Applies To:
Show VersionsBIG-IP LTM
- 12.1.6, 12.1.5, 12.1.4, 12.1.3, 12.1.2, 12.1.1, 12.1.0
Configuring Content Adaptation for HTTP Requests
Overview: Configuring HTTP Request Adaptation
This implementation describes how to configure the BIG-IP® content adaptation feature for adapting HTTP requests. With this feature, a BIG-IP virtual server can conditionally forward HTTP requests to a pool of Internet Content Adaptation Protocol (ICAP) servers for modification, before sending the request to a web server.
In this implementation, you create a standard HTTP virtual server and pool of web servers for processing client requests. The HTTP virtual server accepts each client request in the normal way, but before load balancing the request to the pool of web servers, the virtual server forwards the HTTP request to a special internal virtual server.
The internal virtual server receives the HTTP request from the standard virtual server, and load balances the request to a pool of ICAP servers for modification. After the ICAP server modifies the request, the BIG-IP system sends the request to the appropriate web server for processing.
Content adaptation configuration for modifying HTTP requests
The internal virtual server references the pool of content adaptation servers, including the load balancing method to use for those servers. The internal virtual server also references an ICAP profile, which includes specific instructions for how the BIG-IP system should wrap the HTTP request in an ICAP message for adaptation.
Optionally, the internal virtual server can reference:
- Any persistence method that you would like the BIG-IP system to use when load balancing traffic to the ICAP pool.
- Any health or performance monitor that you would like the BIG-IP system to use when load balancing traffic to the ICAP pool.
- Any iRules® related to the content adaptation.
Task summary
Complete the tasks in this implementation to create a BIG-IP® configuration that performs content adaptation for HTTP requests.
Task List
Creating a custom client-side ICAP profile
You create this ICAP profile when you want to use an ICAP server to wrap an HTTP request in an ICAP message before the BIG-IP® system sends the request to a pool of web servers. The profile specifies the HTTP request-header values that the ICAP server uses for the ICAP message.
Creating a pool of ICAP servers
Creating an internal virtual server for forwarding requests to an ICAP server
A virtual server of type internal provides a destination that a standard type of virtual server can use when forwarding HTTP requests slated for ICAP-based content adaptation.
Creating a custom Request Adapt profile
Creating a custom HTTP profile
Creating a pool to process HTTP traffic
Creating an HTTP virtual server for enabling request adaptation
You perform this task to create a standard virtual server that can forward an HTTP request to an internal virtual server. The internal virtual server then sends the request to a pool of ICAP servers before the BIG-IP® system sends the request to the web server.
Implementation result
After you complete the tasks in this implementation, the BIG-IP® system can perform content adaptation on HTTP requests as they pass through the BIG-IP system during normal HTTP processing. The new objects that this implementation creates are:
- A custom ICAP profile
- A pool of ICAP content adaptation servers
- An internal virtual server that load balances HTTP requests to the ICAP pool
- A custom Request Adapt profile that references the internal virtual server
- A custom HTTP profile
- A standard HTTP pool of web servers
- A standard HTTP virtual server that sends HTTP requests to an internal virtual server for content adaptation and load balances HTTP requests to the web pool