Using the GUI

Deploying the Layer 4 to Layer 7 Services Using the GUI

You can deploy the Layer 4 to Layer 7 services using GUI. Perform the procedures in the following order:

  1. Import a device package.

    See Importing a Device Package Using the GUI.

  2. Create a function profile.

    See Creating a Function Profile Using the GUI.

  3. Create a service graph template.

    See Creating a Layer 4 to Layer 7 Service Graph Template Using the GUI.

  4. Create a device.

    See Creating a Device Using the GUI.

    (Optional) Modify a device.

    See Modifying a Device.

  5. Apply a service graph template to endpoint groups (EPGs).

    See Applying a Service Graph Template to Endpoint Groups Using the GUI.

Importing a Device Package Using the GUI

Before performing any configuration based on service graphs, you must download and install the appropriate device package in the Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) . A device package specifies to the APIC what devices you have and what the devices can do.

    Step 1   Download an appropriate device package. You can find the list of partners at the following URL:

    http:/​/​www.cisco.com/​c/​en/​us/​solutions/​data-center-virtualization/​ecosystem.html

    This URL is the Partner Ecosystem page, where you can download the appropriate device package.

    Step 2   Log in to the APIC as the provider administrator.
    Step 3   On the menu bar, choose L4-L7 Services > Packages.
    Step 4   In the Navigation pane, choose L4-L7 Service Device Types.
    Step 5   In the Work pane, choose Actions > Import Device Package. The Import Device Package dialog box appears.
    Step 6   Click Browse... and browse to the device package that you want to use.

    For information about creating device packages, see the Cisco APIC Layer 4 to Layer 7 Device Package Development Guide.

    Step 7   Click Open.
    Step 8   Click Submit.

    Creating a Function Profile Using the GUI

    A Function Profile provides the default values for your service graph template. The following procedure explains how to create a new function profile.

      Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Tenants > All Tenants.
      Step 2   In the Work pane, double click the tenant's name.
      Step 3   In the Navigation pane, choose Tenant tenant_name > L4-L7 Services > Function Profiles.
      Step 4   Right click Function Profiles and choose Create L4-L7 Services Function Profile.
      Step 5   In the Create L4-L7 Services Function Profile dialog box, fill in the fields as required, except as specified below:
      1. In the Profile Group drop-down list, choose Create Function Profile Group.

        A profile group is a mechanism that allows you to group your profiles together for organizational purposes. For example, you may want to create a profile for your Web, legacy, or e-mail applications. You can create groups and then you can put your profiles into those groups. You may see that you already have an existing group available, but if you do not, then you can create a new one by naming it and providing a description in the Create L4-L7 Services Function Profile Group window.

      Step 6   In the Create L4-L7 Services Function Profile Group dialog box, fill in the fields as required.
      Step 7   Click Submit.

      Now you have successfully completed and saved a profile group, which now appears in the Create L4-L7 Services Function Profile dialog box.

      A profile is created for a particular service function. What you choose from the Device Function drop-down list in the Create L4-L7 Services Function Profile is the function for which you are writing a profile. From the drop-down list, you will see a list of device packages with service functions available in the Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) after you have imported the device packages.

      Step 8   Back in the Create L4-L7 Services Function Profile dialog box, remove the check from the Copy Existing Profile Parameters check box.
      Step 9   In the Device Function drop-down list, choose a device package that has a function. Options are displayed with the various parameters that are part of that function. The purpose of the profile is to provide the default values for the parameters.
      Note   

      At this point none of these parameters have any values, but you can add them, which are then used as the default values. The function profiles can be used by the graph templates after you provide these values. These values are applied to the graph template as default values, which means that if you use the graph templates and you do not provide a value for that particular parameter, then the APIC looks up the profile and see if the value is there. If it is there, then the APIC uses that.

      Step 10   Add values in the Features and Parameters section at the bottom of the Create L4-L7 Services Function Profile window. There are two tabs, Basic Parameters and All Parameters. The Basic Parameters tab includes a list of parameters that are marked as mandatory (required) in the package. The All Parameters tab includes a list of the basic parameters as well as some additional / optional ones for advanced configurations. The reason we expose the Basic Parameters is because these are part of the basic configuration and the administrator is expected to fill these out. All Parameters are optional so unless you want to customize the functionality, these parameters can be left out.
      Step 11   Click Submit. Now you have completed and saved your function profile.

      Using an Existing Function Profile to Create a New Function Profile Using the GUI

      This procedure uses an existing function profile to create a new function profile.

        Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Tenants > All Tenants.
        Step 2   In the Work pane, double click the tenant's name.
        Step 3   In the Navigation pane, choose Tenant tenant_name > L4-L7 Services > Function Profiles.
        Step 4   Right click Function Profiles and choose Create L4-L7 Services Function Profile.
        Step 5   In the Create L4-L7 Services Function Profile dialog box, fill in the fields as required, except as specified below:
        1. In the Profile drop-down list, choose an existing profile that is supplied by the vendor. The parameters are populated for your new profile based on the profile that you chose.
        2. Change or add parameters to this existing profile as necessary.
        Step 6   Click Submit.

        Creating a Layer 4 to Layer 7 Service Graph Template Using the GUI

        A service graph template is a sequence of Layer 4 to Layer 7 functions or devices and their associated configuration, which can be provided by using function profiles. The service graph template must be associated with a contract to be "rendered"—or configured—on the Layer 4 to Layer 7 device and on the fabric.

        Before You Begin
        • You must have configured a tenant.
          Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Tenants > All Tenants.
          Step 2   In the Work pane, double click the tenant's name.
          Step 3   In the Navigation pane, choose Tenant tenant_name > L4-L7 Services > L4-L7 Service Graph Templates.
          Step 4   In the Work pane, choose Actions > Create a L4-L7 Service Graph Template.
          Step 5   In the Create a L4-L7 Service Graph Template dialog box, in the Device Clusters section, choose a device cluster.
          Step 6   Complete the following fields:

          Name

          Description

          Graph Name field

          Enter the name of the service graph template.

          Graph Type radio buttons

          Choose to create a new service graph template or clone an existing service graph template.

          Existing Graphs drop-down list

          (Only for cloning an existing service graph template) Choose an existing service graph template to clone.

          Step 7   (Only for creating a new service graph template) Drag a device from the Device Clusters section and drop it between the consumer endpoint group and provider endpoint group to create a service node.
          Step 8   (Optional)(Only for cloning an existing service graph template) Remove the existing node and drag a different device cluster to the node area to create a service node.
          Step 9   Click Submit.
          Step 10   (Optional)In the Navigation pane. click the service graph template. The screen presents a graphic topology of the service graph template.

          Modifying a Device

          After you create a device, you can modify the device.


          Note

          To create a device or to add a device to an existing cluster, you must use the "Creating a Device" procedure.

            Step 1   On the menu bar, click the TENANTS tab. The Tenant window appears.
            Step 2   In the Navigation pane, expand the Tenant branch, expand the L4-L7 Services branch, and click L4-L7 Devices. The L4-L7 Devices window expands and displays the devices.
            Step 3   Click the main device group you want to modify. The L4-L7 Devices window appears, showing the General page, which displays general information as well as connections and credentials for this device. In addition, you view the configuration state of the device.
            Step 4   You can change many of the parameters in the sections of this General window.

            You can change the path for the interfaces in this window, but you cannot add interfaces here.

            1. To change the path, double-click on the path you want to change. The Properties window appears.
            2. Complete the following fields:

              Name

              Description

              Path drop-down list

              Click the path you want to use.

              Logical Interface drop-down list

              Click external or internal, depending on the connector you are working with.

            3. Click Submit.
            Step 5   Return to the General window.
            Step 6   Click the Parameters tab at the top of the General page. The screen the features and parameters available with this package and this device group. You see a tab with the Basic parameters displayed and another tab All Parameters that displays all the available parameters with your device package. (The basic parameters are included under all parameters.)
            Step 7   In the Features section, click on the set of features for which you want to modify the parameters. The screen displays the parameters and features. The set of parameters changes depending on the specific package you are using and the specific feature you select.
            Step 8   Supply or modify the values for the desired features as follows:
            Note    You must update the parent folder first.
            1. Double-click in the field you want to modify.
            2. Enter the required information in the fields that appear.
            3. Click the Update button.
              Note   

              Click Reset to return these values to the previous values.

            Step 9   To display or modify the parameters for a single device, expand the Tenant branch in the Navigation pane, expand the L4-L7 Services branch, and click L4-L7 Devices. The L4-L7 Devices window expands and displays the devices.
            Step 10   Click the main device group to which the specific device belongs: The Navigation pane displays the devices in the main device group.
            Step 11   Click the device for which you want to display or modify the parameters. The screen both displays a graphic topology for the specified device.
            Step 12   Click the Parameters tab. The screen both displays the current features and parameters and allows you to change the values. You see a tab with the Basic parameters displayed and another tab All Parameters that displays all the available parameters with your device package. (The basic parameters are included under all parameters.)
            Step 13   In the Features section, click on the set of features for which you want to modify the parameters. The screen displays the parameters and features for the single device. The set of parameters changes depending on the specific package you are using and the specific feature you select.
            Step 14   Supply or modify the values for the desired features as follows:
            1. Double-click in the field you want to modify.
            2. Enter the required information in the fields that appear.
            3. Click the Update button.
              Note   

              Click Reset to return these values to the previous values.

            Applying a Service Graph Template to Endpoint Groups Using the GUI

            The following procedure explains how to apply a service graph template to endpoint groups:

            Before You Begin

            You must have created the following things:

            • Application endpoint groups

            • A service graph template

              Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Tenants > All Tenants.
              Step 2   In the Work pane, double click the tenant's name.
              Step 3   In the Navigation pane, choose Tenant tenant_name > L4-L7 Services > L4-L7 Service Graph Templates > template_name.
              Step 4   In the Work pane, choose Actions > Apply L4-L7 Service Graph Template.

              You will be associating a Layer 4 to Layer 7 service graph template to your consumer and provider endpoint groups.

              Step 5   In the Apply L4-L7 Service Graph Template To EPGs dialog, in the EPG Information section, complete the following fields:

              Name

              Description

              Consumer EPG/External Network drop-down list

              Choose a consumer endpoint group.

              Provider EPG/External Network drop-down list

              Choose a provider endpoint group.

              Step 6   In the Contract Information section, complete the following fields:

              Name

              Description

              Contract radio buttons

              Choose to create a contract or choose an existing contract.

              Contract Name field

              (Only for creating a contract) Enter the name of the contract.

              No Filter (Allow All Traffic) check box

              (Only for creating a contract) Put a check in the box to allow all traffic, or remove the check from the box to filter traffic.

              Filter Entries

              (Only for filtering traffic) Click + and enter the filter information, then click Update.

              Existing Contract With Subjects drop-down list

              (Only for choosing an existing contract) Choose an existing contract.

              Step 7   Click Next.
              Step 8   In the Device Clusters section, choose a device cluster.
              Step 9   Complete the following field:

              Name

              Description

              Graph Template drop-down list

              Choose a graph template.

              Step 10   (Optional) Remove the existing node and drag a different device cluster to the node area to create a service node.
              Step 11   In the unmanaged information section, complete the following field:

              Name

              Description

              Cluster Interface For Consumer Connector drop-down list

              Choose an interface for the consumer connector.

              Cluster Interface For Provider Connector drop-down list

              Choose an interface for the provider connector.

              General check box

              Put a check in the box to be able to choose bridge domains.

              BD For Consumer Connector drop-down list

              (Only if you put a check in the General check box) Choose a bridge domain for the consumer connector. The bridge domain is used for the data path traffic.

              BD For Provider Connector drop-down list

              (Only if you put a check in the General check box) Choose a bridge domain for the provider connector. The bridge domain is used for the data path traffic.

              Route Peering check box

              Put a check in the box to enable route peering.

              The Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) uses the chosen bridge domains for data path traffic between function nodes as required by the chosen service graph template. Refer to the online help for the service graph templates to learn more about how this bridge domain is used.
              Step 12   (Only for managed devices) Click Next.
              Step 13   (Only for managed devices) In the Parameters screen, in the Required Parameters tab, enter the names and values, as appropriate, for all of the required parameters.
              Step 14   Click Finish. You now have an active service graph template. The APIC populates the Layer 4 to Layer 7 parameters based on the chosen function profile and colors the mandatory parameters in green if they are configured correctly.