A web application might use HTTP and HTTPS in the same session. This article describes the configuration necessary to ensure that the persistency is maintained across both HTTP and HTTPS connections.

Background

The NetScaler allows us to configure persistency groups to accommodate exactly such a need. A practical example of this might be a shopping cart where items are browsed over HTTP, but purchased over HTTPS. If persistency were not maintained, it is possible the shopping cart might be lost, the user logged out, or other adverse actions. By using persistency groups, the HTTP and HTTPS virtual servers are grouped together into one persistent entity.

Instructions

Complete the following steps to configure persistency groups on NetScaler:

From NetScaler GUI:

1. Click and expand the Load Balancing node.

2. Click Persistency Groups.

3. Click Add.

4. Populate the Group Name field.

5. Choose between COOKIEINSERT, SOURCEIP or RULE from the Persistence drop-down and configure a Timeout value.

6. Choose a Backup Persistence method if desired.

7. Select the virtual servers to be grouped from the Available Virtual Servers list.

8. Click Add to move the virtual servers from the available list to the configured list.

From NetScaler CLI:

Issue the following commands:
bind lb group <name of group> <vserver 1>
bind lb group <name of group> <vserver 2>
set lb group <name of group> -persistenceType <persistence method> -persistenceBackup <backup persistence method>

Note: One of the requirements for Persistency Groups is that all the LB vservers should be bound to the same set of backend servers.