Dell SonicWALL User Manual
WXA 1.3
User’s Guide
| 1
Notes, Cautions, and Warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your system.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates potential damage to hardware or loss of data if instructions
are not followed.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.
© 2014 Dell Inc.
Trademarks: Dell™, the DELL logo, SonicWALL™, and all other SonicWALL product and service names and
slogans are trademarks of Dell Inc.
2014 – 02 P/N 232-002401-00 Rev. A
2 | Dell SonicWALL WXA 1.3 User’s Guide
Table of Contents
Part: Introduction
Chapter 1 Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
About this Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Organization of this Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Guide Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Dell SonicWALL Technical Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
More Information on Dell SonicWALL Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Current Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Chapter 2 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
What is WAN Acceleration? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
New Features in WXA 1.3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Key Features in WXA 1.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Deployment Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Deployment Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Supported Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
WXA Series Appliance Management Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Part: Status
Chapter 3 Viewing Status Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
WAN Acceleration > Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Status Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Settings Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Chapter 4 Configuring the WXA Series Appliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Configuring Network Interfaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Part: TCP Acceleration
Chapter 5 Viewing the TCP Acceleration Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
WAN Acceleration > TCP Acceleration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Configuration Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Statistics Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Statistics Breakdown Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Connections Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Chapter 6 Configuring TCP Acceleration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
WAN Acceleration > TCP Acceleration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Configuring TCP Acceleration on a Site-to-Site VPN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Configuring TCP Acceleration on a Non-VPN (Routed Mode) . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Table of Contents | 3
Configuring the TCP Acceleration > Configuration Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Verifying the TCP Acceleration Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Part: WFS Acceleration
Chapter 7 Viewing the WFS Acceleration Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
WAN Acceleration > WFS Acceleration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
WFS Acceleration Page Using Unsigned SMB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
WFS Acceleration Page Using Signed SMB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Chapter 8 Configuring WFS Acceleration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
WAN Acceleration > WFS Acceleration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Configuring WFS Acceleration Using Unsigned SMB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
Configuring WFS Acceleration Using Signed SMB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
Verifying the WFS Acceleration Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Part: Web Cache
Chapter 9 Viewing the Web Cache Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
WAN Acceleration > Web Cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Status Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
Statistics Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
Tools Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Chapter 10 Configuring the Web Cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
WAN Acceleration > Web Cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Configuring the Web Cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
Verifying Web Cache Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
Diagnosing and Testing Performance of the Web Cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Part: System
Chapter 11 Viewing the System Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
WAN Acceleration > System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
System Status Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
Interface Status Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
Management Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Settings Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
Firmware Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
Part: Log
Chapter 12 Viewing the Log Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
WAN Acceleration > Log. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
Part: Appendices
Appendix A: Configuring the WXA to the Domain Without Using the WXA Management Interface153
Automatically Joining the Domain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
4 | Dell SonicWALL WXA 1.3 User’s Guide
Configuring Custom Zones for WXA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156
Configuring Reverse Lookup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
Manually Adding SPN Hostnames in DNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158
Appendix B: Configuring the NetExtender WAN Acceleration Client . . . . . . . 159
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
Requirements / Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
Deployment Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
Enabling WXAC on the Central Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
Configuring WXAC on a Remote PC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164
Table of Contents | 5
6 | Dell SonicWALL WXA 1.3 User’s Guide
Introduction
| 7
8 | Dell SonicWALL WXA 1.3 User’s Guide
About this Guide
Welcome to the WXA 1.3 User’s Guide. This manual provides the information you need to
successfully activate, configure, and administer a WXA series appliance.
Note Always check http://www.sonicwall.com/us/support.html for the latest version of this manual
as well as other Dell SonicWALL products and services documentation.
Organization of this Guide
The WXA 1.3 User’s Guide organization is structured into the following parts that parallel the
WAN Acceleration Web Management Interface. Within these parts, individual chapters
correspond to the Dell SonicWALL WXA series appliance management interface layout.
Chapter 1
Preface
Part 1 Introduction
Provides an overview of new Dell SonicWALL WXA series appliance features, guide
conventions, support information, and an overview of the WXA series appliance management
interface.
Part 2 Status
An overview of the Status page, providing a dashboard view of the System Information, TCP
Acceleration, WFS Acceleration, and Web Cache of your Dell SonicWALL WXA series
appliance.
Part 3 TCP Acceleration
Details the TCP Acceleration page, providing options to configure and monitor the TCP
Acceleration service. This section details the functions of the Configuration, St atistics, S tatistics
breakdown, and Connections tabs.
Preface | 9
Part 4 WFS Acceleration
Covers the management interface functions and configuration procedures for the WFS
Acceleration page. The WFS Acceleration service can be configured to use Unsigned and/or
Signed SMB. Unsigned SMB is used for networks that do not require traffic signing. Signed
SMB is used for networks that require traffic signing for security reasons, and provides two
configuration modes for the WFS Acceleration service: Basic or Advanced. The Basic
configuration mode provides basic WFS Acceleration configuration options for a quick and easy
deployment of the WFS Acceleration feature. The Advanced configuration mode provides
detailed WFS Acceleration configuration options for the domain details and file shares.
Part 5 Web Cache
Covers the management interface functions and configuration procedures for the Web Cache
page. Configure, monitor , and diagnose the Web Cache feature using the S tatus, S tatistics, and
Tools tabs.
Part 6 System
Details the System page, describing the management interface functions and configurations
procedures for the System Stat us, Interface S t atus, Management, Settings, and Firmware tabs.
Part 7 Log
Covers the Log page, which displays a detailed list of the Dell SonicWALL WXA series
appliance’s log event messages. This page has multiple options to customize how log event
messages are viewed.
Part 8 Appendices
This part contains appendices for configuring the WXA series appliance to join the domain
without using the WAN Acceleration management interface, and for configuring the
NetExtender WAN Acceleration Client (WXAC).
10 | Dell SonicWALL WXA 1.3 User’s Guide
Guide Conventions
The following conventions used in this guide are as follows:
Convention Use
Bold Highlights items you can click or select on the WXA series
appliance management interface. For example, “Click the
Caching Strategy drop-down menu and select Minimal.”
Note: This only applies to sections in this document that contain
configuration procedures or management interface
descriptions
Italic Highlights a value to enter into a field. For example, “Type
192.168.168.168 in the IP Address field.”
Menu Item > Menu Item Indicates a multiple step Management Interface menu choice. For
example, “Navigate to the WAN Acceleration > System page
means select WAN Acceleration then select System.
Dell SonicWALL Technical Support
For timely resolution of technical support questions, visit Dell SonicWALL on the Internet at
http://www.sonicwall.com/us/Support.html. Web-based resources are available to help you
resolve most technical issues or contact Dell SonicWALL Technical Support. To contact Dell
SonicWALL telephone support, see the telephone numbers listed below:
North America Telephone Support
U.S./Canada: +1 888.793.2830 or +1 408.837.4317
International Telephone Support
Australia: + 1800.35.1642
Austria: +43(0)820.400.105
EMEA: +31(0)411.617.810
France: +44 193.257.3927
Germany: +44 193.257.3910
Hong Kong: +1 800.93.0997
India: 000.800.100.3395
Italy: +44 193.257.3928
Japan: 0120.569122
New Zealand: + 800.446489
Singapore: + 800.110.1441
Spain: +44 193.257.3921
Switzerland: +44 193.257.3929
UK: +44 193.257.3929
Preface | 11
More Information on Dell SonicWALL Products
Contact Dell SonicWALL, Inc. for information about Dell SonicWALL products and services at:
Web:http://www.sonicwall.com
E-mail:sales@sonicwall.com
Phone:(408) 745-9600
Fax:(408) 745-9300
Current Documentation
Check the Dell SonicWALL documentation Web site for that latest versions of this manual and
all other Dell SonicWALL product documentation.
http://www.sonicwall.com/us/Support.html
12 | Dell SonicWALL WXA 1.3 User’s Guide
Introduction
WXA 1.3 is the latest version of firmware for the Dell SonicWALL WXA series appliance. This
chapter provides an overview of the WAN Acceleration feature, the WAN Acceleration
management interface, deployment prerequisites and considerations, supported platforms, and
details the key features in the WXA 1.3 and previous releases. This chapter contains the
following sections:
• What is WAN Acceleration? on page 13
• New Features in WXA 1.3 on page 15
• Key Features in WXA 1.3 on page 16
• Deployment Prerequisites on page 17
• Deployment Considerations on page 17
• Supported Platforms on page 18
• WXA Series Appliance Management Interface on page 18
Chapter 2
Introduction
What is WAN Acceleration?
The WAN Acceleration service allows network administrators to accelerate WAN traffic
between a central site and a branch site, using Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
acceleration methods, Windows File Sharing (WFS) acceleration, and Web caching. The Dell
SonicWALL WXA series appliance is deployed in conjunction with a Dell SonicWALL NSA/TZ
series appliance. In this type of deployment, the NSA/TZ series appliance provides dynamic
security services, such as attack prevention, Virtual Private Network (VPN), routing, and Web
Content Filtering. The WAN Acceleration service can increase application performance.
Introduction | 13
The illustration below displays the basic network topology for the Dell SonicWALL WXA se ries
Internet
PC
PC
PC
Branch Site
Central Site
WXA series
appliance
NSA/TZ series
appliance
NSA/TZ series
appliance
WXA series
appliance
Domain
Controller
Switch
Switch
File
Server
Email
Server
Web
Server
appliance and the NSA/TZ series appliances.
Transmission Control Protocol Acceleration
The TCP Acceleration service is a process that decreases the amount of data passing over the
WAN by using compression, which accelerates selected traffic passing between a central site
and a branch site. The selected traffic is stored in the Dell SonicW ALL WXA series appliances’
shared databases as blocks of data and tagged with reference indexes. This allows the WXA
series appliances to only send the reference indexes (which are smaller in size) over the WAN
instead of the actual data.
Refer to Configuring TCP Acceleration on page 47, for details on how to configure TCP
Acceleration.
Windows File Sharing Acceleration
WAN Acceleration refers to a wide range of technologies that are aimed at accelerating
applications, improving throughput, and reducing latency. Windows File Sharing (WFS)
Acceleration is a subset of WAN Acceleration.
The use of WFS Acceleration within your network reduces the impact of high-latency and lowbandwidth links by approximating streaming behavior through the use of read-ahead and writebehind functionality and differential file transfer to avoid re-transferring parts of files that have
not changed. WFS Acceleration allows branch users to access and share commonly used files
at near-LAN speeds over the WAN. Distributed enterprises that deploy WFS Acceleration
solutions are often able to consolidate storage to corporate central sites, eliminating the need
to back up and manage data that previously resided in their branch sites.
14 | Dell SonicWALL WXA 1.3 User’s Guide
Web Cache
The WXA series appliance offers WFS Acceleration for Unsigned SMB and Signed SMB traf fic.
In a network that supports unsigned SMB traffic, the WFS Acceleration service configuration is
greatly simplified. The reason for this is Unsigned SMB traffic does not have a security layer,
so the WXA series appliance can intercept the traffic without joining the domain, eliminating the
need to configure custom zones, configuring reverse lookup, and add file shares. In a network
that supports SMB signing, it is required that the WXA series appliance join the domain, due to
the presence of a security layer in Signed SMB traffic. Although this type of configuration is
more complex than unsigned SMB, it offers a more granular configuration of the WFS
Acceleration service. Supporting SMB signing provides the option to configure WFS
Acceleration in a Basic or Advanced configuration modes.
Refer to Configuring WFS Acceleration on page 97, for details on how to configure WFS
Acceleration.
The Web Cache feature stores copies of Web pages passing through the network that are
frequently and recently requested. So when a user requests one of these Web pages, it is
retrieved from the local web cache instead of the Internet, saving bandwidth and response time.
Minimal, Moderate, and Aggressive caching strategies are available, these determine which
objects are placed into the web cache and how long they stay there.
Refer to Configuring the Web Cache on page 131, for details on configuring the web cache.
New Features in WXA 1.3
The WXA 1.3 release includes the following new features:
• Increased Supported Connections— WXA 1.3 runs as a 64-bit system, offering
significant increases in concurrent connections over a 32-bit system.
• Extended Support for Localization— Firmware support for Brazilian Portuguese,
Simplified Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages is available.
• Web Cache Improvements— Additional data fields and charts are added to the Web
Cache > Statistics page, allowing the user to filter the page to display data for particular
subnets and certain IP addresses.
• Manual Server Entry for Signed SMB— The option to manually enter a server or share
name is added to the Signed SMB configuration.
Introduction | 15
Key Features in WXA 1.3
The WXA 1.3 release includes the following Key features:
• Wan Acceleration— The WAN Acceleration service allows network administrators to
accelerate WAN traffic between a central site and a branch site by using Transmission
Control Protocol (TCP) and Windows File Sharing (WFS).
• TCP Acceleration— The TCP Acceleration service is a process that decreases the amount
of data passing over the WAN by using compression, which accelerates selected traffic
passing between a central site and a branch site.
• WFS Acceleration— WAN Acceleration refers to a wide range of technologies that are
aimed at accelerating applications, improving throughput, and enabling bandwidth
scalability using Windows File Sharing (WFS).
–
Unsigned SMB— In a network that supports unsigned SMB traffic, the WFS
Acceleration service configuration is greatly simplified. The reason for this is unsigned
SMB traffic does not have a security layer, so the WXA series appliance can intercept
the traffic without joining the domain, eliminating the need to configure custom zones,
configuring reverse lookup, and add file shares. Unsigned SMB is enabled by default.
–
Signed SMB— In a network that supports SMB signing, it is required that the WXA
series appliance join the domain, due to the presence of a security layer in signed SMB
traffic. Although this type of configuration is more complex than unsigned SMB, it offers
a more granular configuration of the WFS Acceleration service. The WAN Acceleration
> WFS Acceleration page displays a warning when signed SMB traffic is detected on
the network. If this warning is present, please enable the Support SMB Signing
checkbox, join the WXA appliance to the domain, and access the signed shares through
the WXA appliance’s shares.
• WFS Basic Configuration Mode— The Basic configuration mode is a simplified and user
friendly way to have the Dell SonicWALL WXA series appliance join the domain, add
servers to the configuration, and create the necessary records on the domain. The Basic
mode is available when using Signed SMB and is the preferred mode for configuring WFS
Acceleration.
• Web Cache Management— The Web Cache feature stores copies of Web pages passing
through the network that are frequently and recently requested. When a user requests one
of these Web pages, it is retrieved from the local web cache instead of the Internet, which
can result in significant reductions in downloaded data and bandwidth usage.
–
YouTube Web Caching— The Web Cache feature is capable of caching YouTube
videos (currently only Flash video format is supported). This feature is only available
when using Moderate and Aggressive web caching strategies.
• WXA Setup Wizard (requires the NSA/TZ series appliance to be running SonicOS
5.9)— The WXA Setup Wizard in the SonicOS management interface guides you through
the setup of the WXA series appliance, allowing the user to easily enable TCP Acceleration,
WFS Acceleration (unsigned and signed SMB), and Web Caching. If you choose to use
signed SMB, the WFS Setup Wizard is automatically launched from the initial WXA Setup
Wizard. This wizard enables WFS Acceleration support for signed SMB, and walks the user
through joining the domain and configuring file servers.
• WAN Acceleration Client (requires the NSA/TZ series appliance to be running SonicOS
5.9)— The WAN Acceleration Client (WXAC) gives remote users the benefit of WAN
Acceleration when using SonicWALL NetExtender.
16 | Dell SonicWALL WXA 1.3 User’s Guide
Deployment Prerequisites
The pre-requisites for deploying the WAN Acceleration service are as follows:
• A NSA/TZ series appliance is required to deploy the Dell SonicWALL WXA series
appliance.
• Traffic passing through the Dell SonicWALL WXA series appliance requires Internet
Protocol version 4 (IPv4). The WAN Acceleration service is not compatible with IPv6.
Deployment Considerations
Consider the following when deploying the Dell SonicWALL WXA series appliance:
• The WXA series appliance is supported to work with Dell SonicWALL E-class NSA, NSA,
or TZ series appliances running SonicOS 5.8.1.0 or higher firmware. Some WXA features
are not supported unless running SonicOS 5.8.1.11 or higher firmware.
• The WFS Acceleration service and Web Cache feature are not supported when running the
WXA 500 Live CD in Memory mode.
• Typically the WXA series appliances are deployed in a site-to-site VPN configuration
through their respective NSA/TZ series appliances. However, you can also use routing or
L2 Bridge Mode, refer to the SonicOS 5.8.1 Administrators Guide for details.
• If a WXA series appliance is used in a high availability configuration, a switched connection
to both appliances high availability pairs is required.
• The initial configuration of the WXA series appliance should be performed by using the
WXA Setup Wizard, which is available by clicking the Wizards button in the top-right corner
of the NSA/TZ series appliance’s management interface. However, this is currently only
available if running SonicOS 5.9 firmware. If your NSA/TZ series appliance is using 5.8.1.x
or 6.1.x firmware use the procedures in this chapter for the initial configuring of the WXA
series appliance. For more information on the WXA Setup Wizard refer to the SonicOS 5.9
Administrator’s Guide.
• Encrypted traffic is highly randomized and does not materially benefit from the WXA series
appliance’s WAN Acceleration service. Therefore, SSL and TLS traffic types are not
accelerated.
• WFS Acceleration using Signed SMB supports Windows file services using Active
Directory, Kerberos, and NTLM for authentication and authorization.
• WFS Acceleration using Signed SMB supports NTLM clients which provide credentials to
the Dell SonicWALL WXA series appliance and are valid in the domain. The Dell
SonicWALL WXA series appliance obtains the Kerberos credentials through the Domain
Controller. This permits client devices which have not joined the domain to be used by
users, who on behalf of the client, have valid domain credentials.
• Create a DHCP scope on the managing NSA/TZ security appliance before the WXA series
appliance is physically connected.
• If the branch offices have Domain Controllers and DNS Servers, it is recommended that you
use those DNS server addresses and domain DNS name in the DHCP scope. Configure
the Domain Name and Domain DNS server IP addresses in the configured DHCP scope.
The WXA appliance will auto-discover Kerberos, LDAP, and NTP servers based on this type
of information to assist in joining the appliance to the domain.
• Review the LDAP, Kerberos, and NTP services. In a multi-site domain where sites and
services are not explicitly configured, the WXA series appliance might not choose the
closest servers.
Introduction | 17
• Dell SonicWALL recommends that the WXA series ap pliance retrieve NTP updates from the
Domain Controller.
• Dell SonicWALL recommends that the DNS server accept secure updates.
• Configure the zone properties of an interface to which the WXA appliance is connected as
a LAN zone. Refer to the following KB articles: for more information
–
https://www.fuzeqna.com/sonicwallkb/ext/kbdetail.aspx?kbid=10781
–
https://www.fuzeqna.com/sonicwallkb/ext/kbdetail.aspx?kbid=10738
Supported Platforms
WAN Acceleration is currently available in the SonicOS Management Interface on the following
appliance models:
• NSA E-Series appliance
• NSA Series appliance
• TZ Series appliance
WXA Series Appliance Management Interface
The Dell SonicWALL WXA series appliance’s Web-based management interface provides an
easy-to-use graphical interface for configuring your Dell SonicWALL WXA series appliance . All
configuration procedures for the Dell SonicWALL WXA series appliance are performed through
the Dell SonicWALL NSA/TZ series appliance’s management interface. The following sections
provide an overview of the key management interface objects:
User Interface
• User Interface on page 18
• Navigating the Management Interface on page 19
• Common Icons in the Management Interface on page 19
• Status Bar on page 19
• Applying Changes on page 20
• Tooltips on page 20
• Getting Help on page 21
T able st atistics and log entries update within the user interface without requiring users to reload
their browsers. This lightweight user interface is designed to have no impact on the Web server ,
CPU utilization, bandwidth or other performance factors. You can leave your browser window
on an updating page indefinitely with no impact to the performance of your Dell SonicWALL
WXA series appliance.
18 | Dell SonicWALL WXA 1.3 User’s Guide
Navigating the Management Interface
Navigating the WAN Acceleration management interface includes a hierarchy of menu buttons
on the navigation bar (left side of your browser window). When you click a menu button, related
management functions are displayed as submenu items in the navigation bar.
If the navigation bar continues below the bottom of your browser, an up-and-down arrow
symbol appears in the bottom right corner of the navigation bar. Mouse over the up or down
arrow to scroll the navigation bar up or down.
Common Icons in the Management Interface
The following describe the functions of common icons used in the WAN Acceleration
management interface:
• Clicking on the edit icon displays a window for editing the settings.
• Clicking on the delete icon deletes a table entry
• Moving the pointer over the Tooltip icon displays a description of the component.
Status Bar
The Status bar at the bottom of the management interface window displays the status of actions
executed in the management interface.
Introduction | 19
Applying Changes
Clicking the Apply Changes button saves any configuration changes you made on the page.
If the settings are contained in a secondary window within the management interface, when you
click Apply, the settings are automatically applied to the WXA series appliance.
Tooltips
Tooltips are small pop-up windows that are displayed when you hover your mouse over a UI
element. They provide brief information describing the element. T ooltip s are displayed for many
forms, buttons, table headings and entries.
Note Not all UI elements have Tooltips. If a Tooltip does not display after hovering your mouse
over an element for a couple of seconds, you can safely conclude that it does not have an
associated Tooltip.
20 | Dell SonicWALL WXA 1.3 User’s Guide
Getting Help
Note Accessing the Dell SonicWALL WXA series appliance online help requires an active Internet
Each Dell SonicWALL WXA series appliance includes Web-based online help available from
the management interface. Clicking the question mark button on the top-right corner of every
page accesses the context-sensitive help for the page.
connection.
Introduction | 21
22 | Dell SonicWALL WXA 1.3 User’s Guide
Status
| 23
24 | Dell SonicWALL WXA 1.3 User’s Guide
Viewing Status Information
WAN Acceleration > Status
The Status page displays a Status tab with a dashboard view of the System Information, TCP
Acceleration, WFS Acceleration, and Web Cache of your WXA series appliance. It also displays
a Settings tab that provides top level control of the WAN Acceleration service. To configure the
WXA series appliance, see Configuring the WXA Series Appliance on page 33.
This chapter is an overview of the Status page management interface and includes the
following sections:
• Status Tab on page 26
–
Action Items on page 27
–
WXA System Information Panel on page 27
–
TCP Acceleration Panel on page 28
–
WFS Acceleration Panel on page 29
–
Web Cache Panel on page 30
• Settings Tab on page 31
–
Action Items on page 31
Chapter 3
–
WXA Appliance Configuration Panel on page 31
–
WXAC on page 32
Viewing Status Information | 25
Status Tab
Name Description
Action Items Provides the options to Refresh and Probe for the WXA series appliance.
See Action Items on page 27 for details.
WXA System Information
Panel
TCP Acceleration Panel Displays the status of the TCP Acceleration feature.
WFS Acceleration Panel Displays the status of the WFS Acceleration feature.
Web Cache Panel Displays the status of the Web Caching feature.
Displays system details of the WXA series appliance.
See WXA System Information Panel on page 27 for details.
See the TCP Acceleration Panel on page 28 for details.
See the WFS Acceleration Panel on page 29 for details.
See the Web Cache Panel on page 30 for more details.
26 | Dell SonicWALL WXA 1.3 User’s Guide
Action Items
Name Description
Probe for WXA Checks for the presence of a WXA series appliance. This is a handshake
Refresh Refreshes the Status page. The refresh interval can be entered in the text
WXA System Information Panel
between the NSA/TZ series appliance and the WXA series appliance, and
confirms they are connected to each other.
field. The interval can be increased to a maximum of 999 seconds.
Click the Refresh symbol to manually update the Status page.
Click the Pause button to stop the auto-refresh of the Status page. To
resume auto-refresh, click the Start button.
Name Description
WAN Acceleration WAN Acceleration must be enabled (on the Settings tab) and a WXA
series appliance detected in order for traffic to be accelerated.
• Enabled—Indicates the WAN Acceleration service is enabled.
• Disabled—Indicates the WAN Acceleration service is disabled.
WXA Operational Status The current status of the WXA series appliance connection.
• Operational—Indicates the WAN Acceleration service is enabled and a
WXA series appliance is discovered and running.
• Unavailable—Indicates that probing did not detect a WXA series appliance. Ensure the connection between the WXA series appliance and the
SonicOS series appliance is properly set up before continuing with further
configuration.
• Resetting—Indicates that either the status of the WAN Acceleration
service or the presence of a WXA series appliance has just changed and
the configuration is being reset accordingly. Refresh the page in a few
moments.
• Unknown—Indicates the presence and status of a WXA series appliance is not known. This may be because the WAN Acceleration service is
disabled in which case probing is turned off. Alternatively it may be that
probing is just starting.
Uptime Displays the amount of time the appliance has been running.
Model Number Displays the WXA series appliance model number.
Serial Number Displays the WXA series appliance serial number.
Viewing Status Information | 27
Name Description
Authentication Code Displays the authentication code used to register the WXA series appli-
Firmware Version Displays the firmware version that is currently loaded on the WXA series
TCP Acceleration Panel
ance.
Note:This is also used as the password for a machine account when
automatically provisioning the WXA series appliance.
appliance.
Name Description
TCP Acceleration • Enabled—Indicates that both the WAN Acceleration service and
the specific TCP Acceleration switches are enabled. TCP traffic is
sent to the WXA series appliance in order to be accelerated across
the network.
• Disabled—Indicates the TCP Acceleration service or the general
WAN Acceleration service is disabled.
Service Status on WXA The current status of the TCP Acceleration service.
• Running—Indicates the TCP Acceleration service on the WXA
series appliance is accelerating TCP connections
• Ready—Indicates the TCP Acceleration service on the WXA
series appliance is up and ready to accelerate TCP connections as
soon as the component is enabled.
• Unavailable—Indicates the TCP Acceleration service is either
not running on the connected WXA series appliance or there is an
error.
• Unknown—Indicates the status of the TCP Acceleration service
on the WXA series appliance is not known at the moment.
Total Data Reduction (%) The total percentage of data reduced by the TCP Acceleration ser-
vice.
28 | Dell SonicWALL WXA 1.3 User’s Guide
Name Description
WAN Capacity Increase Factor The ratio of the amount of data conveyed, to the amount that is
Connections Displays the following information for TCP Acceleration connec-
WFS Acceleration Panel
actually sent. Use this as a guide for how much extra capacity the
WAN has gained without any increase in bandwidth.
tions:
• Max—The maximum number of TCP connections permitted at
any instant.
• Peak—The peak humber of TCP connections passing through the
WXA series appliance during the period covered by the statistics.
• Current—The current number of TCP connections passing
through the WXA series appliance.
• New - The number of new connections.
• Closed - The number of closed connections.
Name Description
WFS Acceleration • Enabled—Indicates that both the general WAN Acceleration ser-
vice and either of the specified WFS Acceleration (Supporting
Signed and Unsigned SMB) switches are enabled.
• Disabled—Indicates that both the general WAN Acceleration service and either of the specified WFS Acceleration (Supporting
Signed and Unsigned SMB) switches are disabled.
Service Status on WXA Displays current status of the WFS Acceleration service, reflecting
both Unsigned and Signed SMB.
• Running—Indicates the WFS Acceleration service on the WXA
series appliance is accelerating wide area file sharing operations.
• Ready—Indicates the WFS Acceleration service on the WXA
series appliance is up and ready to accelerating wide area file sharing operations as soon as the component is enabled.
Note: There are separate switches to control support for Signed
and Unsigned SMB traffic.
• No Domain—To accelerate Signed SMB traffic, the WXA series
appliance must join the Windows domain. This indicates that support for Signed SMB is enabled but either the WXA series appliance
has not joined the Domain or its status on the domain is unknown.
Note: This status will not display if using “Unsigned SMB” only.
• Unavailable—Indicates the WFS Acceleration service is not running on the connected WXA series appliance or there may be an
error.
• Unknown—Indicates the status of the WFS Acceleration service
on the connected WXA series appliance is not known at the present
time.
Viewing Status Information | 29
Name Description
Windows Domain The Windows domain on which the WXA series appliance will
Total Data Reduction (%) The total percentage of data reduced by the WFS Acceleration ser-
WAN Capacity Increase Factor Displays the total amount of WAN capacity increase over the speci-
Cache Size Displays the amount of read-ahead data stored in the cache.
Web Cache Panel
accelerate access to configured shares.
Note: This field is not displayed if using “Unsigned SMB” only.
vice.
fied period of time.
Note: The WFS Cache statistics displayed in this page only represent Signed SMB traffic. If you are using Unsigned SMB, the WFS
Cache statistics do not apply.
Name Description
Web Cache • Enabled—Indicates that WAN Acceleration is enabled and that
web traffic passing through the NSA/TZ series appliance is to be
redirected to the Web Cache on the WXA series appliance.
• Disabled—Indicates that the Web Cache is not enabled and web
traffic passing through the NSA/TZ series appliance is not redirected to the Web Cache on the WXA series appliance.
Service Status on WXA The current operational status of the Web Cache.
• Running—Indicates the Web Cache service is running normally.
• Ready—Indicates the Web Cache service is ready to begin caching as soon as the component is enabled.
• Unavailable—Indicates the Web Cache service is not running on
the WXA series appliance, this may be due to an error.
• Unknown—Indicates that the status of the Web Cache service on
the connected WXA series appliance is not known at the present
moment.
Total Data Reduction (%) Displays the difference between the data conveyed and the data
sent, represented as a percentage.
WAN Capacity Increase Factor Indicates the total amount of WAN capacity increase over the speci-
fied period of time.
Cache Size Displays the current size of the cache used by the Web Cache.
Cache Free Space Displays the amount of disk space available to the Web Cache.
Number of Cached Objects Displays the number of objects currently stored in the Web Cache.
30 | Dell SonicWALL WXA 1.3 User’s Guide
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