Manual Chapter : BIG-IP Edge Client for Mac APM Configuration

Applies To:

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BIG-IP APM

  • 11.6.5, 11.6.4, 11.6.3, 11.6.2, 11.6.1
Manual Chapter

Overview: Configuring APM for BIG-IP Edge Client for Mac

To use the BIG-IP® Edge Client® for Mac, you must configure settings for the Mac Edge Client in a connectivity profile on Access Policy Manager®. The connectivity profile for a Mac includes Win/Mac Edge Client settings:

  • The list of servers to display on the BIG-IP Edge Client.
  • DNS settings for location-awareness for mobile clients, such as laptops that roam.

A Mac client package is attached to the connectivity profile. You can customize it. You can also download and distribute it.

Task summary

Customizing a connectivity profile for Mac Edge Clients

You must create a connectivity profile before you start this task.
A connectivity profile automatically contains settings for BIG-IP® Edge Client® for Macintosh. You update the settings to specify how to handle password caching and component updates, to specify the servers to display on the clients, and to supply DNS names to support location awareness.
  1. On the Main tab, click Access Policy > Secure Connectivity. A list of connectivity profiles displays.
  2. Select the connectivity profile that you want to update and click Edit Profile. The Edit Connectivity Profile popup screen opens and displays General Settings.
  3. From the left pane, select Win/Mac Edge Client. Edge Client action and password caching settings display in the right pane.
  4. Set Edge Client action settings:
    1. Optional: Retain the default (selected) or clear the Save Servers Upon Exit check box. The setting specifies whether the BIG-IP Edge Client maintains a list of recently used Access Policy Manager servers. The BIG-IP Edge Client always lists the servers defined in the connectivity profile, and sorts the list of servers by most recent access, whether this option is selected or not. However, the BIG-IP Edge Client lists user-entered servers only if this option is selected.
  5. Set password caching settings for enhanced security:
    1. Optional: Select the Allow Password Caching check box. This check box is cleared by default. The remaining settings on the screen become available.
    2. Optional: Select disk or memory from the Save Password Method list. If you select disk, an encrypted password is saved on disk and cached when the system reboots or when the BIG-IP Edge Client is restarted. If you select memory,  the BIG-IP Edge Client caches the user's password within the BIG-IP Edge Client application for automatic reconnection purposes. If you select memory, the Password Cache Expiration (minutes) field displays with a default value of 240.
    3. If the Password Cache Expiration (minutes) field displays, retain the default value or type the number of minutes to save the password in memory.
    4. From the Component Update list, select yes (default) or no. If you select yes, APM updates the BIG-IP Edge Client software automatically on the Mac client when newer versions are available.
  6. From the left pane, select Server List. A table displays in the right pane.
  7. Specify the servers that you want defined in the client downloads. The servers you add here appear as connection options in the BIG-IP Edge Client.
    1. Click Add. A table row becomes available for update.
    2. You must type a host name in the Host Name column. Typing an alias in the Alias column is optional.
    3. Click Update. The new row is added at the top of the table.
    4. Continue to add servers and when you are done, click OK.
  8. From the left pane, select Location DNS List. A table is displayed in the right pane.
  9. Specify DNS suffixes that are considered to be in the local network. DNS suffixes specified here conform to the rules specified for the local network. When the BIG-IP Edge Client is configured to use the option Auto-Connect , the client connects when the systems DNS suffix is not one defined on this list. When the client DNS suffix does appear on this list, the client automatically disconnects. If you do not specify any DNS suffixes, the option  Auto-Connect  does not appear in the downloaded client.
    1. Click Add. An update row becomes available.
    2. Type a name and click Update. The new row displays at the top of the table.
    3. Continue to add DNS names and, when you are done, click OK.
  10. Click OK. The popup screen closes, and the Connectivity Profile List displays.
The connectivity profile appears in the list.
To provide functionality with a connectivity profile, you must add the connectivity profile and an access profile to a virtual server.

Customizing the Mac client package for BIG-IP Edge Client

You must create a connectivity profile before you start this task.
You customize a Mac client package for a connectivity profile to specify BIG-IP® Edge Client® settings for the Mac.
  1. On the Main tab, click Access Policy > Secure Connectivity. A list of connectivity profiles displays.
  2. Select a connectivity profile.
  3. Click the arrow on the Customize Package button and select Mac. The Customize Mac Client Package screen displays.
  4. Retain the selection or clear the Auto launch BIG-IP Edge Client after User Log In check box.
  5. Click OK. The popup screen closes, and the Connectivity Profile List displays.
The customized package, BIGIPMacEdgeClient.zip, is downloaded to your client. It is available for you to distribute, if needed. The customized package is downloaded to clients automatically only when the Windows/Mac Edge Client settings in related connectivity profile allow password caching and component updates.
If you plan to distribute Mac client packages to your users and you customize Mac client packages with different settings for different connectivity profiles, you need to rename or otherwise organize the packages. Otherwise, your download location contains packages named BIGIPMacEdgeClient.zip, BIGIPMacEdgeClient.zip(1), and so on.

Downloading the Mac client package for the BIG-IP Edge Client

You can download a Mac Client package and distribute it to clients whose configuration does not allow an automatic download.
Note: If you already customized a Mac Client package for a connectivity profile, a customized package file, BIGIPMacEdgeClient.exe, was downloaded to your system. If you cannot find the package, use this procedure.
  1. On the Main tab, click Access Policy > Secure Connectivity. A list of connectivity profiles displays.
  2. Select a connectivity profile.
  3. Click the arrow on the Customize Package button and select Mac. The Customize Mac Client Package screen displays.
  4. Click Download. The screen closes and the package, BIGIPMacEdgeClient.zip, downloads.
The customized package, BIGIPMacEdgeClient.zip, is downloaded to your client. It is available for you to distribute, if needed. The customized package is downloaded to clients automatically only when the Windows/Mac Edge Client settings in the related connectivity profile allow password caching and component updates.