CTX_CNS-220: NetScaler Essentials and Traffic Management

The primary objective of the Citrix NetScaler Essentials and Traffic Management course is to provide the foundational concepts and skills necessary to implement, configure, secure, monitor, optimize, and troubleshoot a Citrix NetScaler system for application delivery. This course is designed specifically for students who have limited or no previous NetScaler experience, and is based on version 11 of the Citrix NetScaler product. Students will have access to hands-on exercises within a virtual lab environment.

This course has been completely redeveloped and replaces the previous course (CNS-205: Citrix NetScaler Essentials and Networking), including the following enhancements:

  • A new lab environment, redesigned and built for enhanced performance
  • New content introduced in the majority of modules
  • Incorporated course feedback that has been gathered over the last year
  • Reorganization of the content into a logical sequence of three days of base content that focuses on essential NetScaler functionality, followed by two days of additional Traffic Management features, with exercises that progressively build on each other to provide a more effective and versatile learning experience.
  • After completion of this course, students looking to expand their knowledge around NetScaler Gateway functionality are recommended to take the two-day Citrix NetScaler Gateway Essentials add-on course (expected to release July 2016). Taking both courses will provide the opportunity to learn about essential

Note: it is not recommended to take both the five-day Citrix NetScaler Essentials and Traffic Management training and the five-day Citrix NetScaler for Apps and Desktops training, as these courses share the same first three days of content. 

Audience:

This course is designed for Network Administrators/Engineers, Citrix Administrators, Operations Engineers, Systems Administrators/Engineers and Cloud Administrators/Engineers who are new to the NetScaler platform. 

Prerequisites:

Citrix recommends students prepare for this course by gaining a basic understanding of the following concepts and technologies:

  • Basic Networking
  • Windows and Linux Server administration
  • TCP/IP, HTTP protocols and the OSI model
  • Server load balancing and content switching concepts
  • Web server software
  • DNS, SSL and compression concepts
  • Network security threats and site protection concepts

Course outline:

Part 1


Getting Started

  • Introduction to the NetScaler System
  • TriScale
  • NetScaler Use Cases
  • NetScaler Functionality
  • NetScaler Overview
  • Product Features
  • NetScaler Operating System Overview
  • nCore Configuration Architecture
  • NetScaler File system
  • Deployment Scenarios
  • Logging in to the NetScaler System
  • NetScaler Licenses

Basic Networking

  • OSI Networking Model
  • NetScaler Architecture Overview
  • NetScaler-Owned IP Addresses
  • Network Topology
  • NetScaler Network Interfaces
  • Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs)
  • IP Routing
  • Determining the Source IP Address
  • Packet Forwarding
  • Use Source IP Mode
  • Client-IP HTTP Header Insertion
  • Path MTU Discovery
  • Link Aggregation
  • Access Control Lists
  • Network Address Translation (NAT)

NetScaler Platforms

  • Architecture and General Concepts
  • Hardware Platforms
  • Hardware Components
  • MPX Overview
  • VPX Overview
  • CPX Overview
  • SDX Overview
  • Identify the unique capabilities and functionality of the NetScaler SDX platform
  • Identify the networking characteristics of the NetScaler SDX platform
  • Explain the process of provisioning and administration of NetScaler VPX instances on a
  • NetScaler SDX appliance

High Availability

  • High Availability Functionality
  • High Availability Node Configuration
  • Propagation and Synchronization
  • Failover, Route Monitors, Fail Safe
  • Propagation, Synchronization
  • High Availability Management
  • Performing an Upgrade
  • Troubleshooting
  • Upgrading HA pair

Load Balancing

  • Local Load Balancing concepts
  • Naming conventions
  • Persistence
  • Service Types
  • LB Methods
  • Disabling Entities
  • Diagnostics/Troubleshooting
  • L4 vs L7 for TCP services
  • UDP ping vs L7
  • Monitor attributes
  • Built in L7 monitors
  • Monitors from Scripts
  • EAV Monitors
  • ECV Monitors
  • DataStream

SSL Offload

  • SSL and TLS
  • SSL Session Process
  • SSL Administration
  • SSL Offload Overview
  • SSL Attacks Overview
  • SSL Troubleshooting
  • Cipher Suites
  • Certificate Management
  • Feature and Benefits
  • Offload Performance
  • Deployment Scenarios
  • Citrix Recommendations for SSL

Securing the NetScaler

  • NetScaler Communication Ports
  • Overview of AAA
  • Authentication on the NetScaler
  • NetScaler Users
  • Command Policies
  • Admin Partitions

Monitoring, Management, and Troubleshooting

  • Monitoring Needs
  • NetScaler Log Management
  • Simple Network Management Protocol
  • AppFlow on the NetScaler System
  • NetScaler Insight Overview
  • NetScaler Command Center Overview
  • Network Traffic Capture using NSTRACE
  • Troubleshooting with Filter Expressions
  • Decoding SSL Traffic with Wireshark
  • Display NetScaler System Information
  • NetScaler Command Line Tools

Part 2


AppExpert Classic Policy Engine

  • Policies Overview
  • Expression Structures
  • Content Filtering
  • Content Filtering Actions
  • Content Filtering Rules

AppExpert Default Policy Engine

  • Understanding Packet-Processing Flow
  • Understanding Policies
  • Policy Process Evaluation Flow
  • Identifying Default Policy Expressions
  • Actions
  • Understanding Bind Points
  • Understanding Policy Labels
  • Pattern Sets
  • Typecasting

Rewrite, Responder, and URL Transform

  • Configuring Rewrite Policies and Actions
  • Responder Actions
  • Respond with
  • Responder Action for Timeouts
  • Responder Policies
  • Responder HTML Page Imports
  • Binding Policies
  • URL Transformation
  • URL Transformation Actions
  • Binding of URL Transformations

Content Switching

  • Introduction to Content Switching
  • Content Switching Based on Network Characteristics
  • Content-Switching Virtual Servers and Load-Balancing Virtual Servers
  • Configuring Content-Switching Virtual Servers
  • Configure a Load-Balancing Setup for Content Switching
  • Content-Switching Policies
  • Content-Switching Rule Precedence With Priority Specified

Global Server Load Balancing

  • DNS overview and records
  • GSLB Deployment Methods
  • GSLB Concepts
  • GSLB Entities
  • GSLB DNS Methods
  • Metric Exchange Protocol
  • Viewing and Configuring GSLB with the Visualizer
  • GSLB Persistence

Optimizing Traffic

  • Introduction to Compression
  • Frontend Optimization
  • Surge Queue
  • TCP Optimization
  • HTTP Optimization

Clustering (Optional)

  • How Clustering Works
  • Cluster Synchronization
  • Cluster Communication Interfaces
  • Striped and Spotted IP Addresses
  • Traffic Distribution
  • Cluster and Node States
  • NetScaler Cluster Set up
  • Dynamic Configuration for a Cluster Link Aggregation Group
  • NetScaler Cluster Management
  • NetScaler Cluster Troubleshooting

Upon successful completion of this course, learners will be able to:

  • Identify the functionality and capabilities of the NetScaler
  • Explain basic NetScaler network architecture
  • Obtain, install, and manage NetScaler licenses
  • Explain how SSL is used to secure the NetScaler
  • Optimize the NetScaler system for traffic handling and management
  • Customize the NetScaler system for traffic flow and content-specific requirements
  • Demonstrate monitoring and reporting through native NetScaler logging tools
  • Employ recommended tools and techniques to troubleshoot common NetScaler network and connectivity issues
  • Implement NetScaler TriScale technology, including clustering
  • Configure advanced load balancing and GSLB on the NetScaler system
  • Identify the functionality and characteristics of the NetScaler SDX platform