Manual Chapter : Using F5 SSL Orchestrator analytics

Applies To:

Show Versions Show Versions

F5 SSL Orchestrator

  • 16.0.1, 16.0.0
Manual Chapter

Using F5 SSL Orchestrator analytics

Overview: About F5 SSL Orchestrator analytics

F5 SSL Orchestrator analytics provide a customizable view into your F5 SSL Orchestrator statistics, and enable you to flexibly choose the information you want to view based on specified ranges of time that you can select and easily adjust. By leveraging the multiple options available, you can analyze dimensions individually, compare groups of dimensions and their statistics, and sort the charts and tables as you diagnose the performance and health of your system’s SSL orchestration.
When you initially launch the analytics dashboard by clicking
SSL Orchestrator
Analytics
General Statistics
, data that has been collected over the last hour is displayed in five line charts:
  • Hit Count
  • Client Bytes In
  • Server Bytes In
  • Client Bytes Out
  • Server Bytes Out
This initial display of data is unfiltered and includes statistics generated for the following dimensions in tables:
  • Client Cipher Names
  • Client Cipher Versions
  • Server Cipher Names
  • Server Cipher Versions
  • Virtual Servers
  • Site IP Addresses
  • Traffic Types
  • Decryption Status
  • Policy Actions
  • Service Paths
  • URL Categories
  • Applications
  • Application Families
  • IP Reputation
  • Destination Countries
You can also use the F5 SSL Orchestrator analytics
Scheduled Reports
to set up an automatic reporting schedule and later view any stored scheduled statistical records.

About analytics dashboard capabilities

The F5 SSL Orchestrator analytics dashboard has customizable options so that you can view statistics for your orchestration’s top virtual servers, top sites bypassed, top sites decrypted, the most used client ciphers and protocols, and determine where the top server ciphers and protocols are used.
By customizing the timeline, charts, and tables, you can also:
  • Adjust the timeline for the statistics displayed in the charts and tables to customize statics captured across a wide range of time, spanning between just a minute up to an entire year.
  • Create comparison charts for two or more members of a dimension.
  • Filter data across one or more dimensions.
  • Sort table-based statistics for any dimension.

Timeline capabilities

The customizable timeline capabilities give you the ability to produce a statistical analysis based on a specified range of time. When you first open the analytics dashboard, the default refresh time is set at 5 minutes. You can change the refresh rate to several different settings by selecting from the
5 min.
list at the top of the screen.
  • 1 min.
    ,
    5 min.
    , or
    10 min.
    options reset the refresh time in minutes.
  • Off
    freezes the data refresh collection.
You can also update the statistics on demand by selecting
Refresh
above the timeline.

Customizing timeline capabilities

You can customize the range of time in which you would like to view data, in both the charts and tables. When you first launch the analytics dashboard, the default range of time is set at the
Last hour
. You can change the range of time that appears on the timeline to several different settings.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    SSL Orchestrator
    Analytics
    General Statistics
    to view the default charts, on the left, and dimensions, such as Client Cipher Names, Virtual Servers, and Actions, on the right. The default time for collecting data is set to show statistics gathered over the last hour.
    The General Statistics screen opens.
  2. Above the timeline, from the
    Last hour
    list, select the range of time you would like to view statistics across.
    • Last hour
    • Last 4 hours
    • Last day
    • Last week
    • Last month
    • Last year
    • Year to date
    • All
    The range of time you specified appears above the timeline bar.
  3. Use the timeline sliders at each end of the timeline, to manually scroll back and forth, further narrowing in on ranges of time that are critical to the ongoing performance and health of your system's SSL orchestration.
    Once the sliders have been manipulated, you can also click and drag the bar above the timeline based on the newly specified timeline.

Chart capabilities

You can reorder the customizable line charts by dragging them up or down to a different place in the chart stack. You can also minimize them so to hide their information.

Customizing chart capabilities

Within each line chart, you can identify a specific day and time within the time range selected. You can also select a block of time to be further analyzed. By leveraging the multiple options available, you can analyze dimensions individually, compare groups of dimensions and their statistics, and sort the charts as you diagnose the performance and health of your system’s SSL orchestration.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    SSL Orchestrator
    Analytics
    General Statistics
    to view the default charts, on the left, and dimensions, such as Client Cipher Names, Virtual Servers, and Actions, on the right. The default time for collecting data is set to show statistics gathered over the last hour.
    The General Statistics screen opens.
  2. On the title bar of the line chart, place your cursor anywhere, click and hold to drag the chart up or down the chart stack.
  3. On the right side of the title bar, select the minus sign (
    -
    ) to minimize the chart.
  4. Select the plus sign (
    +
    ) to again maximize the chart.

Table capabilities

The customizable dimension tables can be reordered and expanded and minimized just like the line charts. By using the menu at the top of the table on the dashboard, you can expand the tables toward the center of the dashboard so that you can view all the table columns collecting statistics.

Customizing table capabilities

You can select each column within a table individually, and sort it to view the data in ascending or descending order.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    SSL Orchestrator
    Analytics
    General Statistics
    to view the default charts, on the left, and dimensions, such as Client Cipher Names, Virtual Servers, and Actions, on the right. The default time for collecting data is set to show statistics gathered over the last hour.
    The General Statistics screen opens.
  2. On the title bar of the table, place your cursor at the beginning of the table's title and click the three lines.
  3. Select
    Sort By
    .
  4. Choose one of the table columns to highlight:
    • Hit Count
    • Client Bytes Out Per Second
    • Duration
    • Server Bytes In
    • Server Bytes In Per Second
    • Hit Count Per Second
    • Server Bytes Out Per Second
    • Client Bytes In
    • Client Bytes In Per Second
    • Client Bytes Out
    • Server Bytes Out
    You can also individually select each row within a table to update the statistics within each available chart. You can also launch a comparison chart based on the table and the column of data that you selected to sort by.
  5. To highlight a table member, select that row within the table.
  6. Right-click the highlighted row and select
    Sort By
    or
    Columns
    .
  7. Choose one of the table columns you would like to create a chart from, and right-click the highlighted row.
  8. Select
    Add Comparison Chart
    .
    A comparison chart opens displaying the dimension, row member, and statistical column that you chose.
    You can add more comparison charts as needed, reorder new charts added to the chart stack, and minimize them as necessary.
  9. To remove the comparison chart, click the
    X
    in the far-right corner of the chart's title bar.
  10. To reset the table without any member of the table highlighted, right-click the highlighted row within the table and select
    Clear Selection
    .

Charting bytes in, bytes out, and hit count over time

You can use F5® SSL Orchestrator statistics to view and analyze bytes in and bytes out for your clients and servers, as well as view the hit count over a determined range of time.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    SSL Orchestrator
    Analytics
    Statistics
    to view the default charts, on the left, and dimensions, such as Client Cipher Names, Virtual Servers, and Actions, on the right. The default time for collecting data is set to show statistics gathered over the last hour.
    The Statistics screen opens.
  2. To decrease the time range that is being analyzed, adjust the sliders on the timeline at the top of the screen.
    The data found in the charts and tables will adjust based on the new time range specified.
  3. To increase the time range that is being analyzed, click
    Last Hour
    list and select a time range from the list.
  4. To focus on specific members of a dimension, click the name of a dimension, on the right, to expand its details and select the members that interest you.
    For example, you might click
    Servers
    and select one or more servers from the table that displays.

Comparing statistics on the top virtual servers

You can use F5® SSL Orchestrator statistics to compare hit count, duration, and hit count per second information across your virtual servers in customized charts that graphically display the results.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    SSL Orchestrator
    Analytics
    General Statistics
    to view the default charts, on the left, and dimensions, such as Client Cipher Names, Virtual Servers, and Actions, on the right. The default time for collecting data is set to show statistics gathered over the last hour.
    The General Statistics screen opens.
  2. On the right, expand the
    Virtual Servers
    dimension.
    By default, the virtual servers are sorted with the busiest at the top.
  3. Select two or more virtual servers, then right-click and select
    Add Comparison Chart
    .
    A new chart displays above the default charts. By default,
    Hit Count
    is charted for the selected virtual servers.
  4. To compare another statistic, in the chart legend click
    Hit Count
    and select a statistic.
    For example, select
    Duration
    or
    Hit Count Per Second
    .
    A line graph displays for the statistic you selected. The comparison chart remains available on your screen as long as you keep your browser open.
  5. To remove the comparison chart from the screen, click the
    X
    in the upper right corner of the chart.

Viewing the top sites bypassed

You can use F5® SSL Orchestrator statistics to view and analyze which servers bypass the most SSL requests and perform no decryption.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    SSL Orchestrator
    Analytics
    General Statistics
    to view the default charts, on the left, and dimensions, such as Client Cipher Names, Virtual Servers, and Actions, on the right. The default time for collecting data is set to show statistics gathered over the last hour.
    The General Statistics screen opens.
  2. On the right, expand the
    Policy Actions
    and
    Destination Countries
    dimensions.
    Data for the dimensions display in tables. By default, those with the greatest hit count display at the top.
  3. Rearrange the screen to display more columns of data in the tables:
    • To switch to a table-only view, click the icon.
    • To change the widths of the tables and the charts across the display, drag and drop the icon.
  4. In
    Policy Actions
    , select
    Bypassed
    .
  5. In
    Destination Countries
    , the servers on which SSL bypass has occurred the most frequently are at the top of the list.

Viewing the top sites decrypted

You can use F5® SSL Orchestrator statistics to view and analyze which servers decrypted the most SSL requests.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    SSL Orchestrator
    Analytics
    General Statistics
    to view the default charts, on the left, and dimensions, such as Client Cipher Names, Virtual Servers, and Actions, on the right. The default time for collecting data is set to show statistics gathered over the last hour.
    The General Statistics screen opens.
  2. On the right, expand the
    Policy Actions
    and
    Destination Countries
    dimensions.
    Data for the dimensions display in tables. By default, those with the greatest hit count display at the top.
  3. Rearrange the screen to display more columns of date in the tables:
    • To switch to a table-only view, click the icon.
    • To change the widths of the tables and the charts across the display, drag and drop the icon as necessary.
  4. In
    Policy Actions
    , select
    Intercepted
    .
  5. In
    Destination Countries
    , the servers on which decryption has occurred the most frequently are at the top of the table.

Viewing the most used client ciphers and protocols

You can use F5® SSL Orchestrator statistics to view and analyze which client ciphers and protocols are used the most. The customizable charts, which graphically display the results, enable you to flexibly choose the information you want to view based on specified ranges of time that you select and can easily adjust.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    SSL Orchestrator
    Analytics
    General Statistics
    to view the default charts, on the left, and dimensions, such as Client Cipher Names, Virtual Servers, and Actions, on the right. The default time for collecting data is set to show statistics gathered over the last hour.
    The General Statistics screen opens.
  2. On the right, expand
    Client Cipher Names
    and
    Client Cipher Versions
    .
    Data for the dimensions display in tables. By default, those with the greatest hit count display at the top.
  3. To view data for the top cipher, from
    Client Cipher Names
    , select the top record.
    Charts update to display data for the selected cipher only.
    Client Cipher Versions
    displays only the protocols used by the selected cipher.
  4. To view data for the top ten ciphers, from
    Client Cipher Names
    select the top ten records.

Finding where the top server ciphers and protocols are used

You can use F5® SSL Orchestrator statistics to view and analyze which server ciphers and protocols are used the most and locate where they are used. The customizable charts, which graphically display the results, enable you to flexibly choose the information you want to view based on specified ranges of time that you select and can easily adjust.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    SSL Orchestrator
    Analytics
    General Statistics
    to view the default charts, on the left, and dimensions, such as Client Cipher Names, Virtual Servers, and Actions, on the right. The default time for collecting data is set to show statistics gathered over the last hour.
    The General Statistics screen opens.
  2. On the right, expand the
    Server Cipher Names
    and
    Server Cipher Versions
    dimensions.
    Data for the dimensions display in tables. By default, those with the greatest hit count display at the top.
  3. To view data for the top cipher, from
    Server Cipher Names
    , select the top record.
    Charts update to display data for the selected cipher only.
    Server Cipher Versions
    displays only the protocols used by the selected cipher.
  4. To view data for the top ten ciphers, from
    Server Cipher Names
    select the top ten records.
  5. To view the servers and virtual servers involved in the transactions, on the right expand
    Destination Countries
    and
    Virtual Servers
    .
    The tables display only the servers and virtual servers where the cipher and protocol were used.

Scheduling reports to be sent

Before you can schedule reports to be sent, you need to configure SMTP on the system, and have the email addresses of the people to whom you want to send the reports.
You can schedule specific Analytics reports to be sent to one of more email addresses periodically. The reports that are available depend on the modules installed on your system, and how the system is configured. In the schedule, you specify the information to include in the report. For example, if you are a network administrator, you could schedule reports about DNS packets. Resource administrators can send reports so they can track CPU, disk, and memory utilization, and other system statistics. Many other reports are available that you can schedule to be sent regularly.
Select the information to include in the report.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    SSL Orchestrator
    Analytics
    Scheduled Reports
    .
    The Scheduled Reports screen opens.
    If SMTP is not configured, you receive a message with a link. Click the link to set up SMTP before proceeding.
  2. On the far right, click
    Create
    .
    The New Scheduled Report screen opens.
  3. In the
    Name
    field, type a name for the report schedule.
  4. In the
    Send To (E-Mails)
    setting, type an email address where you want to send the report, and click
    Add
    .
    Add as many email addresses as you need to.
  5. From the
    SMTP Configuration
    list, select the configuration that you want to use.
    If no configurations are available, click
    Create
    to add one.
  6. From the
    Reporting Module
    list, select the type of report you want to send.
    The types of reports listed depend on which modules you have provisioned on your system.
  7. In the
    Chart
    setting, specify what you want to include in the report. Criteria and measures that you can specify vary for the different types of reports.
    1. In the
      Filter
      setting, from the lists, select the time period and number of results to show.
    2. In the
      Chart Path
      , select the top reporting criteria, then select the measures to include in the report.
      The criteria and measures differ depending on which
      Reporting Module
      you select.
    3. From the
      Available measures
      , select the ones to include in the report and move them to
      Selected measures
      .
    4. To drill down and include more specific report criteria, click
      +
      , then from the
      Use top result
      list, select another option.
    5. To include an average of all the statistics and the specific ones, select the
      Include Overall
      check box below the measures.
  8. For
    Mail Frequency
    , select how often, the date to start, and the time to send the reports.
  9. Click
    Finished
    .
The report schedule is added to the list. The specified report is sent by email to the addresses as scheduled. Or, select the schedule and click
Send Now
to test sending it right away. The report is attached to the email as a PDF. You can check the status in the list to see if the report was sent successfully.