Data Centre: Application Control Engine (ACE) - Operations and Configurations

Course Overview

This is a three-day instructor-led, lecture / lab course. Students will learn how to deploy and configure intelligent network services using the Catalyst 6500 Application Control Engine (ACE). All key features of the ACE module are covered, including resource virtualization and management, server load balancing (Layer 2-4 and Layer 7), SSL termination and offload, and security features like application-layer inspection and fix-ups.

Audience

This course is intended for a technical audience involved in the installation, configuration and maintenance of the Application Control Engine.

Skills Gained

• Describe IP application delivery within the ACE module
• Describe the configuration tasks necessary to successfully deploy an ACE module
• Describe the structure and function of the Modular Policy CLI statements used to configure ACE features.
• Describe the capabilities of and configuration of the ACE features used to provide load balancing of IP-based applications
• Describe ACE support for SSL protocol processing
• Describe the ACE features that provide IP application-based security
• Describe the high-availability features of the ACE module which are used to provide reliable application networking services.
• Describe a methodology used to design and configure multiple ACE features.
• Identify the layer 7 processing options used to provide advanced application networking.

Prerequisites

Delegates are required to have a basic understanding of the following:

• TCP / IP protocol
• HTTP and SSL protocols
• N-tier application architecture
• Server load-balancing

Course Outline

Introducing ACE

• IP Protocol Stack Review
• IP Application Review
• Introducing ACE

Deploying ACE

• Connecting ACE to the Network
• Network Topologies
• Virtualisation
• Resource Management
• Authorizing Management Users
• Configuring Interfaces

Modular Policy CLI

• Class Maps
• Policy Maps
• Applying Policy Maps
• Permitting Management Traffic

Layer 4/7 Load Balancing

• IP access Control Lists
• Load Balancing Concepts
• Load Balancing Algorithms
• Configuring Layer 4 Load Balancing
• Configuring Layer 7 Load Balancing
• Health Monitoring Overview
• Active Health Probes
• HTTP error Code Monitoring
• Using TCL Scripting
• Route Health Injection
• Persistent/Pipelined Client Connections
• Server Reuse

Layer 7 Protocol Processing

• Session Persistence
• HTTP Modifications
• Protocol Inspection

Processing Secure Connections

• Digital Encryption Technologies
• SSL Service Options
• Configuring a Public-Key Infrastructure
• Configuring SSL Proxy Services

Security Features

• TCP/IP Fragmentation/Reassembly
• TCP/IP Normalisation
• Network Address Translation

High Availability

• Redundancy
• Object Tracking
• Failover
• State Replication
• Displaying Fault Tolerance Information

Integrating Multiple Features

• Analysing Network Requirements
• Designing ACE Contexts
• Designing ACE features
• Configuring Multiple Integrated Features.

Data Centre: Application Control Engine (ACE) - Operations and Configurations / ACEOC