Process to achieve service insertion with F5 BIG-IP and Cisco APIC [End of Life]
The F5 and Cisco APIC integration based on the device package and iWorkflow is End Of Life. The latest integration is based on the Cisco AppCenter named ‘F5 ACI ServiceCenter’. Visit https://f5.com/cisco for updated information on the integration. As more joint F5 and Cisco customers are deploying our BIG-IP and ACI solution many questions have often come up about how it all works. How do things integrate? To make your lives a bit easier I have collected a set of commonly asked questions and created videos to help explain. Of course every deployment is different, but here are a few things to consider and learn What is the F5 Device Package and how to upload it to Cisco APIC? The Cisco APIC requires a device package that you can use to insert and configure network service functions on the F5 device. A device package is a zip file that is uploaded to the APIC which helps translate APIC function/event calls to functions that BIG-IP understands. The below document goes into details about how it all works. Click here to learn how to install the device package to APIC Can I use BIG-IP Virtual Edition instead of the BIG-IP physical device? The BIG-IP VE can be used with ACI for L4-L7 service insertion. To do this a vCenter domain has to be integrated with the ACI deployment. Learn how to integrate the vCenter (VMM domain) in Cisco APIC What are the differences in getting the APIC to communicate with a BIG-IP physical or virtual edition? Learn how to create logical device cluster – VE High Availability Learn how to create logical device cluster – VE Stand Alone Learn how to create a logical device cluster – Physical High Availability Learn how to create a logical device cluster – Physical Stand Alone What are the different options available for integration and how to go about defining the configuration parameters on the BIG-IP? BIG-IP can be integrated with the ACI fabric in different modes – 1-ARM and 2-ARM. It can also be deployed as a single node or dual node service graph. The video links below provide information on how to deploy each of these modes. Learn how to deploy a 2 ARM BIG-IP node graph (Listener) using Cisco ACI Learn how to deploy a 1 ARM BIG-IP node graph (Listener) using Cisco ACI Learn how to deploy a two node graph (ASA+BIG-IP) in Cisco ACI What are some of the best practices that should be followed and how should I go about debugging? One best practice is to use a function profile for the purpose of re-using configuration in Cisco APIC while also reducing human errors during deployment Learn how to create and use a function profile Methods to troubleshoot issues encountered during configuration of service insertion in Cisco APIC I hope you enjoy my videos answering these common questions. Feel free to comment below.F5 BIG-IP AND CISCO APIC DESIGN GUIDE [End of Life]
The F5 and Cisco APIC integration based on the device package and iWorkflow is End Of Life. The latest integration is based on the Cisco AppCenter named ‘F5 ACI ServiceCenter’. Visit https://f5.com/cisco for updated information on the integration. With customers deploying ACI with service insertion, people are constantly asking both design and implementation related questions such as: When should I use 1 ARM vs 2 ARM topology for services? Can I use BIG-IP in HA mode? Can I use/share my existing BIG-IP with ACI? My services and networking teams are separate, how can I maintain that business separation while using ACI? How are elastic workloads addressed with BIG-IP and ACI? We have had discussions with various customers and helped them deploy ACI with F5 service integration based on their network designs and topologies. From these discussions F5 and Cisco have boiled down the topics into a brief design guide. F5 BIG-IP LTM Service Insertion with Cisco ACI (Design Guide) Our design guide starts with an introduction of ACI and the benefits of using service insertion.We then go into the F5 device package features and supported functions. With the reader having a baseline understanding of ACI and F5 integration we discuss the design considerations for service insertion. To help further your knowledge on F5 BIG-IP and Cisco ACI, the following references are also recommended: F5 and Cisco Technology Alliance webpage Cisco Live Presentation – Real world design and deployments with Cisco ACI and F5 LTM service insertion We are also going to be presenting ACI sessions at F5 Agility in Washington DC (August 4 th to August 6 th ). Please come and join us for the following breakout sessions F5 and Cisco ACI integration update Gain an understanding of the F5 Device Package, and how BIG-IP and BIG-IQ bring L4–7 services into the ACI policy model. Design/deploy with Cisco ACIusing F5 LTM service insertion Learn from Cisco and F5 experts about the Cisco ACI and BIG-IP LTM architectures, topologies, and use cases.