Course Description
The Cisco ACE Boot Camp is a 4-day, instructorled, 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 (release 4.1).
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 Layer7), SSL termination
and offload, security features like application-layer inspection and fixups, and application optimization features.
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.
Recommended Prerequisites
You will gain the most from this course if you have
a basic understanding of the following topics:
• TCP/IP protocol
• HTTP and SSL protocols
• N-tier application architecture
• Server load-balancing
What’s Covered
This course includes the following topics:
• Updated ACE software release 4.1 for the ACE 4710 Appliance
• 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
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 Cisco ACE
Family Solutions
Multitier Applications
Application Delivery Products
Lesson 3: Deploying the Cisco ACE
Appliance and Service Module
Connecting ACE to the Network
Network Topologies
Cisco ACE 4710 Installation Procedure
Cisco ACE Appliance GUI
Virtualization
Resource Management
Authorizing Management Users
Configuring Interfaces
Configuration Management
Module 2: Implementing Server Load Balancing
Lesson 1: Modular Policy CLI
Class Maps
Policy Maps
Applying Policy Maps
Lesson 2: Managing the Cisco ACE
Appliance and Service Module
Permitting Management Traffic
Remote Management
SNMP Manageability
XML Management API
Application Networking Manager
Lesson 3: Security Features
IP Access Control Lists
ACL Object Groups
TCP/IP Fragmentation/Reassembly
TCP/IP Normalization
SYN Cookies (2.0 Feature)
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
Configuring HTTP Layer 7 Load Balancing
Persistent and Pipelined HTTP Extensions
Server Reuse
HTTP Modifications
Session Persistence
Protocol Inspection
HTTP Inspection
FTP Protocol Processing
RDP Protocol Processing (2.0 Feature)
RADIUS Protocol Processing (2.0 Feature)
RTSP Protocol Processing
SIP Protocol Processing (2.0 Feature)
Generic Protocol Parsing (2.0 Feature)
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
SSL Client Authentication
Lesson 8: Web Application
Acceleration Overview
Web Application Performance Factors
Web Application Acceleration Architecture
FlashForward
Delta Optimization
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 Cisco ACE Contexts
Designing Cisco ACE Features
Configuring Multiple Integrated Features
Lab 1: Implementing Virtualization
Lab 2: Using Network Address
Translation
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: Cisco ACE Appliance HTTP
Optimizations
Lab 10: Integrating Multiple Features
