Unmanaged Mode - what it means for ACI and BIG-IP integration [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. The adoption of Cisco ACI with the APIC controller continue to gain traction in the market. With their latest major APIC release, 1.2.1i , Cisco has streamlined how ADCs are connected to the fabric. There have traditionally been two methods of connecting services: Service Insertion with a device package and a service graph (Managed) Connecting a device as an endpoint device into an EPG (Unmanaged) What Cisco has done is simplified how a services device can be connected into the fabric as an Unmanaged device to the APIC. This is known as “Unmanaged Mode” vs the “Managed Mode” where a device package is used. Instead of the usual multi-step manual configuration process for specifying the network configuration in APIC, the attachment has been consolidated into the service graph. Before it was necessary to manually static bind the VLAN to the EPG (Provider and Consumer) and assign the physical domain to the EPG. It was also required to bind contracts between multiple Provider and Consumer EPGs. Now, all you have to do is go into the service graph and specify connectivity just like you were building a managed service graph. By doing this, there is now one common location and workflow for configuring services. The process is simplified. Advantages Service graph representation with Unmanaged and Managed modes mixed (few devices managed by APIC, few devices NOT managed by APIC) Unified view of a service chain Why needed Customers have requested to provide “Unmanaged ” mode for their custom devices Need to manage their own security policies outside of the networking team Need to use their existing orchestration infrastructure for a particular devices in the chain Need to use advanced vendor specific functionality What this means for BIG-IP integration BIG-IP is attached as an EPG - but now being able to represent this mode within a service graph Difference between Managed and Unmanaged mode Mode Goal Unmanaged Mode (Device managed externally) Service Chaining (traffic redirection) through ACI Managed Mode (Device managed by device package) Service Chaining (traffic redirection) through ACI Device configuration through APIC (Policy based configuration) Some prerequisites for deploying an Unmanaged logical device cluster BIGIP: Define VLANS, Self IP’s and trunk (if needed) APIC: VLAN Pool – Static allocation Fabric access policies to ensure physical connectivity to BIGIP Click here to view a video with more details on how to deploy a BIGIP in Unmanaged mode on APIC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJPEYzNGD3A Once deployed as an Unmanaged device cluster with traffic redirection through ACI configure your BIGIP with nodes, pools, monitors, virtual servers and all other features required by your application like you always do by using the BIG-IP GUI/CLI etc (not through the Cisco ACI) References: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/aci/apic/sw/1-x/L4-L7_Services_Deployment/guide/b_L4L7_Deploy_ver121x/b_L4L7_Deploy_ver121x_chapter_010000.pdf http://blogs.cisco.com/datacenter/new-innovations-for-l4-7-network-services-integration-with-ciscos-aci-approachStep-By-Step Deployment Guide - BIG-IP Service Insertion process with Cisco ACI [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. Hi Cisco ACI followers!!! There is a lot of information about Cisco ACI and APIC, but not so much about service insertion for Layer 4-7 services and how to properly deploy it. If you are already knee deep in a current deployment, planning for a new deployment, or even just looking to understand how it is done, check out our design guide as well as deployment guide for BIG-IP and ACI. Click here to view the design guide (http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/solutions/collateral/data-center-virtualization/application-centric-infrastructure/white-paper-c11-735490.pdf) Click here to view the deployment guide (http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/solutions/collateral/data-center-virtualization/application-centric-infrastructure/guide-c07-736160.pdf) The guide provides step by step instructions on configurations needed for Day 0, Day 1 and Day 2 operations. It talks about how to physically connect the BIG-IP to the ACI fabric, how to import a device package into the APIC, how to enable APIC and BIG-IP to communication and really how to manage the BIG-IP configurations (network and application) via the APIC. The guide has some great tips on how to troubleshoot the service insertion process and also provides insight on the upgrade path from one device package to another. Step by step guidance to deploy the following scenarios are covered: One ARM Service Insertion Two ARM Service Insertion Two node graph (ASA + F5) End Point Group mode Some Videos to help you understand more