XML Performance Offload - using XML appliances to offload complex XML processing tasks

" This appliance really packs a punch. The XML Gateway moves processor-intensive XML tasks from application servers to the network itself. While other vendors rely solely on hardware acceleration cards, like the Tarari XML Accelerator, Vordel leverages its own XML Acceleration Engine (VXA) for XML processing. This approach enables Vordel to offer XML acceleration in both software- and hardware-based appliances. "

Eric Pieczkowski
InformationWeek Rolling Review
October 2008

XML processing is highly processor intensive. XML is widely recognized as resulting in bloated message sizes, and this is further impacted by the addition of SOAP protocols and, in particular, the use of security tokens and encryption. This has resulted in performance degradation that can in some instances be sufficiently severe to become a show-stopper.

At Vordel over the past eight years we have designed our products from the ground up for performance, to deliver the industry's fastest XML appliance available today. Following repeated tests in the field, Vordel XML Gateway continues to outperform all competing products, sometimes by as much as a factor of ten for matching tasks.

Through the patented Vordel XML Accelerator (VXA) engine, Vordel offers the market the optimum product for the acceleration of processor intensive XML processing tasks. VXA ensures that the highest levels of throughput can be maintained without having to compromise on security, abstraction, or policy enforcement. We deliver the following:-

  • Optimized core XML processing for highest level of throughput
  • Acceleration of core XML underpinning standards including XML Signature, XML Encryption, SAML, and WS-Security.
  • No compromise on Security, Abstraction or Policy Enforcement

Acceleration and Offload
Vordel's low-latency XML infrastructure is widely used across telecoms, Government, insurance, and other sectors. Our customers use these products to offload computationally-intensive tasks from applications. Benefits include increased response times for applications with reduced latency, freeing up resources to allow applications to concentrate on business logic and improved overall application reliability.

VXA Architecture
The VXA is a fast software-based implementation of XML processing primitives. It is used within Vordel's XML Gateway, in order to provide XML processing at a faster level than is performed by common JAXP implementations found in application servers and other applications which sit downstream from the XML Gateway. The VXA performs DOM (Document Object Model) processing, XPath, XSLT conversion, and XML validation.

Find out more about how Vordel's products speed and secure XML traffic here.