Google improving the link between end-users and servers
Google is developing technology that will improve communication between end-users and servers.
By Donna DonnowitzMay 27, 2011
The time a website takes to perform the SSL handshake between the end-user device and server is often one of the most time-consuming parts of accessing the internet. Google has been working to overcome this challenge by deploying what it calls False Start, a technology that reduces the time needed to perform an SSL handshake.
The process of testing False Start ended quickly, as Google was noticing a 30 percent reduction in SSL handshake latency and plans to put the program into action as part of its Chrome browser, Conceivably Tech reports.
There were some concerns at Google that the new False Start program would not work well with many websites and would end up creating performance issues instead of improving internet speeds. According to the report, these concerns have proven somewhat true. In a recent company blog post, Google's Mike Belshe reported approximately 94.6 percent of websites function properly with Google's False Start. Another 5 percent end up timing out, but those are all out of service, the report said. The remaining 0.4 percent of websites fail because of False Start, and Google has created a list of these pages so that Chrome will automatically deactivate False Start when the sites are accessed.
While False Start is capable of delivering significant performance gains, Belshe warns that those advances may be negated when users switch to IPv6. Belshe said the new internet address protocol could slow browsing because of how devices perform DNS lookups.
"The problem is that the current implementations of DNS will do both an IPv4 and an IPv6 lookup in serial rather than parallel," Belshe wrote in his blog.
IPv6 performance is a complicated issue. According to a recent Forbes report, most performance issues associated with IPv6 migration are present when companies use a software-based system to become compliant with IPv6, instead of supporting the transition by adapting hardware for the new address protocol. Software-based IPv6 systems have to handle both types of incoming addresses simultaneously and take the time to separate them upon arrival. This creates a bottleneck that severely hampers internet speeds. However, companies can follow a few basic steps to adapt their hardware to the new standard, the report said. The first of those processes is taking an inventory of the network's current capabilities. From there, businesses need to research what upgrades are needed and create a clear budget to allocate their resources, the report said.
The process of testing False Start ended quickly, as Google was noticing a 30 percent reduction in SSL handshake latency and plans to put the program into action as part of its Chrome browser, Conceivably Tech reports.
There were some concerns at Google that the new False Start program would not work well with many websites and would end up creating performance issues instead of improving internet speeds. According to the report, these concerns have proven somewhat true. In a recent company blog post, Google's Mike Belshe reported approximately 94.6 percent of websites function properly with Google's False Start. Another 5 percent end up timing out, but those are all out of service, the report said. The remaining 0.4 percent of websites fail because of False Start, and Google has created a list of these pages so that Chrome will automatically deactivate False Start when the sites are accessed.
While False Start is capable of delivering significant performance gains, Belshe warns that those advances may be negated when users switch to IPv6. Belshe said the new internet address protocol could slow browsing because of how devices perform DNS lookups.
"The problem is that the current implementations of DNS will do both an IPv4 and an IPv6 lookup in serial rather than parallel," Belshe wrote in his blog.
IPv6 performance is a complicated issue. According to a recent Forbes report, most performance issues associated with IPv6 migration are present when companies use a software-based system to become compliant with IPv6, instead of supporting the transition by adapting hardware for the new address protocol. Software-based IPv6 systems have to handle both types of incoming addresses simultaneously and take the time to separate them upon arrival. This creates a bottleneck that severely hampers internet speeds. However, companies can follow a few basic steps to adapt their hardware to the new standard, the report said. The first of those processes is taking an inventory of the network's current capabilities. From there, businesses need to research what upgrades are needed and create a clear budget to allocate their resources, the report said.
