Entity Templates

An entity template simplifies configuration by providing a set of configured defaults for a policy, service, action, or other configuration entity. After you create an entity template, it can be reused with specific instances of entities of the same type. For example, an entity template created for Load Balancing, can be used to create the same load balancing configuration on the same load balancer, or can be used on a different NetScaler or NetScalers to create the same load balancing configuration.

Entity Templates are most helpful when you have built your configuration for an entity such as load balancing and want to duplicate it across the organization's load balancers without having to re-type all of the configuration commands. In fact, the entity template manager, will allow you to prompt for certain configuration parameters to be input by the user, such as IP Address and port number, at the time of import, which might be specific to a certain locality.

Application Templates

The NetScaler includes the ability to create and manage application templates that provide the administrator a way to configure the NetScaler to handle application-specific traffic without directly configuring NetScaler entities. An application template is a reusable bundle of application's configuration information and can be exported after creation for use on other NetScalers. Also, these templates can be created once and then re-used across multiple NetScalers.

Application vs. Entity Templates

Entity Templates simplify configuration by providing a set of configured default for a specific configuration entity, such as load balancing, rewrite or content switching.

Application Templates simplify configuration by providing configuration details for all entities for an Application, such as Sharepoint, SAP, Oracle, or other web based applications. Application Templates are more comprehensive and contain configuration details for caching, compression, load balancing, ssl offload, rewrite, filtering, responder and application firewall. For one application you might have several policies in each of these categories that are saved into an Application Template.

Both Entity and Application Templates can be exported and imported for ease of use across different NetScalers. All of the configuration policies, including all expressions, pattern sets and policy labels are exported with the Entity or Application Template - once you define your policies, you don't have to define them again.

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An easy step up to IPv6

IPv6 has been available on NetScaler since April 2007, but only to select customers, and with a limited feature set.

Today, with NetScaler version 9.0, the IPv6 feature set is complete, with support for IPv6 communication all the way back to the application servers that the NetScaler is protecting and optimizing. Now that the IPv6 feature has matured, it has been released with the latest version of software! NetScaler version 9.0 includes IPv6 communication to the application servers, and all the usual tools use for troubleshooting will be present, such as ping6, traceroute6, etc.

The "IPv4 Dinosaur" may well be a term used in the future to describe a site which doesn't have an IPv6 representation on the internet. It's not a label one would want if they consider themselves to be keeping up to date with the latest and greatest technologies, as that of the Citrix NetScaler Application Switch.

Do keep in mind, running an IPv6 ONLY network, is probably still an arms length away and not very easy to migrate to. What would be required is a hybrid approach - and this is where NetScaler version 9.0 can provide a quick solution.

It is possible to use IPv6 communication from the internet to your NetScaler, and then use IPv4 from the NetScaler to the application servers. This will provide an IPv6 presence on the internet for your external website, without having to use time, resources, and budget to rebuild your entire environment right away.

Think of this as IPv6 offload, if you will. The fact that the application and back end systems are running IPv4 will be fully hidden from the end user. You can then, in your own time, port your back end infrastructure over to IPv6 step by step, making testing and roll-back a cinch.

Of course, full IPv6 end-to-end communication is equally important, especially for those government accounts which require this box to be checked-off for any new hardware going into the racks. This is the newest part of this feature, which is also now available in NetScaler version 9.0.

Read about the Citrix Application Switch with Version 9.0 here.

Try the Citrix Application Switch with Version 9.0 here.

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Not very long ago I published a series on how to become an Application Expert. Citrix NetScaler 9.0 makes it easier with AppExpert Templates. NetScaler AppExpert Templates - introduced in NetScaler 9.0 - provide an application-centric view of the NetScaler system's policy configurations. From a single place within the GUI (AppExpert -> Applications) NetScaler administrators can: 1) Configure the various AppExpert features the NetScaler is fronting, 2) View which NetScaler functional modules (e.g., compression, caching, application firewall) are optimized and active for a given application unit.

Additionally, AppExpert Templates allow you to drill down and see which individual NetScaler policies are active, and what policies are inactive but available, by application component and NetScaler module. From this same view, individual policies can be created, activated and deactivated.

AppExpert Templates can be downloaded, imported, modified and exported AppExpert Templates page of the Citrix Community Website. Administrators can download AppExpert Templates built by Citrix, Citrix Partners and members of the NetScaler community from the Citrix Community Website. These templates are easily imported into any NetScaler running NetScaler 9.0 or higher, jump starting the configuration and deployment process. Templates developed in-house can be easily exported and shared within your organization, or posted back to the Citrix Community Website for others to view and improve.

See the new AppExpert Templates page here!

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