Troubleshooting guide

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Cisco Wide Area Application Services Configuration Guide
OL-26579-01
Chapter 1 Planning Your WAAS Network
Site and Network Planning
• Determine the major applications for your WAAS network. Verify whether the predefined
application definition policies cover these applications and whether you should add policies if your
applications are not covered by these predefined policies. For a list of the predefined application
definition policies, see Appendix 1, “Predefined Optimization Policy.”
• Consider day zero migration of file systems if file servers are to be centralized in the process. For
more information, see the “Data Migration Process” section on page 1-28.
After you complete the planning tasks, you are ready to perform a basic configuration of a WAAS
network as described in the Cisco Wide Area Application Services Quick Configuration Guide.
Site and Network Planning
Before you install and deploy WAAS devices in your network, you need to collect information about
your network to accommodate the integration of the WAAS devices.
In a typical distributed organizational layout, there are two types of networks where WAAS devices are
installed:
• The data center (central office), where one or more colocated data center WAEs provide access to
the resident file and application servers. In data centers, you can deploy a WAE as a single device
or a pair of WAEs as a high-availability or load-sharing pairs. High-availability pairs are supported
if either WCCP Version 2 or PBR is being used for traffic redirection in the data center; load-sharing
pairs are only supported if WCCP Version 2 is being used for traffic redirection in the data center.
• The branch offices, where branch WAEs enable users to access the file and application servers over
the WAN. In branch offices, you can deploy a WAE as a single device or a pair of WAEs as a
high-availability or load-sharing pairs. High-availability pairs are supported if either WCCP
Version 2 or PBR is being used for traffic redirection in the branch office; load-sharing pairs are only
supported if WCCP Version 2 is being used for traffic redirection in the branch office.
In collaborative networks, colocated data center WAEs and branch WAEs are deployed throughout the
network. These colocated WAEs are configured to share data in opposite directions (two cross-linked
servers).
The WAE attaches to the LAN as an appliance. A WAE relies on packet interception and redirection to
enable application acceleration and WAN optimization. Consequently, traffic interception and
redirection to a WAE must occur at each site where a WAE is deployed. Traffic interception and
redirection occurs in both directions of the packet flow. Because Layer 3 and Layer 4 headers are
preserved, you may need to ensure that you always connect a WAE to a tertiary interface (or a
subinterface) on the router to avoid routing loops between the WAE and WCCP or PBR-enabled router
that is redirecting traffic to it. For more information on this topic, see the “Using Tertiary Interfaces or
Subinterfaces to Connect WAEs to Routers” procedure on page 1-24.
Note We strongly recommend that you do not use half-duplex connections on the WAE or on routers, switches,
or other devices. Half duplex impedes performance and should not be used. Check each Cisco WAE
interface and the port configuration on the adjacent device (router, switch, firewall, or WAE) to verify
that full duplex is configured.
Note The data center WAE and branch WAE communicate with each other only if the firewall is open.
This section contains the following topics: