host header load-balancing

So what it sounds like you need is to balance based on URI first, and then User-Agent after that. I.E. if the user is accessing msie.foo.com/login, then decide where to route things based on their User-Agent. Otherwise, send everything to the default pool, since it is the one that is set up to handle all of foo.com. Does that sound correct?

If so, you're awfully close, and just need to add another conditional. Try this:

when HTTP_REQUEST { 
  switch -glob [HTTP::header value "User-Agent"] { 
    "_MSIE 6_" - 
    "_MSIE 7" - 
    "_MSIE 8" { 
      if {[HTTP::uri] eq "/login"} { 
        pool site-10.130.14.98_9610 
      } else { 
        pool site-10.130.14.98_29710 
      } 
    } 
    default { 
      pool site-10.130.14.98_29710 
    } 
  }
}

So you just need to rewrite the URI?

when HTTP_REQUEST {
    switch -glob [HTTP::header value "User-Agent"] {
        "*MSIE 6*" -
        "*MSIE 7*" -
        "*MSIE 8*" {
            pool site-10.130.14.98_9610
            HTTP::uri "/login"
        }
        default {
            pool site-10.130.14.98_29710
        }
    }
}

Thank you for your reply. There seems to be a loop in the iRule. It now looks like traffic is being redirected to the virtual server again, with the suffix /login added, which obviously causes this loop when the user uses MSIE. I just would need the /login suffix added, and the pool site-10.130.14.98_9610 to be used. This is my current iRule :

when HTTP_REQUEST {
  switch -glob [HTTP::header value "User-Agent"] {
    "*MSIE 6*" -
    "*MSIE 7*" -
    "*MSIE 8*" {
    log local0. "[IP::client_addr]:[TCP::client_port]: Matched MSIE."
    pool site-10.130.14.98_9610
    HTTP::uri "/login"   
    }
    default {
    log local0. "[IP::client_addr]:[TCP::client_port]: Matched default pool" 
      pool site-10.130.14.98_29710
    }
  }
}

Can you try this :

when HTTP_REQUEST {
  switch -glob [HTTP::header value "User-Agent"] {
    "*MSIE 6*" -
    "*MSIE 7*" -
    "*MSIE 8*" {
    log local0. "[IP::client_addr]:[TCP::client_port]: Matched MSIE."
    pool site-10.130.14.98_9610
        if { ![string tolower [HTTP::uri]] equals "/login" }{
            HTTP::uri "/login"   
        }
    }
    default {
    log local0. "[IP::client_addr]:[TCP::client_port]: Matched default pool" 
      pool site-10.130.14.98_29710
    }
  }
}

I added a condition for your URI rewriting action.

Hi Thomas, unfortunately, that did not work neither. Basically, I'm looking to add the /login suffix for requests made by MSIE users, who then need to be directed to a seperate pool of servers. The actual user is not to type the /login suffix himself. I believe your if statement expects the /login typed in the browser, doesn't it ? So a conditional rewrite of the URL....

Ok, so you want your user to be redirected to /login page if he uses MSIE 8 ?

Did you try to redirect your user with

HTTP::redirect "http://[HTTP::host]/login"

Thanks, this somewhat does the redirect, although I would not like the URL in the browser to change. I'd like to keep it the same for both browsers. how do I do that?

Or you can do this like that :

when HTTP_REQUEST {
  switch -glob [HTTP::header value "User-Agent"] {
    "*MSIE 6*" -
    "*MSIE 7*" -
    "*MSIE 8*" {
        set URI_Origin "[HTTP::uri]"        
        log local0. "[IP::client_addr]:[TCP::client_port]: Matched MSIE."
        pool site-10.130.14.98_9610
            if { ![string tolower [HTTP::uri]] equals "/login" }{
                HTTP::uri "/login/$URI_Origin"   
            }
        }
    default {
    log local0. "[IP::client_addr]:[TCP::client_port]: Matched default pool" 
      pool site-10.130.14.98_29710
    }
  }
}

You can also take a look at Cookie insertion.