Description
🖥️ RIVERBED STEELHEAD CXA-05070 SERVER - WAN Optimization Appliance with Dual Xeon E5-2630 v2 and 24GB RAM for Enterprise Network Acceleration 💨
🎯 About this Product
The Riverbed SteelHead CXA-05070 is an enterprise-class WAN (Wide Area Network) optimization appliance designed to significantly accelerate applications and network traffic over WAN links. This professional server from the CX5070 series features a powerful hardware architecture with dual Intel Xeon E5-2630 v2 processors and 24GB of DDR3 RAM to deliver exceptional network traffic optimization and compression performance.
This Riverbed SteelHead solution reduces WAN traffic by up to 95% thanks to its advanced deduplication technology, TCP optimization, and application acceleration. Ideal for multi-site businesses, remote branches, distributed datacenters, and hybrid cloud environments requiring optimal network performance despite WAN links with limited bandwidth or high latency.
⚠️ Important: The photos are for illustration purposes only. Only the content of the listing is authoritative for the exact product reference and included accessories. If in doubt, please feel free to contact us.
📦 Package Condition and Contents
Condition : Tested and functional used product. This Riverbed appliance has been rigorously tested by our technicians to ensure optimal operation of all hardware components.
Serial Number : 9514197
Included content:
- 1x Riverbed SteelHead CXA-05070 Server
- 1x Power cable
Note : Professional appliance ready for deployment in enterprise infrastructure.
⚙️ Complete Technical Specifications
| 🔹 Product Reference | CXA-05070-9514197 |
| 🔹 Manufacturer | Riverbed Technology (USA) |
| 🔹 Series | SteelHead CX5070 |
| 🔹 Product Type | WAN Optimization Appliance (WAN Optimization) |
| 🔹 Serial Number | 9514197 |
| 🔹 Processors | 2x Intel Xeon E5-2630 v2 (Ivy Bridge) |
| 🔹 CPU Frequency | 2.6 GHz (up to 3.1 GHz in Turbo Boost) |
| 🔹 Number of Cores | 6 cores per processor (12 physical cores total) |
| 🔹 Number of Threads | 24 threads with Hyper-Threading |
| 🔹 CPU Cache | 15 MB SmartCache per processor (30 MB total) |
| 🔹 Architecture | x86-64 (64 bits) |
| 🔹 Processor TDP | 80W per processor |
| 🔹 RAM Memory | 24 GB DDR3 ECC Registered |
| 🔹 Memory Type | DDR3-1600 MHz (PC3-12800) ECC |
| 🔹 Maximum Memory Capacity | Expandable based on available slots |
| 🔹 Disk Storage | Typical configuration: 2x 1 TB HDD or 2x SSD |
| 🔹 RAID Controller | Integrated hardware RAID controller |
| 🔹 Network Interfaces | Multiple Gigabit Ethernet ports (4 to 20 depending on configuration) |
| 🔹 Bypass Ports | 4 built-in bypass ports (fail-to-wire) |
| 🔹 PCI-Express Slots | 6 PCIe slots for expansion cards |
| 🔹 Power Supplies | 2x 770W redundant (hot-swap) |
| 🔹 Input Voltage | 100-127V / 200-240V AC, 50/60 Hz |
| 🔹 Typical Consumption | 298W with 120VAC / 290W with 230VAC |
| 🔹 Energy Efficiency | 80 Plus Platinum |
| 🔹 Thermal Dissipation | 1015 BTU/h (120VAC) / 991 BTU/h (230VAC) |
| 🔹 Format | Standard 19-inch rack (2U) |
| 🔹 Dimensions (LxWxH) | 700 x 440 x 87 mm (27.56" x 17.32" x 3.43") |
| 🔹 Weight | Approximately 23 kg (51 lbs) without PCIe cards |
| 🔹 Operating Temperature | 0-40°C (32-104°F) |
| 🔹 Relative Humidity | 40-90% without condensation at 40°C |
| 🔹 Sound Level | < 60 dB (typical) |
| 🔹 Certifications | UL, CE, FCC, RoHS |
| 🔹 Country of Manufacture | United States / Taiwan |
🌟 Riverbed WAN Optimization Technologies
Advanced Deduplication and Compression
- Byte-Level Deduplication : Patented technology that identifies and eliminates redundant data traversing the WAN, reducing traffic by up to 95%
- Lempel-Ziv Compression : High-performance algorithmic compression of non-redundant data for additional bandwidth savings
- Local Data Store : Local disk cache storing data patterns to accelerate future transfers without retransmission
- Bidirectional Optimization : Acceleration of traffic in both directions (upstream and downstream) for symmetrical performance
TCP Protocol and Network Optimization
- TCP Optimization : Improvement of the TCP protocol to eliminate the negative effects of WAN latency on application performance
- Multi-Connection TCP (MXTCP) : Intelligent multiplexing of multiple TCP connections over the WAN for optimal bandwidth usage
- Window Scaling : Dynamic increase of TCP windows to fully utilize high-bandwidth links
- Congestion Avoidance : Advanced congestion prevention algorithms to maintain stable throughput even under degraded conditions
- Quality of Service (QoS) : Intelligent prioritization of critical traffic to ensure performance of priority applications
Application Acceleration
- CIFS/SMB Acceleration : Specific optimization for Windows file shares with drastic latency reduction
- MAPI Acceleration : Acceleration of Microsoft Exchange/Outlook for responsive messaging even over slow WAN
- HTTP/HTTPS Optimization : Improvement of web and cloud applications with SSL/TLS support
- NFS Acceleration : Optimization of UNIX/Linux network file systems for heterogeneous environments
- Video Streaming : Optimization of video streams and multimedia content for training and videoconferencing
- Replication Protocols : Acceleration of replication protocols for remote backups and disaster recovery
Security and Reliability
- SSL/TLS Optimization : Acceleration of encrypted traffic without compromising security with locally managed private keys
- IPsec Passthrough : Full compatibility with IPsec VPN for optimization over secure tunnels
- Ports Bypass Fail-to-Wire : In case of appliance failure, bypass ports maintain network connectivity without interruption
- Alimentations Redondantes Hot-Swap : Dual 770W hot-swappable power supply for high availability
- RAID Matériel : Data protection with integrated RAID controller and disk mirroring
Hybrid Networking
- Path Selection : Intelligent traffic routing over multiple WAN links (MPLS, Internet, LTE) based on quality and availability
- Tunnel Bonding : Aggregation of multiple WAN links to increase effective bandwidth and ensure redundancy
- Forward Error Correction (FEC): Proactive error correction on unstable links to avoid retransmissions
- Adaptive Bandwidth Management: Dynamic adjustment of usage based on real-time network conditions
⚡ Performance and Capabilities
With its powerful hardware configuration, the CXA-05070 delivers exceptional performance:
- Optimized TCP Connections: Up to 20,000 optimized simultaneous TCP connections
- SSL/TLS Connections: Support for 20,000 optimized parallel SSL/TLS connections
- Optimized WAN Capacity: Optimized throughput up to 300 Mbps (depending on license)
- Data Store Capacity: Local storage of patterns for deduplication with extended capacity
- 12 Physical Cores: High processing power with dual Xeon E5-2630 v2 for intensive compression calculations
- 24 GB RAM DDR3: Generous memory for caching and parallel processing of network streams
- Traffic Reduction: Up to 95% reduction in the volume of data traversing the WAN
- Latency Reduction: Up to 100x improvement in application response times over WAN
🛡️ Warranty and Customer Service
✅ 30-Day Guarantee
We guarantee the proper functioning of this server for 30 days from receipt.
- Secure and Fast Shipping: Professional shipping with reinforced packaging for heavy equipment and carrier tracking number
- Professional Invoice: Paper invoice with 0% VAT included in each package
- Authentic Product: Original Riverbed equipment guaranteed with a verifiable serial number
- Thoroughly Tested: Server checked (boot, CPU, RAM, disks, network) before shipping
- Commercial Support: Our team answers your technical and commercial questions
⚠️ Disclaimer:
We do not provide technical support for software configuration, installation of the RiOS operating system, license activation, or integration into your network infrastructure. This product is sold as-is regarding the software and firmware. For technical assistance, WAN optimization configuration, activation of advanced features (Riverbed licenses), RiOS support, or integration with SteelCentral, please refer to the official Riverbed documentation or contact a certified Riverbed partner. Optimization licenses and software features require an active Riverbed support contract.
💼 Professional Applications and Use Cases
The Riverbed SteelHead CXA-05070 server is the ideal solution for:
- Multi-Site Enterprises: Organizations with remote branches requiring quick access to central datacenter resources
- Cloud Optimization: Acceleration of connections to SaaS applications (Office 365, Salesforce, ServiceNow) and IaaS (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
- Datacenter Consolidation: Centralization of applications while maintaining performance for remote users
- Disaster Recovery: Acceleration of replication for backups and failover to remote sites with optimized RPO/RTO
- Cloud Migration: Fast transfer of massive volumes of data to/from the cloud with compression and deduplication
- VDI and Centralized Applications: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure with a smooth user experience despite the WAN
- Distributed File Shares: Centralized file servers quickly accessible from all branches
- Exchange Messaging: High-performance Outlook/MAPI access for remote users without deploying local Exchange servers
- Distributed Software Development: International teams quickly accessing centralized code repositories and build systems
- Medical Sector: Quick access to large medical images (PACS) from remote sites with limited bandwidth
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
🌐 What is WAN optimization and why do I need it?
WAN (Wide Area Network) optimization addresses performance issues of applications over remote links. Traditional WAN networks (MPLS, Internet, VPN) suffer from high latency and limited bandwidth, making applications slow and file transfers endless. The Riverbed SteelHead installs seamlessly on your network and applies three simultaneous techniques: deduplication (removal of redundant data), compression (reduction of unique data), and TCP protocol optimization (elimination of protocol inefficiencies). The result: up to 95% reduction in WAN traffic and up to 100x improvement in application response times, allowing you to centralize your applications without impacting the user experience of remote sites.
💻 What are the performance characteristics of the Intel Xeon E5-2630 v2 processor?
The Intel Xeon E5-2630 v2 is a professional server processor from the Ivy Bridge generation offering an excellent balance of performance and efficiency. Each CPU has 6 physical cores (12 threads with Hyper-Threading) clocked at 2.6 GHz under normal load and up to 3.1 GHz in Turbo Boost mode. With 15 MB of SmartCache and DDR3-1600 MHz memory support, this processor excels in parallel tasks such as real-time compression and deduplication. The dual-processor configuration of this server totals 12 physical cores and 24 logical threads, providing substantial computing power to simultaneously handle thousands of network connections with accelerated hardware optimization. The 80W TDP per processor also ensures reasonable energy efficiency.
🔌 How do fail-to-wire bypass ports work?
The 4 built-in bypass ports are special network interfaces equipped with a fail-safe mechanical relay. In normal operation, traffic passes through the Riverbed appliance which applies WAN optimization. If the server experiences a failure (power outage, system failure, maintenance reboot), the mechanical relay automatically switches to bypass mode, creating a direct electrical connection (wire-through) between the LAN and WAN ports. Thus, your network remains operational even in the event of a total appliance failure, with traffic flowing normally but without optimization. This critical feature ensures that adding a SteelHead does not introduce any single point of failure in your network infrastructure. As soon as the appliance restarts, it automatically resumes optimization.
🔒 Does optimization work with encrypted SSL/TLS traffic?
Yes, Riverbed SteelHead can optimize encrypted SSL/TLS traffic while maintaining end-to-end security. Two modes are available depending on your requirements: the SSL Proxy mode where the SteelHead decrypts, optimizes, and then re-encrypts the traffic (requiring private certificates), and the SSL Peering mode where two SteelHead appliances establish an optimized tunnel between them without accessing the decrypted content (transparent mode). For critical applications requiring strict compliance (finance, healthcare), the Peering mode allows you to gain the benefits of TCP optimization and path selection without ever exposing sensitive data. Private keys remain under your exclusive control; Riverbed does not collect or store any customer data.
⚙️ Do I need additional software licenses?
Yes, Riverbed SteelHead appliances operate with a software licensing system that determines the available features and maximum performance. The hardware appliance alone is not sufficient; you must acquire a license suitable for your needs: Essentials (basic optimization), Standard (full optimization with HTTPS application acceleration, MAPI, CIFS), or Enterprise (all advanced features including replication, NFS, SCPS). The license also determines the maximum optimized WAN capacity (throughput limit). To fully utilize this CXA-05070 appliance, you will need to contact Riverbed or an authorized reseller to acquire the appropriate license. Without a valid license, the appliance cannot perform WAN optimization.
🌍 How to deploy a complete WAN optimization system?
A typical Riverbed SteelHead deployment requires at least two appliances: one in the central data center (SteelHead Server-Side) and one at each remote site (SteelHead Client-Side). The two appliances communicate seamlessly over the WAN, creating a bidirectional optimized tunnel. The installation is relatively simple: connect the bypass ports in series on the existing network path (usually between the WAN router and LAN switch), configure the management IP addresses, and optimization starts automatically without modifying applications, servers, or client machines. Remote users access centralized resources exactly as before, but with drastically improved performance. Riverbed SteelCentral (optional) provides a centralized management and monitoring console to oversee all your appliances from a single interface.
📊 What bandwidth savings can I expect?
The gains heavily depend on the type of traffic and usage patterns. For typical enterprise traffic, Riverbed regularly announces a 60-95% reduction in WAN volume. The best results are achieved with: Windows file shares (CIFS/SMB) where the same documents are frequently accessed by multiple users (90-95% reduction), backups and replications where data changes incrementally (90-98% reduction), Exchange/MAPI messaging with repetitive attachments (70-90% reduction). Web and cloud traffic benefits from more modest but still significant gains (30-60%). Beyond volume reduction, TCP optimization radically improves response times for all TCP applications even without compression, particularly noticeable on high-latency links (intercontinental, satellite).
🔧 Does the appliance require regular maintenance?
Hardware maintenance is minimal thanks to the professional architecture of the server. Critical components are redundant (hot-swap power supplies, RAID disks) allowing for replacement without service interruption. Temperature-regulated fans automatically adjust their speed. On the software side, Riverbed regularly releases updates for the RiOS system that fix bugs, improve performance, and add new features. These updates are installed via the web interface with scheduling outside of business hours. Routine maintenance mainly consists of monitoring the usage of the data store (disk cache) which may require an increase if saturated, and checking optimization statistics to adjust the configuration. An optional Riverbed support contract provides access to technical support, software updates, and advanced hardware replacement in case of failure.
