverse proxy can optimize content by compressing it in order to speed up loading times. Please check this link for more detail about ACE Application Acceleration and Optimization:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/docs/app_ntwk_services/data_center_app_services/ace_appliances/vA3_2_7/configuration/app_acc_and_opt/guide/appaccoptgd.html
Best regards,
Ahmad
