Table Of Contents
Using Configuration Building Blocks
Building Block Versions and Tagging
Creating Building Blocks
Extracting Building Blocks from Virtual Contexts
Configuring Building Blocks
Configuring Building Block Primary Attributes
Tagging Building Blocks
Applying Building Blocks
Applying a Building Block to a Single Virtual Context
Applying a Building Block to Multiple Virtual Contexts
Viewing Building Block Use
Using Configuration Building Blocks
Revised Date: 2/18/09
Note 
In ANM 1.1, configuration building blocks were called configuration templates. The name has been changed in ANM 1.2 to more closely reflect the functionality that they provide and how they can be used.
Building blocks allow authorized users to create and design reusable configuration attributes which can then be applied to virtual contexts. The ANM also allows you to extract the configuration of an existing virtual context and tag it as a building block.
In many cases, the same configuration settings can be used in several virtual contexts (for example, it can offer the same service bundle to many customers). To avoid repeating virtual context configuration and testing each time you create a virtual context, you can create a building block of many configuration attributes that can be applied to virtual contexts as appropriate or as needed.
With building blocks, you can also create a variety of configurations that address customers' differing needs. The ability to customize configurations to customer needs also allows you to use network resources most efficiently.
Benefits of configuration building blocks include:
•You can establish baseline versions of working configurations.
•Users can make real-time changes to configurations and roll back to a previously working configuration, if needed.
•Building blocks can be extracted from proven, working configurations.
•Building blocks can be placed under version control, with tagged versions that cannot be modified.
Table 13-1 lists the configuration options that are available for each building block type and provides links to related topics. For descriptive information about the menu options, see Configuring Virtual Contexts, page 3-5.
Table 13-1 Building Block Configuration Options
Menu Option
|
Building Block Type
|
Related Topic
|
ACE 1.0
|
ACE 2.0
|
ACE 4710 Running Image A1(8)
|
ACE 4710 Running Image A3(1.0)
|
System
|
Primary Attributes
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Building Block Primary Attributes
|
Static Routes
|
|
|
|
|
|
Syslog
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Virtual Context Syslog Settings, page 3-12
|
SNMP
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring SNMP for Virtual Contexts, page 3-19
|
Global Policy
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Virtual Context Global Traffic Policies, page 3-26
|
Licenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application Acceleration and Optimization
|
|
|
|
|
|
Resource Classes
|
|
|
|
|
|
Load Balancing
|
Virtual Servers
|
|
|
|
|
|
Real Servers
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Real Servers, page 5-4
|
Server Farms
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Server Farms, page 5-12
|
Health Monitoring
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Health Monitoring for Real Servers, page 5-25
|
Stickiness
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Sticky Groups, page 6-7
|
HTTP Parameter Map
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring HTTP Parameter Maps, page 7-8
|
Connection Parameter Map
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Connection Parameter Maps, page 7-2
|
Optimization Parameter Map
|
|
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Optimization Parameter Maps, page 7-10
|
Generic Parameter Map
|
|
X
|
|
|
Configuring Generic Parameter Maps, page 7-7
|
RTSP Parameter Map
|
|
X
|
|
|
Configuring RTSP Parameter Maps, page 7-17
|
SIP Parameter Map
|
|
X
|
|
|
Configuring SIP Parameter Maps, page 7-18
|
Skinny Parameter Map
|
|
X
|
|
|
Configuring Skinny Parameter Maps, page 7-20
|
SSL
|
Certificates
|
|
|
|
|
|
Keys
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Using SSL Keys, page 8-8
|
Parameter Map
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring SSL Parameter Maps, page 8-15
|
Chain Group Parameters
|
|
|
|
|
|
CSR Parameters
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring SSL CSR Parameters, page 8-19
|
Proxy Service
|
|
|
|
|
|
Auth Group Parameters
|
|
X
|
|
X
|
Configuring SSL Authentication Groups, page 8-24
|
Certificate Revocation List
|
|
X
|
|
X
|
Configuring CRLs for Client Authentication, page 8-25
|
Security
|
ACLs
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Creating ACLs, page 3-44
|
Object Groups
|
|
X
|
|
X
|
Configuring Object Groups, page 3-52
|
Network
|
Port Channel
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gigabit Ethernet Interfaces
|
|
|
|
|
|
VLAN Interfaces
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring VLAN Interfaces, page 9-2
|
BVI Interfaces
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Virtual Context BVI Interfaces, page 9-12
|
Static Routes
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Virtual Context Static Routes, page 9-14
|
Global IP DHCP
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Global IP DHCP, page 9-16
|
Static NAT Overwrite
|
|
X
|
|
|
Configuring Static VLANs for Over 8 K Static NAT Configurations, page 9-16
|
High Availability
|
Setup
|
|
|
|
|
|
HA Tracking and Failure Detection
|
Interfaces
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hosts
|
|
|
|
|
|
HSRP Groups
|
|
|
|
|
|
Role-Based Access Control
|
Users
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Device RBAC Users, page 2-40
|
Roles
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Device RBAC Roles, page 2-43
|
Domains
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Device RBAC Domains, page 2-48
|
Expert
|
Class Map
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Virtual Context Class Maps, page 11-6
|
Policy Map
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Virtual Context Policy Maps, page 11-30
|
Action List
|
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Configuring Action Lists for Application Acceleration and Optimization, page 12-3
|
Building Block Audit
|
|
|
|
|
|
Related Topics
•Building Block Versions and Tagging
•Creating Building Blocks
•Extracting Building Blocks from Virtual Contexts
•Applying Building Blocks
•Tagging Building Blocks
•Viewing Building Block Use
Building Block Versions and Tagging
The ANM maintains version history for the building blocks that you create, design, and tag. You can tag a working building block version at any point during design or configuration, and reuse any tagged version of a building block.
A building block is not available for deployment until it has been tagged. When you tag a building block, the ANM publishes it with a version tag, such as 1.0 or 1.1.
You cannot edit tagged versions of a building block. After a building block is tagged, it is "frozen" and can no longer be modified in any way. When you open a tagged building block for editing, the ANM does not modify the tagged version, but instead creates a new working copy of the building block for you to work in. Any changes you make to the working copy are not available for deployment until you tag the building block under a new version tag.
Related Topics
•Using Configuration Building Blocks
•Creating Building Blocks
•Extracting Building Blocks from Virtual Contexts
•Applying Building Blocks
•Tagging Building Blocks
•Viewing Building Block Use
Creating Building Blocks
Use this procedure to create a building block without using an existing configuration.
To create a building block from an existing virtual context, see Extracting Building Blocks from Virtual Contexts.
Procedure
Step 1 Select Config > Global > All Building Blocks. The All Building Blocks table appears.
Step 2 Click Add. The New Building Block screen appears.
Step 3 In the Name field, enter a unique name for this building block.
Step 4 In the Type field, select the type of building block to create:
•ACE 1.0—For use with virtual contexts on ACE 1.0 modules.
•ACE 2.0—For use with virtual contexts on ACE 2.0 modules.
•ACE 4710—For use with virtual contexts on ACE appliances.
See Table 13-1 for a list of the available configuration options for each building block type.
Step 5 In the Description field, enter a brief description for this building block.
Step 6 Click:
•Save to save your entries and to continue with building block configuration. The Primary Attributes configuration screen appears.
•Cancel to exit this procedure without saving your entries and to return to the All Building Blocks table.
•Tag to save your entries and tag the building block. After you tag a building block, the screen refreshes and provides fields for applying the building block. For more information, see Applying Building Blocks.
Related Topics
•Using Configuration Building Blocks
•Extracting Building Blocks from Virtual Contexts
•Building Block Versions and Tagging
•Applying Building Blocks
•Tagging Building Blocks
•Viewing Building Block Use
Extracting Building Blocks from Virtual Contexts
An alternative to creating a new configuration building block and configuring each attribute individually is to extract a configuration building block from an existing virtual context. By extracting a building block from a virtual context, you can reduce the time you spend configuring and testing the configuration.
Use this procedure to create a working building block from a virtual context configuration.
Procedure
Step 1 Select Config > Devices. The device tree appears.
Step 2 Select the ACE with the virtual context whose configuration you want to use as a building block. The Virtual Contexts table appears.
Step 3 Select the context with the configuration you want to extract, then click Extract Building Block. A window appears, asking for a building block name.
Step 4 In the Name field, enter a name for this building block, then click OK. The screen refreshes with the Primary Attributes screen for the newly created building block (Config > Global > building_block).
Step 5 Modify the building block as desired using the information in Table 13-1, or tag and deploy it as described in Tagging Building Blocks and Applying Building Blocks).
Related Topics
•Applying Building Blocks
•Tagging Building Blocks
•Viewing Building Block Use
Configuring Building Blocks
Use this procedure to modify a working version of a configuration building block.
Note You can modify only working versions of building blocks; you cannot modify tagged versions of building blocks. If you select a tagged building block version, and then select a configuration option (such as Load Balancing > Health Monitoring), you can view the entries for that tagged version, but you cannot modify them.
Procedure
Step 1 Select Config > Global > All Building Blocks. The All Building Blocks table appears.
Step 2 Select the working version of the building block that you want to modify, then select the attributes you want to configure. For information on building block configuration options, see Table 13-1.
Note While it is possible to configure VLAN and BVI interfaces in a building block, we recommend that you do not do so. Applying a building block with these attributes configured to a virtual context with different settings can disrupt network traffic.
Step 3 To apply this building block, tag it, then deploy it as described in Tagging Building Blocks and Applying Building Blocks.
Related Topics
•Using Configuration Building Blocks
•Building Block Versions and Tagging
•Creating Building Blocks
•Extracting Building Blocks from Virtual Contexts
•Tagging Building Blocks
•Viewing Building Block Use
Configuring Building Block Primary Attributes
Use this procedure to change the description of a configuration building block.
Procedure
Step 1 Select Config > Global > All Building Blocks. The All Building Blocks table appears.
Step 2 Select the building block that you want to modify, then select System > Primary Attributes. The Primary Attributes screen appears.
Step 3 In the Description field, modify the description as desired.
Step 4 Click:
•Save to save your entries. The screen refreshes with the saved information.
•Tag to tag the building block. To deploy the tagged building block, see Applying Building Blocks.
Related Topics
•Creating Building Blocks
•Configuring Building Blocks
•Tagging Building Blocks
Tagging Building Blocks
After creating a building block, you must tag it before you can apply it to virtual contexts.
Use this procedure to tag a working copy of a building block.
Procedure
Step 1 Select Config > Global > All Building Blocks. The All Building Blocks table appears.
Step 2 Select the working copy of the building block that you want to tag, then click Tag. The All Building Blocks table refreshes with the newly tagged building block identified by its version, such as 1.2 or 1.3. A working copy of the building block remains available so that you can use it for future building block versions.
To apply the tagged building block to virtual contexts on your network, see Applying Building Blocks.
Related Topics
•Using Configuration Building Blocks
•Building Block Versions and Tagging
•Creating Building Blocks
•Applying Building Blocks
•Extracting Building Blocks from Virtual Contexts
•Viewing Building Block Use
Applying Building Blocks
You can apply building blocks in two ways:
•By selecting a virtual context, then applying the building block. See Applying a Building Block to a Single Virtual Context.
•By selecting the tagged building block, then applying it to one or more virtual contexts. See Applying a Building Block to Multiple Virtual Contexts.
Applying a Building Block to a Single Virtual Context
Use this procedure to apply a tagged building block to a virtual context using virtual context configuration screens.
Note Before applying a building block to a virtual context, confirm that the VLAN and BVI interfaces are defined correctly for the virtual context. If needed, remove VLAN and BVI interface configuration information from the building block and then apply it.
Procedure
Step 1 Select Config > Devices > All Devices. The device tree appears.
Step 2 Select the virtual context you want to apply a building block to, then select System > Primary Attributes. The Primary Attributes screen appears.
Step 3 In the Tagged Building Block to Apply field, select the building block you want to apply to the virtual context.
Step 4 Click Deploy Now.
Related Topics
•Applying a Building Block to Multiple Virtual Contexts
•Using Configuration Building Blocks
•Building Block Versions and Tagging
•Extracting Building Blocks from Virtual Contexts
•Tagging Building Blocks
Applying a Building Block to Multiple Virtual Contexts
Use this procedure to apply a tagged building block to one or more contexts by using the building block configuration screens.
Note Before applying a building block to a virtual context, confirm that the VLAN and BVI interfaces are defined correctly for the virtual context. If needed, remove VLAN and BVI interface configuration information from the building block and then apply it.
Procedure
Step 1 Select Config > Global > All Building Blocks. The All Building Blocks table appears.
Step 2 Select the tagged building block that you want to apply to one or more virtual contexts.
Step 3 Select System > Primary Attributes. The Primary Attributes configuration screen appears.
Step 4 In the Push Building Block to VCs field, select the contexts that you want to apply the building block to in the Available Items list, then click Add. They appear in the Selected Items list.
To remove contexts that you do not want to apply the building block to, select them in the Selected Items list, then click Remove. They items appear in the Available Items list.
Step 5 Click Save. A progress bar reports status and the screen refreshes when the operation is complete.
Related Topics
•Applying a Building Block to a Single Virtual Context
•Using Configuration Building Blocks
•Building Block Versions and Tagging
•Creating Building Blocks
Viewing Building Block Use
Use this procedure to identify the virtual contexts using a building block.
Procedure
Step 1 Select Config > Devices. The device tree appears.
Step 2 Select All VC. The Virtual Contexts table appears.
Step 3 View the building blocks being used by one of the following methods:
•For a small number of contexts, scan the Building Block column to see which building blocks are in use on virtual contexts.
•For a large number of contexts, click Filter. The screen refreshes so that you can enter search criteria. In the field beneath the Building Block column heading, enter a building block name or search string, then click Go. The table refreshes with entries that match the search criteria.
Related Topics
•Using Configuration Building Blocks
•Building Block Versions and Tagging
•Creating Building Blocks
•Extracting Building Blocks from Virtual Contexts
•Tagging Building Blocks
