A new Branch Office TLG that uses the Apposite Technologies Linktropy WAN emulator

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Hey TLG fans,

I recently published the Test Lab Guide: Configure the Contoso Branch Office using an Apposite Technologies WAN Emulator.

This is a variant on the previously published Test Lab Guide: Configure the Contoso Branch Office, in which an Apposite Technologies Linktropy WAN emulator replaces the two router computers (RTR1 and RTR2) and the intermediate Wannet subnet.

The original branch office TLG provided a few options for software-based WAN emulation, but with an Linktropy WAN emulator, you have an easily-configured hardware-based solution to test many characteristics of WAN links, including link bandwidth, delay, and loss.

With this new TLG, you do the following:

  • Set up the Linktropy WAN emulator (the instructions are for the Linktropy Mini2 but can be easily adapted to the Linktropy 5500 and 8500)
  • Modify the configuration of DC1 and APP1 to route off-subnet traffic through the Linktropy WAN emulator
  • Install and configure BOAPP1, the branch office application and DHCP server
  • Demonstrate branch office connectivity when CLIENT1 is connected to the Branchnet subnet

Here is the lab diagram (click on it to see a larger version):

 

Because this TLG is not adding new computers to the Corpnet subnet, it can conceivably be added anywhere in a TLG stack.

Although not explicitly tested with Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8, you can also use the Windows Server 2012 Base Configuration TLG. You will need to translate some of the procedures to their counterparts in Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8.

If you want to test some branch office or WAN optimization functionality, such as the BranchCache feature in Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012, take a look at this additional branch office test lab configuration.

My thanks to Apposite Technologies CEO DC Palter and support staff for their help and review of this new configuration.

A challenging Hyper-V configuration

As you may have been following, there are new Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V configuration articles that provide guidance on how to host test lab environments on a Hyper-V Server 2012 server. The use of the Linktropy WAN emulator introduces a challenge because, unlike the virtualized computers and switches, it is a physical device that is not hosted inside Hyper-V.

I am working on an article that describes how to host most of this new lab configuration inside Hyper-V. Stay tuned…

 

Install, branch out, get physical, but please enjoy!

 

Joe Davies
Principal Writer