Duration: 5 Days
In this course, you will learn the foundational concepts and gain the advanced skills necessary to migrate from a Cisco ACE ADC to NetScaler and to implement, configure, secure, monitor, optimize, and troubleshoot a NetScaler system from within a networking framework. A variation of NetScaler 10 Essentials and Networking (CNS-205), this course is designed specifically for learners familiar with the ACE appliance but who have limited or no previous NetScaler experience. To successfully complete this course, you will have access to hands-on exercises within a virtual lab environment.
Though this course is based on the Citrix NetScaler 10.0 product, the skills and fundamental concepts learned are common to earlier product versions.
What You Will Learn
- Capabilities and functionality of the NetScaler
- Basic NetScaler network architecture
- Obtain, install, and manage NetScaler licenses
- How SSL is used to secure the NetScaler
- Implement NetScaler TriScale technology, including clustering
- Configure advanced load balancing and GSLB on the NetScaler system
- Optimize the NetScaler system for traffic handling and management
- Customize the NetScaler system for traffic flow and content-specific requirements
- Monitor and report through native NetScaler logging tools
- Recommended tools and techniques to troubleshoot common NetScaler network and connectivity issues
- Similarities and differences between the features of ACE and NetScaler
- Key steps in migrating from an ACE appliance to a NetScaler system
Audience
Those who are:
- New to the NetScaler platform
- Migrating or considering migration from Cisco ACE appliances
- Networking professionals
Note: Engineers interested in integrating NetScaler for networking environments but who are not migrating from Cisco ACE appliances, please see NetScaler 10 Essentials and Networking (CNS-205).
Prerequistes
- Good knowledge of TCP/IP and HTTP protocols
- Experience with network devices, networking protocols, and aspects of application and site architecture
- Experience with the Cisco ACE 4710 Appliance or ACE 10, 20, or 30 Service Module
- Moderate exposure to UNIX or Linux
- Familiarity with web server technologies
- Knowledge of network security threats and site protection concepts
Course Outline
1. Getting Started
- NetScaler Overview
- Introduction to the NetScaler System
- NetScaler Functionality
- NetScaler Operating System
- Hardware Platforms
- Hardware Components
- Planning a NetScaler Deployment
- Deployment Scenarios
- TriScale
- NetScaler Configuration
- Logging in to the NetScaler System
- NetScaler Licenses
2. Basic Networking
- OSI Networking Model
- NetScaler Architecture
- Packet Forwarding
- NetScaler-Owned IP Addresses
- NetScaler IP Address
- Sending a Client IP Address to Servers
- Virtual Local Area Networks
- Network Address Translation
3. Basic Load Balancing
- Configure Basic Load Balancing
- Services Configuration Overview
- Virtual Servers Creation
- Services Bound to a Virtual Server
- Configuration Verification
- Load Balancing Methods
- Service Weights
- Session Persistence Methods
- Service Level Monitors
4. High Availability
- High Availability Functionality
- High Availability Node Configuration
- Propagation and Synchronization
- High Availability Management
5. Policies and Expressions
- Policies Overview
- Policy Basics
- Basic Policy Components
- Policy Bindings
- Policy Priorities
- Hypertext Transfer Protocol
- Expression Structures
- Wildcards
- Context-Sensitive Fields
- Simple Expressions
- Compound Expressions
- Advanced Policy Conversion
6. Content Switching
- Basics of Content Switching
- Configure a Load Balancing Setup for Content Switching
- Content Switching Policies
- Content Switching Rule Precedence without Priority Specified
- Content Switching Rule Precedence with Priority Specified
- Connection Tuning
- IPv6
- DNS and the NetScaler
- IP Routing
- Link Load Balancing
- SIP Load Balancing
- Custom Load
- Persistence and Persistence Connections
- Load Balancing Configuration Protection
- Load Balancing Setup Management
- Traffic Management
7. Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB)
- GSLB Deployment Methods
- GSLB Concepts
- GSLB DNS Methods
- Implementing Static GSLB
- Metric Exchange Protocol
- Configuring Site-to-Site Communication
- Customizing the GSLB Configuration
- GSLB Persistence
- Monitoring GSLB Services
- Protecting the GSLB Setup Against Failure
- Implementing GSLB Failover for Disaster Recovery
8. Clustering
- Features Supported by Clustering
- How Clustering Works
- Cluster Synchronization
- Cluster Connections
- Cluster Communication Interfaces
- Striped and Spotted IP Addresses
- Traffic Distribution
- Cluster and Node States
- NetScaler Cluster Set up
- NetScaler Cluster Traffic Distribution Mechanisms
- NetScaler Cluster Management
- NetScaler Cluster Troubleshooting
9. Security and Authentication
- SSL
- SSL Administration
- SSL Keys
- Digital Certificates
- Certificate Signing Request
- SSL Certificates
- Certificate Generation
- Certificate Key Pairs
- NetScaler System Communication
- Front-End SSL
- Front-End SSL_TCP
- Securing Traffic
- SSL_Bride
- SSL Termination Points
- SSL Offload
- Configuring SSL Offload
- Advanced SSL Settings
- Hardware Compliance
- Authentication Setup
- AAA for Traffic Management
- SAML 2.0 Consumer Support
- Enhanced NTLMv2 Support
- Authentication Policy Creation
- Single Sign-On Setup
- LDAP Authentication
- Detailed Access Control Lists Configuration
- Extended Access Control Lists
- Creation and Removal of Access Control Lists
- SYN, SSL Renegotiation, TLS Man-in-the-Middle, and DoS Protection
- Client Traffic Management Based on Traffic Rate
10. Rewrite, Responder, and URL Transformation
- Packet Processing Flow
- Policies
- Policy Process Evaluation Flow
- Identifying Advanced Policy Expressions
- Actions
- Bind Points
- Policy Labels
- Pattern Sets
- Typecasting
- Rewrite, Responder, and URL Transform
- Configuring Rewrite Policies and Actions
- Configuring Responder Policies and Actions
- Configuring URL Transformation Policies and Actions
11. Optimizing Traffic
- Compression
- Integrated Caching
- Reverse-Proxy-Cache Configuration
- Content Groups
- Cache Selectors and Policies
- Caching Static and Dynamic Content
- Request and Response Process Flow
- Cache Policies and Cache Expressions
- Action Analytics
- Evaluation Order
- Built-In Policies
- Graceful Cache Configuration Changes
- Cache Content Groups
- FlashCache
- Caching Management
- AppExpert Templates
- Terminology
- Methodology
- Advanced Monitoring
- Monitoring Needs
- Simple Network Management Protocol
- Dashboard
- Citrix Command Center
- Reporting Tools
- NetScaler Log Management
- Audit Logging
- Configuring NetScaler for Audit Logging
- Configuring an Audit Logging Server
- Global Auditing Parameters
- Configuring Auditing Policies
- Monitoring Methods
- Reporting Tools
- Monitoring Needs
- Simple Network Management Protocol
- Configure SMNPv1 and SMNPv2
- AppFlow on the NetScaler
- AppFlow Collectors and EdgeSight Monitoring
- AppFlow Actions and EdgeSight Monitoring
- Third-Party Collectors
2. Troubleshooting
- Troubleshooting Methodology
- Troubleshooting Resources
- Troubleshooting Tools
- Troubleshooting Network Issues
- Troubleshooting Hardware Issues
- Load Balancing Issues
- Authentication, Authorization, and Access (AAA) Issues
- SSL Troubleshooting
- SSL Offload Troubleshooting
- Policy Troubleshooting
- High Availability Troubleshooting
13. ACE Migration
- Review of Cisco Load Balancers and Terminology
- Application Delivery Networking Terminology
- Cisco Load Balancing Terminology
- Physical Deployments
- Cisco Data Centre Integration
- Networking Terminology
- Deploying NetScaler to Replace ACE
- SSL Service Options
- Choosing NetScaler Replacement Hardware
- Best Design and Deployment Practices
- Port an ACE Deployment to a NetScaler Platform
- ACE Conversion Tool (ACT)
- Translating CLI from ACE to Netscaler
- Added Customer Benefits
Course Labs
