Technical Articles
F5 SMEs share good practice.
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
Custom Alert Banner
KevinGallaugher
F5 Employee
F5 Employee

Editor's Note: The F5 Beacon capabilities referenced in this article hosted on F5 Cloud Services are planning a migration to a new SaaS Platform - Check out the latest here

Introduction

This article is part of a series on implementing Orchestrated Infrastructure Security. It includes High Availability, Central Management with BIG-IQ, Application Visibility with Beacon and the protection of critical assets using F5 Advanced WAF, Protocol Inspection (IPS) with AFM as well as leading Security Solutions like the FireEye. It is assumed that SSL Orchestrator is already deployed, and basic network connectivity is working.

If you need help setting up SSL Orchestrator for the first time, refer to the Dev/Central article series on Implementing SSL Orchestrator here or the CloudDocs Deployment Guide here.

This article focuses on using SSL Orchestrator as a tool to assist with simplifying Change Management processes, procedures and shortening the duration of the entire process.

Configuration files of FireEye can be downloaded from here from GitLab. 

Please forgive me for using SSL and TLS interchangeably in this article.

This article is divided into the following high level sections:

  • Create a new Topology to perform testing
  • Monitor FireEye statistics – change the weight ratio – check FireEye stats again
  • Remove a single FireEye device from the Service
  • Perform maintenance on the FireEye device
  • Add the FireEye device to the new Topology
  • Test functionality with a single client
  • Add the FireEye device back to the original Topology
  • Test functionality again
  • Repeat to perform maintenance on the other FireEye device

Create a new Topology to perform testing

A new Topology will be used to safely test the Service after maintenance is performed. The Topology should be similar to the one used for production traffic. This Topology can be re-used in the future.

From the BIG-IP Configuration Utility select SSL Orchestrator > Configuration. Click Add under Topologies.

0EM1T000003JbGl.png

Scroll to the bottom of the next screen and click Next.

0EM1T000003JbGm.png

Give it a name, Topology_Staging in this example.

0EM1T000003JbGn.png

Select L2 Inbound as the Topology type then click Save & Next.

0EM1T000003JbGo.png

For the SSL Configurations you can leave the default settings. Click Save & Next at the bottom.

0EM1T000003JbGp.png

Click Save & Next at the bottom of the Services List.

0EM1T000003JbGq.png

Click the Add button under Services Chain List. A new Service Chain is needed so we can remove Fireeye1 from the Production Service and add it here.

0EM1T000003JbGr.png

Give the Service Chain a name, Staging_Chain in this example. Click Save at the bottom.

0EM1T000003JbGs.png

Note: The Service will be added to this Service Chain later.

Click Save & Next.

0EM1T000003JbGt.png

Click the Add button on the right to add a new rule.

0EM1T000003JbGu.png

For Conditions select Client IP Subnet Match.

0EM1T000003JbGv.png

Enter the Client IP and mask, 10.1.11.52/32 in this example. Click New to add the IP/Subnet.

0EM1T000003JbGw.png

Set the SSL Proxy Action to Intercept.

0EM1T000003JbGx.png

Set the Service Chain to the one created previously.

0EM1T000003JbGy.png

Click OK.

0EM1T000003JbGz.png

Note: This rule is written so that a single client computer (10.1.11.52) will match and can be used for testing.

Select Save & Next at the bottom.

0EM1T000003JbH0.png

For the Interception Rule set the Source Address to 10.1.11.52/32. Set the Destination Address/Mask to 10.4.11.0/24. Set the port to 443.

0EM1T000003JbH1.png

Select the VLAN for your Ingress Network and move it to Selected.

0EM1T000003JbH2.png

Set the L7 Profile to Common/http.  

0EM1T000003JbH3.png

Click Save & Next.

0EM1T000003JbH4.png

For Log Settings, scroll to the bottom and select Save & Next.

0EM1T000003JbH5.png

Click Deploy.

0EM1T000003JbH6.png

Monitor FireEye statistics – change the weight ratio – check FireEye statistics again

Check the statistics on the FireEye we will be performing maintenance on. It’s “Fireeye1” in this example.

From the FireEye Dashboard scroll down to the Monitored Traffic widget.

0EM1T000003JbKa.png

Monitored Traffic can be filtered by Day, Week or Month. In this case it’s set to Day. Fireeye1 appears to be completely healthy.

0EM1T000003JbKb.png

Change the Weight Ratio

Back to the SSL Orchestrator Configuration Utility. Click SSL Orchestrator > Configuration > Services > then the Service name, ssloS_Fireeye in this example.

0EM1T000003JbKc.png

Click the pencil icon to edit the Service.

0EM1T000003JbKd.png

Click the pencil icon to edit the Network Configuration for Fireeye2.

0EM1T000003JbKe.png

Set the ratio to 65535 and click Done.

0EM1T000003JbKf.png

Click Save & Next at the bottom.

0EM1T000003JbKg.png

Click OK if presented with the following warning.

0EM1T000003JbKh.png

Click Deploy.

0EM1T000003JbKi.png

Click OK when presented with the Success message.

0EM1T000003JbKj.png

Check FireEye Statistics Again

From the FireEye Dashboard scroll down to the Monitored Traffic widget. It should look like the image below, with the number of sessions tapering off until there is zero.

0EM1T000003JbKk.png

Remove a single FireEye device from the Service

Back to the SSL Orchestrator Configuration Utility. Click SSL Orchestrator > Configuration > Services > then the Service name, ssloS_Fireeye in this example.

0EM1T000003JbKl.png

Click the pencil icon to edit the Service.

0EM1T000003JbKm.png

Under Network Configuration, delete Fireeye1

0EM1T000003JbKn.png

Click Save & Next at the bottom.

0EM1T000003JbKo.png

Click OK if presented with the following warning.

0EM1T000003JbKp.png

Click Deploy.

0EM1T000003JbKq.png

Click OK when presented with the Success message.

0EM1T000003JbKr.png

Perform maintenance on the FireEye device

At this point Fireeye1 has been removed from the Production Topology and is no longer handling production traffic. Fireeye2 is now handling all the production traffic.

We can now perform a variety of maintenance tasks on Fireeye1 without disrupting production traffic. When done with the task(s) we can then safely test/verify the health of Fireeye1 prior to moving it back into production.

Some examples of maintenance tasks:

·     Perform a software upgrade to a newer version.

·     Make policy changes and verify they work as expected.

·     Physically move the device.

·     Replace a hard drive, fan, and/or power supply.

Add the FireEye device to the new Topology

This will allow us to test its functionality with a single client computer, prior to moving it back to production.

From the SSL Orchestrator Configuration Utility click SSL Orchestrator > Configuration > Topologies > sslo_Topology_Staging.

0EM1T000003JbYB.png

Click the pencil icon on the right to edit the Service.

0EM1T000003JbYC.png

Click Add Service.

0EM1T000003JbYD.png

Select the FireEye NX Inline Layer 2 Service and click Add.

0EM1T000003JbYE.png

Give it a name or leave the default. Click Add under Network Configuration.

0EM1T000003JbYF.png

Set the FROM and TO VLANS to the following and click Done.

0EM1T000003JbYG.png

Click Save at the bottom.

0EM1T000003JbYH.png

Click the Service Chain icon.

0EM1T000003JbYI.png

Click the Staging_Chain.

0EM1T000003JbYJ.png

Move the FEYE-test Service from Available to Selected and click Save.

0EM1T000003JbYK.png

Click OK.

0EM1T000003JbYL.png

Click Deploy.

0EM1T000003JbYM.png

Click OK.

0EM1T000003JbYN.png

Test functionality with a single client

We created a policy with source IP = 10.1.11.52 to use the new FireEye Service that we just performed maintenance on.

Go to that client computer and verify that everything is still working as expected.

As you can see this is the test client with IP 10.1.11.52. The page still loads for one of the web servers. 

0EM1T000003JbYO.png

You can view the Certificate and see that it is not the same as the Production Certificate.

0EM1T000003JbYP.png

To ensure that everything is working as expected you can view the FireEye Dashboard again and scroll down to the Monitored Traffic widget. You should see something like the image below, where Monitored Traffic is increasing.

0EM1T000003JbYQ.png

Add the FireEye device back to the original Topology

From the SSL Orchestrator GUI select SSL Orchestrator > Configuration > Service Chains.

0EM1T000003JbYR.png

Select the Staging_Chain.

0EM1T000003JbYS.png

Select ssloS_FEYE-test on the right and click the left arrow to remove it from Selected

0EM1T000003JbYT.png

Click Deploy when done.

0EM1T000003JbYU.png

Click OK.

0EM1T000003JbYV.png

Click OK to the Success message.

0EM1T000003JbYW.png

From the SSL Orchestrator Guided Configuration select SSL Orchestrator > Configuration > Services.

0EM1T000003JbYX.png

Select the FEYE-test Service and click Delete.

0EM1T000003JbYY.png

Click OK to the Warning.

0EM1T000003JbYZ.png

When that is done click the ssloS_Fireeye Service.

0EM1T000003JbYa.png

Click the Pencil icon to edit the Service.

0EM1T000003JbYb.png

Under Network Configuration click Add.

0EM1T000003JbYc.png

Set the Ratio to the same value as Fireeye2, 65535 in this example. Set the From and To VLAN the following and click Done.

0EM1T000003JbYd.png

Click Save & Next at the bottom.

0EM1T000003JbYe.png

Click OK.

0EM1T000003JbYf.png

Click Deploy.

0EM1T000003JbYg.png

Click OK.

0EM1T000003JbYh.png

Test functionality again

To ensure that everything is working as expected you can view the FireEye Dashboard again and scroll down to the Monitored Traffic widget. You should see something like the image below, where Monitored Traffic increases. Fireeye1 appears to be completely healthy.

0EM1T000003JbYi.png

Repeat these steps to perform maintenance on the other FireEye device (not covered in this guide) 

·     Remove a single FireEye device from the Service

·     Perform maintenance on the FireEye device

·     Add the FireEye device to the new Topology

·     Test functionality with a single client

·     Add FireEye device back to the original Topology

·     Test functionality again

Congratulations, you're done!

Version history
Last update:
‎12-Aug-2022 12:13
Updated by:
Contributors