Does Microsoft DNS support GSLB?

Are there any features in Microsoft DNS to support Global Server Load
Balancing?

Scenario: Client has an Intranet that is accessed by about 2000 users
from about 20 different global locations. Many locations have slow
and/or high-latency WAN connections (eg. Yemen, Nigeria, etc.), so
users of course complain of slow response times for the Intranet site.

We have the ability to replicate the site content to local servers in
each location. I am now looking into my options for directing users in
all locations to their local copy of the site.

In general, each location is set up as a "persistent branch office"
that can function even if the WAN is completely down. Generally they
each have an AD Domain Controller, IIS server, Exchange server, Lotus
Domino server, DNS server, (and DHCP and other basic services).

I could have a redirect page or ISAPI filter at Head Office that looks
up users client IP in AD Sites and Services, determines their local web
site, and redirect them to the local server name. I expect this would
have the following drawbacks:
- would still incur the WAN hit for the redirect page, making the web
site speed not optimal; and not accessible if the WAN is down
- URLs to a local site would be different than URLs to the same page
at other locations, raising problems like URLs in emails will go to a
location-specific web server

I expect a DNS-based solution would solve these drawbacks for me,
assuming I would be able to have the DNS server in each location
respond with the local web server's IP address for a given URL.

Is there any way to do this? I would consider/hope for:
- configuration features in DNS and AD Sites and Services to specify a
"service" named e.g. "_intranet" that mapped to a local server name,
and have DNS report that server's IP address when browsers request the
address for "http://intranet.acme.com";
- writing a DNS plug-in or filter of some kind that would intercept
the DNS lookup from the user's browser and write my own AD Sites and
Services lookup, or a lookup to some other table of web site locations
and IP subnets
- hosts file (please god no)

Even high-level answers appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Robert Burfoot-Lobo
Wolf Creek Consulting
http://www.wolfcreekconsulting.com

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