Firefly WAAS v4 Proof of Concept Testing Services (F-WAAS-v4POC)
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Firefly ProServices Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) Proof of Concept Testing Service is built around our Cisco® WAAS v4 training. This service is offered in a (3) three or (5) five day package.

What's included
Firefly will provide Proof of Concept Testing of Cisco WAAS features and functionality within a controlled environment, Test Plan collaboration, Test Lab setup, POC training, Test Execution, and results and documentation.

Service deliverables
Mandatory POC Requirements
  • Cisco or Customer must supply POC equipment.
  • Firefly will supply a Test Plan for Cisco WAAS.
  • Deviation from Test Plan must be agreed on before start of the project.
Test Lab Setup
  • Set up the hardware and software required to execute the test.
  • Document and communicate any changes to the proposed test bed.
  • Propose modifications to the test lab setup based on information gathered during the setup phase.
  • Provide guidance and recommendations on tool usage such as traffic generators, simulators, scripting and data collection along with lab design support and management.
Lab Topology
WAAS is deployed on the Cisco Wide Area Application Engine (WAE) appliances. The general deployment configuration is shown here. A minimum of 3 WAEs are needed:
  • One Central Manager (two can be configured in an active/standby pair)
  • One or more Application Accelerators at the data center (two are recommended)
  • One or more Application Accelerators in each of the remote branch offices
 Test Plan Collaboration
  • Review the provided WAAS 4 Test Plan with customer and obtain customer approval.
  • Communicate with the customer to gather data.
  • Provide direction and feedback regarding the detailed Test Plan related to the availability and use of test tools and equipment (network, servers, or test equipment).
  • Collaborate with customer to identify issues that may affect the setup and execution of Test Plan.
  • Communicate Test Plan modifications throughout the duration of the testing project as they arise.
  • Schedule the Test Plan setup and execution, being mindful of desired timelines and availability of equipment, tools, software and required personnel.
Test Execution and Results
  • Document and communicate any changes to the Test Plan.
  • Propose modifications to the test plan, test methodology and/or test execution based upon information gathered during the test execution.
  • Provide updates during test plan execution.
  • Address with customer any issues identified during testing.
  • Review test results and provide report with recommendations.
Required Equipment and Setup
  • Windows Active Directory services, including user accounts and security.
  • Windows server or network-attached storage (NAS) device, with file, web, and FTP services enabled.
  • Two (2) switches/routers with WCCPv2 or PBR capabilities (e.g. Cisco ISRs, Catalyst 3750, 4500, 6500).
  • One WAE acting as a Central Manager, deployed in the simulated data center.
  • One WAE acting as a Core WAE in the simulated data center, deployed near the servers or NAS.
  • One WAE acting as an Edge WAE, deployed in the simulated branch office.
  • A test client (e.g. a Win2K or XP client). At minimum this client must have installed Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint (along with any other applications that you wish to test).
  • A WAN emulation system such as NISTnet that is capable of both restricting bandwidth and inducing delay. NISTnet is available for download from Cisco Connection Online (CCO). This device should be deployed between the branch locations and the data center to simulate a wide area network.
  • A list of common WAN conditions for branch offices, including bandwidth, latency, and average packet loss.
POC training
The customer IT team (up to 6 staff members) will learn how to design a basic WAAS deployment and configure WAE devices.

Who Should Attend
This course is designed for server, NAS, and WAN architects.

Learning Objectives
  • Explain the concepts behind WAAS TCP optimizations and application acceleration technologies.
  • Design a basic WAAS configuration.
  • Configure traffic interception and redirection.
  • Optimize traffic flows using Transport Flow Optimizations (TFO), compression, and Application Traffic Policies (ATP).
  • Implement and optimize file and print services.
  • Monitor and troubleshoot a WAAS deployment.
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