Automate and Customise Application Services and DeploymentF5 Webinar Dec 2014 
Robert Healey 
Marketing Solutions Director, F5 APJ
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
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•Application delivery challenges 
•Where and how to invest 
•Solving the issues 
•API and programmability tools for application services 
•Benefits 
Agenda
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An Application World is Highly Complex
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
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Responding to Changes 
!
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BUSINESS 
requires applications to become more agile 
SECURITY 
must be everywhere, from the network to the applications and the management 
OPERATIONS 
need visibility of the resources at different levels (app, data center, network) 
NETWORK 
is changing faster to support new applications and customers 
APPLICATIONS 
are dynamic and customer aware (profiling) 
Programmability: A Key Element of the Application World
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
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Traditional Programming and “Automation” 
Operations 
Manual / Scripted Configuration 
“The Network” 
Application Security 
Identity and Access 
Local LoadBalancing 
Application Performance 
Application 
Proxies 
Web & App Servers 
Network State
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Automation via Application Programming Interface (API) 
Operations 
Scripting and APIs 
Application Infrastructure 
Application Security 
Identity and Access 
Local LoadBalancing 
Application Performance 
Application 
Proxies 
Web & App Servers 
Automation and Orchestration 
Network State
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
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0 
2000 
4000 
6000 
8000 
10000 
12000 
Growth in Web APIs Since 2005 
Source: ProgrammableWeb.com
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
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“High performing organisations deploy code 30 times more often and 8000 times faster than their peers, deploying multiple times a day, versus an average of once a month. [...] The net results are lower business risk and more operational agility.” 
—2013 State of DevOps Report, Puppet Labs
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
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Work with vendors 
Leverage your vendor’s APIs 
Iterate 
You're not going get it right the first time 
Build frameworks 
Define reusable components 
Programming skills 
Invest in skills 
Where Do You Start Investing to See These Advantages?
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1) Invest in Programming Skills 
How to invest in building skills 
Make automation part of employee goals 
Carve out space and time to write code 
Start small and move to larger goals 
Investing in programming skills begins with training and perfects through using the skills on a regular basis 
Examples of programming skills 
Use languages that your vendors use and support 
Explore and understand samples that exist within language eco-system 
Write programs and have them execute against the APIs
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
12 
2) Leverage Your Vendor’s APIs 
How do you leverage them? 
Look for examples of how the APIs are created 
Pick the language that works best for you: REST, SOAP, Perl, Python, PS 
Interact with the larger community using the same APIs 
Vendor APIs are there to help you get the job done, if the APIs are not good enough, call them out on that fact and make them better 
What is a vendor API? 
Documented, open, and supported interface into software or hardware 
System that supports one or more languages 
System with plenty of examples, code samples, and a community
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
13 
3) Build Internal Frameworks 
How are they built? 
Take common groups of tasks and program a block of work out of them 
Promote and share the information 
Use tools such as github, wikis, or even shared documents to socialise 
Frameworks make unities of work reusable, shareable, and create a common set of tools that the entire organisation can benefit from 
What is a framework? 
Structures that implement units of work 
Frameworks encourage collaboration 
Frameworks are common tools, written in-house that an be reused
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
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4) Iterate Towards Perfection 
Examples of iteration 
Write a small piece of code and then build on it 
Write, test, deploy, edit, test, deploy 
Functional code solves a business problem 
Don’t try to solve all of the problems on the first go-around, your organisation will realise better ways to solve problems and the solutions will improve with time 
The myth of perfection 
Myth: You are going to get the program right the first time 
Myth: You will understand the problem you’re solving 
Myth: You need “programmers” to write code
© F5 Networks, Inc. 15 
Network Programmability is the Place to Start 
Adapt your environment 
to take advantage 
Emerging Do it easily 
architectures 
Programmability in the network enables organisations to act and 
react, on demand, to operational and business events 
Public 
Cloud 
Hybrid 
Cloud 
Private 
Cloud 
Investments in network programmability pay dividends immediately 
DATA PLANE 
MANAGEMENT PLANE 
CONTROL PLANE
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
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Fluency 
Programmability 
Let the ADC Do More of the Heavy Lifting for You 
Functionality 
Scalability 
Scripting languages are a great start, but there’s more to programmability than the data plane
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
17 
Provision Application ServicesAutomation of device and application deployment 
Speed 
Accuracy 
Consistency 
Free up your team to work on more important tasks 
Deploy the architecture that you are interested in 
Ensure same setup and parameters every time 
PROBLEMS: 
•New applications are coming on-line, old ones are changing 
•Dynamic infrastructure requiring frequent setup of new ADC units
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
18 
Application Services Architecture 
Application Proxy 
Scalable resource pool delivers application services, policies, and programmable functions 
Data Centre 
Front-End 
Application Servers 
Application Proxy 
Back-End 
Application Servers 
Network 
High-Performance Services Fabric 
Management 
F5 
Native 
Infrastructure 
Management 
DevOps 
Tools 
VXLAN 
NVGRE 
VLAN 
Overlay 
Underlay 
SaaS 
IT Ops 
Co-lo/Public/Hybrid-Cloud
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
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Provisioning Application Delivery Controllers 
The solutions 
SOAP or REST APIs work over the network to provision 
Programmable deployments mean every ADC is consistent 
Let your experts spell out the details in a program 
Testing has shown a reduction from 65 to 6.5 minutesin setup time for ADC with automation in place 
The challenges 
Cloud: New licensing models mean more ADCs in more places 
Inconsistencies: Increasing problems and troubleshooting 
Expertise: Not enough time to train all team members
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
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•Completely open architecture 
•Common API across all ADC modules 
•REST API for device to device communication 
•REST API for management to platform communication 
•Value added services 
Recommended API Architecture 
Management Platform 
Intelligent Management Framework 
ADC devices 
Cisco ACI 
VMware NSX 
OpenStack 
etc. 
XaaS 
Application Services
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
21 
Provisioning Applications 
The solutions 
Pre-built app services templates solve the settings for you 
Using an app template means you get the same settings every time 
Building your own templates allows you to bundle ADC knowledge 
Several hundred objects are required for a complete Microsoft Lyncdeployment, app templates reduce these to a number of questions 
The challenges 
Complexity: What are the best settings for enterprise apps? 
Inconsistencies: ADCs are setup with different settings 
In-house apps: Taking a long time to deploy
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
22 
An Easy Button 
Rapidly deploy popular applications with verified and supported configurations 
Standards Enforcement 
Enforce standards, reducing training and operational risk 
App Orchestration 
Standardise your unique application deployments 
A Single View App 
Manage all application components in one place 
An App Lifecycle Tool 
Manage the full lifecycle of the application 
Values Provided by Application Services Templates
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
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Dynamic Application Modification − Automate Changes 
React 
Resolve 
Analyse 
Adjust the network settings when conditions change 
Fix issues before they get out of hand 
Find out the health and performance of your apps 
PROBLEM: It’s taking too long to react to application environment changes
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
24 
Programmability Architecture 
Network [Physical • Overlay • SDN] 
Data Plane Scripting 
Programmability 
Virtual Edition 
Chassis 
Appliance 
High-performance services fabric 
VXLAN 
NVGRE 
VLAN 
App Templates 
Self Healing 
Inbound APIs 
Outbound APIs
© F5 Networks, Inc. 25 
Programmability Tools 
Rules-based Scripts 
• Logical programming 
language 
• Full control of 
incoming or outgoing 
packets 
External APIs 
• Integrated 
REST/SOAP/XML API 
for ADC 
• Make calls from 3rd 
party orchestration 
engines 
Application Templates 
• Certified and 
supported templates 
• Cut application 
deployment down 
from weeks to 
minutes 
Internal APIs 
• Event driven 
automation and 
configuration 
• Simplify operations 
and troubleshooting 
for ADC
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
26 
Leverage Self-Solve Capabilities and Communities 
ADC health 
diagnostic tool 
Dev community 
collaboration 
Knowledge base 
Advanced diagnostics to help you optimise your system performance 
Collaborate and share innovations including code samples, new techniques, and other tips, with other users worldwide 
Product guides, release notes, solutions to known issues, how- to and hotfix information, downloads 
ASK FOR YOUR VENDOR'S SELF-SOLVE CAPABILITIES
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
27 
A survey found that 63% of enterprises that have implemented cloud solutions report an improvement in agility for supporting the needs of the business. 
79% of enterprises implementing process automation experienced time savings, while 69% claimed improved productivity. 
—Redwood Software, “Manual Madness of Business Processes”
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
28 
What Does This Mean for IT? 
Better Alignment 
Reduced Costs 
More Innovation
© F5 Networks, Inc. 
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And What Does It Mean for the Business? 
Improved engagement 
Faster to market 
Application ROI
Solutions for an Application World.

Automate and customise application services and deployment

  • 1.
    Automate and CustomiseApplication Services and DeploymentF5 Webinar Dec 2014 Robert Healey Marketing Solutions Director, F5 APJ
  • 2.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 2 •Application delivery challenges •Where and how to invest •Solving the issues •API and programmability tools for application services •Benefits Agenda
  • 3.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 3 An Application World is Highly Complex
  • 4.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 4 Responding to Changes !
  • 5.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 5 BUSINESS requires applications to become more agile SECURITY must be everywhere, from the network to the applications and the management OPERATIONS need visibility of the resources at different levels (app, data center, network) NETWORK is changing faster to support new applications and customers APPLICATIONS are dynamic and customer aware (profiling) Programmability: A Key Element of the Application World
  • 6.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 6 Traditional Programming and “Automation” Operations Manual / Scripted Configuration “The Network” Application Security Identity and Access Local LoadBalancing Application Performance Application Proxies Web & App Servers Network State
  • 7.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 7 Automation via Application Programming Interface (API) Operations Scripting and APIs Application Infrastructure Application Security Identity and Access Local LoadBalancing Application Performance Application Proxies Web & App Servers Automation and Orchestration Network State
  • 8.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 8 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 Growth in Web APIs Since 2005 Source: ProgrammableWeb.com
  • 9.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 9 “High performing organisations deploy code 30 times more often and 8000 times faster than their peers, deploying multiple times a day, versus an average of once a month. [...] The net results are lower business risk and more operational agility.” —2013 State of DevOps Report, Puppet Labs
  • 10.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 10 Work with vendors Leverage your vendor’s APIs Iterate You're not going get it right the first time Build frameworks Define reusable components Programming skills Invest in skills Where Do You Start Investing to See These Advantages?
  • 11.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 11 1) Invest in Programming Skills How to invest in building skills Make automation part of employee goals Carve out space and time to write code Start small and move to larger goals Investing in programming skills begins with training and perfects through using the skills on a regular basis Examples of programming skills Use languages that your vendors use and support Explore and understand samples that exist within language eco-system Write programs and have them execute against the APIs
  • 12.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 12 2) Leverage Your Vendor’s APIs How do you leverage them? Look for examples of how the APIs are created Pick the language that works best for you: REST, SOAP, Perl, Python, PS Interact with the larger community using the same APIs Vendor APIs are there to help you get the job done, if the APIs are not good enough, call them out on that fact and make them better What is a vendor API? Documented, open, and supported interface into software or hardware System that supports one or more languages System with plenty of examples, code samples, and a community
  • 13.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 13 3) Build Internal Frameworks How are they built? Take common groups of tasks and program a block of work out of them Promote and share the information Use tools such as github, wikis, or even shared documents to socialise Frameworks make unities of work reusable, shareable, and create a common set of tools that the entire organisation can benefit from What is a framework? Structures that implement units of work Frameworks encourage collaboration Frameworks are common tools, written in-house that an be reused
  • 14.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 14 4) Iterate Towards Perfection Examples of iteration Write a small piece of code and then build on it Write, test, deploy, edit, test, deploy Functional code solves a business problem Don’t try to solve all of the problems on the first go-around, your organisation will realise better ways to solve problems and the solutions will improve with time The myth of perfection Myth: You are going to get the program right the first time Myth: You will understand the problem you’re solving Myth: You need “programmers” to write code
  • 15.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 15 Network Programmability is the Place to Start Adapt your environment to take advantage Emerging Do it easily architectures Programmability in the network enables organisations to act and react, on demand, to operational and business events Public Cloud Hybrid Cloud Private Cloud Investments in network programmability pay dividends immediately DATA PLANE MANAGEMENT PLANE CONTROL PLANE
  • 16.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 16 Fluency Programmability Let the ADC Do More of the Heavy Lifting for You Functionality Scalability Scripting languages are a great start, but there’s more to programmability than the data plane
  • 17.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 17 Provision Application ServicesAutomation of device and application deployment Speed Accuracy Consistency Free up your team to work on more important tasks Deploy the architecture that you are interested in Ensure same setup and parameters every time PROBLEMS: •New applications are coming on-line, old ones are changing •Dynamic infrastructure requiring frequent setup of new ADC units
  • 18.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 18 Application Services Architecture Application Proxy Scalable resource pool delivers application services, policies, and programmable functions Data Centre Front-End Application Servers Application Proxy Back-End Application Servers Network High-Performance Services Fabric Management F5 Native Infrastructure Management DevOps Tools VXLAN NVGRE VLAN Overlay Underlay SaaS IT Ops Co-lo/Public/Hybrid-Cloud
  • 19.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 19 Provisioning Application Delivery Controllers The solutions SOAP or REST APIs work over the network to provision Programmable deployments mean every ADC is consistent Let your experts spell out the details in a program Testing has shown a reduction from 65 to 6.5 minutesin setup time for ADC with automation in place The challenges Cloud: New licensing models mean more ADCs in more places Inconsistencies: Increasing problems and troubleshooting Expertise: Not enough time to train all team members
  • 20.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 20 •Completely open architecture •Common API across all ADC modules •REST API for device to device communication •REST API for management to platform communication •Value added services Recommended API Architecture Management Platform Intelligent Management Framework ADC devices Cisco ACI VMware NSX OpenStack etc. XaaS Application Services
  • 21.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 21 Provisioning Applications The solutions Pre-built app services templates solve the settings for you Using an app template means you get the same settings every time Building your own templates allows you to bundle ADC knowledge Several hundred objects are required for a complete Microsoft Lyncdeployment, app templates reduce these to a number of questions The challenges Complexity: What are the best settings for enterprise apps? Inconsistencies: ADCs are setup with different settings In-house apps: Taking a long time to deploy
  • 22.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 22 An Easy Button Rapidly deploy popular applications with verified and supported configurations Standards Enforcement Enforce standards, reducing training and operational risk App Orchestration Standardise your unique application deployments A Single View App Manage all application components in one place An App Lifecycle Tool Manage the full lifecycle of the application Values Provided by Application Services Templates
  • 23.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 23 Dynamic Application Modification − Automate Changes React Resolve Analyse Adjust the network settings when conditions change Fix issues before they get out of hand Find out the health and performance of your apps PROBLEM: It’s taking too long to react to application environment changes
  • 24.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 24 Programmability Architecture Network [Physical • Overlay • SDN] Data Plane Scripting Programmability Virtual Edition Chassis Appliance High-performance services fabric VXLAN NVGRE VLAN App Templates Self Healing Inbound APIs Outbound APIs
  • 25.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 25 Programmability Tools Rules-based Scripts • Logical programming language • Full control of incoming or outgoing packets External APIs • Integrated REST/SOAP/XML API for ADC • Make calls from 3rd party orchestration engines Application Templates • Certified and supported templates • Cut application deployment down from weeks to minutes Internal APIs • Event driven automation and configuration • Simplify operations and troubleshooting for ADC
  • 26.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 26 Leverage Self-Solve Capabilities and Communities ADC health diagnostic tool Dev community collaboration Knowledge base Advanced diagnostics to help you optimise your system performance Collaborate and share innovations including code samples, new techniques, and other tips, with other users worldwide Product guides, release notes, solutions to known issues, how- to and hotfix information, downloads ASK FOR YOUR VENDOR'S SELF-SOLVE CAPABILITIES
  • 27.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 27 A survey found that 63% of enterprises that have implemented cloud solutions report an improvement in agility for supporting the needs of the business. 79% of enterprises implementing process automation experienced time savings, while 69% claimed improved productivity. —Redwood Software, “Manual Madness of Business Processes”
  • 28.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 28 What Does This Mean for IT? Better Alignment Reduced Costs More Innovation
  • 29.
    © F5 Networks,Inc. 29 And What Does It Mean for the Business? Improved engagement Faster to market Application ROI
  • 30.
    Solutions for anApplication World.