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  3. Configuring HTTP/2 Full-proxy Support on the BIG-IP System
Manual Chapter : Configuring HTTP/2 Full-proxy Support on the BIG-IP System

Applies To:

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BIG-IP LTM

  • 17.1.2, 17.1.1, 17.1.0, 17.0.0, 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
Manual Chapter

Configuring HTTP/2 Full-proxy Support on the BIG-IP System

Overview: HTTP/2 full-proxy configuration

When your application server infrastructure is composed of HTTP/2-enabled servers, you can take advantage of the HTTP/2 acceleration features that the BIG-IP system provides. Most importantly, the BIG-IP system includes full-proxy support for the HTTP/2 protocol. This means that the BIG-IP system can process HTTP/2 requests and responses on both the client and server sides of the BIG-IP system.
The HTTP/2 full-proxy architecture provides greater network efficiency by allowing the BIG-IP system to transport multiple simultaneous, bi-directional streams of messages between the client and server. This is accomplished through the use of the BIG-IP system’s message-routing proxy, instead of the traditional connection-oriented TCP proxy.
This figure shows an example of the Acceleration area of the New Virtual Server screen, where you configure some key settings for successful HTTP/2 full-proxy operation.

HTTP/2 full-proxy configuration summary

To configure HTTP/2 full-proxy support on the BIG-IP system, you can use the BIG-IP Configuration utility.
When you create the virtual server, make sure that you select the
HTTP MRF Router
 option. You will also assign two existing SSL profiles to the virtual server,
clientssl-secure
 and
serverssl-secure
.
This illustration shows the tasks required to deploy an HTTP/2 full-proxy configuration.

Configuration constraints

These BIG-IP features are not supported for an HTTP/2 full-proxy deployment:
  • OneConnect
  • The session persistence types Hash and SSL.
  • Connection mirroring in high-availability configurations.
  • The Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is not supported in HTTP/2 environment. Do not attach both HTTP/2 profile and VDI profile together in the virtual server.
The HTTP/2 protocol is not compatible with NTLM protocols.

Create a custom HTTP profile for HTTP/2 full-proxy configuration

Part of configuring an HTTP/2 full-proxy configuration on the BIG-IP system is to first create a standard HTTP profile. An HTTP profile defines the way that you want the BIG-IP system to manage HTTP traffic.
For the most expedient HTTP/2 full-proxy configuration, you can create a single HTTP profile that the BIG-IP system will apply to both client-side and server-side HTTP traffic. Alternatively, if you want the BIG-IP system to manage client-side and server-side traffic in different ways, you can create two separate HTTP profiles and configure the settings differently in each profile.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    Local Traffic
    Profiles
    Services
    HTTP
    .
    The HTTP profile list screen opens.
  2. Click
    Create
    .
    The New HTTP Profile screen opens.
  3. Type a unique
    Name
     for the profile.
  4. From the
    Parent Profile
     list, select
    http
    .
  5. Select the
    Custom
     check box.
  6. From the
    Request Chunking
     list:
    • Select
      Rechunk
       if you always want the BIG-IP system to send a request to the server as chunked.
    • Select
      Sustain
       if you want the BIG-IP system to decide whether to send a request to the server as chunked or unchunked.
  7. From the
    Response Chunking
     list:
    • Select
      Unchunk
       if you always want the BIG-IP system to send a response to the client as unchunked. Note that if the content length is undefined because an HTTP payload handler modified the content, the system closes the connection.
    • Select
      Rechunk
       if you always want the BIG-IP system to send a response to the client as chunked.
    • Select
      Sustain
       if you want the BIG-IP system to decide whether to send a response to the client as chunked or unchunked.
  8. Modify the other settings as required for your configuration.
  9. If you want the BIG-IP system to manage server-side traffic differently from client-side traffic, click
    Repeat
     and create another HTTP profile.
  10. Click
    Finished
    .
Any custom HTTP profile that you have created now appears on the HTTP profile list screen and is ready for you to assign to a virtual server.

Create a custom HTTP/2 profile

Part of creating an HTTP/2 full-proxy configuration is to create an HTTP/2 profile that you can use for both client-side and server-side application traffic. When you assign the profile to a virtual server, the BIG-IP system applies the settings in the profile to the traffic.
For the most expedient HTTP/2 full-proxy configuration, you can create a single HTTP/2 profile that the BIG-IP system will apply to both client-side and server-side HTTP/2 traffic. Alternatively, if you want the BIG-IP system to manage client-side and server-side traffic in different ways, you can create two separate HTTP/2 profiles and configure the settings differently in each profile.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    Local Traffic
    Profiles
    Services
    HTTP/2
    .
  2. Click
    Create
    .
  3. Type a
    Name
     for the profile, such as
    my_http2_profile
    .
  4. For the
    Parent Profile
     setting, retain the default value
    http2
    , or select a different profile.
    This setting specifies the profile that you want to use as the parent profile. Your new profile inherits all settings and values from the parent profile that you select.
  5. From the
    Settings
     list, you can select
    Advanced
     to view the advanced settings.
    This setting is optional, depending on the settings you want to configure.
  6. On the far-right side of the screen, select the
    Custom
     check box.
  7. In the
    Concurrent Streams Per Connection
     field, retain or change the numeric value.
    This setting specifies how many concurrent requests are allowed to be outstanding on a single HTTP/2 connection.
  8. In the
    Connection Idle Timeout
     field, retain or change the numeric value.
    This setting specifies the number of seconds that a connection is idle before the connection is eligible for deletion.
  9. From the
    Insert Header
     list, retain the default value of
    Disabled
    , or select
    Enabled
    .
    This setting specifies whether the BIG-IP system should add an HTTP header to the HTTP request to show that the request was received over HTTP/2.
  10. In the
    Insert Header Name
     field, retain the default value or, if the
    Insert Header
     setting is enabled, change the header name.
    This setting specifies the name of the header that the BIG-IP system will add to the HTTP request when the
    Insert Header
     is enabled.
  11. From the
    Enforce TLS Requirements
     list, ensure that
    Enabled
    . is selected.
    Enforcing TLS requirements is required for successful HTTP/2 full-proxy deployment.
  12. Forthe
    Activation Modes
     setting, retain the default value of
    ALPN
     (Application Layer Protocol Negotiation) or select
    Always
    .
    This setting specifies the condition that will cause the BIG-IP system to handle an incoming connection as an HTTP/2 connection.
  13. In the
    Frame Size
     field, retain the default value of
    2048
    , or change the value.
    This setting specifies the size, in bytes, of the data frames that HTTP/2 will produce.
  14. In the
    Receive Window
     field, retain the default numeric value of
    32
    , or change the numeric value.
    This setting specifies, in kilobytes, the size of the receive window for HTTP/2 flow-control.
  15. In the
    Write Size
     field, retain the default numeric value of
    16384
    , or change the numeric value.
    This setting specifies the size, in bytes, of the SSL records that HTTP/2 will produce.
  16. In the
    Header Table Size
     field, retain the default numeric value of
    4096
    , or change the numeric value.
    This setting specifies the table size that the BIG-IP system will use for the compression of headers (unused).
  17. If you want the BIG-IP system to manage server-side traffic differently from client-side traffic, click
    Repeat
     and create another HTTP/2 profile.
  18. Click
    Finished
    .
Any custom HTTP/2 profile that you have created now appears on the HTTP/2 profile list screen and is ready for you to assign to a virtual server.

Create a basic server pool to process HTTP/2 traffic

You can create a pool of application servers enabled for processing HTTP/2 traffic. After creating the server pool, you must assign the pool to a virtual server.
Each pool member should be an HTTP/2-capable web server.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    Local Traffic
    Pools
    .
    The Pools list screen opens.
  2. Click
    Create
    .
    The New Pool screen opens.
  3. In the
    Name
     field, type a name for the pool.
    Names must begin with a letter, and can contain only letters, numbers, and the underscore (_) character.
    The pool name is limited to 63 characters.
  4. Type a
    Description
     field, type a description of the pool.
  5. For the
    Health Monitors
     setting, from the
    Available
     box, select a health monitor and move it to the
    Active
     box.
    There are no HTTP/2-specific health monitors available on the BIG-IP system.
  6. In the Resources area of the screen, from the
    Load Balancing Method
     list, retain the default, or select a load balancing method.
  7. From the
    Priority Group Activation
     list, retain the default value (
    Disabled
    ) or select
    Less than
     and type a numeric value.
  8. Using the
    New Members
     setting, add each resource that you want to include in the pool:
    1. In the
      Node Name
       field, type a name for the node portion of the pool member.
    2. In the
      Address
       field, type an IP address.
    3. In the
      Service Port
       field, type a port number, or select a service name from the list.
    4. If you enabled priority group activation, then in the
      Priority
       field, type a priority number.
    5. Click
      Add
      .
  9. Click
    Finished
    .

Create a virtual server to manage HTTP/2 traffic

You must 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.
Do not use the HTTP/2 protocol with NTLM protocols, as they are incompatible.
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.
    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)
    .
    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.
    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.
    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. 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.

View statistics for an HTTP/2 full-proxy deployment

You can view statistics for either client-side or server-side HTTP/2 traffic.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    Statistics
    Module Statistics
    Local Traffic
  2. From the
    Statstics Type
     list, select
    Virtual Servers
    .
    By default, this displays the list of virtual servers on the BIG-IP system.
  3. In the Virtual Server column, click the relevant virtual server name.
  4. Along the top of the screen, click the
    Statistics
     menu.
  5. In the Profiles area of the screen, from the
    Select Profile
     list, select an HTTP/2 profile.
After you perform this task, the BIG-IP system displays statistics pertaining to the traffic associated with the HTTP/2 profile you selected.
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