F5 High Availability - Public Cloud Guidance
This article will provide information about BIG-IP and NGINX high availability (HA) topics that should be considered when leveraging the public cloud. There are differences between on-prem and public cloud such as cloud provider L2 networking. These differences lead to challenges in how you address HA, failover time, peer setup, scaling options, and application state. Topics Covered: Discuss and Define HA Importance of Application Behavior and Traffic Sizing HA Capabilities of BIG-IP and NGINX Various HA Deployment Options (Active/Active, Active/Standby, auto scale) Example Customer Scenario What is High Availability? High availability can mean many things to different people. Depending on the application and traffic requirements, HA requires dual data paths, redundant storage, redundant power, and compute. It means the ability to survive a failure, maintenance windows should be seamless to user, and the user experience should never suffer...ever! Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_availability So what should HA provide? Synchronization of configuration data to peers (ex. configs objects) Synchronization of application session state (ex. persistence records) Enable traffic to fail over to a peer Locally, allow clusters of devices to act and appear as one unit Globally, disburse traffic via DNS and routing Importance of Application Behavior and Traffic Sizing Let's look at a common use case... "gaming app, lots of persistent connections, client needs to hit same backend throughout entire game session" Session State The requirement of session state is common across applications using methods like HTTP cookies,F5 iRule persistence, JSessionID, IP affinity, or hash. The session type used by the application can help you decide what migration path is right for you. Is this an app more fitting for a lift-n-shift approach...Rehost? Can the app be redesigned to take advantage of all native IaaS and PaaS technologies...Refactor? Reference: 6 R's of a Cloud Migration Application session state allows user to have a consistent and reliable experience Auto scaling L7 proxies (BIG-IP or NGINX) keep track of session state BIG-IP can only mirror session state to next device in cluster NGINX can mirror state to all devices in cluster (via zone sync) Traffic Sizing The cloud provider does a great job with things like scaling, but there are still cloud provider limits that affect sizing and machine instance types to keep in mind. BIG-IP and NGINX are considered network virtual appliances (NVA). They carry quota limits like other cloud objects. Google GCP VPC Resource Limits Azure VM Flow Limits AWS Instance Types Unfortunately, not all limits are documented. Key metrics for L7 proxies are typically SSL stats, throughput, connection type, and connection count. Collecting these application and traffic metrics can help identify the correct instance type. We have a list of the F5 supported BIG-IP VE platforms on F5 CloudDocs. F5 Products and HA Capabilities BIG-IP HA Capabilities BIG-IP supports the following HA cluster configurations: Active/Active - all devices processing traffic Active/Standby - one device processes traffic, others wait in standby Configuration sync to all devices in cluster L3/L4 connection sharing to next device in cluster (ex. avoids re-login) L5-L7 state sharing to next device in cluster (ex. IP persistence, SSL persistence, iRule UIE persistence) Reference: BIG-IP High Availability Docs NGINX HA Capabilities NGINX supports the following HA cluster configurations: Active/Active - all devices processing traffic Active/Standby - one device processes traffic, others wait in standby Configuration sync to all devices in cluster Mirroring connections at L3/L4 not available Mirroring session state to ALL devices in cluster using Zone Synchronization Module (NGINX Plus R15) Reference: NGINX High Availability Docs HA Methods for BIG-IP In the following sections, I will illustrate 3 common deployment configurations for BIG-IP in public cloud. HA for BIG-IP Design #1 - Active/Standby via API HA for BIG-IP Design #2 - A/A or A/S via LB HA for BIG-IP Design #3 - Regional Failover (multi region) HA for BIG-IP Design #1 - Active/Standby via API (multi AZ) This failover method uses API calls to communicate with the cloud provider and move objects (IP address, routes, etc) during failover events. The F5 Cloud Failover Extension (CFE) for BIG-IP is used to declaratively configure the HA settings. Cloud provider load balancer is NOT required Fail over time can be SLOW! Only one device actively used (other device sits idle) Failover uses API calls to move cloud objects, times vary (see CFE Performance and Sizing) Key Findings: Google API failover times depend on number of forwarding rules Azure API slow to disassociate/associate IPs to NICs (remapping) Azure API fast when updating routes (UDR, user defined routes) AWS reliable with API regarding IP moves and routes Recommendations: This design with multi AZ is more preferred than single AZ Recommend when "traditional" HA cluster required or Lift-n-Shift...Rehost For Azure (based on my testing)... Recommend using Azure UDR versus IP failover when possible Look at Failover via LB example instead for Azure If API method required, look at DNS solutions to provide further redundancy HA for BIG-IP Design #2 - A/A or A/S via LB (multi AZ) Cloud LB health checks the BIG-IP for up/down status Faster failover times (depends on cloud LB health timers) Cloud LB allows A/A or A/S Key difference: Increased network/compute redundancy Cloud load balancer required Recommendations: Use "failover via LB" if you require faster failover times For Google (based on my testing)... Recommend against "via LB" for IPSEC traffic (Google LB not supported) If load balancing IPSEC, then use "via API" or "via DNS" failover methods HA for BIG-IP Design #3 - Regional Failover via DNS (multi AZ, multi region) BIG-IP VE active/active in multiple regions Traffic disbursed to VEs by DNS/GSLB DNS/GSLB intelligent health checks for the VEs Key difference: Cloud LB is not required DNS logic required by clients Orchestration required to manage configs across each BIG-IP BIG-IP standalone devices (no DSC cluster limitations) Recommendations: Good for apps that handle DNS resolution well upon failover events Recommend when cloud LB cannot handle a particular protocol Recommend when customer is already using DNS to direct traffic Recommend for applications that have been refactored to handle session state outside of BIG-IP Recommend for customers with in-house skillset to orchestrate (Ansible, Terraform, etc) HA Methods for NGINX In the following sections, I will illustrate 2 common deployment configurations for NGINX in public cloud. HA for NGINX Design #1 - Active/Standby via API HA for NGINX Design #2 - Auto Scale Active/Active via LB HA for NGINX Design #1 - Active/Standby via API (multi AZ) NGINX Plus required Cloud provider load balancer is NOT required Only one device actively used (other device sits idle) Only available in AWS currently Recommendations: Recommend when "traditional" HA cluster required or Lift-n-Shift...Rehost Reference: Active-Passive HA for NGINX Plus on AWS HA for NGINX Design #2 - Auto Scale Active/Active via LB (multi AZ) NGINX Plus required Cloud LB health checks the NGINX Faster failover times Key difference: Increased network/compute redundancy Cloud load balancer required Recommendations: Recommended for apps fitting a migration type of Replatform or Refactor Reference: Active-Active HA for NGINX Plus on AWS, Active-Active HA for NGINX Plus on Google Pros & Cons: Public Cloud Scaling Options Review this handy table to understand the high level pros and cons of each deployment method. Example Customer Scenario #1 As a means to make this topic a little more real, here isa common customer scenario that shows you the decisions that go into moving an application to the public cloud. Sometimes it's as easy as a lift-n-shift, other times you might need to do a little more work. In general, public cloud is not on-prem and things might need some tweaking. Hopefully this example will give you some pointers and guidance on your next app migration to the cloud. Current Setup: Gaming applications F5 Hardware BIG-IP VIRPIONs on-prem Two data centers for HA redundancy iRule heavy configuration (TLS encryption/decryption, payload inspections) Session Persistence = iRule Universal Persistence (UIE), and other methods Biggest app 15K SSL TPS 15Gbps throughput 2 million concurrent connections 300K HTTP req/sec (L7 with TLS) Requirements for Successful Cloud Migration: Support current traffic numbers Support future target traffic growth Must run in multiple geographic regions Maintain session state Must retain all iRules in use Recommended Design for Cloud Phase #1: Migration Type: Hybrid model, on-prem + cloud, and some Rehost Platform: BIG-IP Retaining iRules means BIG-IP is required Licensing: High Performance BIG-IP Unlocks additional CPU cores past 8 (up to 24) extra traffic and SSL processing Instance type: check F5 supported BIG-IP VE platforms for accelerated networking (10Gb+) HA method: Active/Standby and multi-region with DNS iRule Universal persistence only mirrors to only next device, keep cluster size to 2 scale horizontally via additional HA clusters and DNS clients pinned to a region via DNS (on-prem or public cloud) inside region, local proxy cluster shares state This example comes up in customer conversations often. Based on customer requirements, in-house skillset, current operational model, and time frames there is one option that is better than the rest. A second design phase lends itself to more of a Replatform or Refactor migration type. In that case, more options can be leveraged to take advantage of cloud-native features. For example, changing the application persistence type from iRule UIE to cookie would allow BIG-IP to avoid keeping track of state. Why? With cookies, the client keeps track of that session state. Client receives a cookie, passes the cookie to L7 proxy on successive requests, proxy checks cookie value, sends to backend pool member. The requirement for L7 proxy to share session state is now removed. Example Customer Scenario #2 Here is another customer scenario. This time the application is a full suite of multimedia content. In contrast to the first scenario, this one will illustrate the benefits of rearchitecting various components allowing greater flexibility when leveraging the cloud. You still must factor in-house skill set, project time frames, and other important business (and application) requirements when deciding on the best migration type. Current Setup: Multimedia (Gaming, Movie, TV, Music) Platform BIG-IP VIPRIONs using vCMP on-prem Two data centers for HA redundancy iRule heavy (Security, Traffic Manipulation, Performance) Biggest App: oAuth + Cassandra for token storage (entitlements) Requirements for Success Cloud Migration: Support current traffic numbers Elastic auto scale for seasonal growth (ex. holidays) VPC peering with partners (must also bypass Web Application Firewall) Must support current or similar traffic manipulating in data plane Compatibility with existing tooling used by Business Recommended Design for Cloud Phase #1: Migration Type: Repurchase, migration BIG-IP to NGINX Plus Platform: NGINX iRules converted to JS or LUA Licensing: NGINX Plus Modules: GeoIP, LUA, JavaScript HA method: N+1 Autoscaling via Native LB Active Health Checks This is a great example of a Repurchase in which application characteristics can allow the various teams to explore alternative cloud migration approaches. In this scenario, it describes a phase one migration of converting BIG-IP devices to NGINX Plus devices. This example assumes the BIG-IP configurations can be somewhat easily converted to NGINX Plus, and it also assumes there is available skillset and project time allocated to properly rearchitect the application where needed. Summary OK! Brains are expanding...hopefully? We learned about high availability and what that means for applications and user experience. We touched on the importance of application behavior and traffic sizing. Then we explored the various F5 products, how they handle HA, and HA designs. These recommendations are based on my own lab testing and interactions with customers. Every scenario will carry its own requirements, and all options should be carefully considered when leveraging the public cloud. Finally, we looked at a customer scenario, discussed requirements, and design proposal. Fun! Resources Read the following articles for more guidance specific to the various cloud providers. Advanced Topologies and More on Highly Available Services Lightboard Lessons - BIG-IP Deployments in Azure Google and BIG-IP Failing Faster in the Cloud BIG-IP VE on Public Cloud High-Availability Load Balancing with NGINX Plus on Google Cloud Platform Using AWS Quick Starts to Deploy NGINX Plus NGINX on AzureService Discovery in Google Cloud with F5 BIG-IP
Service discovery allows cool things to happen like dynamic node discovery for your applications. The BIG-IP device can utilize service discovery to automate the scale in/out of pool members. What does this mean? Your BIG-IP configs will get updated without user intervention. Google Cloud uses "Labels" that are assigned to virtual machines (VM). The BIG-IP will use these "Labels" to automate the dynamic nature of pool members coming and going. It periodically scans the cloud provider for VMs matching those labels. Benefit? Yes indeed! No tickets to IT asking for pool member modifications...no waiting on emails...no approvals. I setup a BIG-IP (3nic standalone) with service discovery in Google Cloud using our F5 cloud templates on GitHub, and I am here to share the how-to and results. After reading the Github repo as well as visiting our CloudDocs site, I went to work. This article has the following sections: Prerequisites Download, Customize, and Deploy Template Attach Service Account to BIG-IP VM Login to the BIG-IP via SSH and Set Password Configure Service Discovery with iApp Configure Service Discovery with AS3 Summary Appendix Sections Prerequisites - Google Cloud SDK Must have Google Cloud SDK...easy. Go here https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/quickstarts. curl https://sdk.cloud.google.com | bash exec -l $SHELL gcloud init The Google Cloud SDK lets you do "?" and "tab" helpers. Meaning, type gcloud then hit tab a few times to see all the options. When you run "gcloud init", it will authenticate your device to the google network resulting in your laptop having Google Cloud API access. If you are running "gcloud init" for the first time, the SSH shell will pop open a browser window in which you authenticate to Google with your credentials. You'll be given an option to select the project name, and you can also configure default zones and regions. Play around with gcloud on CLI and then hit "tab" to see all the options. You can also the Google Cloud docs here https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/initializing. Prerequisites - VPC Networks, Subnets, Firewalls, and Routes A VM in Google Cloud can only have one NIC per VPC network. Therefore, a BIG-IP 3nic deployment requires 3 VPC networks with 1 subnet each. Before deploying the GDM template, you'll need to create the required networks and subnets. Then make sure any necessary ports are open via firewall rules. VPC Networks and Subnets Here are some screenshots of my setup. I have a management, external, and internal network. Here are the network and subnet properties for the management network as an example. Firewalls Modify firewall rules to allow any necessary management ports. These are not setup by the template. Therefore, common management ports like tcp:22 and tcp:443 should be created. Here is my management firewall ruleset as an example. In my example, my BIG-IP has additional interfaces (NICs) and therefore additional networks and firewall rules. Make sure to allow appropriate application access (ex. 80/443) to the NICs on the BIG-IP that are processing application traffic. Here is an example for my external NIC. Routes I didn't touch these. However, it is important to review the VPC network routes and make sure you have a default gateway if required. If the network is meant to be internal/private, then it's best to remove the default route pointing to internet gateway. Here is an example of my management network routes in use. Prerequisites - Service Account To do auto-discovery of pool members (aka Service Discovery), the BIG-IP device requires a role assigned to its VM. When a VM instance has an assigned role in the cloud, it will inherit permissions assigned by the role to do certain tasks like list compute instances, access cloud storage, re-map elastic IPs, and more. This avoids the need to hard-code credentials in application code. In the example of service discovery, we need the service account to have a minimum of "Compute Viewer" or "Compute Engine - Read Only" permissions. Other deployment examples may require more permissions such as storage permissions or pub-sub permissions. Create a new service account in the IAM section, then find "Service accounts". Here's an example of a new service account and role assigned. If done correctly, it will be visible as an IAM user. See below for example. Prerequisites - Pools Members Tagged Correctly Deploy the VM instances that will run your app...the pool members (e.g. http server running port 80) and add a "Label" name with value to each VM instance. For example, my label name = app. My label value = demo. Any VM instance in my project with label name = app, value = demo will be discovered by the BIG-IP and pulled in as new pool member(s). Example... Pre-reqs are done! Download and Customize YAML Template File The Google Cloud templates make use of a YAML file, a PY file, and a schema file (requirements and defaults). The GitHub README contains helpful guidance. Visit the GitHub site to download the necessary files. As a reminder, this demo uses the following 3nic standalone template: https://github.com/F5Networks/f5-google-gdm-templates/tree/master/supported/standalone/3nic/existing-stack/payg Scroll down to the "Deploying the template" section to review the requirements. Download the YAML file to your desktop and ALSO make sure to download the python (PY) and schema files to your desktop. Here's an example of my modified YAML file. Notice some fields are optional and not required by the template as noted in the GitHub README file parameters table. Therefore, 'mgmtSubnetAddress' is commented out and ignored, but I left it in the example for visualization purposes. # Copyright 2019 F5 Networks All rights reserved. # # Version 3.2.0 imports: - path: f5-existing-stack-payg-3nic-bigip.py resources: - name: f5-existing-stack-payg-3nic-bigip type: f5-existing-stack-payg-3nic-bigip.py properties: region: us-west1 availabilityZone1: us-west1-b mgmtNetwork: jgiroux-net-mgmt mgmtSubnet: jgiroux-subnet-mgmt #mgmtSubnetAddress: <DYNAMIC or address> restrictedSrcAddress: 0.0.0.0/0 restrictedSrcAddressApp: 0.0.0.0/0 network1: jgiroux-net-ext subnet1: jgiroux-subnet-ext #subnet1Address: <DYNAMIC or address> network2: jgiroux-net-int subnet2: jgiroux-subnet-int #subnet2Address: <DYNAMIC or address> provisionPublicIP: 'yes' imageName: f5-bigip-15-0-1-0-0-11-payg-best-25mbps-190803012348 instanceType: n1-standard-8 #mgmtGuiPort: <port> #applicationPort: <port port> #ntpServer: <server server> #timezone: <timezone> bigIpModules: ltm:nominal allowUsageAnalytics: 'yes' #logLevel: <level> declarationUrl: default Deploy Template Make sure you point to the correct file location, and you're ready to go! Again, reference the GitHub README for more info. Example syntax... gcloud deployment-manager deployments create <your-deployment-name> --config <your-file-name.yaml> Attach Service Account to BIG-IP VM Once deployed, you will need to attach the service account to the newly created BIG-IP VM instance. You do this by shutting down the BIG-IP VM instance, binding a service account to the VM, and then starting the VM again. It's worth noting that the template can be easily modified to include service account binding during VM instance creation. You can also do this via orchestration tools like Ansible or Terraform. Example... gcloud compute instances stop bigip1-jg-f5-sd gcloud compute instances set-service-account bigip1-jg-f5-sd --service-account svc-jgiroux@xxxxx.iam.gserviceaccount.com gcloud compute instances start bigip1-jg-f5-sd Login to the BIG-IP and Set Password You should have a running BIG-IP at this point with attached service account. In order to access the web UI, you'll need to first access SSH via SSH key authentication and then set the admin password There are orchestrated ways to do this, but let's do the old fashion manual way. First, go to Google Cloud Console, and view properties of the BIG-IP VM instance. Look for the mgmt NIC public IP. Note: In Google Cloud, the BIG-IP mgmt interface is swapped with NIC1 Open your favorite SSH client and access the BIG-IP. Make sure your SSH key already exists in your Google Console. Instructions for uploading SSH keys are found here. Example syntax... ssh admin@x.x.x.x -i /key/location Update the admin password and save config while on the TMOS CLI prompt. Here's an example. admin@(bigip1-jg-f5-sd)(tmos)# modify auth user admin password myNewPassword123! admin@(bigip1-jg-f5-sd)(tmos)# save sys config Now access the web UI using the mgmt public IP via https://x.x.x.x. Login with admin and the newly modified password. Configure Service Discovery with iApp The BIG-IP device is very programmable, and you can apply configurations using various methods like web UI or CLI, iApps, imperative APIs, and declarative APIs. For demo purposes, I will illustrate the iApp method in this section. The F5 cloud templates automatically include the Service Discovery iApp as part of the onboard and build process, but you'll still need to configure an application service. First, the CLI method is a quick TMSH one-liner to configure the app service using the Service Discovery iApp. It does the following: creates new app service called "serviceDiscovery" uses "gce" (Google) as provider chooses a region "default" (causes script to look in same region as BIG-IP VM) chooses intervals and health checks creates new pool, looks for pool tag:value (app=demo, port 80) tmsh create /sys application service serviceDiscovery template f5.service_discovery variables add { basic__advanced { value no } basic__display_help { value hide } cloud__cloud_provider { value gce } cloud__gce_region { value \"/#default#\" } monitor__frequency { value 30 } monitor__http_method { value GET } monitor__http_verison { value http11 } monitor__monitor { value \"/#create_new#\"} monitor__response { value \"\" } monitor__uri { value / } pool__interval { value 60 } pool__member_conn_limit { value 0 } pool__member_port { value 80 } pool__pool_to_use { value \"/#create_new#\" } pool__public_private {value private} pool__tag_key { value 'app'} pool__tag_value { value 'demo'} } If you still love the web UI, then go to the BIG-IP web UI > iApps > Application Services. If you executed the TMSH command above, then you should have an app service called "serviceDiscovery". Select it, then hit "Reconfigure" to review the settings. If no app service exists yet, then create a new app service and set it to match your environmental requirements. Here is my example. Validate Results of Service Discovery with iApp Review the /var/log/ltm file. It will show pool up/down messages for the service discovery pool. It will also indicate if the service discovery script is failing to run or not. tail -f /var/log/ltm Example showing successful member add to pool... Another place to look is the /var/log/cloud/service_discovery/get_nodes.log file. You'll see messages showing the script query and status. tail -f /var/log/cloud/service_discovery/get_nodes.log Example showing getNodes.js call and parameters with successful "finished" message... Last but not least, you can check the UI within the LTM > Pools section. Note: Service Discovery with iApp complete Attach this new pool to a BIG-IP virtual server, and now your app can dynamically scale. I'll leave the virtual server creation up to you! In other words...challenge time! For additional methods to configure service discovery on a BIG-IP, continue reading. Configure Service Discovery with AS3 (declarative option) As mentioned earlier, the BIG-IP device is very programmable. We used the iApp method to automate BIG-IP configs for pool members changes in the previous section. Now let's look at a declarative API approach using AS3 from the F5 Automation Toolchain. You can read more about AS3 - here. At a high level, AS3 enables L4-L7 application services to be managed in a declarative model. This enables teams to place BIG-IP security and traffic management services in orchestration pipelines and greatly eases the configuration of L4-L7 services. This also has the benefit of using consistent patterns to deploy and migrate applications. Similar to the Service Discovery iApp...the AS3 rpm comes bundled with the handy F5 cloud templates. If you deployed via alternative methods, if you do not have AS3 rpm pre-loaded, if you want to upgrade, or if you simply want a place to start learning, review the Quick Start AS3 Docs. Review the Additional Declarations for examples on how to use AS3 with iRules, WAF policies, and more. Note: AS3 is a declarative API and therefore no web UI exists to configure L4-L7 services. Postman will be used in my example to POST the JSON declaration. Open Postman, authenticate to the BIG-IP, and then post the app declaration. Learn how by reviewing the Quick Start AS3 Docs. Here's my example declaration. It does the following: creates new application (aka VIP) with public IP of 10.1.10.34 uses "gce" (Google) as cloud provider defines tenant as "Sample_sd_01" chooses a region "us-west1" in which to query for VMs creates new pool 'web_pool' with members matching tag=app, value=demo on port 80 { "class": "ADC", "schemaVersion": "3.0.0", "id": "urn:uuid:33045210-3ab8-4636-9b2a-c98d22ab425d", "controls": { "class": "Controls", "trace": true, "logLevel": "debug" }, "label": "GCP Service Discovery", "remark": "Simple HTTP application with a pool using GCP service discovery", "Sample_sd_01": { "class": "Tenant", "verifiers": { }, "A1": { "class": "Application", "template": "http", "serviceMain": { "class": "Service_HTTP", "virtualAddresses": [ "10.1.1.34" ], "pool": "web_pool" }, "web_pool": { "class": "Pool", "monitors": [ "http" ], "members": [ { "servicePort": 80, "addressDiscovery": "gce", "updateInterval": 1, "tagKey": "app", "tagValue": "demo", "addressRealm": "private", "region": "us-west1" } ] } } } } Validate Results of Service Discovery with AS3 Similar to the iApp method, review the /var/log/ltm file to validate AS3 pool member discovery. You'll see basic pool member up/down messages. tail -f /var/log/ltm Example showing successful member add to pool... Another place to look is the /var/log/restnoded/restnoded.log file. You'll see messages showing status. tail -f /var/log/restnoded/restnoded.log Example showing restnoded.log sample logs... Last but not least, you can check the UI within the LTM > Pools section. AS3 is multi-tenant and therefore uses partitions (tenants). Make sure to change the partition in upper-right corner of web UI if you don't see your config objects. Change partition... View pool and pool member... As a bonus, you can test the application from a web browser. AS3 deployed full L4-L7 services in my example. Therefore, it also deployed a virtual server listening on the value in declaration parameter 'virtualAddresses' which is IP 10.1.10.34. Here is my virtual server example... This IP of 10.1.10.34 maps to a public IP associated with the BIG-IP VM in Google Cloud of 34.82.79.120 on nic0. See example NIC layout below... Open a web browser and test the app on http://34.82.79.120. Note: Service Discovery with AS3 complete Great job! You're done! Review the Appendix sections for more information. Summary I hope you enjoyed this writeup and gained some new knowledge along the way. I demonstrated a basic Google Cloud network, deployed an F5 BIG-IP instance using F5 cloud templates, and then configured service discovery to dynamically populate pool members. As for other general guidance around BIG-IP and high availability designs in the cloud, I'll leave those details for another article. Appendix: Google Networking and BIG-IP Listeners In my example, I have an external IP mapping to the BIG-IP VM private IP on nic0...no forwarding rules. Therefore Google NATs the incoming traffic from 34.82.79.120 to the VM private IP 10.1.10.34. The BIG-IP virtual server listener will be 10.1.10.34. On the other hand, Google Cloud forwarding rules map public IPs to VM instances and do not NAT. Therefore a forwarding rule of 35.85.85.125 mapping to my BIG-IP VM will result in a virtual server listener of 35.85.85.125. Remember... External public IP > VM private IP mapping = NAT to VM Forwarding rule public IP > VM instance = no NAT to VM Learn more about Google Cloud forwarding rules in the following links: Forwarding Rule Concepts - how rules interact with Google LBs Using Protocol Forwarding - allowing multiple public IPs to one VM with forwarding rules Appendix: Example Errors This is an example of incorrect permissions. You will find this in /var/log/ltm. The iCall script runs and calls the cloud provider API to get a list of pool members. Jan 24 23:40:00 jg-f5-sd err scriptd[26229]: 014f0013:3: Script (/Common/serviceDiscovery.app/serviceDiscovery_service_discovery_icall_script) generated this Tcl error: (script did not successfully complete: (jq: error: unxpected response from node worker while executing "exec /bin/bash -c "NODE_JSON=\$(curl -sku admin: https://localhost:$mgmt_port/mgmt/shared/cloud/nodes?mgmtPort=$mgmt_port\\&cloud=gce\\&memberTag=app=..." invoked from within "set members [exec /bin/bash -c "NODE_JSON=\$(curl -sku admin: https://localhost:$mgmt_port/mgmt/shared/cloud/nodes?mgmtPort=$mgmt_port\\&cloud=gce\\&m..." line:4)) Review the iCall script to see the curl command running against the cloud provider. Run it manually via CLI for troubleshooting. curl -sku admin: "https://localhost/mgmt/shared/cloud/nodes?mgmtPort=443&cloud=gce&memberTag=app=demo&memberAddressType=private&memberPort=80&providerOptions=region%3d" {"error":{"code":500,"message":"Required 'compute.instances.list' permission for 'projects/xxxxx'","innererror":{"referer":"restnoded","originalRequestBody":"","errorStack":[]}}} From the output, I had the wrong permissions as indicated in the logs (error 500 permissions). Correct the permissions for the service account that is in use by the BIG-IP VM.Using Cloud Templates to Change BIG-IP Versions - Google GCP
Introduction This article will make use of F5 cloud templates on GitHub to modify the BIG-IP versions for your public cloud deployments in Google. This is part of an article series, so please review the “Concepts” as well as other articles within the series. Modifying BIG-IP Templates for Google Cloud This section will show you how to modify the BIG-IP version in Google deployments. The template deployment service in Google is called Google Deployment Manager. Google GDM BIG-IP Cloud Templates for Google on GitHub There are a few methods I tested, and I’ll do a “How To” for each. Check the Appendix for additional examples. Use Latest Template Release (no edits required) Use Previous Template Release (no edits required) Edit Latest Template to Change BIG-IP Versions Edit Latest Template to Use Custom Uploaded Image Note: At the time of this article, the "Latest" template release version for F5 cloud templates in Google is 3.5.0 and found under Tag 3.5.0 on GitHub. See Tag 3.5.0 Release Notes. Option #1: Use Latest Template Release (no edits required) This option lets you use templates without modification of code. Each release corresponds to a certain BIG-IP version (see Google GDM Template Matrix), and the template is hard coded with the selection of one BIG-IP version in Google F5 cloud templates. The latest template will deploy BIG-IP version 15.0.1.0 by default. You can change the BIG-IP version by supplying a different Google image in the imageName parameter. Here is an example to deploy BIG-IP version 14.1.2.3. Search for Google images via gcloud CLI: Open your favorite terminal Enter a search filter. This filter will query the f5 vendor project. command = gcloud compute images list --project=f5-7626-networks-public | grep f5 Find your desired image My example = BIG-IP 14.1.2.3 PAYG BEST You can filter further with basic CLI by adding “grep 14-1-2-3" If you want BYOL, then “grep” for “byol” Copy the image ID and save for later (my example f5-bigip-14-1-2-3-0-0-5-payg-best-1gbps-191218142340) #Example image search and results gcloud compute images list --project=f5-7626-networks-public | grep f5 #Output similar to this... --snippet-- f5-bigip-13-1-3-2-0-0-4-payg-best-1gbps-20191105210022 f5-bigip-13-1-3-2-0-0-4-payg-best-200mbps-20191105210022 f5-bigip-13-1-3-2-0-0-4-byol-all-modules-2slot-20191105200157 ...and some more f5-bigip-14-1-2-3-0-0-5-byol-ltm-1boot-loc-191218142225 f5-bigip-14-1-2-3-0-0-5-payg-best-1gbps-191218142340 ...and more... Deploy BIG-IP with custom image ID: Find your favorite BIG-IP template for Google. I’ll use the BIG-IP, standalone, 3nic, PAYG licensing (Tag 3.5.0) Review the entire README for installation instructions Download template files: py, schema, yaml Edit yaml file imageName = f5-bigip-14-1-2-3-0-0-5-payg-best-1gbps-191218142340 Populate all remaining parameters Make sure all values in yaml are populated or commented (#) If values are commented, make sure schema contains defaults More details in my other article, Service Discovery in Google Gloud with BIG-IP Save file and deploy with your favorite method Google will validate the template and launch a BIG-IP running 14.1.2.3 #Example deploy using Google gcloud gcloud deployment-manager deployments create my-f5-14-1-2 --config f5-existing-stack-payg-3nic-bigip.yaml Easy right? Try another AMI ID search and launch the template again to get a v13.x, v14.x, or v15.x BIG-IP. Option #2: Use Previous Template Release (no edits required) If you don’t mind a previous template release (less fixes/features), AND you still don’t want to tweak template code, AND you still need a different BIG-IP version, AND the BIG-IP version is listed in the matrix then keep reading! Here is an example to deploy BIG-IP version 13.1.1.0. Find a previous template release to deploy BIG-IP version you desire: Decide what BIG-IP version you need (my example 13.1.1.0) Check the Google GDM Template Matrix for BIG-IP Scroll down the list and you’ll see template release v2.2.0 It allows “13.1.1” Click the link to review v2.2.0 template release notes Deploy BIG-IP with previous template release: Find your favorite BIG-IP template for Google. I’ll use the BIG-IP, standalone, 3nic, PAYG licensing (Tag 2.2.0) Review the entire README for installation instructions Download template files: py, schema, yaml Edit yaml file imageName = f5-hourly-bigip-13-1-1-0-0-4-best-1gbps (see yaml file for available images) Populate all remaining parameters Make sure all values in yaml are populated or commented (#) If values are commented, make sure schema contains defaults More details in my other article, Service Discovery in Google Gloud with BIG-IP Save file and deploy with your favorite method Google will validate the template and launch a BIG-IP running 13.1.1.0 #Example deploy using Google gcloud gcloud deployment-manager deployments create my-f5-13-1-1 --config f5-existing-stack-payg-3nic-bigip.yaml OK...we made it this far, but you still don’t see the BIG-IP version you need. Keep reading! In the next section, we’ll tweak some templates! Option #3: Edit Latest Template to Change BIG-IP Versions (TBD) This section is reserved for future use in situations where templates need to be modified in order to select a preferred BIG-IP version from public marketplace. In my testing, I have not yet found a scenario where a template edit is required. Therefore, this section is a place holder for potential future template hacks! Note: Review the knowledge article F5 support for GitHub software for any questions pertaining to support of templates and modified templates. Option #4: Edit Latest Template to Use Custom Uploaded Image The final Google option allows you to upload or create your own BIG-IP images and reference those images in F5 cloud template deployments. There is an existing how-to doc on the F5 Image Generator GitHub for GCE repository explaining how to create a BIG-IP image for your Google environment. I’ll walk through the high-level steps of the article below. Then we'll review the deploy steps. Note: Custom images only allow BYOL licensing. Note: Review the knowledge article F5 support for GitHub software for any questions pertaining to support of templates and modified templates Upload/Create Custom Image: Obtain an image file for the BIG-IP version you desire My example = 13.1.3.3 Download image file from https://downloads.f5.com Use F5 Image Generator to make your own custom image Review entire "Prerequisites" section Create a virtual disk image locally Upload the virtual disk image to a GCE bucket Create the virtual machine image Save image name for later (my example f5-bigip-13-1-3-3-0-0-6-byol-ltm-1slot-a83bji8j2) #Example image creation ./build-image -i BIGIP-13.1.3.3-0.0.6.iso -c config.yml -p gce -m ltm -b 1 #Output similar to this... ... qemu-system installing RTM Image -- start time: 01:58:44 qemu-system installing RTM Image -- elapsed time: 0:08:51 qemu-system performing selinux relabeling -- start time: 02:07:35 qemu-system performing selinux relabeling -- elapsed time: 0:02:10 ... ------======[ Finished disk generation for 'gce' 'ltm' '1' boot-locations. ]======------ Starting prepare cloud image 'f5-bigip-13-1-3-3-0-0-6-byol-ltm-1slot-a83bji8j2'. ... Finished prepare cloud image 'f5-bigip-13-1-3-3-0-0-6-byol-ltm-1slot-a83bji8j2' Deploy custom BIG-IP image with latest template release: Find your favorite BIG-IP template for Google. I’ll use the BIG-IP, standalone, 3nic, BYOL licensing (Tag 3.5.0) Review the entire README for installation instructions Download template files: py, schema, yaml Edit python file **Refer to EXAMPLE EDITS code snippet below Replace project ID in sourceImage with your project ID Edit yaml file imageName = f5-bigip-13-1-3-3-0-0-6-byol-ltm-1slot-a83bji8j2 Populate all remaining parameters Make sure all values in yaml are populated or commented (#) If values are commented, make sure schema contains defaults More details in my other article, Service Discovery in Google Gloud with BIG-IP Save file and deploy with your favorite method Google will validate the template and launch a BIG-IP running 13.1.3.3 #Example Edits for Option #4: Edit Latest Template to Use Custom Uploaded Image #original 'sourceImage': ''.join([COMPUTE_URL_BASE, 'projects/f5-7626-networks-public', '/global/images/', context.properties['imageName'], ]) #after edits 'sourceImage': ''.join([COMPUTE_URL_BASE, 'projects/myproject123', '/global/images/', context.properties['imageName'], ]) #Example deploy using Google gcloud gcloud deployment-manager deployments create my-f5-13-1-3 --config f5-existing-stack-byol-3nic-bigip.yaml Summary That is a wrap! There’s lots of info in this post, and I hope it makes your job easier in deciding what template to choose when deploying various versions of BIG-IP devices in the Google public cloud.
Why Layer 7 Load Balancing Doesn’t Suck
Alternative title: Didn’t We Resolve This One 10 Years Ago? There’s always been a bit of a disconnect between traditional network-focused ops and more modern, application-focused ops when it comes to infrastructure architecture. The arguments for an against layer 7 (application) load balancing first appeared nearly a decade ago when the concept was introduced. These arguments were being tossed around at the same time we were all arguing for or against various QoS (Quality of Service) technologies, namely the now infamous “rate shaping” versus “queuing” debate. If you missed that one, well, imagine an argument similar to that today of “public” versus “private” clouds. Same goals, different focus on how to get there. Seeing this one crop up again is not really any more surprising than seeing some of the other old debates bubbling to the surface. cloud computing and virtualization have brought network infrastructure and its capabilities, advantages and disadvantages – as well as its role in architecting a dynamic data center – to the fore again. But seriously? You’d think the arguments would have evolved in the past ten years. While load balancing hardware marketing execs get very excited about the fact that their product can magically scale your application by using amazing Layer 7 technology in the Load balancer such as cookie inserts and tracking/re-writing. What they fail to mention is that any application that requires the load balancer to keep track of session related information within the communications stream can never ever be scalable or reliable. -- Why Layer 7 load balancing sucks… I myself have never shied away from mentioning the session management capabilities of a full-proxy application delivery controller (ADC) and, in fact, I have spent much time advocating on behalf of its benefits to architectural flexibility, scalability, and security. Second, argument by selective observation is a poor basis upon which to make any argument, particularly this one. While persistence-based load balancing is indeed one of the scenarios in which an advanced application delivery controller is often used (and in some environments, such as scaling out VDI deployments, is a requirement) this is a fairly rudimentary task assigned to such devices. The use of layer 7 routing, aka page routing in some circles (such as Facebook), is a highly desirable capability to have at your disposable. It enables more flexible, scalable architectures by creating scalability domains based on application-specific functions. There are a plethora of architectural patterns that leverage the use of an intelligent, application-aware intermediary (i.e. layer 7 load balancing capable ADC). Here’s a few I’ve written myself, but rest assured there are many more examples of infrastructure scalability patterns out there on the Internets: Infrastructure Architecture: Avoiding a Technical Ambush Infrastructure Scalability Pattern: Partition by Function or Type Applying Scalability Patterns to Infrastructure Architecture Infrastructure Scalability Pattern: Sharding Streams Interestingly, ten years ago this argument may have held some water. This was before full-proxy application delivery controllers were natively able to extract the necessary HTTP headers (where cookies are exchanged). That means in the past, such devices had to laboriously find and extract the cookie and its value from the textual representation of the headers, which obviously took time and processing cycles (i.e. added latency). But that’s not been the case since oh, 2004-2005 when such capabilities were recognized as being a requirement for most organizations and were moved into native processing, which reduced the impact of such extraction and evaluation to a negligible, i.e. trivial, amount of delay and effectively removed as an objection this argument. THE SECURITY FACTOR Both this technique and trivial tasks like tracking and re-writing do, as pointed out, require session tracking – TCP session tracking, to be exact. Interestingly, it turns out that this is a Very Good Idea TM from a security perspective as it provides a layer of protection against DDoS attacks at lower levels of the stack and enables an application-aware ADC to more effectively thwart application-layer DDoS attacks, such as SlowLoris and HTTP GET floods. A simple, layer 4 load balancing solution (one that ignores session tracking, as is implied by the author) can neither recognize nor defend against such attacks because they maintain no sense of state. Ultimately this means the application and/or web server is at high risk of being overwhelmed by even modest attacks, because these servers are incapable of scaling sessions at the magnitude required to sustain availability under such conditions. This is true in general of high volumes of traffic or under overwhelming loads due to processor-intense workloads. A full-proxy device mitigates many of the issues associated with concurrency and throughput simply by virtue of its dual-stacked nature. SCALABILITY As far as scalability goes, really? This is such an old and inaccurate argument (and put forth with no data, to boot) that I’m not sure it’s worth presenting a counter argument. Many thousands of customers use application delivery controllers to perform layer 7 load balancing specifically for availability assurance. Terminating sessions does require session management (see above), but to claim that this fact is a detriment to availability and business continuity shows a decided lack of understanding of failover mechanisms that provide near stateful-failover (true stateful-failover is impossible at any layer). The claim that such mechanisms require network bandwidth indicates either a purposeful ignorance with respect to modern failover mechanisms or simply failure to investigate. We’ve come a long way, baby, since then. In fact, it is nigh unto impossible for a simple layer 4 load balancing mechanism to provide the level of availability and consistency claimed, because such an architecture is incapable of monitoring the entire application (which consists of all instances of the application residing on app/web servers, regardless of form-factor). See axiom #3 (Context-Aware) in “The Three Axioms of Application Delivery”. The Case (For & Against) Network-Driven Scalability in Cloud Computing Environments The Case (For & Against) Management-Driven Scalability in Cloud Computing Environments The Case (For & Against) Application-Driven Scalability in Cloud Computing Environments Resolution to the Case (For & Against) X-Driven Scalability in Cloud Computing Environments The author’s claim seems to rest almost entirely on the argument “Google does layer 4 not layer 7” to which I say, “So?” If you’re going to tell part of the story, tell the entire story. Google also does not use a traditional three-tiered approach to application architecture, nor do its most demanding services (search) require state, nor does it lack the capacity necessary to thwart attacks (which cannot be said for most organizations on the planet). There is a big difference between modern, stateless applications (and many benefits) and traditional three-tiered application architectures. Now it may in fact be the case that regardless of architecture an application and its supporting infrastructure do not require layer 7 load balancing services. In that case, absolutely – go with layer 4. But to claim layer 7 load balancing is not scalable, or resilient, or high-performance enough when there is plenty of industry-wide evidence to prove otherwise is simply a case of not wanting to recognize it.Using Cloud Templates to Change BIG-IP Versions - Concepts
Introduction This article series will detail how you can deploy F5 into a public cloud leveraging cloud templates. This article will first cover some of the basic concepts, and we then go into some deployment guidance specific for the most common public clouds. In this article series, we will be using F5 cloud templates (available on GitHub) to modify the BIG-IP versions for your public cloud deployments. I will also share a few ways to use cloud templates in order to deploy the latest or previous stable releases of BIG-IP. Topics covered: F5 Cloud Templates Overview Image Repository Template Versions and BIG-IP Versions F5 BIG-IP Custom Images F5 Cloud Templates Next Steps...Go Read the How-To Articles! F5 Cloud Templates Overview Given the range of F5 products and the numerous public cloud providers,the F5 product teams have created quite the collection of cloud templates. These are located on GitHub with various BIG-IP templates for each cloud provider. Each template enables you to deploy BIG-IP devices in your cloud environment using different designs, licensing models, and features like load balancing, web application security, or all the BIG-IP modules - all these across a range of BIG-IP versions! GitHub For those of you who are unfamiliar with our F5 cloud templates, I encourage you to head over to GitHub and review the available templates. Each template has a corresponding README with relevant install info. These templates take care of various dependencies like network setup, access list updates, public IP creation, BIG-IP creation, HA cluster, auto scale, and more. BIG-IP Cloud Templates for AWS BIG-IP Cloud Templates for Azure BIG-IP Cloud Templates for Google F5 CloudDocs Also...head over to F5 CloudDocs for BIG-IP virtual edition (VE) for some quickstart installation and docs. F5 CloudDocs is a key resource that details important features, capabilities and usage guidance across the range of F5’s Cloud offerings. Support If you find yourself running into issues and require support, don't hesitate to open a GitHub issue on the relevant repo and create a GitHub "issue". You also have the ability to create a ticket with F5 support on https://support.f5.com. Review the F5 support policies regarding GitHub F5 repositories to learn what is and is not covered. When in doubt, reach out to your friendly F5 account team! Image Repository Each cloud provider has a public marketplace where vendors like F5 can upload images of their products, like BIG-IP. The cloud provider marketplace can be used as an image repository...with some important caveats, of course. The marketplace for each cloud provider has limits on the number of images for each vendor. As new versions of BIG-IP are released, F5 removes previous versions from marketplace to make room for the new versions. Customers relying on previous BIG-IP releases are encouraged to archive those specific BIG-IP versions in their own private image repository for each cloud provider. You can do this by uploading a BIG-IP cloud image to the cloud provider. It then becomes an available image ID for deployment. Grab these images from https://download.f5.com and look for your specific cloud provider. Template Versions and BIG-IP Versions There are two types of “versions” to discuss. One...the F5 cloud template versions. Two...the BIG-IP version. F5 Cloud Template Versions The F5 cloud templates are updated regularly and tagged with a release number. The templates are tested against the latest (aka newest) BIG-IP version available in marketplace at the time of template release and allow the user to select other versions of BIG-IP too. There is a Template-to-BIG-IP Version matrix for each cloud provider, and this tells you the various template versions and BIG-IP versions supported for that specific template release. It is recommended to always use the latest template release because it includes the most recent template fixes and improvements. You can select the matrix links below and then click on the tag/release version to see release notes. AWS CFT Template Matrix Azure ARM Template Matrix Google GDM Template Matrix BIG-IP Versions As for BIG-IP versions and what is supported in each cloud provider, please review the BIG-IP VE Support Platforms. This will list the recommended instance types/sizes and licensing for each cloud provider. Note: Best practice is to always use the latest templates as they are most up to date with the latest features and fixes for templated deployment of BIG-IP devices. This article series has workarounds that I have tested in my lab in order to help you deploy various versions of BIG-IP. If you decide to use a previous template version, then check the release notes to determine if your deployment is affected by any of the items noted (features, fixes, workarounds). F5 BIG-IP Custom Images All that talk about vendor images, public marketplace, private images...oh my! What happens if you need to customize your own image, patch it, do something magical to it? What happens if the image you need on public marketplace is no longer there? Enter the F5 Custom Image Builder! Use the F5 BIG-IP Image Generator Tool to create custom images from the .ISO file for F5 BIG-IP VE releases or for hot-fixes. You can then upload that image to the cloud provider and reference it in your template deployments. The F5 Virtual Edition (VE) team developed the F5 BIG-IP Image Generator internally to do the following: Create custom images from the .ISO file for F5 BIG-IP VE releases or for hot-fixes that are not available on the various public cloud marketplaces. Provide pre-deployment file customization of BIG-IP (for example, SSH keys, trusted certificates, custom packages, and so forth). Automatically publish images to public cloud providers. Simplify deployment workflows, such as encrypting custom images in AWS (prevents launching an instance in the marketplace first). Next Steps In the rest of the articles in this series, I will discuss HOW TO modify cloud templates to change BIG-IP versions for AWS, Azure, and Google cloud offerings.As a Service: The many faces of the cloud
Last month I happened across this amusing, and ironic, poem[now defunct, the original poem can be found here] describing the dichotomy that exists in trying to define cloud computing. Go ahead and read it, I'll wait, it's worth the time. Seriously. I am not going to define cloud computing again. I've done that already and the point of this discussion is not what is cloud computing but rather how the cloud is beginning to separate into distinct models, each serving a different set of needs. The common theme between these models is "as a service". Some "thing" traditionally relegated to the local IT data center is being offered in the cloud, as a service. The list is growing, but it appears that we'll likely end up with three service models for the cloud: software, infrastructure, and platforms. SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE (SaaS) Software as a Service (SaaS) was pioneered and proven as a successful model by salesforce.com, and has since been duplicated successfully by myriad other vendors. The SaaS model works on the assumption that all enterprises need is the ability to customize and integrate software (which is, for the most part, true of a wide variety of software offerings) and need not (a) reinvent the wheel or (b) worry about the actual implementation/deployment details. SaaS is a good choice when: You need software to support common business processes like customer relationship management You need some customization but it is primarily at the data level and not at the application logic level The software in question needs to support a geographically diverse pool of employees PLATFORM AS A SERVICE (PaaS) Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a somewhat emerging concept that is gaining traction for several reasons. PaaS is based on the premise that you want or need a development and deployment platform in the cloud and are willing to essentially outsource the platform to a cloud computing provider because you want to ultimately deploy the application you are developing in the cloud. PaaS moves the development and deployment platform "into the cloud". For a good example of a PaaS, check out Bungee or Google App Engine. PaaS is a good choice when: You want to deploy an application into the cloud but aren't interested in dealing with a virtualized infrastructure You want to try out an application to test adoption or interest but don't have the budget to invest in the necessary infrastructure You would otherwise build a departmental level applications that would traditionally be served from an unmanaged server hiding under someone's desk You're a startup whose offering will be a web based application INFRASTRUCTURE AS A SERVICE (IaaS) Lastly, we have Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). IaaS is what most people think of when they hear the term "cloud computing". This model essentially leases out infrastructure resources on which applications are deployed. The applications are then able to scale up and down as necessary, on-demand, using the provider's infrastructure - saving the organization a lot of capital expenditures and operating expenses in acquiring, deploying, configuring, and managing the infrastructure. IaaS often takes the form of virtualized computing environments, leveraging virtual images to alleviate the typical problems associated with remote hosting of applications in aligning operating systems, application servers, hardware, and other application specific details with the needs of the customer. Virtualized computing environments allow the customer to configure and deploy the application in a virtual image locally and then execute it within a remote environment without worrying about the underlying server and network infrastructure. BlueLock and Amazon EC2 are good examples of IaaS providers. IaaS is a good choice when: You need a second data center for disaster recovery only but the investment in land, building, and infrastructure is too costly You have a need for seasonal capacity but the revenue generated during those times would be diluted or erased by investing in the infrastructure to support the rushes You want to leverage geographical based global load balancing to better serve international visitors but wish to avoid the investment in multiple data centers or hassle of co-locating servers around the globe You want to use the cloud to host bandwidth or storage intense resources (video, images) and integrate them with your applications to offset the cost of more bandwidth or a new storage infrastructure. Yes, cloud computing is very much part of the buzzword bingo game today (I failed to win, as you can see, but I'll try harder next time), but there are real benefits and valid reasons for looking into it right now. Don't let the hype surrounding cloud computing distract you from the potential benefits, but don't drink the kool aid too deeply, either, and commit to a model that isn't a good fit for you and your needs.Google Gmail: The Lawn Darts of the Internet
This blog on the inadvertent sharing of Google docs led to an intense micro-conversation in the comments regarding the inadvertent sharing of e-mail. sensitive financial data, and a wealth of other private data that remained, well, not so private through that [cue scary music] deadly combination that makes security folks race for their torches and pitchforks: Google Apps and Gmail. [pause for laughter on my part. I can't say that without a straight face] Here's part of the "issue" "discovered" by the author: Closer examination of the spreadsheets, along with some online digging, indicated that a CNHI employee had most likely intended to share the reports and spreadsheets with an employee named Deirdre Gallagher. Instead, he or she typed in my Gmail address and handed me the keys to a chunk of CNHI’s Web kingdom, including the detailed financial terms for scores of Web advertising deals. [emphasis added] Many comments indicated deep displeasure with Google's e-mail functionality in terms of how it handles e-mail addresses. Other comments just seemed to gripe about Google Apps and its integration in general. "Dan" brought sanity to a conversation comprised primarily of technology finger-pointing, much of which blamed Google for people fat-fingering e-mail addresses, when he said: "The misuse of the technology can hardly be the fault of the providers." Thank you Dan, whoever you are. How insightful. How true. And how sad that most people won't - and don't - see it that way. Remember lawn darts? I do. If you're young enough you might not, because the company that manufactured and sold them stopped doing so in 1988 after they were sued when a child was tragically killed playing with them. But the truth is that a child was throwing the darts over the roof of a house at his playmate. He was misusing the lawn darts. The product was subsequently banned from sale in the US and Canada due to safety concerns. Because they were used in a way they were not intended to be used. After all, consider the millions of other children (myself included) who managed to play the game properly without ever earning so much as a scratch. The mosquito bites were more dangerous than the lawn darts when used correctly and with the proper amount of attention paid to what we were doing. This is not unlike the inadvertent sharing of Google docs. If I mistype an e-mail address, it's not the fault of my e-mail client when confidential launch plans find their way into an unintended recipients' inbox. That's my fault for not being more careful and paying attention to detail. In the aforementioned Google doc sharing escapade, Google's software did exactly what it was supposed to do: it e-mailed a copy of a Google doc to the e-mail address specified by the sender. Google has no way of knowing you meant to type "a" when you typed "o"; that's the responsibility of the individual and it's ridiculous to hold Google and its developers responsible for the intentional or unintentional mistakes of its users. Look, there are plenty of reasons to be concerned about storing sensitive corporate data on a remote server and/or in the cloud, Google or others. There are a lot of reasons to be concerned about privacy and information leaks in SaaS (Software as a Service) and Web 2.0 applications. THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM. Those same documents could easily have been e-mailed to the wrong person, accidentally or purposefully, from someone's desktop. Mistyping e-mail addresses is not peculiar to GMail, or Hotmail, or Yahoo mail, or any other cloudware e-mail service. It's peculiar to people. Remember them? The ultimate security risk? Rather than claim this is some huge security hole (it is not) or point the finger of blame at Google for sending that e-mail, remember what your mother said about pointing... When you point one finger at Google for sending that e-mail, three fingers are pointing back at you.Security Sidebar: Google Leads The Way On Sunsetting SHA-1
SHA-1 (or Secure Hash Algorithm) is a cryptographic algorithm that was developed by the National Security Agency in the 1990s and is widely used in popular cryptographic protocols like Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS). These protocols are designed to provide secure communications over the Internet. The SHA-1 algorithm is commonly used by Certificate Authorities (CA) as a part of the overall Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). While the intent of this article is not meant to fully explain PKI, it is important to note that many CAs utilize the SHA-1 algorithm to digitally sign certificates for secure websites. These CA-issued certificates are critical for users who want to maintain a level of trust and security when accessing those secure websites. If a user visits a secure website (https) and the digital certificate is not valid, it could mean that a bad guy is attempting to steal your information. Your Internet browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc) will notice that the certificate is bad and it will alert you to the fact that you are about to engage in some non-secure communications. Each browser presents this information in a slightly different way, but they all give you an alert nonetheless. The screenshot below shows an example of Google Chrome attempting to access a secure website that has an invalid certificate. On September 5, 2014, Google announced that their popular Chrome browser will sunset the SHA-1 algorithm. They claim that SHA-1 has been a weak digital signature algorithm for at least 9 years. One of the primary reasons for this weakness is the ease of collision attacks against SHA-1, thus prompting Google to declare it no longer safe for public consumption. Google is not alone in their current fear and loathing of SHA-1...most other browsers have stated their intention to deprecate SHA-1 as well. While everyone agrees that SHA-1 needs to be replaced, not everyone agrees on the process or timeline to do so. Starting in November 2014 (as in, like, next month), Google will methodically sunset the SHA-1 algorithm starting with Chrome version 39. Websites using HTTPS whose certificate chains use SHA-1 and are valid past January 1, 2017 will no longer appear to be fully trusted in Chrome. Google Chrome has several different icon indicators in the address bar that display the overall trust factor of a given certificate chain for the website you are accessing. The first is a lock with a yellow triangle over it. This indicates a certificate chain that is "secure, but with minor errors." The next is a blank page icon. This indicates a certificate chain that is "neutral, lacking security." The last is a lock with a red X and a red strike-through text treatment in the URL scheme. This indicates a certificate chain that is "affirmatively insecure." Check out the above screenshot again...notice that it falls in the category of "affirmatively insecure" based on the red X and the red strike-through text in the URL. So, how does all this fit together? Well, Google has announced that it will start displaying these various icons on websites that use the SHA-1 algorithm. The following table shows the details of the SHA-1 certificate expiration date and the related Chrome icon display in the address bar. Today, SHA-1 is used in over 98% of certificates issued worldwide. Likewise, Google Chrome accounts for 38% of all Internet browsers used today (as of August 2014...see the chart below). When you combine the fact that Google Chrome accounts for almost 40% of all Internet browsers and SHA-1 is used in over 98% of all certificates worldwide, you can see why so many CAs are scrambling right now to re-issue new certificates in very short order. As you update/validate the certificates in your organization, you will need to verify that legacy applications will support the new algorithm. Also, if you have external hosted applications, you may need to issue new certificates so that users don't get those crazy browser warnings. This SHA-1 situation is just another reminder of the ever-changing technical world we live in. It's important to know what's out there, and it's important to stay as much ahead of it as possible.Where Do You Wear Your Malware?
The London Stock Exchange, Android phones and even the impenetrable Mac have all been malware targets recently. If you’re connected to the internet, you are at risk. It is no surprise that the crooks will go after whatever device people are using to conduct their life – mobile for example, along with trying to achieve that great financial heist….’if we can just get this one big score, then we can hang up our botnets and retire!’ Perhaps Homer Simpson said it best, ‘Ooh, Mama! This is finally really happening. After years of disappointment with get-rich-quick schemes, I know I'm gonna get Rich with this scheme...and quick!’ Maybe we call this the Malware Mantra! Malware has been around for a while, has changed and evolved over the years and we seem to have accepted it as part of the landmines we face when navigating the internet. I would guess that we might not even think about malware until it has hit us….which is typical when it comes to things like this. Out of sight, Out of mind. I don’t think ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ works with malware. We certainly take measures to guard ourselves, anti-virus/firewall/spoof toolbars/etc, which gives us the feeling of protection and we click away thinking that our sentinels will destroy anything that comes our way. Not always so. It was reported that the London Stock Exchange was delivering malvertising to it’s visitors. The LSE site itself was not infected but the pop-up ads from the site delivered some nice fake warnings saying the computer was infected and in danger. This is huge business for cybercriminals since they insert their code with the third-party advertiser and never need to directly attack the main site. Many sites rely on third-party ads so this is yet another area to be cautious of. One of the things that Web 2.0 brought was the ability to deliver or feed other sites with content. If you use NoScript with Firefox on your favorite news site (or any major site for that matter), you can see the amazing amount of content coming from other sources. Sometimes, 8-10 or more domains are listed as content generators so be very careful as to which ones you allow. With the success of the Android platform, it also becomes a target. This particular mobile malware looks and acts like the actual app. The problem is that it also installs a backdoor to the phone and asks for additional permissions. Once installed, it can connect to a command server and receive instructions; including sending text messages, add URL’s/direct a browser to a site along with installing additional software. The phone becomes part of a botnet. Depending on your contract, all these txt can add up leading to a bill that looks like you just bought a car. In fact, Google has just removed 21 free apps from the Android Market saying its malware designed to get root access to the user’s device. They were all masquerading as legitimate games and utilities. If you got one of these, it’s highly recommended that you simply take your phone back to the carrier and swap it for a new one, since there’s no way of telling what has been compromised. As malware continues to evolve, the mobile threat is not going away. This RSA2011 recap predicts mobile device management as the theme for RSA2012. And in related news, F5 recently released our Edge Portal application for the Android Market – malware free. Up front, I’m not a Mac user. I like them, used them plenty over the years and am not opposed to getting one in the future, just owned Windows devices most of my life. Probably due to the fact that my dad was an IBM’r for 30 years. Late last week, stories started to appear about some beta malware targeting Macs. It is called BlackHole RAT. It is derived from a Windows family of trojans and re-written to target Mac. It is spreading through torrent sites and seems to be a proof-of-concept of what potentially can be accomplished. Reports say that it can do remote control of an infected machine, open web pages, display messages and force re-boots. There is also some disagreement around the web as to the seriousness of the threat but despite that, criminals are trying. Once we all get our IPv6 chips installed in our earlobes and are able to take calls by pulling on our ear, a la Carol Burnett style, I wonder when the first computer to human virus will be reported. The wondering is over, it has already happened. ps Resources: London Stock Exchange site shows malicious adverts When malware messes with the markets Android an emerging target for cyber criminals Google pulls 21 apps in Android malware scare More Android mobile malware surfaces in third-party app repositories Infected Android app runs up big texting bills Ignoring mobile hype? Don't overlook growing mobile device threats "BlackHole" malware, in beta, aims for Mac users Mac Trojan uses Windows backdoor code I'll Believe Mac malware is a problem when I see it BlackHole RAT is Really No Big Deal 20 years of innovative Windows malware Edge Portal application on Android Market
DevCentral Top 5 01/06/2012
The holidays have passed, the new year is upon us and there is much geeky goodness to be thankful for. I am thankful for the forums and the wikis, the tech tips and blogs. I am thankful for the outstanding community that drives it all, and the supporting cast of hundreds within F5 that helps support this DevCentral thing we get to do. I am so thankful, in fact, that I am here to share five of my favorite recent DevCentral additions with you. Hurried over the holidays? Nagged after the new year? Fall behind on your feeds? Never fear, I'm more than happy to give you my Top5 picks from past weeks to give you a place to start. Keep in mind there will always be more goodness on DevCentral than anyone could pack into a single missive, even someone as wordy as me, so be sure to get out there and check it out for yourselves. For now, though, here is my first DevCentral Top 5 of 2012: $DevCentral += 1; http://bit.ly/yNw8zs We've grown! The team has gained a new face, a new name, and some wicked security chops. Josh joined the team before the holiday season and has been cranking away largely in secret since. His focus has been and will continue to be security. He'll be answering forums, checking in from conferences, keeping you abreast of the most twisted, brutal and/or interesting vulnerabilities out in the wild, hopefully with a means to fix them, and more. Part of said "more" will be contributing to the ever growing content engine that is DevCentral. He has already started, in fact! Check out this latest blog of his wherein he discuses the new(ish) slowread vulnerability along with a helpful fix from F5. He assures me there is more to discuss regarding this vuln, and having gotten to know him a bit I have no doubt this is just one of many helpful, timely, security centric posts to come. Add him to your feeds, drop a note and say hi, and check back often to see what security science Josh is dropping next. Two-Factor Auth with Google Authenticator and LDAP http://bit.ly/yO8G6a Speaking of science, I feel it is a crime that George was not gifted a lab coat and appropriately mad scientist-esque safety goggles over the holidays. He has upped the iRules Tech Tip game to a level that Jason and I agree is both awesome, and inspiring. In this article George documents how to turn your LTM and the inherent beauty within known as iRules into a two-factor auth system, integrated with LDAP, by way of Google Authenticator. In simpler terms: you can scan a QR code, enter a time based secure token, and authenticate into your systems...all via an iRule. That is the very definition of iRules science, kids. I've been raving about this one for weeks, and likely will for weeks to come. So before you hear me tell you again later, go check it out. Not only is the concept outstanding, but the write-up is second to none, so don't be dissuaded by the double black diamond sounding description. George turns this one into a bunny slope compared to what it could be if you tried to tackle it alone. External File Access from iRules via iFiles http://bit.ly/ArfZS6 There is a new tool in iRules town, and it's known as iFiles. Jason does an excellent job writing up this powerful, exciting new feature that was released for iRules in version 11.1. iFiles allow you to, as you might imagine, access files on the file system from within your iRules. This has been a popular request for years now, but there are inherent security and performance issues with giving out file system access to the LTM, something the PD crew here at F5 is understandably hesitant about. They have, however, cracked that proverbial nut and provided us with a solution that is both fast and secure. If you want the details on how it works you'll have to go read Jason's article, which you should do anyway because it rocks. Between v11 and v11.1, the iRules landscape continues to grow and become more hawesome by the version. I'm eager to see what comes next. Until then, though...go learn about iFiles. They rock. The Three Axioms of Application Delivery http://bit.ly/Av5oPf Lori took on what I have often thought an unenviable task: defining Application Delivery. This is more slippery than it sounds as the landscape is constantly changing with new technologies, application concerns and demands, security liabilities and more. Trying to specifically define exactly what one means when using the term "Application Delivery" has proved foolhardy before, and as such Lori's approach is one that appeals to me greatly. Namely, she decided not to define it directly, but instead laid out three axioms that describe the bedrock upon which the term lives and breathes, changing as it is apt to do, based on the needs and solutions of the times. Application Centric, Operational Risk Mitigating, Contextual. Those are effectively the concepts that are conveyed as the root of all things Application Delivery. Of course, many more juicy details and descriptions are a click away. Go see what you think. Do you agree? How would you define it, if you could? iRules Concepts: Connection States and Command Suspension http://bit.ly/wxY5f3 The iRules Concepts series is something I started a couple of months back in order to address some of the more esoteric functionality within iRules. Not everything fits so squarely into a command namespace or man page. Things such as command suspension and connection states within TMM warrant a bit more conversation and explanation. Given that I have seen this question come up multiple times in recent months, it seemed time to delve more deeply into the inner workings and shed some light on just what we're talking about when we use these terms. If you're an iRules geek like me, or frankly if you're curious about how F5 gear does what it does, I believe this is an interesting look at a tiny slice of that picture. If you have questions about how other things within iRules work, this would be a great place to ask. I'm really enjoying discussing the nuts and bolts of how this awesome technology does its thing, and am always keen on taking requests for future articles. There you have it, five ways to spend some time learning about what has been happening on DevCentral. For more frequent updates make sure you're registered and signed up for some of our many groups and feeds.
