Deploying Cisco Wide Area Application Services 2nd Edition

Description

Implement advanced WAN optimization, application acceleration, and branch virtualization with Cisco WAAS 4.1

This book brings together all the information you need to design and deploy scalable, transparent application acceleration, WAN optimization, and branch virtualization solutions with dramatically improved Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) 4.1 products from Cisco.

Cisco WAAS insiders Joel Christner, Zach Seils, and Nancy Jin systematically cover new WAAS software enhancements that enable far better performance, simplified workflow, and improved manageability. They introduce powerful new solution components including application-specific acceleration techniques, hardware form factors, and virtualization. They also thoroughly explain recent architectural improvements that provide a solid foundation for future WAAS solutions.

The authors begin by reviewing the underlying technologies that comprise today's Cisco WAAS solution. Next, drawing on extensive personal experience, they walk through collecting requirements, designing effective solutions, integrating WAAS into existing networks, and configuring WAAS 4.1 software.

This book is replete with real-world implementation examples and case studies - including extensive coverage of network, branch office, and data center integration. One step at a time, you'll learn how to deploy Cisco WAAS in a scalable, transparent, and seamless fashion: one that addresses both your business and technical challenges.

* Thoroughly understand WAAS 4.1's capabilities, and learn how to use and manage it effectively
* Understand both the Cisco WAAS appliance and router-integrated network module hardware family
* Quickly deploy WAAS in lab or production pilot environments to quantify its potential benefits
* Size, design, and deploy Cisco WAAS for maximum performance and value in your enterprise network
* Compare and select design options for branch office and data center network integration
* Deploy the WAAS Central Manager and accelerator WAAS devices
* Implement centralized authentication, authorization, alarm management, monitoring, and reporting
* Configure WAN optimization with the Application Traffic Policy Manager
* Configure, verify, and manage application acceleration
* Leverage WAAS 4.1's powerful new branch office virtualization capabilities
* Quickly troubleshoot WAAS problems using Cisco's own best practices

This book is part of the Networking Technology Series from Cisco Press, which offers networking professionals valuable information for constructing efficient networks, understanding new technologies, and building successful careers.

CONTENTS:

Foreword xix

Introduction xx

Chapter 1 Introduction to Cisco Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) 1

Understanding Application Performance Barriers 3

Layer 4 Through Layer 7 4

Latency 7

Bandwidth Inefficiencies 10

Throughput Limitations 11

Network Infrastructure 12

Bandwidth Constraints 12

Network Latency 15

Loss and Congestion 19

Introduction to Cisco WAAS 21

WAN Optimization 23

Data Redundancy Elimination 25

Persistent LZ Compression 30

Transport Flow Optimization 30

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Optimization 31

Application Acceleration 33

Object and Metadata Caching 36

Prepositioning 38

Read-Ahead 39

Write-Behind 40

Multiplexing 41

Other Features 42

Branch Virtualization 45

The WAAS Effect 46

Summary 48

Chapter 2 Cisco WAAS Architecture, Hardware, and Sizing 49

Cisco WAAS Product Architecture 49

Disk Encryption 50

Central Management Subsystem 51

Interface Manager 51

Monitoring Facilities and Alarms 52

Network Interception and Bypass Manager 52

Application Traffic Policy Engine 53

Virtual Blades 55

Hardware Family 55

Router-Integrated Network Modules 56

NME-WAE Model 302 57

NME-WAE Model 502 57

NME-WAE Model 522 58

Appliances 58

WAVE Model 274 59

WAVE Model 474 59

WAE Model 512 60

WAVE Model 574 60

WAE Model 612 60

WAE Model 674 61

WAE Model 7341 61

WAE Model 7371 61

Licensing 61

Performance and Scalability Metrics 62

Device Memory 63

Disk Capacity 64

Number of Optimized TCP Connections 65

WAN Bandwidth and LAN Throughput 70

Number of Peers and Fan-Out 71

Number of Devices Managed 73

Replication Acceleration 74

Virtual Blades 75

Summary 76

Chapter 3 Planning, Discovery, and Analysis 77

Planning Overview 77

Planning Overview Checklist 78

Requirements Collection and Analysis 78

Site Information 80

Site Types 80

User Population 81

Physical Environment 81

Site Information Checklist 82

Network Infrastructure 82

WAN Topology 82

Remote Office Topology 85

Data Center Topology 86

Traffic Flows 87

Network Infrastructure Checklist 89

Application Characteristics 90

Application Requirements Checklist 91

Application Optimizer Requirements 91

CIFS Accelerator 91

Advanced Features 92

File Services Utilization 93

File Services Requirements Checklist 93

MAPI Accelerator 94

MAPI Requirements Checklist 95

HTTP Accelerator 95

HTTP Requirements Checklist 95

NFS Accelerator 96

NFS Requirements Checklist 96

Video Accelerator 96

Video Requirements Checklist 96

SSL Accelerator 97

SSL Requirements Checklist 97

Replication Accelerator 98

Platform Requirements 98

Platform Requirements Checklist 98

Scalability Requirements 99

Scalability Requirements Checklist 99

Availability Requirements 99

Availability Checklist 100

Management Requirements 100

Cisco WAAS Central Manager and XML-API 100

SNMP Trap/Inform Routing 101

SNMP Community Strings 101

Syslog Servers 102

Management Requirements Checklist 103

Security Requirements 103

Security Requirements Checklist 105

Virtualization Requirements 105

Virtualization Requirements Checklist 106

Summary 106

Chapter 4 Network Integration and Interception 107

Interface Connectivity 107

Link Aggregation Using PortChannel 111

PortChannel Configuration 112

Using the Standby Interface Feature 115

Standby Interface Configuration 116

Interception Techniques and Protocols 119

Web Cache Communication Protocol 119

WCCP Overview 120

Service Groups 120

Forwarding and Return Methods 123

Load Distribution 125

Failure Detection 126

Flow Protection 128

Graceful Shutdown 128

Scalability 129

Redirect Lists 129

Service Group Placement 130

WCCP Configuration 131

Hardware-Based Platforms 136

Policy-Based Routing 137

Inline Interception 139

Content Switching 143

Application Control Engine 144

Egress Methods 145

Directed Mode 149

Network Integration Best Practices 150

Summary 152

Chapter 5 Branch Office Network Integration 153

In-Path Deployment 153

Nonredundant Branch Office 154

Redundant Branch Office 158

Serial Inline Clustering 162

Off-Path Deployment 163

Small to Medium-Sized Nonredundant Branch Office 163

Enhanced Network Module (NME-WAE) 170

Two-Arm Deployment 171

Large Nonredundant Branch Office 174

Off-Path Redundant Topology 181

Small to Medium-Sized Redundant Branch Office 181

Large Redundant Branch Office 190

Policy-Based Routing Interception 196

Cisco IOS Firewall Integration 199

Summary 201

Chapter 6 Data Center Network Integration 203

Data Center Placement 203

Deployment Solutions 212

WCCP 212

Server Load Balancing 227

Scaling Transparent Interception 233

WCCP Scalability 233

ACE Scalability 239

Firewall Integration 240

Summary 247

Chapter 7 System and Device Management 249

System and Device Management Overview 250

Initial Setup Wizard 250

CLI 260

CM Overview 261

Centralized Management System Service 266

Device Registration and Groups 269

Device Activation 270

Device Groups 271

Provisioned Management 273

Role-Based Access Control 274

Integration with Centralized Authentication 278

Authentication 286