Citrix NetScaler 8.0: Basic Operations and Administration

Course Overview

This 3-day course covers Citrix(R) NetScaler(R) 8.0 basic operations and administration, including deployment, initial installation and configuration, high availability configuration and administration.

Learners will also gain understanding of NetScaler features such as load balancing, SSL offload, policy engine expressions, content filtering, compression, content switching, auditing and logging, and monitoring.

Audience

This course is intended for system administrators or network operations personnel who install, configure and administer Citrix NetScaler products.

Skills Gained

Upon successful completion of this course, learners are able to perform the following:

• Identify Citrix NetScaler products, hardware platforms and hardware components
• Identify common deployment scenarios and deployment considerations
• Identify NetScaler system installation requirements
• Describe the installation process
• Log in to the NetScaler system
• Identify NetScaler system-owned IP addresses
• Upgrade system software
• Manage licenses
• Enable features
• Manage administration accounts
• Configure high availability
• Create servers and services
• Configure health checks
• Create load balancing virtual servers
• Enable persistence
• Configure advanced load balancing options
• Identify common SSL deployments
• Create, upload and bind certificates
• Configure advanced SSL offload options
• Configure policy engine expressions
• Bind content filter actions
• Configure compression policies
• Create and bind content switching virtual servers and policies
• Configure auditing
• Configure client IP address insertion
• Configure monitoring using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

Prerequisites

• Intermediate knowledge of TCP/IP and HTTP protocols and understanding of the OSI model
• Experience with network devices (e.g. routers, switches), various networking protocols, and aspects of application and site architecture (e.g. DMZ, VLANS)
• Moderate exposure to UNIX (particularly BSD variants)
• Exposure to basic systems administration concepts, including logging, software upgrade procedures and high availability operations
• Familiarity with web server software (e.g. Apache, IIS, WebSphere)
• Basic knowledge of DNS, SSL, and compression concepts
• Understanding of concepts related to server load balancing and content switching
• Knowledge of network security threats and site protection concepts (e.g. firewalls, worms, DDoS attacks)

Course Outline

Introducing and Deploying Citrix NetScaler

Citrix NetScaler Functions and Features

NetScaler Product Line

• Identifying NetScaler Software Options
• Identifying the NetScaler Hardware Platforms
• Identifying the NetScaler Hardware Components

Deployment Scenarios

• Identifying Network Placement Options
• Identifying Deployment Considerations

Performing an Initial Installation and Configuration

Installation Requirements

NetScaler System Installation

• Logging in to the NetScaler System
• Understanding the Setup Configuration Wizard
• Setting the Password

Initial Configuration

• Understanding Virtual Local Area Networks
• Saving the Configuration

Performing Basic Administration

NetScaler Administrative Tools

• Introducing the Configuration Utility
• Introducing the Command Line Interface
• Introducing the Statistical Utility
• Introducing FreeBSD
• Using Third-Party Tools

NetScaler Management

• Performing an Upgrade
• Managing Licensing
• Enabling NetScaler Features
• Managing Role-Based Administration

Configuring High Availability

• Introduction to High Availability

HA Node Configuration

• Configuring Nodes using the Configuration Utility
• Configuring Nodes using the CLI
• Verifying HA Status
• Performing Synchronization
• Performing a Forced Failover

HA Management

Configuring Load Balancing

Introduction to Load Balancing

• Managing Entities
• Creating Servers and Services

Service Monitoring

• Introducing Monitor Parameters
• Configuring HTTP Monitor
• Configuring ECV Monitors0
• Configuring HTTP-INLINE Monitors3
• Configuring Monitors Using the Configuration Utility
• Configuring Monitors Using the CLI

Load Balancing Virtual Servers

• Configuring Virtual Server Service Types
• Configuring Load Balancing Methods
• Binding Load Balancing Entities
• Configuring Session Persistence

Advanced Load Balancing Options

Configuring Load Monitors

Service and Virtual Server Management

Configuring SSL Offload

SSL and Digital Certificates

SSL Offload

Server Certificates

SSL Deployment Decisions

Front-End SSL with Backend HTTP

Front-End SSL with Backend SSL

Front-End SSL_TCP with Backend TCP

SSL Administration

• Generating a Key
• Generating a Certificate Signing Request
• Generating a Certificate for Testing
• Installing a Certificate
• Binding a Certificate
• Configuring Advanced SSL Settings

Configuring Policy Engine Expressions

Introduction to Policies

Policy Types and Their Uses

Expression Structures

Policy Syntax

• Understanding HTTP and HTTPS Traffic
• Identifying Qualifiers
• Identifying Operators
• Understanding Operands, Wildcards and Context-Sensitive Fields

Configuring Content Filtering

Introduction to Content Filtering

Filter Actions

Configuring Content Filters and Identifying Actions

Binding Filters

Configuring Compression

Compression Benefits

Compression Policies

Associated Compression Actions

Configuring Content Switching

Introduction to Content Switching

Content Switching Virtual Servers

Content Switching Policies

Binding Content Switching Policies to Content Switching Virtual Servers

Auditing and Logging

Syslog and Nslog Auditing

• Configuring Audit Servers
• Configuring Global Auditing Parameters
• Configuring Auditing Policies
• Binding Auditing Policies
• Viewing Recent Audit Messages
• Viewing Historical Audit Messages

Client IP Address Insertion

NetScaler Log Management

Monitoring

Simple Network Management Protocol

SNMPv1 and SNMPv2

• Configuring SNMP Managers
• Configuring the MIB System Variables
• Configuring SNMP Community Strings
• Configuring SNMP Traps
• Configuring SNMP Alarms

SNMPv3

• Statistical Utility
• Identifying the Statistical Utility Components
• Navigating the Statistical Utility
• Customizing the Built-in Comparative Charts Pane
• Customizing the Group Monitoring Pane
• Monitoring Tool

Citrix NetScaler 8.0: Basic Operations and Administration / CTX1733AI (CTX1733, CTX1733)