Lab 4: Accelerating Applications Lab
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Objectives:

-  Assign client-side and server-side profiles

-  Set up caching for your web site

-  Set up compression for your web site

Lab Prerequisites:

-  Prior to starting this lab remove the cookie persistence profile from your virtual server.

TCP Express
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#. Set client-side and server-side TCP profiles on your virtual server properties.

   a. In some earlier version you would be required to select the **Advanced** menu to see the Client and Server protocol profiles.

      |image1|

   #. If you chose to use the **Advanced** menu you would see a whole array   of new options. There are **Basic** and **Advanced** drop downs on many of the GUI menus. You can always see **Advanced** menus by changing the preferences in **System >> Preferences.**

   #. From the drop-down menus place the **tcp-wan-optimized** profile on the client-side and the **tcp-lan-optimized** profile on the server-side.

      |image2|

HTTP Optimization - RamCache Lab
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#. Visit your virtual server’s web page and refresh it several times. Note the Source Node for the pictures of the BIG-IPs. They change depending on where the connection is coming from. The Source Node information is part of the picture.

#. Go to **Local Traffic >> Profiles >> Services >> Web Acceleration** or **Acceleration >> Profiles >> Web Acceleration**

   a. Create a new profile named **www-opt-caching** using **optimized-caching** as the Parent Profile.

   #. Take all the defaults, no other changes are required.

#. Open up your **www_vs** virtual server.

   a. At the **HTTP Profile** drop down menu make sure **http** is selected.

   #. Under **Acceleration** at **Web Acceleration** **Profile** select your new caching profile; **www-opt-caching**

   #. Clear the statistics on your pool and the refresh the main web page several times.

      i. The pictures do not change. Why do you think that is?

      #. Go to your pool. Are all pool members taking connections?

#. Now go to **Statistics >> Module Statistics >> Local Traffic** on the sidebar. From the **Statistics Type** drop-down menu select **Profiles Summary**

      |image3|

#. **Select** the View link next to the **Web Acceleration** profile type

      |image3|

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#. You can get more detailed information on RamCache entries at the CLI level

   a. Log onto the CLI of your BIG-IP via SSH using the root account (user: **root** password: **default**).

   #. At the CLI go into **tmsh** at the **(tmos)#** prompt

   #. At the shell prompt enter **show ltm profile ramcache www-opt-caching**

HTTP Optimization - HTTP Compression Lab
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#. Go to **Local Traffic >> Profiles >> Service >> HTTP Compression** or **Acceleration >> Profiles >> Web Acceleration**

   a. Create a new profile, **www-compress**, using the **wan-optimized-compression** default profile.

#. Open up your **www_vs** virtual server.

   a. At the **HTTP Profile** drop down menu make sure **http** is selected

   #. At the **Web Acceleration** drop-down menu select **None**

      i. *For the purpose of this lab we don’t want caching interfering with our response headers*

   #. At the **HTTP Compression** drop-down menu select the HTTP compression profile you just created

#. Now open your virtual server’s web page and under **Content Examples on This Host** select the **HTTP Compress Example** and **Plaintext Compress Example** link

   a. Now off to the statistics on the sidebar. Under the **Local Traffic** drop-down menu select **Profiles Summary**

   #. Select the **View** link next to the **HTTP Compression** profile type

      |image5|

   #. On the web page under **HTTP** **Request and Response Information** select the **Request and Response Headers** link.

      i. Notice you no longer see the **Accept-Encoding** header in the **Request Headers Received at the Server** section

Archive your work in a file called: **lb4_acceleration**

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