Course Description
The Cisco ACE Boot Camp is a 4-day, instructor-led, lecture/lab course. In this course, you will learn how to deploy and configure the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Application Control Engine (ACE) module and the Cisco ACE 4710 appliance.
This course covers all of the key features of the ACE module and appliance, including resource virtualization and management, server load balancing (Layer 2-4 and Layer 7), SSL termination and offload, security features like application-layer inspection and fixups, and application optimization features.
Learning Objectives
After you complete this course, you will be able to:
Describe IP traffic flows in n-tier web applications
Describe the key hardware and software features of the ACE module and appliance
Design and configure integration of the ACE into the network topology, including bridged, routed, and one-arm modes
Design and configure multiple ACE contexts to virtualize network services
Manage allocation of resources to virtual contexts
Describe the methods used to manage the ACE module and appliance
Use the Cisco Modular Policy CLI to configure ACE features
Configure IP application-based security
Configure Layer 4-7 load balancing
Configure health monitoring
Configure Layer 7 protocol processing options
Configure SSL protocol processing
Configure the web application acceleration features on the ACE appliance
Configure the ACE module or appliance for high availability to provide reliable application networking services
Apply a methodology for designing an end-to-end ACE configuration that integrates multiple feature sets
Who Should Attend
This course is designed for systems engineers and network architects who need to design or deploy server load-balancing solutions using the Cisco ACE module or appliance.
Course Outline
Module 1: Data Center Application Services Overview
Lesson 1: IP-Based Data Center Applications
IP Protocol Stack Review
IP Application Review
Web Technology Overview
Lesson 2: Introducing ACE Family Solutions
Multi-Tier Applications
Intra-Datacenter Redundancy
Application Delivery Products
Lesson 3: Deploying the ACE Appliance and Service Module
Connecting ACE to the Network
Network Topologies
ACE 4710 Installation Procedure
ACE Appliance GUI
Virtualization
Resource Management
Role Based Access Control
Configuring Interfaces
Configuring Management
Module 2: Implementing Server Load Balancing
Lesson 1: Modular Policy CLI
Class Maps
Policy Maps
Applying Policy Maps
Lesson 2: Managing the ACE Appliance
Permitting Management Traffic
SNMP Manageability
GUI Management
Lesson 3: Security Features
IP Access Control Lists
ACL Object Groups
TCP/IP Fragmentation/Reassembly
TCP/IP Normalization
SYN Cookies
Network Address Translation
Lesson 4: Layer 4 Load Balancing
Load-Balancing Concepts
Load-Balancing Algorithms
Configuring Layer 4 Load Balancing
Traffic Rate Limiting
Firewall Load-Balancing
Lesson 5: Health Monitoring
Health Monitoring Overview
Active Health Probes
HTTP Error Code Monitoring
Using TCL Scripting
Route Health Injection
Backup Servers/Server Farms
KAL-AP Integration
Lesson 6: Layer 7 Protocol Processing
HTTP Layer 7 Load Balancing
Persistent/Pipelined HTTP Extensions
Server Reuse
HTTP Modifications
Session Persistance
HTTP Inspection
FTP Protocol Processing
Other Inspected Protocols
Lesson 7: Processing Secure Connections
Digital Encryption Technologies
SSL Service Options
Configuring a Public-Key Infrastructure
Configuring SSL Proxy Services
SSL Session Reuse
SSL Queue Delay
Lesson 8: Web Application Acceleration Overview
Web Application Performance Factors
Web Application Acceleration Architecture
FlashForward
DeltaOptimization
Single-Request Optimizations
Compression Overview
Configuring Compression
Lesson 9: High Availability
Redundancy
Object Tracking
Failover
State Replication
Fault Tolerance Configuration
Displaying Fault Tolerance Information
Lesson 10: Integrating Multiple Features
Analyzing Network Requirements
Designing ACE Contexts
Designing ACE features
Configuring Multiple Integrated Features
Appendix A: ANM SLB Configuration
Appendix B: Troubleshooting Case Study 1
Appendix C: Troubleshooting Case Study 2
Course labs
Lab 1: Implementing Virtualization
Lab 2: Using NAT
Lab 3: Configuring Server Load Balancing
Lab 4: Implementing Health Monitoring
Lab 5: Configuring Layer 7 Load Balancing
Lab 6: Enabling Sticky Connections
Lab 7: Enabling Protocol Inspection
Lab 8: Configuring SSL Termination
Lab 9: Integrate Application Acceleration and Optimization Features into the Load Balancing Design
Lab 10: Integrating Multiple Features
