Citrix Application Delivery Controller (ADC)
BMC Helix Discovery supports the following types of Citrix Load Balancers (ADC):
- MPX — Hardware-based application delivery appliances.
- SDX — Hardware-based appliances with advanced virtualization to consolidate up to 115 independently-managed Citrix ADC instances.
- VPX — Virtual-based application delivery appliances.
This document outlines the NetScalerVPX_LoadBalancer pattern, which constructs the Discovery Load Balancer model. It retrieves details about configured Virtual Servers, Services, and Service Groups from the NetScaler ADC using REST API as the primary method or SNMP as a fallback. Any configuration no longer reported is removed from the model.
- Load Balancer Model
- REST API configuration
- Supported virtual server types
- Supported virtual server states
- Supported protocol types
- Supported device HA mode
- Supported device HA state
- Modeled Load Balancer Components
- Known limitations
Load Balancer Model
Citrix NetScaler ADC uses the following conceptual model:
- Virtual Server (n) - (n) Service Group (n) - (n) Server
- Virtual Server (n) - (n) Service (n) - (1) Server
A Virtual Server is modeled as a Load Balancer Service.
A Service and a Server are modeled as a Load Balancer Pool and a Load Balancer Member.
A Service Group and Servers are modeled as a Load Balancer Pool and Load Balancer Members.
For Citrix NetScaler hardware-based appliances that can run virtual instance pattern creates corresponding Virtual Machines and links these VMs to virtual Network Devices:
A NetScaler appliance can be partitioned into logical entities called admin partitions, where each partition can be configured and used as a separate NetScaler appliance.
VPX policies and actions are supported in order to create proper relationships between Load Balancer Services and Pools.
REST API configuration
The following API endpoints are used during discovery of the Citrix NetScaler ADC:
Method | URI | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
POST | /nitro/v1/config/login | Get login token |
POST | /nitro/v1/config/logout | Close the session |
POST | /nitro/v1/config/nspartition | Switch to non-default partition (if any) |
GET | /nitro/v1/config/nsversion | Get Netscaler SW version |
GET | /nitro/v1/config/csaction | Get content switching (CS) actions |
GET | /nitro/v1/config/cspolicy | Get content switching (CS) policies |
GET | /nitro/v1/config/nspartition | Get partitions |
GET | /nitro/v1/config/lbvserver | Get Load Balancer Service configuration |
GET | /nitro/v1/config/csvserver | Get Load Balancer Service configuration for Content Switching |
GET | /nitro/v1/config/service | Get Load Balancer Pool configuration |
GET | /nitro/v1/config/servicegroup | Get Load Balancer Pool configuration |
GET | /nitro/v1/config/servicegroup_servicegroupmember_binding | Get Load Balancer Member configuration |
GET | /nitro/v1/config/lbvserver_binding | Get links between Service and Pool, Load Balancer Member configuration |
In order to get information using REST API calls user with read-only command policy configured is required.
Supported virtual server types
- unknown
- loadbalancing
- loadbalancinggroup
- sslvpn
- contentswitching
- cacheredirection
Supported virtual server states
- down
- unknown
- busy
- outOfService
- transitionToOutOfService
- up
- transitionToOutOfServiceDown
Supported protocol types
- http
- ftp
- tcp
- udp
- sslBridge
- monitor
- monitorUdp
- nntp
- httpserver
- httpclient
- rpcserver
- rpcclient
- nat
- any
- ssl
- dns
- adns
- snmp
- ha
- monitorPing
- sslOtherTcp
- aaa
- secureMonitor
- sslvpnUdp
- rip
- dnsClient
- rpcServer
- rpcClient
- dhcrpa
- sipudp
- dnstcp
- adnstcp
- rtsp
- push
- sslPush
- dhcpClient
- radius
- rdp
- mysql
- mssql
- diameter
- sslDiameter
- tftp
- serviceUnknown
Supported device HA mode
- Standalone
- Primary
- Secondary
- Unknown
Supported device HA state
- Unknown
- Init
- Down
- Up
- PartialFail
- MonitorFail
- MonitorOk
- CompleteFail
- Dumb
- Disabled
- PartialFailSSL
- RouteMonitorFail
Modeled Load Balancer Components
Load Balancer Instance
The pattern creates a Load Balancer Instance with the attributes displayed below.
Attributes | Value |
|---|---|
key | A hash of the device key and load balancer type. |
type | A load balancer type. |
name | A %LB_TYPE% on %device.name%. |
version | A version of the device OS. |
failover_type | A failover type used on the device. |
failover_state | A failover state reported by the device. |
__failover_group | No sample. |
__failover_paired_ipaddr | No sample. |
The pattern models a network service relationship between the device and the Load Balancer Instance.
Load Balancer Service
The pattern creates a Load Balancer Service with the attributes displayed below.
Attributes | Value |
|---|---|
key | A hash of the instance key, virtual server name, ip address, and port. |
name | A virtual server name. |
ip_addr | A virtual server IP address. |
port | A virtual server port. |
type | A virtual server type. |
protocol | A virtual server protocol type. |
state | A virtual server state. |
dns_names | A dns name of a virtual server IP address. |
_config_hash | Contains a hash of the virtual server name, IP address, port, type,protocol, and state. |
The pattern models a containment relationship between the Load Balancer Instance and a Load Balancer Service.
The pattern also models a containment relationship between the Load Balancer Service and a Load Balancer Pool.
Load Balancer Pool
The pattern creates a Load Balancer Pool with the attributes displayed below.
Attributes | Value |
|---|---|
key | A hash of the instance key and pool name. |
name | A pool name. |
protocol | A protocol used. |
_config_hash | Contains a hash of the pool name, and protocol. |
The pattern models a containment relationship between the Load Balancer Instance and a Load Balancer Pool.
Load Balancer Member
The pattern creates a Load Balancer Member for every server and populates the attributes displayed below.
Attributes | Value |
|---|---|
key | A hash of the instance key, IP address and port of the real server. |
ip_addr | A server IP address. |
port | A server port. |
name | A pair of server IP address and port. |
_config_hash | Contains a hash of the server ip address, port, and type. |
The pattern models a containment relationship between the Load Balancer Pool and a Load Balancer Member.
Virtual Machine
The pattern creates a Virtual Machine for every virtual instances and populates the attributes displayed below.
Attributes | Value |
|---|---|
key | A hash of the instance uuid, physical device key. |
name | Virtual Machine name |
short_name | Virtual Machine short name |
type | "Citrix XenServer" |
vm_type | "XenServer" |
vm_name | Virtual Load Balancer name |
vm_uuid | Virtual Machine UUID |
version | XenServer version |
vm_guest_os | Virtual Load Balancer OS |
product_version | XenServer product version |
edition | XenServer edition |
buid | XenServer build |
state | Virtual Machine state |
The pattern models a relationships between the Virtual Machine and physical, virtual Load Balancer.
Known limitations
- VPX "expression based" content switch actions are not supported.