Configuring BIG IP F5 Load Balancer with Symantec Workspace

Streaming

Overview
This guide walks you through setting up BIG-IP F5 version 9 with Symantec Workspace
Streaming.
The following diagram shows the architecture used in this walkthrough:


Contents
1. Create VLANS on your network ............................................................................................... 4
2. Configure BIG-IP F5 .................................................................................................................. 5
Create internal and Externals VLANS .......................................................................................... 5
Create self IPs for internal and external VLANS.......................................................................... 7
Configure health monitors .......................................................................................................... 8
Create Pools for the Front End Servers ...................................................................................... 9
Add the FE servers to this pool ............................................................................................. 11
Create an iRule for sticky sessions ............................................................................................ 11
Create Virtual Servers ............................................................................................................... 12
Configure the Virtual Server ..................................................................................................... 14
Verify Persistence ................................................................................................................. 16
3. Configure Workspace Streaming .......................................................................................... 17
Workspace Streaming 6.x ............................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Altiris SVS Pro 5.2.x ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Process for Configuring BIG-IP F5 with Symantec Workspace Streaming
The following table contains an outline of the configuration process:
Step Task Link
1 Create VLANS on your network Create VLANS on your network
2 Configure BIG-IP F5

Create internal and Externals VLANS
Create self IPs for internal and external VLANS
Configure health monitors
Create Pools for the Front End Servers
Create an iRule for sticky sessions
Create Virtual Servers
Configure the Virtual Server
3 Configure Workspace Streaming
to use the configured load
balancer
Configure Workspace Streaming

1. Create VLANS on your network

The Load Balancer is configured with two VLANS one internal VLAN for the Servers and
one external VLAN for the clients. The LB VLANS and Self IP addresses can be configured
though in different ways.

1. Set the internal IP of the F5 as a default gateway for the SWS servers

Fig1 Default gateway settings

2. Make sure internal IP of the F5 and SWS servers are in the same subnet and you
are able to ping from SWS server to internal IP of the F5 and vice versa .

Fig 2 ping result from SWS server to F5


Fig 3 Ping result from F5 to SWS server

2. Configure BIG-IP F5
This section contains the steps to configure the BIG-IP F5.
Create internal and Externals VLANS
1. Open the F5 configuration page through Internet Explorer.

2. Navigate to Network VLANS, and click the Create button.


3. Type a name for the VLAN, for example SWS_External.
4. Select the correct interface, for example 1.1. Do not tag the interface.
5. Click on Finished.
Repeat these steps to create an Internal VLAN. Make sure you do not select the same interface
for both VLANS.
Create self IPs for internal and external VLANS

1. Click on Network Self IP Create.

2. Configure values for IP address, Net Mask, VLAN, Port lockdown.
Configure health monitors
You need to create two health monitors to monitor the status of the Streaming Server and
Launch Server components. Since both these component are using port 80, we check the status
using the GET strings as defined below.
GET /statusCheck this string when defined in the health monitors checks the status of
the Launch Server
GET /AppStreamN.check this string when defined in the health monitors checks the
status of the Streaming Server
1. Click Local Traffic Monitors Create and enter a name for the monitor.
2. Select type as http.
3. In the Send String field type GET /[ command], for example GET /statusCheck.
4. Click Finished.

Create Pools for the Front End Servers

Create one pool for each frontend server, and one additional pool that will contain all the
frontend servers in it.
For example, if you have two frontend servers, we need to create three pools: two separate
pools for each FE server and one pool for all FE servers.
1. Browse to Local Traffic Pools and click Create.


2. In new pool window, type a name for the pool.
3. Select both health monitors, for example SWS_LS80, SWS_Port80
4. Add a new address and service port.
5. click Add to add a new member in the pool list, then click Finished.

The new pool is created with Green status light if the load balancer can identify that the
frontend server is up.

Add the FE servers to this pool
1. click on members.
2. Click on Add.
3. Type the IP address of the FE server.
4. Type the port number.
5. Click on Finish.
Repeat this process until you have a pool foor each individual frontend server and a pool
containing all frontend servers.
Create an iRule for sticky sessions
After creating pools for your frontend servers, you need to define an iRule for your session
sticky connection. Session stickiness is required for the Streaming Server and clients
communication so each session will get all blocks from one Streaming Server as long as that
Streaming Server is up.
1. To create an iRule, navigate to the Local Traffic iRule and click Create.
2. Enter a name for your rule and add the rule content as below. Note that the rule syntax
might vary between BIG-IP F5 versions. The rule below is for version 9.x created for an
environment with two FE Servers.

Create Virtual Servers
1. Browse to Local traffic Virtual Server and click Create.

2. Enter the virtual server name, for example Test_Vserver.
3. Enter Destination IP Address, for example 10.69.51.200. This is the IP address used by
the Streaming Agent when streaming from the server.
4. Select Service Port, for exmaple http port 80
5. Under Basic Configuration in the HTTP Profile drop down list, select http.

6. Click on Finish.

Configure the Virtual Server
1. Click on the new Virtual Server link.

2. Click on Resources, and in the Default Pool drop down list select the FE Servers Pool.
3. In the Default Persistence Profile select cookie.
4. Click Update.




5. Click on manage and select the previously defined rule in available section.
6. Click on the double arrow button to enable to rule.
7. Click Finish.


After the rule is added to the virtual server, click Update and go the next screen. The status of
Virtual server will be green if all FE servers in the pool are up:

Verify Persistence
1. Browse to Local Traffic Virtual Servers Profiles Persistence Cookie and make
sure its defined as below:

2. Click on Update.
Browse to the virtual IP from client side and the Streaming Portal displays.
3. Configure Workspace Streaming
Perform following steps to configure Workspace Streaming servers to use the load balancer.
1. In the Streaming Console, configure external IP for the default server group with port
80.
2. Add all the front end servers in default server group.

3. Open Internet Explorer to the Virtual IP you configured to display the Streaming Portal.