ICP Hierarchy Setup

Figure 43 provides a visual map for the information in this section.

NOTE:  The letters in Figure 43 are referenced in the table that follows. The addresses shown are for illustration purposes only. You will need to substitute actual addresses for your network.

Figure 43

To Do This Notes

Ensure your basic network configuration is complete for each appliance in the ICP hierarchy
  1. See Configuring the Excelerator Appliance.

Configure all appliances that will receive and process requests from other members of the hierarchy as ICP servers
  1. In the browser-based tool, click Hierarchy > ICP/CERN Configuration.
  2. Check Enable ICP Server.
  3. Make sure each appliance is also configured as a forward proxy server. See Forward Proxy Setup.
  4. Click Apply.

See A in Figure 43.

For more information on ICP server options, see ICP/CERN Configuration Tab.

Configure all appliances that will request and receive data through the hierarchy as ICP/CERN clients
  1. In the browser-based tool, click Hierarchy > ICP/CERN Configuration.
  2. Check Enable ICP/CERN Client.
  3. Click Apply.

See B in Figure 43.

For more information on ICP/CERN client options, see ICP/CERN Configuration Tab.

Designate one or more ICP peers for the appliance
  1. In the ICP/CERN Configuration tab, click ICP Peer.
  2. In the Hostname field, enter the numeric IP address or DNS name of a proxy server that you want to serve as an ICP peer for the appliance.
  3. In the HTTP Proxy Port field, enter the port number that the peer will receive and transmit data on.
  4. In the ICP Port field, enter the port number that members of the hierarchy will communicate on. (The default is 3130.)
  5. Click Apply.

See C in Figure 43.

As you define peers and parents for the appliance, you are building the ICP hierarchy.

Having ICP peers is optional. An appliance could have only ICP parents.

For more information, see ICP Peer Dialog Box.

Designate one or more ICP parents for the appliance
  1. In the ICP/CERN Configuration tab, click ICP Parent.
  2. In the Hostname field, enter the numeric IP address or DNS name of a proxy server that you want to serve as an ICP parent for the appliance.
  3. In the HTTP Proxy Port field, enter the port number that the parent will receive and transmit data on.
  4. In the ICP Port field, enter the port number that members of the hierarchy will communicate on. (The default is 3130.)
  5. In the Priority field, enter a priority for the parent.
  6. Click Apply.

See D in Figure 43.

Having ICP parents is optional. An appliance could have only ICP peers.

If an appliance has only ICP peers and a request can't be filled by its peers, the appliance will go directly to the origin Web server to get the objects (which it would then share with the hierarchy on future requests).

For more information, see ICP Parent Dialog Box.