InstantConfig Implementation

Are you using Alta, Akamai's cloud-based application delivery platform for
web applications hosted anywhere? Learn how to use InstantConfig to set up
unlimited properties in a single configuration.

About InstantConfig
InstantConfig is a standard feature of Alta, and is also available as an
option with Dynamic Site Accelerator and Web Application Accelerator.
With InstantConfig, you can associate unlimited properties in a
single configuration, without listing the domain names as a property
within the configuration file. It lets you on board and manage these
domains easily, with only a CNAME change pointing to an InstantConfig
common configuration.
InstantConfig is an ideal solution for hosting sites, leveraging vanity
domains for site and media, and instantly onboarding a large number
of enterprise applications.
4. The edge server performs a DNS lookup on the hostname to identify
the edge hostname and check if it belongs to an InstantConfig
enabled property. If the DNS server finds a match, it returns the
CNAME chain.
5. The edge server looks up the edge hostname and finds the
configuration file. The edge server then caches the result for
repeated requests.
6. The request is processed and the Web page is served to the client
via the Akamai network.

How InstantConfig Works

For InstantConfig to work, you must:
• Set InstantConfig on the Luna Control Center.
• Create an intermediary hostname, to which additional domains
will CNAME.
• CNAME the intermediary hostname to an InstantConfig Edge hostname.

InstantConfig DNS Naming

The following are examples of DNS naming patterns available with
InstantConfig.

Limitations
Option URL Example CNAME Chain
Example The following limitations exist with InstantConfig.
• InstantConfig does not work on Edgekey SSL (ESSL) and it is not
InstantConfig example.com.mdc.edgesuite.net www-dualstack.
edge hostname available on subordinate ESSL maps such as Client Access Control.
example.com
IN CNAME saas. • InstantConfig is not available for China CDN.
Intermediary saas.example.com
hostname example.com. • Enhanced Content Control Utility (ECCU) is not available with
example.com InstantConfig.
Third-party site www-dualstack.example.com IN CNAME • If a property hostname conflicts with an InstantConfig hostname,
example.com.mdc. the property hostname takes precedence over the InstantConfig
edgesuite.net hostname. This can cause the InstantConfig configuration to not work
as expected or to not work at all.
End-to-end Request Flow
Note: To resolve a conflict between the property hostname and the
The InstantConfig end-to-end request flow is as follows:
InstantConfig hostname, remove the conflicting property or explicitly
1. The client requests the Web page. define the hostname in question as a property for the InstantConfig
2. The request is mapped to an optimal edge server on the configuration.
Akamai network.
3. The edge server attempts to locate a configuration file by matching Prerequisite
on the host header for the request. Because the hostname is not Before implementing InstantConfig, ensure that your contract includes
directly specified by the configuration, it fails to find a match. the required entitlements to create InstantConfig edge hostnames and
configurations. For assistance, contact your account representative.
Implementing InstantConfig
To implement InstantConfig, perform the following tasks:
• Enable InstantConfig on your property
• Create a DNS naming pattern
• Test your InstantConfig configuration
Enable InstantConfig on Your Property
To enable InstantConfig on your property, follow these steps:
1. Complete the prerequisite task.
2. Log on to the Luna Control Center and open Property Manager.
3. Select the property for which you want to add InstantConfig and
click Add Behavior. The Add a Behavior for this Rule dialog box
appears.
4. From the Available Behaviors drop-down menu, select
InstantConfig, and then click Insert Behavior. InstantConfig is
added to the property.
5. Scroll to the top of the property’s page, and click Activate.
6. On the Create Edge Hostname page, type the hostname in the
Hostname field, type the instantConfig domain in the Domain field,
and then select the Enable Instant Config for this Hostname check
box. This appends the hostname with .mdc.<domain>.net.
7. Click Create Edge Hostname to save the instantConfig Edge
hostname.
Note: If you have exceeded the entitlements allowed for your
contract, you will see the following message: “You have reached
the maximum number of InstantConfig edge hostnames you can
configure.” If you are unable to create InstantConfig edge hostnames,
contact your account representative.
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Create a DNS Naming Pattern
After InstantConfig is enabled on the Luna Control Center, you must
create a DNS naming pattern with intermediary URLs that will CNAME
to the InstantConfig edge hostname. The third-party URLs will CNAME
to the intermediary URL.
Test Your InstantConfig Configuration
To test your InstantConfig configuration, follow these steps:
1. Create a test property in your DNS.
2. Configure the origin to serve content for the request for the SGDP
host header.
3. CNAME the test hostname to the intermediary hostname.
Multiple Origins
Multiple Origins is used when an unknown number of hostnames are
coming into the configuration, and each needs to be mapped to a
different origin. To implement Multiple Origins, contact your account
representative.
As an example, the following domains are being onboarded and each
domain points to a different origin hostname; however, they all follow a
specific pattern while creating the origin hostname.
www.abc.com  origin-www.abc.com.customer.com
www.xyz.com  origin-www.xyz.com.customer.com
www.lmn.com  origin-www.lmn.com.customer.com