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Manual Chapter : Installing DDoS Hybrid Defender for High Availability

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Manual Chapter

Installing DDoS Hybrid Defender for High Availability

Overview: Installing DDoS Hybrid Defender for High Availability

You can install DDoS Hybrid Defender onto a dedicated system (device 1) and set up a failover system that automatically takes over in case of system failure (device 2). The system processing traffic is called the
active system
. A second system is set up as a
standby system
, and data is synchronized between the active and standby systems. If the active system goes offline, the standby system becomes active, and begins processing traffic and protecting against DDoS attacks.
To set up two DDoS Hybrid Defender devices for high availability, you need to follow the steps outlined in this section exactly in the order shown.
You can assign the management IP addresses from the LCD panel of the devices, or with a hypervisor if you are using the Virtual Edition.
DDoS Hybrid Defender High-Availability deployment
You must have two DDoS Hybrid Defender systems to set up high availability. Before you begin, make sure you have this information for both devices:
  • Base registration key
  • Management IP address, network mask, and management route IP address
  • Passwords for the root and admin accounts
  • NTP server IP address (optional)
  • Remote DNS lookup server IP address (required for F5 Silverline® integration or if resolving host names)

Performing initial setup

Before you begin, be sure to have the base registration key.
You need to perform an initial setup on your system before you can start to use DDoS Hybrid Defender. Some of the steps vary, depending on the state your system is in when you begin, and whether you are using a physical device or a virtual edition.
If setting up two systems for high availability, you need to perform initial setup on
both
 systems.
  1. If this is a new system, specify the management IP address using the LCD panel or command line on the physical device, or using the appropriate hypervisor on the virtual edition.
  2. From a workstation browser on the network connected to the system, type:
    https://
    <management_IP_address>
    .
  3. At the login prompt, type the default user name
    admin
    , and password
    admin
    , and click
    Log in
    .
    The admin password will be expired, requiring you to create a new password at least six characters, and a minimum level of complexity. The system maintenance root account will also be set to the new password.
  4. Click
    Next
    .
    The License screen opens.
  5. In the
    Base Registration Key
     field, type or paste the registration key.
    You receive the registration key when you purchase DDoS Hybrid Defender. If you also have the add-on IP Intelligence service, specify the key in the
    Add-On Key
     field.
  6. For
    Activation Method
    , leave it set to
    Automatic
     unless the system does not have Internet access. In that case, click
    Manual
     and follow the instructions for manually licensing DDoS Hybrid Defender.
  7. Click
    Activate
    .
    The license is activated.
  8. Click
    Next
    ; the device certificate is displayed, and click
    Next
     again.
    The Platform screen opens.
  9. For the
    Management Config IPv4
     setting, click
    Manual
    .
    Verify the IP Address and Network Mask settings include the details entered using the LCD panel.
  10. If you want to define an IPv6 management IP address, configure the
    Management Config IPv6
     setting.
  11. In the
    Host Name
     field, type the name of this system.
    For example,
    ddosdefender1.example.com
    .
  12. In the User Administration area, we strongly recommend that you change the Root password from the defaults. Type and confirm the new password.
    When you re-enter the username and password, the system logs you out. Log back in to continue with the next screen in the setup process.
  13. Click
    Next
    .
    The NTP (Network Time Protocol) screen opens.
  14. Optional: To synchronize the system clock with an NTP server, in the
    Address
     field, type the IP address of the NTP server, and click
    Add
    .
  15. Click
    Next
    .
    The DNS (Domain Name Server) screen opens.
  16. To resolve host names on the DDoS Hybrid Defender system, set up the DNS and associated servers (required for IP Intelligence):
    1. For the
      DNS Lookup Server List
      , in the
      Address
       field, type the IP address of the DNS server, and click
      Add
      .
    2. If you use BIND servers, add them to the
      BIND Forwarder Server List
      .
    3. For doing local domain lookups to resolve local host names, add them to the
      DNS Search Domain List
      .
  17. Click
    Finished
    .
If the system is connected to the Internet, it is now licensed and ready for you to configure DDoS Hybrid Defender. If the system is not connected to the Internet, you have to manually activate the license.

Manually licensing DDoS Hybrid Defender

If the DDoS Hybrid Defender™ system is not connected to the Internet, use this procedure to manually activate the license. Otherwise, skip this task.
If setting up two systems for high availability, you have to activate the license on
both
 systems.
  1. From a workstation on the network connected to the system, type:
    https://
    <management_IP_address>
    .
  2. At the login prompt, type the user name and password for the system, and click
    Log in
    .
    The Setup utility screen opens.
  3. Click
    Next
    .
    The License screen opens.
  4. In the
    Base Registration Key
     field, type or paste the registration key.
    You receive the registration key when you purchase DDoS Hybrid Defender. If you also have the add-on IP Intelligence service, specify the key in the
    Add-On Key
     field.
  5. For the
    Activation Method
     setting, select
    Manual
     and click the
    Generate Dossier
     button.
    The dossier is displayed in the
    Device Dossier
     field.
  6. Select and copy the text displayed in the
    Device Dossier
     field, and click the
    Click here to access F5 Licensing Server
     link.
    Alternatively, you can navigate to the F5 license activation portal at
    https://activate.f5.com/license/
    .
  7. Click
    Activate License
    .
  8. Into the
    Enter your dossier
     field, paste the dossier.
    Alternatively, if you saved the file onto your system, click the
    Choose File
     button and navigate to the file.
    The license key text is displayed.
  9. Copy the license key, and paste it into the
    License Text
     field.
  10. Continue with the Setup Utility.

Connecting two DDoS Hybrid Defender devices

For you to set up two DDoS Hybrid Defender™ devices for high availability, they need to be connected to the network.
When installing two systems for high availability, the system you plan to set up as the active system, device 1, must be the system with the highest management IP address.
  1. Connect the two DDoS Hybrid Defender™ devices as required by your network configuration.
  2. Note the interfaces and VLAN used to connect the devices.
The two systems are connected to each other and both systems are active, but they are not yet configured for high availability or DoS protection.

Configuring high availability on device 1

Before you can set up a failover device, you must have connected the two devices (device 1 and device 2) that will run DDoS Hybrid Defender. You need to have performed initial setup on both devices, and both should be the same hardware platform.
Start configuring high availability on device 1, the one with the highest IP address. This is the device that will be selected as the Active (or primary) device when HA configuration is complete.
  1. Log in to device 1 using the administrator username and password.
    The system displays the Welcome screen with the DoS menu on the left.
  2. On the Main tab, click
    Network
    High Availability
    .
    On the High Availability screen, the HA Cluster Configuration is displayed, and shows partial configuration of the device on which you are working (device 1).
  3. Click the management IP address of device 1, and specify this information:
    1. Type the
      Username
       and
      Password
       of the system administrator account on device 1.
    2. Optional: In the
      MAC Masquerading
       field, type the floating Media Access Control (MAC) address to associate with the floating IP address if you plan to define one for the two systems when configuring the network. The MAC address must have been created using an industry-standard method for creating a locally administered MAC address.
      MAC masquerading takes advantage of a shared MAC address. Upon failover, the shared MAC address(es) float to the newly active BIG-IP system along with the shared IP addresses.
    3. If your network requires a
      VLAN Tag
      , type the number (
      1-4094
      ). Otherwise, leave it blank.
    4. Click
      Select Interface
       and select the interface to connect to the active system. If you specified a VLAN tag and want to accept only frames that contain VLAN tags, select
      Tagged
      ; otherwise, leave it unselected.
    5. Select the interface to connect to the standby system. If you specified a VLAN tag and want to accept only frames that contain VLAN tags, select
      Tagged
      ; otherwise, leave it unselected.
      You can associate multiple VLANs with tagged interfaces, but you can associate only one VLAN with untagged interfaces.
    6. In the
      IP Address/Mask
       field, type the IP address and netmask that specifies the HA interface.
  4. Click
    Remote Device Management IP
    , and specify this information for device 2, the standby system:
    1. In the
      Remote IP
       field, type the management IP address of the remote device (device 2) to use for high availability.
    2. Type the
      Username
       and
      Password
       of the system administrator account on device 2.
    3. If your network requires a
      VLAN Tag
      , type the number (
      1-4094
      ). Otherwise, leave it blank.
    4. Click
      Select Interface
       and select the interface to connect to the active system. If you specified a VLAN tag and want to accept only frames that contain VLAN tags, select
      Tagged
      ; otherwise, leave it unselected.
    5. In the
      IP Address/Mask
       field, type the IP address and netmask of the HA interface.
  5. Click
    Submit
    .
    Device 1 becomes the Active device and device 2 is the Standby device. In the upper left corner of the screen on device 1, it says
    ONLINE (ACTIVE)
    .
You have set up the two systems for high availability. The two systems connect and begin synchronizing the data. When you finish setting up the two systems and configuring DDoS, the standby or failover system will be able to automatically take over and handle DDoS protection if the active system goes offline.
Next, you need to configure the network on the DDoS Hybrid Defender systems.

Checking the status of DDoS Hybrid Defender on device 2

You can now check the status of DDoS Hybrid Defender on device 2, the system that is selected as the standby system when two systems are configured for high availability.
  1. Log in to device 2 using the administrator username and password.
    In the upper left corner, if the two systems are configured properly, it says
    ONLINE (STANDBY)
    .
You can proceed to configure the network on both systems. However, note that you should configure DoS protection on the Active device.

Connecting with F5 Silverline

Connecting with F5 Silverline® is optional, and is available for customers who have an active F5 Silverline DDoS Protection subscription.
To integrate the F5 Silverline Cloud Platform with DDoS Hybrid Defender™ as a way to mitigate DDoS attacks, you need to specify F5 Silverline authentication credentials.
If setting up the two systems for high availability, you must register with Silverline on both the active and standby systems.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    DoS Setup
    Silverline
    .
  2. In the
    Username
     field, type the user name for an active Silverline DDoS Protection account. For example,
    username@example.com
    .
  3. In the
    Password
     field, type the password for the Silverline DDoS Protection account.
  4. In the
    Service URL
     field, type the URL or fully qualified domain name used to connect to the Silverline DDoS Protection service.
  5. Click
    Update
     to save the credentials.
    DDoS Hybrid Defender sends a registration request to the F5 Silverline Cloud Platform.
  6. Log in to the F5 Silverline customer portal (
    https://portal.f5silverline.com
    ) and specify DDoS Hybrid Defender as an
    Approved Hybrid Signaling Device
    .
Depending on your network configuration, you may need to add a VLAN and route to enable DDoS Hybrid Defender to communicate with Silverline.
DDoS Hybrid Defender is now integrated with the Silverline Cloud Platform.
When configuring the device or objects to protect, you will need to select the
Silverline
 check box to send information about DDoS attacks to the Silverline Cloud Platform.

Configuring the network for high availability

You must configure the network to create the workflow on both the active and standby DDoS Hybrid Defender™ systems. The way you set up the system depends on your network organization.
If you are using the BIG-IP® Virtual Edition, to set up the network as described here, you must create a security policy on the vSwitch. Configure the security policy to accept the
Promiscuous Mode
 and
Forged Transmits
 policy exceptions. For details about these options, see the
VMware ESX or ESXi Configuration Guide
.
  1. Log in to DDoS Hybrid Defender device 1 using the administrator user name and password.
  2. On the Main tab, click
    Network
    Quick Configuration
    .
    The Configured Network Topologies screen shows the different types of configurations you can implement, and if any configurations exist, it shows the # of Configurations on the right.
  3. If the configuration requires trunks or route domains, on the right, click << to expand the Shared Objects panel where you can add trunks or route domains to use for any of the configurations.
    1. Click
      Trunks
       or
      Route Domains
      .
    2. Click the appropriate
      +
       to add the needed trunks or route domains.
    3. Click
      Commit
      .
    You can also create trunks or route domains the same way in each of the separate topology screens.
  4. On the main screen, click
    Create
     to use the network configuration tools.
  5. Click the appropriate network topology to get started.
    Most locations use only one type of configuration on the system. However, Netflow requires an additional configuration, such as Routed Mode, to direct the traffic to the BIG-IP system.
    Topology
    When to Use
    Routed Mode
    Use to deploy inline for routing traffic between subnets.
    Virtual Wire
    Use Virtual Wire (L2Wire) to set up the system as an inline L2 transparent mode device. Note: Not available on virtual edition platform.
    VLAN Group (L2 Bridge)
    Use the VLAN group configuration if your network relies on switch topology, and all traffic ingress to the BIG-IP system is from one VLAN, and traffic egress is through another VLAN. This is an inline deployment as an L2 transparent bridge between two L2 network segments.
    Netflow
    For out-of-band deployment with additional configuration such as Routed Mode: Specifies NetFlow configuration where the system is listening for NetFlow messages and traffic information (metadata).
    SPAN Port
    For out-of-band deployment only: Specifies the ports passively observing mirrored traffic (packets), and allows the system to detect but not mitigate attacks on other protected objects. Not typically used with high availability.
    Separate tasks describe configuring each of the configurations.
  6. Log in to DDoS Hybrid Defender device 2 using the administrator user name and password.
  7. Repeat the network configuration steps (2-5) on device 2, using a similar configuration.
    The names of the VLANs (if you added new VLANs), VLAN tags, floating IP address, and routes (if added) should be the same on both systems.
After you complete the network configuration on both devices, the active and standby DDoS Hybrid Defender systems are set up to work within your network for most typical configurations. The standby system automatically takes over in case of system failure. The network configurations are not synchronized between the two devices because they need to differ. However, other settings that you configure on the active device are synchronized automatically with the standby device.

Configuring the network using routed mode

If using routed technology, you can deploy DDoS Hybrid Defender™ in routed mode within the current configuration. You can choose the network whose traffic goes through the DDoS Hybrid Defender, and let the rest continue to follow the path prior to deploying the device. The way you set up the system depends on your network organization.
If setting up the two systems for high availability, you must configure the network on both the active and standby systems.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    Network
    Quick Configuration
    .
  2. Click
    Create
     to start configuring the network.
    A visual representation of the network configuration types is displayed.
  3. Click the
    Routed Mode
     configuration.
  4. In the
    VLAN
     area, type a name, select the VLAN tag, select the interface for the VLAN, whether it is tagged or untagged, then click
    Add
    .
  5. In the
    IP Address/Mask (Port Lockdown)
     area:
    1. Type the IP address and mask that specifies a range of IP addresses spanning the hosts in the VLAN. This is required.
    2. After the IP address, select the
      Port Lockdown
       setting: Select
      Allow None
       to accept no traffic;
      Allow Default
       to accept default protocols and services only; and
      Allow All
       to activate TCP and UDP services.
    3. Optional: To share an IP address between two high availability devices (such as if data passes through a router on the way to DDoS Hybrid Defender), in the
      Floating IP/Mask (Port Lockdown)
       field, type the floating IP address (it must be in the same subnet as the IP address), and select the Port Lockdown setting.
      The floating IP address must be the same on both devices, and you must configure it on both devices since it represents the active device.
      Using a floating IP address makes it so the router always goes to the same address regardless of which system is active.
    4. Click
      Add
      .
  6. If your system connects to other networks through additional routers, add the required routes so the traffic can reach its destination. In the
    Routes
     area, type the network IP address, netmask, and gateway IP address (this is the next hop router address), then click
    Add
    .
  7. Click
    Save Configuration
    .
  8. If you need additional routed mode configurations, click
    Add
     to create them.
  9. When done, click
    Finished
    .
The system is configured for routing traffic between subnets.
At this point, you can start configuring DDoS Hybrid Defender. You can set up remote logging and Silverline, if you are using those features. Then you can begin setting up DDoS protection.

Deploying inline using virtual wire

Use the virtual wire configuration to set up the system as an inline L2 transparent mode device (the ingress and egress VLANs are the same). This deployment is not available on virtual edition platforms.
If setting up the two systems for high availability, you must configure the network on both the active and standby systems.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    Quick Configuration
    Topology
    .
  2. Click
    Create
     to start configuring the network.
    A visual representation of the network configuration types is displayed.
  3. Click the
    Virtual Wire
     configuration.
  4. For
    Name
    , type a name for the Virtual Wire configuration.
  5. For
    Member 1
     and
    Member 2
    , select unique interfaces (or trunks) for the ingress and egress ports on the system.
  6. In the VLAN Traffic Management Configuration area, for
    Define VLANs
    , select
    Add
     to create a VLAN group.
  7. For
    Name
    , type a name for the VLAN group.
  8. If using tagged VLANs, type a tag number for the VLANs (an integer from
    1
     to
    4095
    ), select the
    Tagged
     check box.
  9. Click
    Add
     to add the VLAN group.
  10. In the Actions area, for
    Propagate Virtual Wire Link Status
    , select
    Enabled
     if you want to propagate link status.
  11. Click
    Finished
    .
The system creates a Virtual Wire configuration.
At this point, you can start configuring DDoS Hybrid Defender. You can set up remote logging and Silverline, if you are using those features. Then you can begin setting up DDoS protection.

Deploying inline using VLAN groups

You can put DDoS Hybrid Defender in transparent mode on a link between two Layer 3 devices, so that the IP addresses on each end of the link don’t have to change. The VLAN Group configuration creates VLANs and VLAN groups to set up the system as an inline L2 transparent bridge between two network segments. This is useful if your network relies on switch topology, and all traffic ingress to the BIG-IP system is from one VLAN, and traffic egress is through another VLAN.
If setting up the two systems for high availability, you must configure the network on both the active and standby systems.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    Quick Configuration
    Topology
    .
  2. Click
    Create
     to start configuring the network.
    A visual representation of the network configuration types is displayed.
  3. Click the
    VLAN Group
     configuration.
  4. For
    VLAN Group Name
    , type a name for the VLAN Group.
  5. Specify the members of the VLAN group. For
    Member 1
     and
    Member 2
    , type the VLAN tag number, specify the interface to use for traffic management, select whether it is tagged or untagged, and click
    Add
    .
  6. In the
    IP Address/Mask (Port Lockdown)
     area:
    1. Type the IP address and mask that specifies a range of IP addresses spanning the hosts in the VLAN. This is required.
    2. After the IP address, select the Port Lockdown setting: Select
      Allow None
       to accept no traffic;
      Allow Default
       to accept default protocols and services only; and
      Allow All
       to activate TCP and UDP services.
    3. Optional: To share an IP address between two high availability devices (such as if data passes through a router on the way to DDoS Hybrid Defender), in the
      Floating IP/Mask (Port Lockdown)
       field, type the floating IP address (it must be in the same subnet as the IP address), and select the Port Lockdown setting.
      The floating IP address must be the same on both devices, and you must configure it on both devices since it represents the active device.
      Using a floating IP address makes it so the router always goes to the same address regardless of which system is active.
    4. Click
      Add
      .
  7. If your system connects to other networks through additional routers, add the required routes so the traffic can reach its destination. In the
    Routes
     area, type the network IP address, netmask, and gateway IP address (this is the next hop router address), then click
    Add
    .
  8. Click
    Finished
    .
The system is deployed inline as an L2 transparent bridge between two L2 network segments.
At this point, you can start configuring DDoS Hybrid Defender. You can set up remote logging and Silverline, if you are using those features. Then you can begin setting up DDoS protection.

Examining traffic metadata using Netflow messages

Before you can use Netflow with the system, you need to perform other network configuration so that traffic is directed to the system. You can use one of the other configurations to do this. For example, you could use Routed Mode to route network traffic to the DDoS Hybrid Defender.
You can configure DDoS Hybrid Defender to receive Netflow messages so that it can examine traffic metadata for evidence of and prevent DoS attacks.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    Quick Configuration
    Topology
    .
  2. Click
    Create
     to start configuring the network.
    A visual representation of the network configuration types is displayed.
  3. Click the
    Netflow
     configuration.
  4. For
    Name
    , type a name for the Netflow configuration.
  5. For
    Destination
    , type the IP address and netmask that specifies the IP addresses where the system listens for NetFlow messages from other devices on the network.
  6. For
    Port
    , specify the port from which the system is listening for NetFlow messages.
  7. For
    Netflow Version
    , specify which version of Netflow messages to listen for.
  8. Click
    Finished
    .
DDoS Hybrid Defender is configured to listen for Netflow messages at the system level.
Next, you can create Netflow Protected Servers to more distinctly represent the servers that DDoS Hybrid Defender is protecting from DoS attacks using data from the Netflow messages. If you want to redirect traffic using scrubbing, you can create a scrubbing profile to mitigate attacks.

Setting up remote logging

You can specify remote logging destinations on DDoS Hybrid Defender™. Set up remote logging if you want to consolidate statistics gathered from multiple appliances onto a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) device, such as Arcsight or Splunk. If setting up high availability, configure remote logging on the active device.
When configuring remote high-speed logging of system events, it is helpful to understand the objects you need to create and why, as described here:
What to create
Why
Pool
Create a pool of remote log servers to which the BIG-IP system can send log messages.
Destination
Create a log destination of Remote High-Speed Log type that specifies a pool of remote log servers. If your remote log servers are the ArcSight, Splunk, IPFIX, or Remote Syslog type, create an additional log destination to format the logs in the required format and forward the logs to a remote high-speed log destination.
Publisher
Create a log publisher to send logs to a set of specified log destinations.
Logging profile
Create a logging profile to enable logging of user-specified data at a user-specified level, and associate a log publisher with the profile.
Protected object
Associate a logging profile with a protected object to define how the system logs security events on the traffic that the protected object processes.
Following are the general steps to set up remote logging:
  1. Create a pool of remote servers to which the system can send log messages: on the Main tab, click
    Visibility
    Event Logs
    Pools
    , create, then add the log servers and ports.
  2. Create a remote high-speed log destination: on the Main tab, click
    System
    Logs
    Configuration
    Log Destinations
    , create, specify the type, and any other settings for the remote log destination.
  3. Create a publisher for the system to send log messages: on the Main tab, click
    System
    Logs
    Configuration
    Log Publishers
    , create, and select the log destinations for the publisher.
  4. Create a logging profile: on the Main tab, click
    Visibility
    Event Logs
    Logging Profiles
    , create, select the types of logs, and complete the associated settings.
    • Network Firewall
       provides logs for IP intelligence and traffic statistics.
    • DoS Protection
       provides logs for DNS, SIP, and Network DoS events.
    • Bot Defense
       provides logs for HTTP DoS protection for application security.
  5. Associate the logging profile with the appropriate protected object: on the Main tab, click
    DoS Configuration
    Protected Objects
    , click the name of the protected object. In the properties pane on the right, select the logging profile to use.
Depending on your network configuration, you may need to add a VLAN and route to enable DDoS Hybrid Defender to communicate with the remote logging server.
Refer to
External Monitoring of BIG-IP Systems: Implementations
 for additional information about configuring logging.
Event logs from DDoS Hybrid Defender are sent to the remote logging server in the format you specified.
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