IxChariot Server Amazon EC2 Deployment Guide...Training:[email protected] Support:[email protected] +18185952599 EMEA IxiaEuropeLimited Part2ndfloor, ClarionHouse,NorreysDrive

IxChariot Server Amazon EC2Deployment GuideIxChariot 9.4, February 2017

IxChariot Server Amazon EC2 Deployment Guide

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Contents

Contacting Ixia 3

Creating a New IxChariot Server Instance 7

Launching an IxChariot Server Instance from AWS Marketplace 7

Launching an IxChariot Server Instance from AWS CloudFormation 12

Logging to the IxChariot Web User Interface 19

Logging via SSH to the Linux OS on the IxChariot Server Instance 20

Upgrading the IxChariot Server Instance 21

Deploying IxChariot Performance Endpoints 22

Getting Started with IxChariot 23

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Creating a New IxChariot Server InstanceWhen deployed in the Amazon cloud, an IxChariot Server runs in a virtual server known asan EC2 instance.

There are two methods used to deploy the IxChariot Server into the Amazon Cloud:

l The first method is recommended if you are familiar with the AWS EC2 interface, andyou do not want to deploy IxChariot Endpoints in AWS alongside the IxChariot Server.For more details, refer to Launching an IxChariot Server Instance from AWS Mar-ketplace.

l The second method is recommended if you are familiar with AWS CloudFormation or ifyou want to deploy IxChariot Endpoints in AWS alongside the IxChariot Server. Formore details, refer to Launching an IxChariot Server Instance from AWS CloudForm-ation.

Launching an IxChariot Server Instance from AWSMarketplaceTo create a new instance in Amazon EC2:

1. Log in to the AWS EC2 console dashboard.2. Go to the Instances menu and click Launch Instance.3. Select the AWS Marketplace page and search for the IxChariot Server AMI image.

4. Select the instance type, which is the type of EC2 virtual server that runs the applic-ation. Different types have varying hardware capabilities, such as number of CPUs andRAM. Ixia recommends that you choose an instance with at least 2 vCPUs and 4GB ofRAM, such as the t2.medium instance.

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Click Next: Configure Instance Details.5. On the Configure Instance Details page, leave everything else to the default values.

Click Next: Add Storage.6. On the Add Storage page, enable Delete on Termination and leave everything else

to the default values.

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Click Next: Tag Instance.7. Tag the instance using a meaningful name.

Click Next: Configure Security Group.8. A security group is created automatically to allow access through the AWS firewall to

the IxChariot Server instance. The security group opens the SSH, HTTP and HTTPSports, as well as a couple of ports used internally by IxChariot, such as TCP port 10117for the IxChariot Registration Server, the TCP ports 4501 and 4502 for the Ixia LicenseServer and the TCP port range 25025 – 25050 for the IxChariot internal traffic.

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By default the security group allows access to your instance from all IPaddresses (0.0.0.0/0). It is recommended that you adjust the securitygroup rules so as to allow only a specific address or range of addressesto access your instance.

Click Review and Launch.9. Finally review all settings and click Launch.10. Before the instance is created and launched, you need to create a new key pair or to

select an existing key pair. The key pair is used to connect to the instance via SSH. Inorder to create a new key pair, choose Create a new key pair and type in a name inthe key pair generation window.

After you create the new key pair, click Download Key Pair. Make sure you storethe private key in a secure place, as you will not be able to download it a second time.

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In order to use an existing key pair, select the Choose an existing key pair optionfrom the drop-down list and choose the key pair that you want to use.

11. Click Launch Instances.The Instances window is displayed. Note that the public IP assigned to the instance isalso displayed.

If you are not familiar with IxChariot, refer to Logging to the IxChariot Web User Interfaceand Getting Started with IxChariot.

As an additional optional, but recommended, configuration step you can associate yourinstance with a special type of address called Elastic IP address. For more details, refer toAssign an Elastic IP Address to the Instance.

Assign an Elastic IP Address to the InstanceThis is optional, but recommended configuration step.

To connect to the IxChariot Server, it is recommended that you use an elastic IP, instead ofthe instance public IP/hostname. The Elastic IP is a static IP which does not change whenthe AMI instance is restarted or moved.

Before you configure the Elastic IP address, make sure the IxChariot Server instance is run-ning.

1. In the Elastic IPs section click Actions > Allocate New Address.A new address is created, but it is not allocated to any instance.

2. Select the new elastic IP, and choose the Associate Address option.

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3. From the pop-up window that appears, select the recently created instance.

4. Click Associate.

Launching an IxChariot Server Instance from AWSCloudFormationBefore you start with the CloudFormation template, you must have an Amazon EC2 key pair.This key pair is required to gain SSH access to your IxChariot Server instance or Endpointinstances (if you chose to deploy some Endpoints in AWS alongside the IxChariot Server),after they are created. If you do not have a key pair, you can create one by following thesteps at http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ec2-key-pair-s.html#having-ec2-create-your-key-pair. For details on using the Key Pair to SSH to yourinstances, refer to Logging via SSH to the Linux OS on the IxChariot Server Instance.

The CloudFormation template can only be used in AWS accounts that have a default VPC cre-ated by Amazon. Only the AWS accounts created after December 4, 2013 have a defaultVPC. To validate that you have a default VPC, log in to the AWS EC2 console dashboard and

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http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ec2-key-pairs.html#having-ec2-create-your-key-pair

http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ec2-key-pairs.html#having-ec2-create-your-key-pair


check on the Account Attributes section (top-right corner of the screen) for the DefaultVPC. If you do not have a default VPC, the CloudFormation template cannot be used.

To create a new instance, follow these steps:

1. Download the CloudFormation template from http://-downloads.ixiacom.com/products/ixchariot/endpoint_library/9.4/IxChariot_Serv-er.json.

2. Go to AWS CloudFormation at https://console.aws.amazon.com/cloudformation/.3. Click Create Stack.4. On the Choose a template section, select Upload a template to Amazon S3, clickBrowse and upload the CloudFormation template. Click Next.

5. Fill in the name of the stack and set values for the rest of the parameters, as show inthe example below.

Parameter DescriptionSSH Access

Key Pair Allows you to select a key pair from the drop-down list. This para-meter is mandatory.

IxChariot Server ConfigurationInstance Type Determines what hardware resources will be available to the

IxChariot Server and how much you will be charged by Amazon.We support only instance types with at least 2 CPUs and 4 GB ofRAM. More details about the various instance types are available athttps://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types.This parameter is mandatory.

You can, optionally, deploy one or several IxChariot Endpoints in AWS, alongside theIxChariot Server. The Endpoints will automatically register to the IxChariot Server. If youchoose to do this, the following parameters are mandatory, otherwise leave them to theirdefault values.

Parameter DescriptionIxChariot Endpoint Configuration (optional)

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http://downloads.ixiacom.com/products/ixchariot/endpoint_library/9.4/IxChariot_Server.json



https://console.aws.amazon.com/cloudformation/

https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types


Parameter DescriptionNumber of Instances Allows you to select the number of IxChariot Endpoint instances

you want to create.Instance Type Determines what hardware resources will be available to the

IxChariot Endpoint and how much you will be charged by Amazon.More details about the various instance types are available athttps://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types.

Test Traffic Ports The range of TCP and UDP ports to open into the AWS firewall forthe test traffic. Enter the beginning and the end of the ports range,separated by a comma (e.g. 5000,6000).

Click Next.

6. On the Options page, leave everything to default values and click Next.

7. On the Review page, click Create.

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https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types


8. On the next page, the Events tab is automatically selected. On this tab you receive,periodically, notifications that new events are available for display. Click the link todisplay the new events.

The stack creation process can take up to several minutes to complete.

To determine if the stack is completed, check the status of the creation process. When com-pleted, the status changes as in the example shown below.

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9. When the entire stack is completed, click the Outputs tab and then, click the URL toopen the IxChariot interface.

If you are not familiar with IxChariot, refer to Logging to the IxChariot Web User Interfaceand Getting Started with IxChariot.

If you chose to create Endpoint instances, you can validate that the Endpoints are createdcorrectly and registered to the IxChariot Server by following these steps:

l Log in into IxChariot.l Select > Manage Endpoints. The newly created Endpoint is displayed on the End-

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points Manager window.

The CloudFormation template creates several AWS EC2 resources:

l For IxChariot Server:n One Instancen A Security Groupn An Elastic IP

l Optionally, for IxChariot Endpoint:n One or several Instancesn A Security Groupn A Launch Configurationn An Auto Scaling Group

If you want to delete all these resources, it is recommended to delete the stack from AWSCloudFormation.

If you chose to create Endpoint instances, the CloudFormation template creates the End-point instances as part of an Auto Scaling Group. If you are trying to manually delete an End-point instance, the Auto Scaling Group will automatically recreate the instance. This is whyit is recommended to delete the Auto Scaling Group or the entire stack from AWS CloudForm-ation.

TroubleshootingThe most common error messages displayed when working with the CloudFormation tem-plate are:

Error Message CauseParameter validation failed: parametervalue for parameter name SSHKeyPair doesnot exist. Rollback requested by user.

No Key Pair was selected. For details, referto Launching an IxChariot Server Instancefrom AWS CloudFormation.

The specified instance type can only be usedin a VPC. A subnet ID or network interfaceID is required to carry out the request.Launching EC2 instance failed.

There is no Default VPC and the CloudForm-ation template cannot be used. For moredetails, refer to Launching an IxChariotServer Instance from AWS CloudFormation.

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Error Message CauseTemplate validation error: Template error:Fn::Select cannot select nonexistent valueat index 1.

You chose to create some Endpointinstances, but you have not configured theTest Traffic Ports parameter. For moredetails, refer to Launching an IxChariotServer Instance from AWS CloudFormation.

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Logging to the IxChariot Web User InterfaceTo log in to the IxChariot Web UI, you must have an Ixia account. If you do not have an Ixiaaccount, you can create one at https://login.ixiacom.com/.

When you log in to IxChariot, use as user name the email address that you used for creatingthe Ixia account.

To license IxChariot, you also need an activation code that is provided byIxia. Please contact your Ixia representative in case you do not have anactivation code.

IMPORTANT: The first user to login will automatically become an Administrator of the sys-tem. All the other users will need their own Ixia account and will have to be granted loginaccess by an Administrator. An Administrator can add users to the system from theIxChariot web user interface by clicking Administration > Users > Add.

To login and activate the application:

1. Point your browser to the host name / public IP or the elastic IP of the instance. Browseto https://(ServerAddress).A login page is displayed.

2. Type in the user name and the password.A notice is displayed for the first login of any user. Make sure you understand the rulesand disable automatically data collection if needed.

3. Go to Administration > Licenses.The following UI is displayed:

4. Fill in the Activation Code in the Activate License(s) field and click Activate.Your application is now licensed and can be used for running tests between Per-formance Endpoints.

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https://login.ixiacom.com/


Logging via SSH to the Linux OS on the IxChariotServer InstanceWhile the basic server administration tasks can be accomplished from the web user inter-face, for advanced administration tasks you need to log in via SSH to the Linux OS runningon the IxChariot Server.

The SSH login to the Linux OS on IxChariot Server requires the private key which is part ofan AWS key pair. This key pair is associated with an AWS instance when the instance is cre-ated. For more details, refer to Launching an IxChariot Server Instance from AWS Mar-ketplace or Launching an IxChariot Server Instance from AWS CloudFormation.

When you log in via SSH use ec2-ixia as the username and the private key.

For additional information on how to connect to the IxChariot Server EC2 instance refer tothe following Amazon documents:

l Documentation for keypair management: http://-docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ec2-key-pairs.html

l Connecting from a Windows client with Putty: http://-docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/putty.html

l Connecting from a Linux client with SSH: http://-docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/AccessingInstancesLinux.html

The same information applies when logging to an IxChariot Endpoint instance deployed inAWS.

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http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ec2-key-pairs.html

http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ec2-key-pairs.html

http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/putty.html

http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/putty.html

http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/AccessingInstancesLinux.html

http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/AccessingInstancesLinux.html


Upgrading the IxChariot Server InstanceIxChariot Server checks regularly for updates and notifies you when an update is available.The update process is performed in-place and keeps all your data. For details, please referto the IxChariot User Guide, available in the IxChariot user interface ( > Help > UserGuide) and on the Ixia website in PDF format.

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Deploying IxChariot Performance EndpointsIxChariot runs networking tests between IxChariot Performance Endpoints. The Endpointscan be deployed on computers in your network, or on computers hosted in Cloud (includingOpenStack) or Public systems.

To deploy IxChariot Endpoints in AWS, the most convenient way is to deploy them along-side the IxChariot Server in one step by following the instructions at Launching an IxChariotServer Instance from AWS CloudFormation. If you want to deploy Endpoints in AWS afterthe IxChariot Server is already deployed, search for IxChariot Endpoint in AWS Marketplace.

To deploy IxChariot Endpoints in your network, you can download them for free from the fol-lowing URL: http://www.ixiacom.com/products/ixchariot/endpoint-library/platform-end-points. They are available for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android or iOS operating systems.

It is required to register the endpoints to the Registration Server hosted by the IxChariotServer. Each endpoint must be configured with the address of the Registration Server, whichis the public address of the IxChariot Server instance. It is recommended to configure theIxChariot Server instance with an Elastic IP (see Assign an Elastic IP), which is static and isconfigured to the endpoints only once.

Depending on the endpoint type, Windows, Linux, or macOS, installation is done as follows:

l Windows endpoints prompt you for the Registration Server address during installation.Windows endpoints automatically start after system reboot.

l Linux endpoints prompt you for the Registration Server address when using the.tar.gz installation method. They do not start automatically after system reboot, butautomatic start can be configured, for example, by adding the following line to the/etc/rc.local file:/usr/local/Ixia/endpoint 1>>/var/local/endpoint.console 2>&

l macOS endpoints do not prompt you for the Registration Server address during theinstallation. The Registration Server address can be configured from the end-point.ini file, by updating the REGISTRATION_SERVER_ADDRESS field, followedby the endpoint restart.

For details, including how to configure the endpoint to automatically start after systemreboot, refer to the Performance Endpoints Guide that is available on the Ixia website.

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http://www.ixiacom.com/products/ixchariot/endpoint-library/platform-endpoints

http://www.ixiacom.com/products/ixchariot/endpoint-library/platform-endpoints


Getting Started with IxChariotTo learn how to configure and run tests with IxChariot, we recommend that you consult firstthe Getting Started Guide. This guide is available in the IxChariot web user interface ( >Help > Getting Started Guide) or on the Ixia website in PDF format.

For more details, refer to the IxChariot User Guide, available in the same locations.

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Documents

IxChariot Server Amazon EC2 Deployment Guide...Training:[email protected] Support:[email protected] +18185952599 EMEA IxiaEuropeLimited Part2ndfloor, ClarionHouse,NorreysDrive