Overview: Visual Policy Designer

The Visual Policy Designer (VPD) offers a drag-and-drop canvas for administrators to create or modify Access policies through the BIG-IP Next Central Manager. Users can drag Flows and Rules into place that assembles the policy objects to complete the policy objectives. After the policy objects are arranged in the proper sequence, users specify the policy decisions for each object.

The VPD canvas helps the administrator to create or edit an access policy. The figure illustrates the VPD canvas and identifies the key components.

VPD Canvas

VPD Move Mode

VPD Canvas Hit Box

Item Description
Side Bar The Side Bar contains the following icons: Policy, Flows, Rules, and Subroutines (in Per-Request Policies). The Policy icon allows you see / adjust the overall policy settings, whereas the other icons adjust what objects show in the Tool Box.
Policy Bar The Policy Bar shows the policy name and has the Exit and Save buttons.
Tool Box The Tool Box lists either all the Flows administrator can add to a policy or all the Rules you can add to a Flow, and Subroutines (for Per-Request policies) depending on the selection made in the Side Bar.
Canvas Use the Canvas to create the policy structure. First drag in the Flow(s) needed for the desired policy function, then expand and edit the Flow(s) to add Rule(s) to the policy.
Canvas Controls Use these controls to change the Canvas layout. Note: you can also use typical mouse / trackpad function to zoom in or out, or drag the Canvas to change what is visible.

Visual policy designer tools

Visual element

Element type

Description

Branch

Initial access policy

When an Access policy is created ‘From Scratch’, this is the default policy structure.

Branch

Start

Every Access policy contains a Start.

Branch

Branch

A branch connects a Rule to another Rule or Flow, or to an ending.

Branch

Add a Rule or Flow

Drag a Rule or Flow to this icon to add the element to the policy. When you start to drag a Rule or Flow onto the canvas the plus signs will turn blue to show valid drop points.

Branch

Rule

- Click the pencil icon to open a window where the user can specify properties and branches for the Rule.
- Click the trashcan to delete the Rule from the Access policy.

Branch

Flow

- Click the pencil icon to open a window where the user can specify properties and branches for the Flow.
- Click the trashcan to delete the Flow from the Access policy.
- Click the double arrow to expand the Flow so the user can view or edit the Rules inside.

Branch

Hit Box

- Hit Box is added to use the + button to view the list of available Flows, Rules, and Subroutines, allowing them to be added to the policy without dragging and dropping the Flows, Rules, and Subroutines from the tool box.

Branch

Exit Move Mode

- Click the Exit Move Mode option to return to the Canvas.

Branch width=”250px”>

Ending

Each policy has one or more endings.

Branch

Configure Ending

Click the name of an ending to open a popup screen where the user can specify the ending option.

Branch

Save

Click the Save button to save the policy changes you have made to the BIG-IP Next Central Manager.

Branch

Cancel & Exit

Click the Cancel & Exit button to close the Visual Policy Designer without saving policy changes you have made to the BIG-IP Next Central Manager.

Branch

Side Bar

Use the side bar to determine whether Rules or Flows are listed in the Toolbox.
- Click the left-facing arrow to minimize the Toolbox.
- Click the Flows icon to show all available Flows in the Toolbox.
- Click the Rules icon to show all available Rules in the Toolbox.
- Click the Subroutine icon to show all available Subroutines in the Toolbox.

Branch

Toolbox

Use the Toolbox to add Rules and Flows to the canvas.
- Use the Search field to search for an existing Rule or Flow.

Branch

Canvas Controls

Use these controls to change the canvas layout.
- Click the Plus icon to zoom-in on the canvas.
- Click the Minus icon to zoom-out on the canvas.
- Click the Frame icon to fit the policy diagram to the screen.