Basic Administration for Citrix NetScaler 9.2 1Y0-A21 Exam

Transcription

1 Basic Administration for Citrix NetScaler 9.2 1Y0-A21 Exam Preparation Guide September 2010 Citrix Education 2009 Citrix Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

2 Notice Citrix Systems, Inc. (Citrix) makes no representations or warranties with respect to the content or use of this publication. Citrix specifically disclaims any expressed or implied warranties, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. Citrix reserves the right to make any changes in specifications and other information contained in this publication without prior notice and without obligation to notify any person or entity of such revisions or changes. Copyright 2010 Citrix Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval systems, for any purpose other than the purchaser s personal use, without express written permission of: Citrix Systems, Inc. 851 W. Cypress Creek Road Ft. Lauderdale, FL Marks The following marks are service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners in the United States and other countries. Mark Active Directory, Microsoft, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Windows AppCache, AppCompress, Citrix, Citrix Certified Administrator, EdgeSight, ICA, MetaFrame, NetScaler, Program Neighborhood, SpeedScreen, MyCitrix Apache Java, Solaris, StarOffice Linux PuTTY UNIX Chrome Owner Microsoft Corporation Citrix Systems, Inc. Apache Micro Peripherals, Inc. Sun Microsystems, Inc. Linus Torvalds Simon Tatham, Open Source Certified The Open Group Google Inc. Citrix Education 2009 Citrix Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

3 Disclaimer This exam preparation guide is designed to allow you to assess the types of questions that may be asked during the subject Citrix certification exam. Please be aware that the content of this guide in no way ensures a passing score on the certification exam. Author Item Development Team Alejandra Amador Garcia, Senior Measurement Specialist, Citrix Systems, Inc. Orlando Martinez, Senior Courseware Developer, Citrix Systems, Inc. Alejandra Amador Garcia, Senior Measurement Specialist, Citrix Systems, Inc. Subject Matter Experts Lokaraju Pedapalli, Senior Escalation Engineer Victor Vergara, Principal Technical Support Engineer Maribea Berry, Sr. Support Readiness Manager Mario Remirez Technical Lead, Americas Support Michael Dean, Escalation Engineer, Networking Product Group (NPG) Citrix Education 2009 Citrix Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

4 Table of Contents 1 The Exam Purpose of Exam Beta Testing an Exam Number of Questions Passing Score Time Limit Registration and Administration Registering with Pearson VUE Certification Tracks Citrix Exam Retake Policies Commenting During Live Exam The Intended Audience... 4 Intended Audience Preparatory Recommendations for the Exam Introduction Recommended Knowledge and Skills Recommended Product Experience Recommended Course Exam Sections and Weights Introduction Section Titles and Weights How Section Weights Relate to Questions on the Exam Exam Objectives and Resources for the Exam Introduction Resources Used to Develop the Exam How Objectives Relate to Questions on the Exam Exam Objectives Appendix: Practice Citrix Education 2009 Citrix Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

5 1 The Exam 1.1 Purpose of Exam 1.2 Beta Testing an Exam This document provides a list of exam objectives for the Basic Administration for Citrix NetScaler 9.2 (A21) and a list of resources that will help prepare exam-takers for items associated with these objectives. This document outlines, at a high level, topics that are covered in the exam and instruction on how to obtain information about these topics. Examtakers should read this document carefully before preparing for the exam. This exam certifies that successful exam-takers have the knowledge and skills necessary to install, administer and support a NetScaler 9.2 implementation in a network environment. Once all the questions are developed for an exam, it is offered at no charge as a beta to individuals that have expressed interested in obtaining the certification. A minimum of 60 exam-takers take the beta exam and complete a survey. A professional analyzes the exam and surveys in order to determine which questions will be kept in the final versions of the exam; the psychometric analysis referred to as a post-beta analysis also results in a recommended passing score range and the timing for the exam. If, after the analysis is complete and the passing score is determined, an exam-taker gets a passing score on the beta exam, it will count towards their certification. Exam-takers are allowed to take any particular beta exam only once. The Basic Administration for Citrix NetScaler 9.2 (A21) exam was betatested from 07/16/2010 to 08/23/2010. If you are interested in participating in future beta exams, please us at training@citrix.com to be added to the beta exam mailing list. 1.3 Number of Questions The A21 exam is a 58-question exam written in English. 1.4 Passing Score The passing score for this exam is 62%. 1.5 Time Limit Native English speakers have 75 minutes to complete the exam. Nonnative English speakers who take the exam in English have 105 minutes to complete the exam. 2

6 Non-native English speakers must explicitly ask for the time extension when registering for the exam in English. Exam-takers should verify the specific process with the test provider. 1.6 Registration and Administration This exam is administered through Pearson VUE. For details on the rules and procedures associated with registering for and taking the exam, please visit the Citrix Education page at Registering with Pearson VUE In the United States and Canada, call Worldwide, visit the Pearson VUE website ( to locate a testing center in your area and register for an exam with Pearson VUE. 1.8 Certification Tracks Currently, the A21 exam is the only qualification for obtaining the Citrix NetScaler 9 Citrix Certified Administrator (CCA) track. This exam may also be a requirement for advanced certification tracks. For the most up-to-date certification information visit Citrix Exam Retake Policies If an exam-taker fails an exam on the first attempt, he or she must wait 24 hours from their original appointment time before they can register to retake the exam. If an exam-taker fails on a second attempt, and any attempt thereafter, he or she must wait 14 days after a failed attempt to retake the exam. Beta exams may only be taken once. Citrix Education monitors retake activity for breaches of this policy. Breach of this policy can result in sanctions up to and including temporary ban from taking Citrix exams and/or decertification Commenting During Live Exam Citrix Education is committed to continually monitoring and updating our exams as needed. As a practice, Citrix Education regularly reviews and refreshes exams and exam questions even after the beta exam period is over. Comments made by exam-takers during beta and live exams are used as anecdotal feedback and considered by the Citrix Exam Development team when making decisions about the exam and specific exam questions. 3

7 2 The Intended Audience Intended Audience The A21 exam is a rigorous examination of subjects that are critical to an administrator s role as defined by Citrix Systems subject matter experts. This role includes, but is not limited to: Network Administrators Network Engineers Security Administrators Systems Engineers Citrix PARTNERS Citrix Certified Instructors (CCIs) 4

8 3 Preparatory Recommendations for the Exam 3.1 Introduction It is recommended that exam-takers have the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to install, administer and support Citrix NetScaler 9.2 prior to taking this exam. 3.2 Recommended Knowledge and Skills Exam-takers should have the following knowledge and skills prior to taking this exam: Intermediate knowledge of TCP/IP,HTTP protocols, and an understanding of the OSI model Experience with network devices (e.g. routers, switches), various networking protocols, and aspects of application and site architecture (e.g. DMZ, vlans) Moderate exposure to UNIX (particularly BSD variants) Exposure to basic systems administration concepts, including logging, software upgrade procedures and high availability operations Familiarity with web server software Basic knowledge of DNS, SSL, and compression concepts Understanding of concepts related to server load balancing and content switching Knowledge of network security threats and site protection concepts (e.g. firewalls, worms, DDoS attacks) 3.3 Recommended Product Experience It is also recommended that exam-takers have at least six months of experience with the following: 1. Planning the network deployment and architecture 2. Installing and configuring Citrix NetScaler 3. Managing and Securing Traffic 4. Basic Auditing and Monitoring 5. Basic troubleshooting skills including but not limited to verification, dump logs, and running tech support function 6. Configuring High Availability 3.4 Recommended Course For optimal performance on this exam, Citrix Education recommends that exam-takers attend or self-study the CNS Basic Administration for Citrix NetScaler 9.2 course and obtain field experience if possible. As with all Citrix exams, it is recommended that exam-takers obtain field experience working directly with the product. 5

9 4 Exam Sections and Weights 4.1 Introduction The Basic Administration for Citrix NetScaler 9.2 exam (1Y0-A21) is divided into ten (10) sections. Each section of the exam is weighted as follows, totaling 100%. 4.2 Section Titles and Weights Section Weight Planning the Network Deployment and Architecture 22.4% Initial Configuration and Installation 24.1% Managing and Securing NetScaler 27.6% Auditing and Monitoring 10.4% Configuring High Availability 6.9% Basic Troubleshooting 8.6% Total 100% 4.3 How Section Weights Relate to Questions on the Exam Section weights correlate directly to the number of questions on the exam. For example, if an exam has 60 questions, and section 1 is weighted as 50%, then 30 of the questions on the exam will relate to section 1 (60*50% = 30). Section weights are NOT used to calculate an exam-taker s score. Section weights are meant to indicate the percentage of the exam that covers certain content. Because some questions may have different point values assigned to them, section weights and exam scores do not always have a one to one correlation. 6

10 5 Exam Objectives and Resources for the Exam 5.1 Introduction The items for the exam were developed directly from the exam objectives. The exam objectives are used to test exam-takers knowledge, skills and abilities related to each section of the exam. Some of the exam objectives will correspond, or map, to field experience. Examtakers should have at least six months of experience with implementations of Citrix NetScaler 9.2 to increase their likelihood of passing this exam. For optimal performance on this exam, Citrix recommends that exam-takers attend the CNS Basic Administration for Citrix NetScaler 9.2 course and obtain field experience. 5.2 Resources Used to Develop the Exam The following resources were used to develop this exam: Resource CNS Basic Administration for Citrix NetScaler 9.2 How to Obtain This course is available at Citrix Authorized Learning Centers (CALCs) worldwide. To find the CALC nearest you, please visit: m * This course is available as a Self-Paced Online course worldwide. To register for this course, please visit: Citrix edocs Library st.cfm/ The Citrix edocs Library can be found here: In addition, the Citrix NetScaler 9.2 product was used for hands-on experience in developing items for the exam. *Links are subject to change 7

11 5.3 How Objectives Relate to Questions on the Exam Objectives summarize what the test is designed to measure. Objectives are developed by Exam Developers and SMEs based on identified tasks that relate to the job of administering a Citrix NetScaler 9.2 Enterprise Edition implementation. 5.4 Exam Objectives For all sections, some hands-on experience administering a Citrix NetScaler 9.2 Enterprise Edition implementation is recommended. Note: Field experience is considered technical and practical experience with Citrix NetScaler 9.2 Enterprise Edition in a pilot or production environment. Hands-on experience is considered technical or practical experience with Citrix NetScaler 9.2 Enterprise Edition in a lab or proofof-concept (POC) environment. Section Objectives Resources Used Planning the Given a description of a network CNS Basic Network environment, identify the DNS Administration for Deployment and needs. Citrix NetScaler 9.2 Architecture Given a description of an network Citrix edocs Library environment, identify the GSLB CTX needs. CTX Given a description of a network environment, determine whether an RNAT configuration is necessary in this environment and which devices need RNAT configuration. Given a description of a network environment, determine the IP addressing needs. Given a description of a network environment, determine the VLAN configuration and differentiate between VLAN types on the NetScaler. Given a description of a network environment and or a set of needs including routing/forwarding needs, determine the routing requirements. Given a description of a network environment and/or a list of requirements, determine the steps needed to correctly identify the appropriate migration plan including new features. Based on through put or redundancy requirements, determine when link aggregation 8

12 should be used. Given a description of the network environment monitoring and management needs, determine the necessary SNMP configuration. Given a description of a network environment, determine whether to leverage multiplexing. Given a description of a network environment, determine when and how to set up link load balancing. Initial Configuration and Installation Given a list of steps, select the correct step(s) and/or their order to specify the system IP address and NSIPs in either the GUI or the CLI. Given a scenario, determine whether the default router should be defined, and how it should be defined in the CLI or in the GUI. Given a list of steps, select the correct step(s) and/or their order to specify MIPs and SNIPs in either the GUI or the CLI. Given a list of steps, select the correct step(s) to set and/or change nsroot password in either the GUI or the CLI. Based on a given scenario, determine how or whether to configure an HA monitor including whether to disable unnecessary interfaces. Given a description of an environment, decide how to set a node for HA and/or how to configure HA. Given a scenario, determine how to use SSL offload. Given a scenario, determine how to implement policies through AppExpert. Given a scenario, determine how to configure responder, rewrite or URL transformation for a NetScaler deployment. Given a scenario, determine how to leverage and configure application templates. Given a scenario that describes the needs of an environment, determine how to leverage caching and/or compression. CNS Basic Administration for Citrix NetScaler 9.2 Citrix edocs Library Hands-on experience CTX Managing and Based on a scenario, determine CNS Basic 9

13 Securing NetScaler Managing and Securing NetScaler continued Auditing and Monitoring how to create servers and/or configure services by Name or IPbased services and type. Based on a requirement, determine which advanced options to configure and/or how to configure them. Given a set of requirements, determine what needs to be customized in the custom monitors created to meet those requirements. Given a description of service dependencies in an environment, determine how to configure monitoring to accurately reflect the dependencies. Given a set of requirements for an environments, select a particular load balancing method to meet the needs of the environment. Based on a scenario, determine which advanced options to configure for an LB server to meet the needs of the scenario. Based on a scenario, decide the type of vserver needed for the type of SSL traffic. Given a scenario and a list of steps, determine the correct step(s) and order to add/configure compression policies. Given a required action, determine the correct expression; or given an unary or named expression, determine the resultant action. Given a scenario, determine how to bind/associate the actions to policies in order to meet the needs of the scenario. Given a set of requirements, determine when to define a Content Switching vserver and/or the necessary steps and/or order to correctly define a Content Switching vserver. Given a scenario, determine how to configure and leverage content switching. Given a scenario, determine whether ACLs are needed for the network environment and how to configure the ACLs within NetScaler. Given specific environmental requirements, determine how to configure health checks to meet Administration for Citrix NetScaler 9.2 Citrix edocs Library Hands-on experience CNS Basic Administration for Citrix NetScaler

14 Auditing and Monitoring continued Configuring High Availability (HA) Basic Troubleshooting the needs of the environment. Given a set of requirements, identify what information to get from the Dashboard to meet those requirements. Based on a scenario, determine how to configure SNMP traps and alarms to meet the needs of the environment. Based on HA requirements, determine if HA is need and how to implement it including node type. Given a description of actions taken or an environment, identify which network events would or would not cause a failover. Given a scenario determine what could be an issue. Given a scenario, determine which step or steps are necessary to find out which issue exists. Determine which log to run or information to collect based on a specified issue or scenario. Given a scenario describing HA issues within a NetScaler deployment, determine which steps an administrator should take to troubleshoot/correct the issues. Citrix edocs Library Hands-on experience CNS Basic Administration for Citrix NetScaler 9.2 Citrix edocs Library Hands-on experience CNS Basic Administration for Citrix NetScaler 9.2 Citrix edocs Library Hands-on experience CTX CTX CTX

15 6 Appendix: Practice Question 1 An administrator must configure GSLB for the domain gslb.company.com. Which type of GSLB configuration would allow the administrator to provide GSLB functionality only for the specified domain? A. ADNS B. DNS proxy C. End resolver D. CNAME records Answer: A Objective: Given a description of a network environment, identify the DNS needs. Question 2 Scenario: An administrator needs to change the nsroot password every three months to comply with the organization's security requirements. However, the administrator has lost the current password and now needs to reset it. Which three steps must the administrator take to reset the nsroot password? (Choose three.) A. Mount the /var partition. B. Mount the /flash partition. C. Boot the NetScaler into single user mode. D. Remove the line referencing the nsroot user password. E. Run the add system nsroot password command from the command line interface. Answer: B,C & D Objective: Given a list of steps, select the correct step(s) to set and/or change nsroot password in either the GUI or the CLI. 12

16 Question 3 Which advanced service option should an administrator configure so that a server that is serving slow clients can be off-loaded faster? A. Max Client B. Max Request C. TCP Buffering D. Client IP header insertion Answer: C Objective: Based on a requirement, determine which advanced options to configure and/or how to configure them. Question 4 Which should an administrator select to configure a health check for firewalls that are load balanced by NetScaler? A. Inline B. Secure C. Reverse D. Transparent Answer: D Objective: Given specific environmental requirements, determine how to configure health checks to meet the needs of the environment Question 5 Scenario: An administrator configured a NetScaler in an HA pair. The administrator attempted to test failover by unplugging the cable from interface 1/1 from the primary NetScaler. However, this did NOT trigger a failover. Why did a failover NOT occur in this scenario? A. Propagation is disabled on interface 1/1. B. HA monitoring is disabled on interface 1/1. C. Synchronization is disabled on interface 1/1. D. Fail safe option is not enabled on interface 1/1. Answer: B Objective: Given a description of actions taken or an environment, identify which network events would or would not trigger a failover. 13

17 Question 6 Scenario: A customer has decided to use the Integrated Caching (IC) feature on the NetScaler system and enables the feature. Once the NetScaler setup is complete, the customer asks his users to connect to the site in order to test the system. After completing the testing, the customer checks to see how many objects were cached but finds absolutely no objects cached. Which two are possible causes of the issue described in the scenario? (Choose two.) A. The IC feature has not been licensed. B. The site only has plain text and.jpg files. C. The web site is sending NOCACHE headers. D. Memory usage limit for caching has not been set. Answer: C&D Objective: Given a scenario determine what could be an issue 14