Manual Chapter : Create a virtual server to manage HTTP/2 traffic with session persistence

Applies To:

  • BIG-IP LTM

    21.0.0, 17.5.1, 17.5.0, 17.1.3, 17.1.2, 17.1.1, 17.1.0, 17.0.0, 16.1.6, 16.1.5, 16.1.4, 16.1.3, 16.1.2, 16.1.1, 16.1.0, 16.0.1, 16.0.0, 15.1.10, 15.1.9, 15.1.8, 15.1.7, 15.1.6, 15.1.5, 15.1.4, 15.1.3, 15.1.2, 15.1.1, 15.1.0, 15.0.1, 15.0.0

Updated Date: 07/07/2026

Create a virtual server to manage HTTP/2 traffic with session persistence

You can use this procedure to create a virtual server to listen for HTTP/2 traffic, apply profiles and policies, and send the traffic to a pool of application servers that are HTTP/2-enabled.

Important: Do not use the HTTP/2 protocol with NTLM protocols, as they are incompatible.

Important: The BIG-IP does not support Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) in HTTP/2 environment. Do not attach both HTTP/2 profile and VDI profile together in the virtual server, a virtual server configured with both HTTP/2 profile and VDI profile can result in ERR_HTTP2_PROTOCOL_ERROR.

  1. On the Main tab, click Local Traffic > Virtual Servers.

    The Virtual Server List screen opens.

  2. Click Create.

    The New Virtual Server screen opens.

  3. In the Name field, type a unique name for the virtual server.

  4. For the Destination Address/Mask setting, confirm that the Host button is selected, and type the IP address in CIDR format.

    The supported format is address/prefix, where the prefix length is in bits. For example, an IPv4 address/prefix is 10.0.0.1 or 10.0.0.0/24, and an IPv6 address/prefix is ffe1::0020/64 or 2001:ed8:77b5:2:10:10:100:42/64. When you use an IPv4 address without specifying a prefix, the BIG-IP system automatically uses a /32 prefix.

    Note: The IP address you type must be available and not in the loopback network.

  5. In the Service Port field, type 443 or select HTTPS from the list.

  6. From the HTTP Profile (Client) list, select a previously-created HTTP profile.

  7. From the HTTP Profile (Server) list, select (Use Client Profile).

    Note: Alternatively, if you created a separate HTTP profile for managing server-side traffic, select the profile from the list.

  8. For the SSL Profile (Client) setting, from the Available list, select clientssl-secure, and move it to the Selected list.

    Tip: This profile disables mid-stream SSL renegotiation by default. Disabling SSL renegotiation is a requirement for an HTTP/2 full-proxy deployment.

  9. For the SSL Profile (Server) setting, from the Available list, select serverssl-secure, and move the profile to the Selected list.

    Tip: This profile disables mid-stream SSL renegotiation by default. Disabling SSL renegotiation is a requirement for an HTTP/2 full-proxy deployment.

  10. From the Acceleration list, select Advanced.

  11. From the HTTP/2 Profile (Client) list, select the HTTP/2 profile that you previously created.

  12. From the HTTP/2 Profile (Server) list, select (Use Client Profile), or if you created a separate HTTP/2 profile for server-side traffic, select the profile from the list.

  13. For the HTTP MRF Router setting, select the check box. For example:

  14. From the Default Pool list, select a pool that is configured to serve HTTP/2 traffic.

  15. From the Default Persistence Profile setting, select the persistence profile that you previously created.

  16. Click Finished.

The HTTP/2 virtual server is now ready to listen for HTTP/2 traffic and send the traffic to the assigned server pool.