To handle a December surge in web traffic on an MPX 5550, which licensing option should be recommended?

• A. Upgrade MPX 5550 to MPX 5650.
• B. Universal License.
• C. BurstPack License.
• D. NetScaler Gateway Platform License.

Answer: (C)

BurstPack licensing is designed for handling seasonal or temporary spikes in traffic by providing a temporary boost to throughput and connection counts on the MPX appliance. This lets you absorb a December surge without committing to a permanent hardware upgrade or changing feature sets. The burst window activates during the peak and then returns to normal capacity, making it a cost-effective, low-risk way to keep services responsive during high-demand periods.

Upgrading to a higher-end model would indeed increase capacity, but it carries a bigger upfront cost and longer lead time, which isn’t ideal for a temporary spike. The Universal License adds features across platforms but doesn’t specifically increase peak throughput to manage a surge. The NetScaler Gateway Platform License focuses on enabling gateway/remote access features rather than boosting web traffic handling. Therefore, BurstPack is the most appropriate choice for quickly and economically managing a December traffic surge.