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Introduction to NetScaler ADM service connect for NetScaler appliances

May 2, 2023
Contributed by: 
S R C

NetScaler ADM service is a cloud-based solution that helps you manage, monitor, orchestrate, automate, and troubleshoot your NetScaler instances. It also provides analytical insights and curated machine learning based recommendations for your applications health, performance, and security. For more information, see NetScaler Application Delivery Management Service.

NetScaler Application Delivery Management (ADM) service connect is a feature to enable seamless onboarding of NetScaler instances onto NetScaler ADM service. This feature helps NetScaler instances and NetScaler ADM service to function as a holistic solution, which offers customers multi fold benefits.

NetScaler ADM service connect feature lets the NetScaler instance automatically connect with the NetScaler ADM service and send system, usage, and telemetry data to it. Based on this data, the NetScaler ADM service gives you some insights and recommendations on your NetScaler and Gateway infrastructure like the following:

  • Security advisory insight highlighting your vulnerable ADC appliances.
  • Upgrade advisory insight highlighting ADC appliances that have reached or about to reach end of maintenance and end of life.
  • Quick identification of performance issues, high resource usage, and critical errors.

To harness the power of NetScaler ADM service, you can choose to onboard your NetScaler instances to NetScaler ADM service. The onboarding process uses ADM service connect, and makes the experience smooth and faster for you.

Points to note

  • NetScaler ADM service connect is now available on NetScaler MPX, SDX, and VPX instances and NetScaler Gateway appliances.

  • The initiative in NetScaler ADM service that uses this NetScaler ADM service connect feature is ADM service connect based low-touch onboarding. For more information, see Low-touch onboarding of NetScaler instances using NetScaler ADM service connect.

  • If ADM service connect is enabled on an ADC instance, certain diagnostic details are automatically sent to ADM service.

For more information, see Data governance.

Important

NetScaler ADM service connect fails to collect the probe data and cannot help in on-boarding the ADC appliance to ADM service if the following conditions are met:

  • NSinternal user account is disabled.

  • SSH public key is not set up.

To overcome the preceding scenario, Citrix recommends you follow any one of the following:

How does NetScaler ADM service connect support with NetScaler ADM service?

Here is a high-level workflow of how the NetScaler ADM service connect feature on NetScaler interacts with NetScaler ADM service.

  1. NetScaler ADM service connect feature on NetScaler appliance auto connects with NetScaler ADM service using a periodic probe request.

  2. This request has system, usage and telemetry data, using which the NetScaler ADM service gives you some insights and recommendations on your NetScaler infrastructure. Like; quick identification of performance issues, high resource usage, and critical errors.

  3. You can view the insights and recommendations and decide to onboard your ADC instances to the NetScaler ADM service to start managing your NetScaler instances.

  4. When you decide to onboard, the NetScaler ADM service connect feature helps complete the onboarding seamlessly.

What versions of NetScaler is NetScaler ADM service connect supported on?

NetScaler ADM service connect is supported on all NetScaler platforms and all appliance models (MPX, VPX, and SDX). Starting from NetScaler release 13.0 build 61.xx, NetScaler ADM service connect is enabled by default for NetScaler appliances.

How to enable NetScaler ADM service connect?

If you are an existing NetScaler customer, and upgrade to NetScaler release 13.0 build 61.xx, NetScaler ADM service connect is enabled by default as part of the upgrade process.

If you are a new NetScaler customer, installing NetScaler release 13.0 build 61.xx, NetScaler ADM service connect is enabled by default as part of the install process.

Note

Unlike the new NetScaler appliances, existing NetScaler appliances find the route through Citrix Insight Service (CIS) or Call Home.

How to enable and disable NetScaler ADM service connect?

You can enable and disable NetScaler ADM service connect from CLI, GUI, or NITRO API methods.

Using CLI

To enable the NetScaler ADM service connect by using the CLI

At the command prompt, type:

set adm parameter –admserviceconnect ENABLED

To disable the NetScaler ADM service connect by using the CLI

At the command prompt, type:

set adm parameter –admserviceconnect DISABLED

Important

If your NetScaler is on release 13.0 build 61.xx, the parameter name to enable or disable NetScaler service connect is “autoconnect.” For example, to enable service connect, use the set adm parameter – autoconnect ENABLED command.

Using the GUI

To disable the NetScaler ADM service connect by using the NetScaler GUI

  1. In a web browser, type the IP address of the NetScaler appliance (for example, http://192.0.2.10).

  2. In User Name and Password, enter the administrator credentials.

  3. Navigate to System > Settings > Configure ADM Parameters.

  4. On the Configure ADM Parameters page, clear the Enable NetScaler ADM service connect dialog box, and click OK.

Using the NITRO API

You can disable NetScaler ADM service connect by using the NITRO command.

  • In NetScaler release 13.0 build 61.xx, you can enable or disable the NetScaler ADM service connect by using the following command:

    • curl –X PUT –H "Content-Type:application/json" http://192.0.2.10/nitro/v1/config/admparameter> -d '{"admparameter":{"autoconnect":"enabled"}}' -u nsroot:Test@1

  • From NetScaler release 13.0 build 64.xx, the “autoconnect” parameter name is renamed to admserviceconnect. You can disable the NetScaler ADM service connect by using the following command:

    • curl –X PUT –H “Content-Type:application/json” http://192.0.2.10/nitro/v1/config/admparameter -d '{"admparameter":{"admserviceconnect":"disabled"}}' -u nsroot:Test@1

Diagnostic tool

When you onboard an ADC instance onto NetScaler ADM, you might experience a few issues that prevent the ADC instance from successfully onboarding. To troubleshoot the issues, you can either manually use the diagnostic tool or see the diagnostic information in the ADM GUI.

  • For more information about the details captured using ADM service connect, see Data governance.

  • For more information about the diagnostic tool, see Diagnostic tool.

NetScaler ADM built-in agent behavior

From NetScaler release 13.0 build 61.xx and higher, the NetScaler ADM built-in agent available on NetScaler instances communicates with ADM service. It communicates without the need for manual initialization on the respective ADC instance. After communication with ADM service is established, the built-in agent stays evergreen by auto-upgrading itself to the latest software version regularly.

Previously, you had to initialize the built-in agent on the ADC instances, using mastools commands, to establish communication with ADM service and for regular auto-upgrades. For more information, see Configure the ADC built-in agent to manage instances.

References

For more information on NetScaler ADM service connect, see the following topics:

Introduction to NetScaler ADM service connect for NetScaler appliances
May 2, 2023
Contributed by: 
S R C
May 2, 2023
Contributed by: 
S R C

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