Configuring Access Policy Manager for MDM applications
Overview: Configuring APM for device posture checks with endpoint
management systems
MDM solutions are responsible for managing user devices, where a user
enrolls a device (or devices) and sets certain compliance policy which dictates whether a device
is compliant or non-compliant. The endpoint management system determines whether the APM
recognizes the device before allowing access from the access policy. An endpoint management
system also controls the corporate data on mobile devices. Edge Client establishes a VPN
connection with APM, and an endpoint management system (Airwatch, MaaS360, or Intune) manages and
sends device details to APM.
To reduce the number of queries to the MDM server, the Database Synchronization Manager lists
all the compliant devices in the case of Airwatch and MaaS360 & non-compliant devices in the
case of Microsoft Intune and stores the information in the local cache. The synchronization
interval is configurable to fit your situation and is refreshed after every 4 hours by default to
get a new list of devices. When a device tries to connect through the F5 Access client, the local
cache is queried for the device ID. When the device ID is not found, the device is verified by
the MDM server. When the device is found compliant, the device ID is added to the local cache
after the user logs in.
Supported Devices
Only iOS devices and Android devices with VPN access to APM from specific
mobile device apps that are being managed by MDM (F5 Access Client Apps) are supported. For
example, if you connect to APM WebTop from a browser in a device, then APM will not get a device
ID and cannot check for device compliance.
F5 Access for macOS and Windows are currently not
supported.
For devices with iOS 12 and later, F5 Access client could not retrieve
device ID from iOS due to Apple imposed constraints, and compliance check failed. Microsoft's
Network Access Control (NAC) integration with Intune provides a new temporary NAC ID to identify
the device. This ID is pushed to the F5 Access client through the F5 Access profile in Intune.
For iOS devices, the device is always verified by the MDM server as the NAC ID is not stored in
the local cache.
To use NAC on iOS devices, the
Enable network access control (NAC)
option must
be selected when configuring the VPN profile for F5 Access in Microsoft Intune.
Creating an endpoint management system connector with Airwatch
You must create a Server SSL profile on a BIG-IP system and
have access to an Airwatch system.
An endpoint management system on BIG-IP Access
Policy Manager (APM) is an object that stores information about the device management
server, such as IP addresses and API credentials. You can configure more than one
endpoint management system on the same BIG-IP system. APM polls devices connected to the
configured endpoint management systems.
Log in to the Airwatch console using the administrator user name and
password.
On the left panel, click
Accounts
.
The View Role screen displays.
For the
Categories
setting, click
API
REST
.
Enable API access for the administrator.
On the left panel on the main screen, click
Groups &
Settings
.
The Settings popup screen opens.
Under the System tab, click
API
REST API
The System/Advanced/API/REST popup screen opens.
On the System/Advanced/API/REST screen, select the
General
tab.
Select the
Override
setting.
Select
Enable API Access
.
Copy the API key displayed next to
API key
.
Click
Save
.
On the BIG-IP system, on the Main tab, click
Access Policy
Authentication
Endpoint Management Systems
.
The Endpoint Management Systems screen opens.
Click
Create
.
In the
Name
field, type a name for the endpoint
management system.
In the
Type
list, select
Airwatch
for the endpoint management system.
In the
FQDN
field, type a fully qualified domain
name.
In the
Port
field, type
443
.
From the
Server SSL Profile
list, select a previously
created Server SSL profile in BIG-IP Local Traffic
Manager.
In
Update Interval (minutes)
field, type a
number in minutes that represents how often APM updates the device
database.
In the
Username
field, type the Airwatch administrator
user name.
In the
Password
field, type the Airwatch administrator
password.
In the
API Token
field, type or paste the API key
copied from the Airwatch screen.
Click
Finished
.
You have created an endpoint management system. APM tests the connection to the
device management server, and prints a test status in the
Status
field. If the status displays
OK
, APM starts the device database
synchronization for the created endpoint management system.
The Airwatch interface might change.
Creating an endpoint management system connector with MaaS360
You must create a Server SSL profile on a BIG-IP system and
have access to an MaaS360 system.
An endpoint management system on BIG-IP Access
Policy Manager (APM) is an object that stores information about the device management
server, such as IP addresses and API credentials. You can configure more than one
endpoint management system on the same BIG-IP system. APM polls devices connected to the
configured endpoint management systems.
Contact MaaS360 to obtain information needed to access the API.
The information required includes the following data:
Application ID
Platform version
Version number
Access key
Service URL
Log in to the MaaS360 console using the administrator user name and
password.
At the bottom of the screen, copy the Account ID.
On the BIG-IP system, on the Main tab, click
Access
Authentication
Endpoint Management Systems
.
The Endpoint Management Systems screen opens.
Click
Create
.
The New endpoint management system screen opens.
In the
Name
field, type a name for the endpoint
management system.
In the
Type
list, select
MaaS360
for the endpoint management system.
The Network location and API Credentials sections display.
In the
FQDN
field, type the service URL provided by
MaaS360.
In the
Port
field, type
443
.
From the
Server SSL Profile
list, select a previously
created Server SSL profile in BIG-IP Local Traffic
Manager.
In
Update Interval (minutes)
field, type a number in
minutes that represent how often APM updates the device database.
In the
Username
field, type the MaaS360 administrator
user name.
In the
Password
field, type the MaaS360 administrator
password.
In the
Billing Id
field, type or paste the billing ID
copied from the MaaS360 screen.
In the
Application Id
field, type the application ID
provided by MaaS360.
In the
Access Key
field, type the access key provided by
MaaS360.
In the
Platform
field, type the platform version of the
MaaS360 console.
In the
App Version
field, type the current version
number of the application that is linked to the account.
Click
Finished
.
You have created an endpoint management system. APM tests the connection to the
device management server, and prints a test status in the
Status
field. If the status displays
OK
, APM starts the device database
synchronization for the created endpoint management system.
The MaaS360 interface might change.
Creating an Azure web application with Microsoft Intune for
APM
Before you can configure a web application, contact Microsoft to purchase a Microsoft Intune subscription.
BIG-IP APM integrates Microsoft
Intune by configuring a Microsoft Azure Client web application on the Microsoft Azure
portal. This topic describes how to create a web application to obtain a client ID and a
client secret.
On Microsoft Azure, on the main tab, click
Azure Active
Directory
.
The Azure Active Directory
screen opens.
Click
App registration
.
The App registrations screen
opens.
Click
New registration
.
The Register an application
screen opens.
In the
Name
field, type a name for
the new web application.
From the
Application
type dropdown
menu, select
Web app /
API
.
In the
Sign-on URL
field, type a
URL.
This can be any URL, such as
https://localhost
.
Click
Register
.
A newly-created application's
page displays the registration details.
Copy the Application ID to your records.
You use this ID as a client id when
configuring an EMS object on the BIG-IP system.
In the
Manage
section,
click
Certificates &
secrets
.
The
Certificates & secrets
screen opens.
Under Client secrets, click
New Client Secret
to create a
secret key.
In the
Description
field,
enter any description for this secret key.
In the
Expires
section, select
Never
.
Click
Add
.
You should copy the key to the
administrator records. You use this key as a client secret when configuring an
EMS object on the BIG-IP system.
A new key displays in the
Certificates &
secrets
screen.
Click
Overview
to navigate
to the app screen with registration details. In the
Manage
section, click
API permissions
.
The API permissions screen
opens.
Click
Add a permission
.
The Request API permissions screen opens.
Select
Intune
from the list
of Microsoft APIs, and then select
Application
Permissions
.
From the
Permissions
list, select
Get device state and
compliance information from Microsoft Intune
button. When asked to confirm grant consent for all accounts in the Azure
domain, click
Yes
.
You now have a tenant ID, client ID, and client
secret.
Note:
In June 2020, Microsoft announced the deprecation
of the Azure Active Directory (AD) Graph API. The Microsoft Graph will replace the
Azure AD Graph, offering improved security and resilience, starting June 30, 2022.
When adding new API permission, the Azure Active Directory Graph option is greyed
out and is not available as Microsoft recommends using Microsoft Graph APIs for new
permission requests. If you still want to continue adding Azure Active Directory
Graph permission, click
Add a Permission
APIs my organization
users
Search for "Windows Azure Active
Directory"
and grant legacy permissions as per your requirement.
Creating an endpoint management system
connector with Microsoft Intune
You must create a Server SSL profile
on a BIG-IP system and have access to a Microsoft Intune
system.
An endpoint management system on BIG-IP Access
Policy Manager (APM) is an object that stores information about the device management
server, such as IP addresses and API credentials. You can configure more than one
endpoint management system on the same BIG-IP system. APM polls devices connected to the
configured endpoint management systems.
On the BIG-IP system, on the Main tab, click
Access
Authentication
Endpoint Management Systems
.
The Endpoint Management Systems screen opens.
Click
Create
.
The New endpoint management system screen opens.
In the
Name
field, type a name for the endpoint
management system.
In the
Type
list, select
Microsoft
Intune
for the endpoint management system.
The Network location and API Credentials sections display.
From the
Server SSL Profile
list, select a previously
created Server SSL profile in BIG-IP Local Traffic
Manager.
From the
DNS Resolver
list, select a previously created DNS Resolver in BIG-IP Local Traffic
Manager.
Create a DNS Resolver the same way you create a Server SSL profile.
In
Update Interval (minutes)
field, type a number in
minutes that represent how often APM updates the device database.
In the
Tenant Id
field, type the tenant ID that comes
with a Microsoft Intune subscription.
In the
Client Id
field, type the client ID that becomes
available after creating a web application.
In the
Client Secret
field, type the client secret that
becomes available after creating a web application.
Click
Finished
.
You have created an endpoint
management system. APM tests the connection to the device management server, and prints
a test status in the
Status
field. If the status displays
OK
, APM starts the device database synchronization for the created
endpoint management system.
Editing an endpoint
management system configuration
You can create an endpoint management system on BIG-IP APM with either Airwatch,
MaaS360 or Intune.
You can edit an endpoint management
system.
On the BIG-IP system, on the Main tab, click
Access
Authentication
Endpoint Management Systems
.
The Endpoint Management Systems screen with a list of endpoint
management systems opens.
In the Name column, click the name of the endpoint management system you want
to edit.
The properties screen for that endpoint management system
opens.
Edit one or more fields.
The status of the endpoint management system updates during each sync
interval. If you edit the
Username
,
FQDN
, or
Port
fields, the
Status
field displays the same status as the actual
configuration status. If you edit other property fields, the
Status
field might be different than the actual
configuration status. The correct status appears when the next sync interval
begins
Click
Update
.
You have updated an endpoint management system.
Create an access profile
You create an access profile to provide the access policy configuration for a
virtual server that establishes a secured session.
On the Main tab, click
Access
Profiles /
Policies
.
The Access Profiles
(Per-Session Policies) screen opens.
Click
Create
.
The New Profile screen
opens.
In the
Name
field, type a unique name for
the access profile.
From the
Profile Type
list, select one
these options:
ALL
: Select to support
LTM-APM and SSL-VPN access types.
LTM-APM
: Select for a web
access management configuration.
OAuth-Resource
Server
: For configuring APM to act as an OAuth resource
server that provides an OAuth authorization layer into an API
gateway.
RDG-RAP
: Select to
validate connections to hosts behind APM when APM acts as a gateway for RDP
clients.
SSL-VPN
: Select to
configure network access, portal access, or application access. (Most access
policy items are available for this type.)
SSO
: Select to configure
matching virtual servers for Single Sign-On (SSO).
No access policy is associated with this type of
access profile
SWG - Transparent
: Select
to configure access using Secure Web Gateway transparent forward
proxy.
SWG - Explicit
: Select to
configure access using Secure Web Gateway explicit forward proxy.
System Authentication
:
Select to configure administrator access to the BIG-IP system (when using
APM as a pluggable authentication module).
Identity Service
: Used
internally to provide identity service for a supported integration. Only APM
creates this type of profile.
You can edit Identity Service profile
properties.
Depending on licensing, you might not see all of these
profile types.
Additional settings display.
From the
Profile Scope
list, select one these
options to define user scope:
Profile
: Access to
resources behind the profile.
Virtual Server
:
Access to resources behind the virtual
server.
Global
: Access to
resources behind any access profile with global
scope.
Named
: Access for
SSL Orchestrator users to resources behind any
access profile with global scope.
Public
: Access to
resources that are behind the same access profile
when the Named scope has configured the session
and is checked based on the value and string
configured in the Named scope field.
For the
Customization
Type
, use the default value
Modern
.
In the Language Settings area, add and remove
accepted languages, and set the default language.
If no browser language matches one in the
accepted languages list, the browser uses the default language.
Click
Finished
.
The access
profile displays in the Access Profiles List. Default-log-setting is assigned to the
access profile.
Configuring an access policy to include endpoint management
integration
You can configure an access policy to perform
compliance checks for connected devices. The Managed Endpoint Status action determines
whether APM recognizes a device with a device ID. The Managed Endpoint Notification
action sends a push notification message to a device. You can create access policy
checks using session variables and device posture information to allow or deny access.
On the Main tab, click
Access
Profiles /
Policies
.
The Access Profiles
(Per-Session Policies) screen opens.
In the Access Policy column, click the
Edit
link for the endpoint
management type access profile you want to configure.
The visual policy editor
opens the access policy in a separate screen.
Click the
(+)
icon anywhere in the
access policy to add a new item.
Only an applicable subset of access policy items is
available for selection in the visual policy editor for any access profile
type.
A popup screen opens, listing
predefined actions on tabs such as General Purpose, Authentication, and so
on.
Add a Managed Endpoint Status action:
From the Endpoint Security (Server-Side)
list, select
Managed
Endpoint Status
and click
Add Item
.
A popup Properties
screen opens.
In the
Name
field, type a
name for the access policy action.
For the
Endpoint Management
System
, select the endpoint management system that you
previously created.
Click
Save
.
The visual policy editor
screen displays.
In both the compliant branch and not compliant
branch of the Managed Device Status action, click the
(+)
icon anywhere in the
access policy to add a new action item.
For example, as shown in the
Access policy with endpoint management
integration
image below, the Managed Device Status action performs the
compliance checks on the device for allowing network access and sends
notification messages to the non-compliant device.
To add a Managed Endpoint Notification action,
perform the following steps:
From the Endpoint Security (Server-Side)
list, select
Managed
Endpoint Notification
.
A popup Properties
screen opens.
In the
Name
field, type a
name for the access policy action.
From the endpoint management system list,
select the endpoint management system that you previously created.
The Intune endpoint management system does not
support Endpoint Notification agent.
In the
Message
field, type a
message that displays on a device.
Click
Save
.
The visual policy editor
screen displays.
You have an access policy that presents
endpoint management integration with VPN access.
Example of Access policy with endpoint management
integration
Creating a virtual server
On the Main tab, click
Local Traffic
Virtual Servers
.
The Virtual Server List
screen opens.
Click
Create
.
The New Virtual Server screen
opens.
In the
Name
field, type a unique
name for the virtual server.
From the
Configuration
list, select
Advanced
.
In the
Destination Address
field,
type the IP address for the Virtual Server.
When you type the IP address for a single
host, it is not necessary to append a prefix to the address.
In the
Service Port
field, type the
port number.
From the
SSL Profile (Client)
list,
select
clientssl
.
From the
Source Address Translation
list, select
Auto
Map
.
Click
Finished
.
From the Access Profile list, select the access
profile that you previously created.
From the Connectivity Profile list, select the
connectivity profile that you previously created.
Your access policy is now associated with the
newly created virtual server.
