topic Re: Getting started with WAAS in Application Networking

Getting started with WAAS

Jkloza_2 — Fri, 07 May 2010 13:33:55 GMT

Hello everyone -

We've recently purchased a Cisco WAAS solution 2x WAE 674 applicances, and I find myself running into a few questions. I'm configuring the devices in a test enviornment, just to get familliar with the interfaces / OS / CLI.

Our WAAS deployment is going to be fairly simple, one remote site (for now), with a DS3 as the pipe back to our datacenter. I'm still in the middle of reading through the massive amount of documentation available for this product, but would just like to ask a few basic questions. The WAAS boxes we purchased are the WAE-674's, with 4GB memory, and enterprise licenses. The orignial quote didn't include inline adapters for these boxes, and I'm trying to figure out what the differences are between inline interception, and configuring WCCP on my routers.

Another assumption that I'm making is that one of the boxes I'll need to configure as the central manager, and my remote box will be my WAE. Or am I wrong about this do they both need to be configured as WAE's, and if I need to add another site later on, I can configure a CM box at that time.

Any help is appreciated, I'm very comfortable with Cisco IOS / routers / switches / callmanager, but I'm fairly new to this product.

Thanks!

Jonathan Kloza

Systems Engineer

CACI Technologies

Re: Getting started with WAAS

Sijith Maniyappan — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:10:45 GMT

Hello Jonathan,

In general, WCCPv2 is the recommended interception mechanism for the branch and for data center. For branch environments where WCCPv2 can not be used inline interception can be used. The advantages of using WCCP are:

Scalable (can go upto 32 WAEs in a site)
Traffic Loadbalancing between the multiple WAEs
Automatic Failover
Can limit traffic redirecting to WAEs, thereby allowing 'uninterested traffic' to bypass WAE

However configuring WCCP is dependent on the IOS version running on the routers/switches. Inline is a simpler solution which involves no extra configuration on routers/switches in your network.

Regarding the number of WAEs required, at a minimum you require three WAEs to be deployed for optimizing the traffic between two sites. WAAS is a symmetrical solution and it requires a dedicated hardware to be operated as the Central Manager. Central Manager (with GUI interface) will be used for pushing the configurations to the WAE boxes, as well as monitoring the statistics.

Hope this clarifies your doubts.

Thanks

Sijith

Re: Getting started with WAAS

Jkloza_2 — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:35:57 GMT

Sijith,

Very interesting, when we purchased the 674's, we were specifically told that they were "standalone appliances", and to begin to accelerate WAN traffic, we would need the 2 appliances, and either a transport, or enterprise licenses.

Is there no configuration where I don't need a central manager for WAAS to work properly? If not I guess we'll have to purchase another 674 server, but it really isn't what I'm looking to do.

Thanks!

Jon

Re: Getting started with WAAS

Sijith Maniyappan — Sat, 08 May 2010 05:27:32 GMT

Jon,

You can make it work with a limited funcitonality. There are few features which can only be configured from a Central Manager. You will not be able to make use of the graphical reporting capabilities of WAAS without deploying the Central Manager.

Besides Cisco TAC does not support WAAS deployments without Central Manager.

Regards

Sijith

Re: Getting started with WAAS

Jan Rockstedt — Mon, 10 May 2010 12:21:15 GMT

Sijith,

Can you explain the "Traffic Loadbalancing between the multiple WAEs", please?

We have WCCP v2 at our datacenter with dual lines.

Before the WAE we had loadbalancing between the two routers, but now we are seeing that the most of the load goes to one router.

We are using egress method IP forward.and redirect method WCCP GRE.

Jan Rockstedt

Re: Getting started with WAAS

Zach Seils — Mon, 10 May 2010 12:34:32 GMT

Jan,

The egress method determines how the WAAS device will return traffic to the network once it is done processing. The default, IP forward, simply tells the WAAS device to forward the traffic based on it's routing table configuration (typically just a default gateway). The have the WAAS device return traffic to the router it was redirected from, you need to use either negotiated return ot generic GRE as the egress method.

What type of routers/switches are you running WCCP on?

Zach

Re: Getting started with WAAS

Jan Rockstedt — Mon, 10 May 2010 12:37:40 GMT

Zach,

We have two 3845 from AT&T at one datacenter

IOS version c3845-spservicesk9-mz.124-15.T10.bin

And two 2821 from AT&T at the other datacenter.

IOS version c2800nm-spservicesk9-mz.124-15.T10.bin

Jan

Re: Getting started with WAAS

Zach Seils — Mon, 10 May 2010 12:59:56 GMT

You can use the 'negotiated return' option:

egress-method negotiated-return intercept-method wccp

Regards,

Zach

Re: Getting started with WAAS

Jan Rockstedt — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:23:36 GMT

Zach,

Do we need to change anything on the router for the WCCP, if we go to the "egress-method negotiated-return intercept-method wccp"?

Do you see any problem with the 2821 routers?

Jan

Re: Getting started with WAAS

Zach Seils — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:25:39 GMT

Hi Jan,

There are no configuration changes required on the routers. The 2811 should be fine as well, since it is a software-based platform.

Regards,

Zach

Re: Getting started with WAAS

Jan Rockstedt — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:18:44 GMT

Zach,

I have done the change now for one of my wccp farm, with success.

See below.

Is there any command to see the loadbalacing?

I can see there is equel connection on both with "sh statistics connection"

Jan

01#sh egress-methods

Intercept method : WCCP

TCP Promiscuous 61 :
WCCP negotiated return method : WCCP GRE

                        Egress Method      Egress Method
      Destination        Configured            Used
      ----------- ---------------------- -------------
      any          WCCP Negotiated Return WCCP GRE

TCP Promiscuous 62 :
WCCP negotiated return method : WCCP GRE

                        Egress Method      Egress Method
      Destination        Configured            Used
      ----------- ---------------------- -------------
      any          WCCP Negotiated Return WCCP GRE

Intercept method : Generic L2

                        Egress Method      Egress Method
      Destination        Configured            Used
      ----------- ---------------------- -------------
      any          not configurable        IP Forwarding

02#sh egress-methods

Intercept method : WCCP

TCP Promiscuous 61 :
WCCP negotiated return method : WCCP GRE

                        Egress Method      Egress Method
      Destination        Configured            Used
      ----------- ---------------------- -------------
      any          WCCP Negotiated Return WCCP GRE

TCP Promiscuous 62 :
WCCP negotiated return method : WCCP GRE

                        Egress Method      Egress Method
      Destination        Configured            Used
      ----------- ---------------------- -------------
      any          WCCP Negotiated Return WCCP GRE

Intercept method : Generic L2

                        Egress Method      Egress Method
      Destination        Configured            Used
      ----------- ---------------------- -------------
      any          not configurable        IP Forwarding

Re: Getting started with WAAS

Zach Seils — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:41:10 GMT

Hi Jan,

You can see additional egress statistics with the command sh stat conn egress-methods.

Regards,

Zach

Re: Getting started with WAAS

Jan Rockstedt — Mon, 17 May 2010 06:53:54 GMT

Hi Zach,

As my first dual line site is now running with GRE Return Egress with success, I now have one more site to change

On the first site i added the “egress-method negotiated-return intercept-method wccp” and did a reboot on both WAE.

Do I need to do anything as a reboot after changing to “egress-method negotiated-return intercept-method wccp" ?

Thx Jan

Re: Getting started with WAAS

Zach Seils — Mon, 17 May 2010 13:57:32 GMT

Hi Jan,

You should need a reboot or any other configuration changes.

Regards,

Zach