Re: Max concurrent connections and TCP port limits

[Robert Elz <kre%munnari.OZ.AU@localhost>]

    Date:        Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:57:19 -0400
    From:        Steven Bellovin <smb%cs.columbia.edu@localhost>
    Message-ID:  
<863A6F76-B675-4B13-AE4A-2532AE08CE38%cs.columbia.edu@localhost>

  | > 1) Have each server bind multiple IP addresses in order to overcome
  | > TCP's 16-bit port limitation.
  | 
  | Right, and the load balancer should neither know or care ...

You could also put copies of the server on lots of different ports,
while it might normally always be expected on port N, if the load
balancer can direct the packets to any of a set of different addresses,
it also should be able to pick any of a set of (say a thousand or two)
different ports at each of those addresses.

If the server can handle the load, TCP's port numbers aren't seriously
going to be a problem - not in any non-contrived case anyway.

kre