Manual Chapter : WANJet User Guide version 4.0: Initial Configuration - 4

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WANJet

  • 4.0.0
Manual Chapter

4

Initial Configuration


Accessing the Web UI

After you have completed the hardware configuration, using either the LCD panel or a console connected to the WANJet appliance's serial port, you can configure the WANJet appliance using the browser-based utility, called the Web UI. You can access the Web UI, from any appliance that is connected to the network and is able to run a web browser.

This chapter describes how to log on to the WANJet Web UI and perform the basic configuration required for the WANJet appliance to start processing traffic. This basic configuration is also covered on the Quick Start Card that shipped in the box with the WANJet appliance. If you have already performed the basic configuration steps on the Quick Start Card, you do not need to repeat them.

Use the Web UI for all WANJet appliance configuration. To fully configure individual WANJet appliances, you must log into the Web UI for each WANJet appliance, using its remote IP address in the URL.

Note

If your web browser cannot access the Web UI, it may be because the Web UI access is restricted. You can grant access through the console by specifying the IP address of the machine on which your browser runs. Once you have access, you can use the Web UI to change the list. See Granting Web UI access .

To access the Web UI

  1. In a web browser, access the Web UI using HTTPS and port 10000.
    For example, if the IP address of the appliance is 192.168.168.102, type https://192.168.168.102:10000 in the web browser.
    The welcome screen displays.
    • Note: You must use HTTPS over port 10000 to access the WANJet appliance using the Web UI. For example, you cannot access the WANJet appliance using the Web UI if you attempt to access the IP address using the browser defaults of HTTP over port 80.
  2. Type the user name and password.
    The default user name is admin and the default password is admin (unless it was changed by a local administrator).
  3. Note: F5 Networks recommends that you change the default password to something more secure at your earliest opportunity. See Changing the Web UI password for details.

  4. Click the Log On button.
    The WANJet appliance is now online.

Using the Web UI

When you log into the Web UI for a WANJet appliance, the Web UI treats the appliance to which you are logged on as the local WANJet appliance. All other WANJet appliances are treated as remote WANJets appliances. When you first log into the Web UI, the WANJet Status screen displays in the main browser frame. This screen displays a brief summary of the status, IP address, alias, and software version for the connected WANJet appliances.

For instruction about obtaining additional remote status information, refer to the Status report .

To view other Web UI screens, expand a section in the navigation pane, on the left side of the screen, and click an option. For example, if a step says to go to the Optimization Policy screen, expand Optimization and click Optimization Policy. The WANJet Optimization Policy screen replaces the WANJet Status screen in the main browser frame.

The following links always appear at the top right of the Web UI:

  • User Manual
    Displays the current version of the
    WANJet User Guide (PDF format).
  • About
    Displays an informational screen that contains:
    • The WANJet appliance's version and build number (required when contacting F5 Networks Technical Support)
    • A link to the end-user license agreement
    • Contact details for F5 Networks Technical Support
  • Logout
    Logs you out of the Web UI. The browser session automatically times out after 30 minutes of inactivity; however, this option is useful for added security.

WANJet Dashboard

The Web UI, below the F5 logo, displays a variety of status indicators and shortcuts. This area is known as the WANJet Dashboard, which is always visible, regardless of where you are in the Web UI.

The WANJet Dashboard displays the following information:

  • IP address of the local WANJet appliance.
  • The number of links connected to the remote WANJet appliances and the status of the remote WANJet appliances.
    A green light indicates when all links are active, a red light displays if no links are active, and a yellow light if only some links are active. For more information about each link, click the word Active on the screen. This displays the Remote Status report. For more information about the Remote Status report, see Status report .
  • The current time on the WANJet appliance and the length of time for which the local WANJet appliance has been active (displayed in days, hours and minutes).
  • The number of WAN sessions to which ACM5 optimization is currently being applied. This links to the Optimized Sessions. For more information, see Optimized Sessions diagnostics .
  • The number of WAN sessions for which traffic is being allowed to pass through the WANJet appliance, without optimization. This links to the Passthrough Sessions. For more information, see Passthrough Sessions diagnostics .

Basic WANJet appliance configuration

You must set up the WANJet appliances in pairs, with one appliance on each side of the WAN link. You can perform the configuration steps for both appliances either on each physical appliance, or from a single computer by logging into the Web UI remotely.

The following configuration example consists of two WANJet appliances that are deployed point-to-point.

 

 

Figure 4.1 In-line deployment in point-to-point configuration

The WANJet appliances in this example are connected as follows:

  • WANJet A is connected locally with IP address 175.16.2.1.
  • WANJet B is connected at the remote end of the WAN Link with IP address 10.2.0.1.

Using this example, the basic WANJet appliance configuration consists of the following steps:

  • Configuring the local WANJet appliance
  • Configuring multiple subnets (if required)
  • Defining the second WANJet appliance as a remote WANJet appliance on the first WANJet appliance
  • Configuring the remote WANJet appliance
  • Defining the first WANJet appliance as a remote WANJet appliance on the second WANJet appliance

Configuring the first WANJet appliance

You configure WANJet appliances in pairs. A pair of WANJet appliances consists of a local WANJet appliance and a remote WANJet appliance, one on either side of a WAN link. You initiate the configuration process by configuring the first WANJet appliance in the pair.

To configure the first WANJet appliance

  1. Into a browser, type the address and port for the first WANJet appliance. For this example, you type the following URL in the browser for WANJet A:
  2. https://175.16.2.1:10000
  3. Log in to the Web UI.
    The user name is admin. The default password is admin.
  4. In the navigation pane, expand Configuration and click Local WANJet.
    The Local WANJet screen displays.
  5. In the WANJet Alias box, you may type a name for the WANJet appliance. For example:
  6. WANJet_A
  7. Click the Save button.

Configuring multiple subnets

If your network has multiple subnets, you must set the local router IP address and add local subnets for the WANJet appliance.

Once the WAN link between the WANJet appliance pair is up, subnet specifications are automatically exchanged between the appliances.

For example, the local subnets that are specified on WANJet A are copied in as remote subnets for WANJet A in the configuration information on WANJet B.

Before performing the following steps, ask your network administrator if you need to specify additional subnets.

To configure multiple subnets

  1. In the navigation pane, expand Configuration and click Local WANJet.
    The Local WANJet screen displays.
  2. In the LAN Router box, type the router's IP address.
    This address is the next-hop router in your LAN.
  3. Click the Save button.
  4. In the navigation pane, expand Optimization and click Optimization Policy.
    The Optimization Policy screen displays.
  5. Check the Include WANJet Subnet check box.
    • Note: If you do not check this box, you must have a specific reason for not optimizing the traffic from the subnet that includes the first WANJet appliance.
  6. Click the Add button beneath Local Subnet.
    The Add Subnet screen opens in a separate browser window.
  7. In the Local Subnet box, type the IP address for the subnet.
    You can use the shorthand address format of, xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/nn, to provide both the subnet address and the subnet mask. For example:
  8. 175.16.2.0/24

    Where /24 means that the first 24 bits of the address must match the local subnet address and the address of any host in the subnet is defined by the last 8 bits of the address. For example, 175.16.2.6 is a valid address for the subnet defined in this configuration example.

  9. In the Netmask box, type the subnet mask. For example:
  10. 255.255.255.0
      Note: If you entered the subnet address in the/nn format, as described in the previous step, the corresponding subnet mask box is automatically populated.
  11. In the Alias box, type a string to serve as a name for the subnet.
    For example:
  12. Subnet A.
  13. Click the Enabled button.
  14. Click the OK button.
    The Optimization Policy screen displays with the new subnet in the list of local subnets.
  15. Click the Save button.
  16. Repeat steps 6 through 12 to add additional subnets as required.

Defining the second WANJet appliance as a remote WANJet appliance

Once you have completed the basic configuration for the first WANJet appliance, define the second appliance as a remote WANJet appliance on the first local WANJet appliance.

To define the second WANJet appliance as a remote WANJet appliance

  1. In the navigation pane, expand Configuration and click Remote WANJet.
    The Remote WANJet screen displays.
  2. Click the Add button.
    The Manage Remote WANJet screen displays in a new browser window.
  3. Leave the WANJet Type set to Single.
    • Note: For information about configuring redundant WANJet appliances, refer to Redundant peers .
  4. In the WANJet IP box, type the IP address for the remote WANJet appliance. For example:
  5. 10.2.0.1
  6. In the WANJet Alias box, type a name for the remote WANJet appliance. For example:
  7. WANJet_B
  8. Leave the WANJet Port setting.
  9. In the Shared Key box, type the shared key that was assigned by the network administrator. The only requirement for the key is that it matches the key added for its partner on the corresponding system pair. For this example, you must use the same key when adding WANJet_A as a remote WANJet appliance to WANJet_B.
  10. Click the OK button.
    The browser window closes.
  11. In the Remote WANJet screen, click the Save button.
    The new remote WANJet appliance displays in the Remote WANJet appliance list.

Configuring the second WANJet appliance

After you have configured the first WANJet appliance, configure the second WANJet appliance in the pair.

To configure the second WANJet appliance

  1. Into a browser, type the address and port for the second WANJet appliance. For this example, you would type the following URL in the browser for WANJet B:
  2. https://10.2.0.1:10000
  3. Log in to the Web UI.
    The user name is admin. The default password is admin.
  4. In the navigation pane, expand Configuration and click Local WANJet.
    The Local WANJet screen displays.
  5. In the WANJet Alias box, you may type a name for the WANJet appliance. For example:
  6. WANJet_B.
  7. Click the Save button.

If you have defined a LAN router and added subnets for WANJet_A, you must do the same for WANJet_B, unless WANJet_B is on a simpler LAN. Refer to steps 1-11 in Configuring multiple subnets for instructions. Before performing the steps, ask your network administrator if you need to specify additional subnets.

Defining the first WANJet appliance as a remote WANJet appliance

Once you have completed the basic configuration for the second WANJet appliance, define the first appliance as a remote WANJet appliance on the second WANJet appliance.

To define the first WANJet appliance as a remote WANJet appliance

  1. In the navigation pane, expand Configuration and click Remote WANJet.
    The Remote WANJet screen displays.
  2. In the Remote WANJets screen, click Add.
    The Manage Remote WANJet screen displays in a new browser window.
  3. In the WANJet IP box, type the IP address for the remote WANJet appliance. For example:
  4. 175.16.2.1
  5. In the WANJet Alias box, type a name for the remote WANJet appliance.
    For example:
  6. WANJet_A
  7. In the Shared Key box, type the shared key.
    This key is assigned by the network administrator. The only requirement for the key is that it matches the key added for its partner on the corresponding system pair. For this example, you must use the same key when adding WANJet_B as a remote WANJet appliance to WANJet_A.
  8. Leave the settings as they are for WANJet Type and WANJet Port.
  9. Click the Logoff button.
  10. Close the browser window.

Testing connectivity

When you have completed the configuration steps and the WAN link is established between the WANJet pair, the two WANJet appliances automatically exchange subnet specifications. For example, the local subnets that you specify for WANJet A become remote subnets for WANJet A in WANJet B's Remote WANJet appliance configuration information.

You can test the connectivity between the local and remote WANJet appliances by viewing the following checks on each:

  • Status of remote WANJet appliance(s)
  • Traffic passing through network
  • Diagnostics

For additional information about the following reports, see Chapter 5, Monitoring Performance .

To view the status of the remote WANJet appliance(s)

In the navigation pane, expand Reports and click Status.
A green light displays next to the IP address for remote WANJet appliances that are enabled and connected.

To view traffic passing through network

  1. In the navigation pane, expand Reports and click Comparative Throughput.
  2. Click the Total Throughput, Sent Throughput, and Received Throughput tabs to view the various reports.

To view diagnostics

  1. In the navigation pane, expand Reports and click Diagnostics.
    The Diagnostics screen displays.
  2. On the menu bar, click Remote WANJets from the connectivity menu.
    The Diagnose Remote WANJet report displays.
  3. Review the status for each remote WANJet appliance.
    The status should be active.

Troubleshooting

Some common problems are listed in Table 4.1 . If you are experiencing an issue that is not included in the following table, contact http://www.f5.com/customer_support/ for assistance.

 

Table 4.1 Troubleshooting
Issue
Suggested action(s)
I cannot ping the WANJet appliance.
Verify that the computer from which you are pinging has a valid network connection.
Try pinging other known devices.
Verify that you are using the correct IP address for the appliance, by reading it from the LCD display.
I can ping the WANJet appliance, but I cannot ping the WAN gateway.
Verify that the cabling is connected properly, as described in the Quick Start Card.
Make sure that you connected the gateway router to the WANJet appliance's WAN port, using the supplied crossover cable.
I cannot see that the WANJet appliance is optimizing traffic or the optimization is extremely low.
Review your configuration of local and remote subnets at both appliances. You might have heavy traffic on a subnet that is not included in the WANJet appliance's configuration. You must include all subnets for which traffic should be optimized.
My browser connection times out when I attempt to access the Web UI.
Check to see that you are accessing the correct URL for the Web UI. If you enter just http:// followed by the WANJet appliance's IP address, it will not work. You must connect to port 10000 using the secure HTTPS protocol. For example: https://123.123.123.123:10000/
When I attempt to access the Web UI, I get a Page Not Found error.
If you are certain that you entered the URL correctly and the WANJet appliance appears to be running, it may indicate that the computer from which you are running your web browser does not have access to the Web UI. Although the default setting grants access to all machines, that setting can be changed to limit access based on IP address.
Use the LED panel to add your computer's IP address to the list for access. After that, use the Web UI to change the access settings. For instructions, see Granting Web UI access .
I can access the Login screen for the Web UI, but my browser connection times out when I try to log in.
This issue can occur when the WANJet appliance is not able to access the RADIUS authentication server or when the Timeout and NRetry variables are set too high. See To configure the WANJet appliance for remote RADIUS authentication
Log in as a local user, using the admin user name and a default password of admin (note that the local administrator may have changed the default password). After you are logged in, click Security > Remote Authentication, and verify that RADIUS authentication is enabled.
Review the Timeout and NRetry values. F5 Networks recommends a value of 3 for each of these settings. If these settings are too high, authentication might take a long time to fail, causing the connection to time out. For information, see Configuring remote authentication .
The Link LED (for the WAN or LAN port) does not light up.
Verify that the cables are installed properly on the WANJet appliance.
Check to see if the ports on the WAN Router and the LAN Switch connected F5 appliance are set to auto-negotiate. If either port is forced to a specific link speed and duplex value, you must set the WANJet port to match this value. For information about resetting the NIC configuration (link speed and duplex value) for a WANJet port, see Changing the interface speed
F5 Networks strongly recommends that if you force the link for one of the WANJet ports, you force the link for both ports. This prevents link problems in pass-through mode if power to the WANJet device is lost.