Cisco Systems has a load balancing and connection distribution solution called Content Switching Module (CSM).

CSM provides layer 4 to layer 7 routing and failover control based upon message (packet) content and the health of target servers. On z/OS, the health of a sysplex is communicated using the Load Balance Advisor, LBA. The LBA communicates health data to CSM. The CSM then makes decisions on which server to forward workload to. The end result is very similar to the way sysplex distributor functions, but the implementation is significantly different. In addition, the CSM can communicate with non-z/OS platforms.

Instead of the sysplex distributor node being the target for inbound connections, client connection pass through the CSM. The CSM handles each incoming session and distributes it to the appropriate target host.