TMOS Management Guide for BIG-IP Systems

Summary:

The text provided is a detailed summary of various technical terms and concepts related to networking and system management within an IT environment, particularly as they pertain to F5 Networks' BIG-IP systems. Here’s a breakdown of the key points mentioned in the text: 1. **VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network)**: Refers to a method of providing multiple logical networks on physical LANs where each network operates as if it were independent, but shares the same IP subnet and uses the same switching infrastructure. This is crucial for segmenting networks within an organization without the need for additional hardware or cabling. 2. **WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)**: A protocol designed to facilitate communication between wireless devices such as mobile phones and PDAs over the internet, using TCP/IP protocols. It allows applications on wireless devices to interact with each other in a network similar to how HTTP works in wired networks. 3. **Watchdog Timer Card**: Hardware device that monitors the operation of an embedded system (like a computer or network device) by checking its health at regular intervals and restarting it if necessary. This is used for fault tolerance, ensuring continuous operations in case of hardware or software failures. 4. **Weighted Least Connections method**: A load balancing algorithm used in networking that considers the weight of each server when distributing traffic among them. It aims to balance the load by directing new connections to servers with fewer current connections, taking into account their respective weights. 5. **Wildcard Virtual Server**: In networking, a wildcard virtual server is a type of network configuration where all incoming IP packets are directed to a single pool of real servers unless they match specific criteria defined in its policy. This allows for flexible handling based on the actual content or destination of each packet. 6. **Well-Known Services (WKS)**: A list maintained by IANA that defines well-known services and the standard port numbers used to access them over a network, such as HTTP (port 80), HTTPS (port 443), FTP (data port 20/21, control port 21), etc. This is important for interoperability between different systems. 7. **BIG-IP Systems by F5 Networks**: Refers to a family of network devices and software solutions provided by F5 Networks that are used for managing traffic in large enterprise networks, including load balancing, application delivery, security, and access management. 8. **Configurations and Settings**: The text mentions various configurations such as UCS files, admin accounts, active/standby mode, which are part of the setup and maintenance procedures to ensure optimal performance and functionality of BIG-IP systems in an enterprise environment. 9. **Networking Modules**: The passage discusses several networking modules including ARP forwarding, route advertisement, logging events, authentication, backup files, client access, configuration tasks, certificate chains, community access, control packets, core services, CPU use statistics, data loads, destination hosts, persistence, SNMP, spanning tree mode, and more. 10. **Documentation Set**: The content appears to be part of a larger documentation set that provides detailed reference manuals for system administrators to maintain the performance and functionality of BIG-IP systems, including troubleshooting steps and procedures for each setting or module. This summary highlights how these terms and concepts are interconnected within the context of managing and configuring network devices using F5 Networks' BIG-IP systems. The information is structured around various sections, providing a comprehensive overview that aids in understanding and implementing the configurations discussed.

Details:

The "TMOS® Management Guide for BIG-IP® Systems Version 10.1" is a comprehensive guide designed to assist users in managing the BIG-IP systems, specifically tailored for version 10.1 of the F5 Networks' BIG-IP product family. This manual was published on November 11, 2014 and is intended for individuals who have been granted authority to operate this equipment under part 15 of the FCC rules. Key sections in the guide include legal notices which highlight copyright information (copyright 2008-2014, F5 Networks, Inc.), trademark details, patents associated with the product, and export regulation notice related to cryptographic software usage. It also includes warnings about potential radio frequency interference and compliance with FCC and Canadian regulatory standards for digital apparatuses. The manual acknowledges contributions from various developers including Bill Paul, Jonathan Stone, Manuel Bouyer, Paul Richards, NetBSD Foundation, Politecnico di Torino, Swedish Institute of Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Christopher G. Demetriou, Adam Glass, Christian E. Hopps, and Dean Huxley. This document is intended to serve as a guide for the proper operation and maintenance of BIG-IP systems, detailing procedures and settings for optimal performance and security. Any modifications made to this device should be approved by the manufacturer, and failure to do so may void user's authority to operate the equipment under part 15 of the FCC rules. This document outlines the diverse range of software components included in a product, many of which were developed by various individuals and organizations. The list includes contributions from John Kohl, Paul Kranenburg, Terrence R. Lambert, Philip A. Nelson, Herb Peyerl, Jochen Pohl, Theo de Raadt, David Muir Sharnoff, SigmaSoft (Th. Lockert), Jason R. Thorpe for And Communications, Frank Van der Linden, John M. Vinopal, Christos Zoulas, Garrett A. Wollman, Holger Veit and Brian Moore (for "386BSD" and similar systems), Apache Group (for Apache HTTP server), Richard H. Porter under the GNU Library General Public License, Tom Christiansen and Nathan Torkington for Perl software licensed under the Perl Artistic License, Jared Minch, OpenSSL Project, Eric Young (cryptographic software), oprofile (protected under the GNU Public License), Tobi Oetiker for RRDtool software licensed under the GNU General Public License, Dr. Brian Gladman's software under the GNU General Public License, Apache Software Foundation, Hypersonic SQL, Regents of the University of California, Sun Microsystems, Inc., Scriptics Corporation, Internet Software Consortium, Nominum, Inc., Broadcom Corporation, MaxMind LLC, and Quova, Inc. The document also introduces the "Mitsumi CD-ROM driver," which was developed by Holger Veit and Brian Moore for use with "386BSD" and similar operating systems, including non-profit oriented systems such as NetBSD, FreeBSD, and CMU's Mach. The software is intended for research and educational use in these systems. The document concludes with an overview of the TMOS® Management Guide for BIG-IP® Systems, providing information on what the BIG-IP system is, summarizing its modules, choosing a configuration tool, using the Configuration utility and command line utilities, an overview of TMOS features, and additional information about the guide. This document is a guide for managing BIG-IP systems, focusing on various configurations such as general settings, SSL certificates, platform properties, and system state management. It includes sections like "Setting General Configuration Properties" where readers learn how to configure device properties including local-traffic, persistence, NTP, DNS, and more. The "Managing SSL Certificates for BIG-IP Systems" section covers managing device certificates, keys, and trusted certificates with detailed steps on importing, exporting, and renewing certificates. In the "Configuring BIG-IP Platform Properties," it explains how to set up management interface details like host name assignment, IP address assignment, time zone specification, high availability configurations, user administration settings, and SSH access. Lastly, there's a chapter dedicated to managing the system configuration state by saving or loading data using specific commands. This document provides an overview and detailed guide on configuring various aspects of a BIG-IP system using configuration files, interfaces, VLANs, and trunks. The manual covers topics such as editing configuration files with the bigpipe utility and tmsh commands, introducing the single configuration file (SCF) for centralized management, configuring system interfaces, creating and managing VLANs and VLAN groups, and setting up trunks for network connectivity. The text provided appears to be a table of contents for a technical document related to configuring networking settings on BIG-IP systems, likely from F5 Networks. It outlines various sections focusing on different aspects such as managing trunks, configuring routes, route domains, and self IP addresses. Here's a summary of the content based on the structure provided:

• **Specifying Frame Distribution Hash** (9-7 to 9-12)

• Overview of how to specify frame distribution hash for management traffic.

• **Managing Trunks** (9-10 to 9-13)

• How to manage trunks, including viewing a list, modifying properties, adding/deleting trunks, and managing interfaces.

• **Configuring Routes** (10-1 to 10-15)

• Introduction to route configuration, understanding TMM routes, adding static routes, default routes, standard routes, and considerations for other routing issues like dynamic routing and traffic management through the management interface.

• **Configuring Route Domains** (11-1 to 11-17)

• Overview of route domains, what they are, creating a route domain object, assigning BIG-IP system addresses, adding routes for different route domains, viewing static routes, and considerations like Global Traffic Manager and Advanced routing module implications.

• **Configuring Self IP Addresses** (12-1 to 12-2)

• Introduction to self IP addresses, types of self IP addresses, their relationship with MAC addresses.

This summary provides a quick overview of the document's structure focusing on key aspects such as managing networks and configuring routing settings for BIG-IP systems. The detailed explanations can be found in each respective section starting from page numbers indicated by "10-1", "11-1", etc., in the original text. This document appears to be a guide for configuring and managing IP addresses, administrative partitions, user accounts, and advanced routing modules on a BIG-IP system. The sections cover topics such as creating self IP addresses, understanding and managing administrative partitions, configuring local and remote user accounts, and setting up dynamic routing with BGP IPv6 next-hop address selection. Each section provides detailed steps and considerations for implementation. The document provides an overview of various configurations and functionalities within the IMI shell, advanced routing modules, Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), packet filters, and rate shaping features of the BIG-IP system. Here's a summarized version of each section: **IMI Shell:**

• Sections 15-9 to 15-10 cover starting and stopping the advanced routing modules, restarting them, displaying their status, configuring route health injection, advertising routes to virtual addresses, and redistributing routes to virtual addresses.

• Section 15-12 discusses fine-tuning route redistribution using route maps.

**Address Resolution Protocol (ARP):**

• Sections 16-1 to 16-6 introduce ARP, with details on how the BIG-IP system uses it and understanding its entry states.

• Section 16-7 covers configuring global options for ARP, while sections 16-9 to 16-10 explain viewing and deleting dynamic entries in the ARP cache.

• Sections 16-3 and 16-4 describe how to respond to ARP requests and configure static entries in the ARP cache, including adding, viewing, modifying, and deleting these entries.

**Packet Filters:**

• Section 17-1 introduces packet filtering, with global settings and properties being configured in section 17-2.

• Exemptions are configured in section 17-4, followed by creating rules for packet filtering in section 17-8.

• Managing rules involves viewing the list (section 17-12), modifying or deleting them (sections 17-13 to 17-14).

• Statistics for packet filters are viewed in section 17-14.

**Rate Shaping:**

• Section 18-1 introduces rate shaping, focusing on creating and implementing rate classes in section 18-2.

• Configuring settings for these rate classes is detailed in section 18-4, including specifying a name.

This document provides comprehensive guidance on how to configure various network functionalities using the BIG-IP system, ensuring effective management of IP traffic and resolution between network addresses. This document provides a guide on configuring various networking and system management features for F5 Networks' BIG-IP systems, including rate limiting, spanning tree protocols, and high availability settings. The sections cover detailed steps to configure these features as follows: **18. Configuring Rate Classes:**

• **Base Rate Specification**: How to set a base transmission rate.

• **Ceiling Setting**: Determining the maximum rate of data transmission.

• **Burst Size**: Specifying the upper limit for temporary data bursts allowed by the system.

• **Direction**: Defining in which direction traffic should be limited (inbound, outbound, or both).

• **Parent Class and Shaping Policy**: Assigning a class to control shaping of other related classes.

• **Queue Method and Drop Policy**: Setting how data is held and managed before transmission based on the queue method, with optional drop policy settings.

**19. Configuring Spanning Tree Protocols:**

• **Introduction to Spanning Tree**: Basics of this network protocol for preventing loops in switched networks.

• **Types and Usage**: Explaining different types and their use with legacy bridges or modern systems.

• **Configuration Overview**: General steps to set up spanning tree properties on BIG-IP devices.

• Detailed settings include: global properties, interface configurations per instance, and management of multiple instances.

**20. Configuring High Availability:**

• **Introduction and Failover Understanding**: Basics of high availability setup and how failover mechanisms work in F5 systems.

• **Static Self IP Addresses for Network Failover**: How to set up redundant network configurations with static IPs.

• **Fail-Safe Configuration**: Detailed fail-safe strategies and their implementation on BIG-IP devices.

• Tools for configuring redundancy include creating VLANs, self IP addresses, and setting up failover networks.

Each section includes specific commands or settings to be configured via the F5 Management interface, providing a comprehensive guide suitable for system administrators looking to fine-tune network performance and reliability on BIG-IP systems using TMOS®. This document appears to be a table of contents for a manual or guide related to configuring and managing a BIG-IP system, which is likely part of a larger networking or systems management tool. The content outlines various sections that cover different aspects such as High Availability (HA) configurations, SNMP administration, configuration synchronization, fail-safe mechanisms, VLAN handling, and performance data collection. Here's a summary of each section: 1. Understanding HA score calculation - Explores how to calculate the HA score in the system. 2. Configuring an HA group - Guides on setting up High Availability groups. 3. Viewing HA scores and other details - Describes how to view the HA scores and other related information. 4. Synchronizing configuration data - Discusses what configuration synchronization is and its importance. 5. What is configuration synchronization? - Provides a basic understanding of this concept. 6. Performing Configuration Synchronization - Steps on how to perform synchronization within the system. 7. Configuring fail-safe - Covers various types of fail-safe configurations (system, gateway, VLAN). 8. Managing the redundancy state and unit ID determination - Explains how to manage the state of redundancy and determine the unit ID. 9. Controlling failback - Discusses strategies for controlling failback in redundant systems. 10. Configuring user-defined scripts for maintenance tasks - Provides guidance on creating custom scripts for system maintenance. 11. Other considerations - Covers additional topics like specifying default routes, setting shared MAC masquerade addresses, etc. 12. Introducing SNMP administration - Introduction to Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) management. 13. Reviewing an industry-standard SNMP implementation - Compares the BIG-IP system's SNMP implementation with industry standards. 14. Summarizing SNMP configuration on the BIG-IP system - Provides a summary of how to configure SNMP on BIG-IP systems. 15. Configuring the SNMP agent - Details on setting up and configuring the SNMP agent within the BIG-IP system. 16. Working with SNMP MIB files - Explores downloading and understanding MIB (Management Information Base) files for SNMP management. 17. Collecting performance data - Methods to collect various performance data including memory use, active connections, throughput rates, etc. 18. Configuring BIG-IP system information - Instructions on how to configure the basic information that will be provided by the SNMP agent. This table of contents provides a structured approach to learning about and managing key features of the BIG-IP system through configuration and monitoring using various networking protocols and management tools. This document provides a comprehensive guide for managing and configuring BIG-IP systems, covering topics such as creating and managing archives, logging system events, and configuring services. It includes detailed instructions on synchronizing data for redundant systems, viewing archive properties, restoring data from an archive, and more. Additionally, it discusses how to set up encrypted remote logging and manage SNMP traps specific to F5 devices. The text provided appears to be part of a user manual or guide for configuring and managing F5 Networks' BIG-IP systems, which are network appliances used for advanced traffic management in networking environments. The document is titled "TMOS® Management Guide for BIG-IP® Systems" and provides an overview of the system architecture, key modules, and configuration tools. Here's a summary of the main points from the provided text: 1. **BIG-IP System Overview**:

• The BIG-IP system is a set of application delivery products designed to ensure high availability, improved performance, application security, and access control through various modules.

• It includes a Local Traffic Manager (LTM) module for customizing traffic processing based on protocol and application types.

2. **Traffic Management Operating System (TMOS)**:

• TMOS is the underlying operating system of the BIG-IP system, providing real-time, event-driven capabilities tailored for application delivery networking.

• It supports basic routing and switching functions as well as enhancements like clusters, user roles, and administrative partitions.

3. **Key Modules**:

• **BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)**: Manages traffic distribution among servers in a pool based on predefined rules.

• **Authentication**: Handles security policies for network traffic to protect applications from unauthorized access.

• **Application Security Manager**: Applies security policies to application traffic, enhancing overall security.

• **Global Traffic Manager (GTM)**: Optimizes global load balancing and improves connectivity across wide-area networks by directing traffic based on specific criteria.

• **SOD (Service Onboarding Database)**: Manages service onboarding for BIG-IP systems to simplify the integration of new services into the network infrastructure.

4. **Configuration Tools**:

• The guide mentions choosing a configuration tool, but does not specify which one(s). Typically, this would involve using a web interface or CLI (Command Line Interface) provided by F5 Networks for managing and configuring the BIG-IP system's modules.

5. **Additional Considerations**:

• Discusses topics such as redundant system configurations, active-active redundancy with failover and failback mechanisms, and conversion between active-active and active/standby modes.

6. **Core System Services**:

• Summarizes essential services like starting, stopping, and managing the Master Configuration Process service, Traffic Management Microkernel service, and SOD service to maintain system functionality.

7. **Glossary**: Provides a list of defined terms used in the guide for better understanding of specific concepts related to BIG-IP systems management. This summary provides an overview of the BIG-IP system's architecture, its key functionalities, and how it can be managed using TMOS and associated modules. The BIG-IP System is a powerful Traffic Management Operating System that provides intelligent traffic management across various network components like virtual servers, pools, and profiles to ensure efficient processing while adhering to security needs. It includes several key features such as BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager for managing local traffic, BIG-IP Global Traffic Manager for global traffic optimization, BIG-IP Link Controller for optimizing WAN connections, BIG-IP Application Security Manager for web application protection, BIG-IP Protocol Security Module for securing HTTP, FTP, and SMTP traffic, BIG-IP WebAccelerator System for enhancing web performance, BIG-IP WAN Optimization Module for reducing bandwidth use between sites, and BIG-IP Access Policy Manager for flexible access and security management. The system also offers a browser-based utility for managing the BIG-IP system, along with command line utilities as an alternative. The Configuration utility in BIG-IP Systems is a web-based tool used to manage and configure the F5 Networks's Traffic Management Operating System (TMOS). It provides an interface for users to access, modify, and monitor various system settings such as VLANs, virtual servers, SNMP MIBs, and SSH clients. The utility consists of four main components: identification and messages area, navigation pane, menu bar, and body. To access the Configuration utility, users open a web browser, enter the management IP address of the BIG-IP device in the URL box (e.g., https://), log in with valid credentials, and click 'Log in'. The Welcome screen opens by default. Users can customize this tool by setting user preferences which include configuring how many records are displayed per screen (default is 10) and selecting the start screen that appears when opening a new browser window or tab. Additionally, there's a section outlining various browser support for the Configuration utility, emphasizing its compatibility with commonly available web browsers like Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. The document outlines various user preferences that can be configured in the BIG-IP Configuration Utility for managing and customizing the system's settings. These include options such as session names, display features like hostnames and statistics format, as well as specific configurations for security banners on login screens and prompt texts for user name and password fields. The document also provides instructions for how to access and modify these preferences from the Configuration utility interface, emphasizing that changes will take effect after clicking "Update." Additionally, it mentions alternative management tools available via command line utilities like bigpipe, tmsh, and others, which are useful for system administration tasks not covered by the graphical user interface. The provided text provides an overview of the Traffic Management Operating System (TMOS) used by BIG-IP systems for application delivery networking. TMOS features include a proxy architecture that inspects traffic, optimizes performance, and offloads servers; high-speed processing with minimal overhead; and modular functionality allowing for easy addition of features without significant infrastructure upgrades. The article explains how to initially configure the BIG-IP system using the Setup utility, which sets up two virtual local area networks (VLANs) with interfaces assigned per VLAN. Additional customization is possible through the BIG-IP system's browser-based Configuration utility. The system can be customized further by assigning more interfaces to each VLAN or configuring it to send traffic across multiple VLANs via a single interface. The text also covers several management features of TMOS, such as interfaces for switching and routing traffic, spanning tree protocols to provide path redundancy without loops, and trunking for aggregated link usage with failover capabilities if one interface fails. Additionally, the article discusses virtual local area networks (VLANs) that define logical collections of hosts on a network, offering advantages like defined broadcast domain boundaries. Lastly, the text provides information about commands such as 'ssh' and 'scp' for accessing command line interfaces remotely, and how to check system integrity with 'sys-icheck', reset settings with 'sys-reset', among others, all detailed in Table 1.2 Additional BIG-IP system commands. VLANs are used in networking to divide a network into smaller segments, which helps control broadcast domains and prevent message flooding by allowing messages to be sent only to specific hosts within the same segment. This reduces unnecessary traffic on the network and enhances performance. Additionally, using VLANs makes it easier for system or network administrators to manage shared resources among different physical locations without manually updating routing tables or moving devices; all devices in a VLAN can access network resources regardless of their location. The BIG-IP system comes with two default VLANs: one for external networks and another for internal networks, each equipped with an assigned interface. The system supports adding more interfaces to these VLANs or creating additional ones. Each VLAN has its own self IP address used as the source IP for outgoing requests and destination IP for responses within that VLAN. For enhanced performance and flexibility, the BIG-IP system offers features like IP routing, ARP (Address Resolution Protocol), which allows dynamic mapping of IP addresses to MAC addresses, and packet filtering to control traffic types passing through the system. Rate shaping is another feature that categorizes certain network connections into rate classes for customized throughput based on specific needs such as optimizing web server performance. Furthermore, TMOS (Traffic Management Operating System) includes several fundamental system-related objects like administrative user accounts, SNMP (System Network Management Protocol) configuration, and redundant systems management. These features are managed through the Setup utility during initial setup and can be further configured using the Configuration utility for ongoing administration tasks. The article discusses the management of BIG-IP systems through user accounts and roles, emphasizing access control at a finer granularity by partitioning system objects such as virtual servers and pools. User accounts for administrators can be local to the BIG-IP system or remote on authentication servers like LDAP, Active Directory, or RADIUS. The article lists various user roles available for assigning privileges, including Administrator, Resource Administrator, User Manager, Manager, Application Editor, etc., depending on the level of access required by each user. The article also covers high-availability features in BIG-IP systems, which include redundant configurations and failover mechanisms to ensure continuous operation even if one system unit becomes unavailable. SNMP (System Network Management Protocol) is discussed for remote management of both the BIG-IP system and other network devices. It mentions logging capabilities using Syslog-ng utility that logs various events related to the operating system, packet filtering, local traffic management, and auditing. Additional features include optional services like postfix and radvd which can be configured via the Configuration utility, along with creating archives (UCS) or single configuration files (SCF) for data backup purposes in case of a system failure. This is an introduction to configuring a BIG-IP system, which is part of the Traffic Management Operating System (TMOS). The process involves using a single configuration file that can be applied to another BIG-IP system with one simple operation. Before starting, it's recommended to follow the "BIG-IP Systems: Getting Started Guide" and run the Setup utility to configure basic network settings. Afterward, use the Configuration utility to create local traffic management objects like virtual servers, load balancing pools, and profiles. The guide provides additional resources such as product guides and online help for further reference. Additionally, there are other documentation sources available in PDF format from the AskF5 Knowledge Base website or directly within the BIG-IP system's Configuration utility including "BIG-IP Systems: Getting Started Guide," "Configuration Guide for BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager," and more. The document includes stylistic conventions to help users identify important information, such as new terms highlighted in bold italic text, references to objects, names, and commands in bold text, and references to other documents in italic text. This text provides a guide on command syntax usage in the context of a Ted Guide for BIG-IP systems, explaining how to identify and use specific commands. It includes details about where users should type input, which parameters are user-defined, and whether certain parts of the command are optional or can be repeated. Additionally, it mentions several resources available for technical documentation and support, such as online help within the Configuration utility, links on the Welcome screen, and external sites like F5 Networks Technical Support web site. The text also introduces configuring general configuration properties, including device properties, NTP, and DNS settings, providing a comprehensive guide for managing BIG-IP systems through the Configuration utility. This text provides a guide on how to configure general device properties, such as host name, version, CPU count, active CPUs, network boot feature, quiet boot feature, and displaying the LCD system menu, on a BIG-IP system. It includes steps for viewing or configuring these settings, descriptions of default values and possible actions, and instructions for downloading and installing updates to the IP geolocation database. The provided text outlines various steps and procedures for configuring different aspects of a BIG-IP system using the Configuration utility or tmsh commands, including setting up Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers, Domain Name System (DNS), and local traffic properties. Key points from the summary include: 1. Instructions to reload default geolocation database files either through the Configuration utility or via tmsh command line interface. 2. Steps for configuring a list of NTP time servers including adding, editing, and deleting IP addresses. 3. Guidance on configuring DNS settings, creating both DNS lookup server and BIND forwarder lists, with options to add, edit, and delete entries in these lists. 4. How to set up local-traffic properties for the BIG-IP system, categorizing them into general local traffic properties and advanced local traffic properties. 5. The importance of enabling named service when using DNS proxy services. This document provides detailed guidance on managing and configuring various settings on a BIG-IP system through its management interface, including updates to database files, time synchronization, domain name resolution, and traffic management configurations. This text provides information on how to configure general local-traffic properties in BIG-IP systems using the Configuration utility. The steps include navigating to the General screen under System > Configuration, selecting Local Traffic > General, and configuring or retaining default values for specified properties. These properties affect the automatic mapping of last hops, maintenance mode behavior, VLAN-keyed connections, path MTU discovery, handling of unmatched packets, maximum node idle time, memory management settings (reaper high-water mark and low-water mark), SYN check threshold, Layer 2 cache aging time, share single MAC address setting, and SNAT packet forwarding type. The summarized text explains how to configure general persistence-related properties in a system using the Configuration utility. It involves navigating to the General Properties screen and selecting Persistence from the Local Traffic menu. Users can then set or retain default values for properties such as managing destination IP address entries in the persistence table, specifying timeout settings, and defining maximum entries allowed. Additionally, it discusses SSL certificates for BIG-IP systems used for verifying credentials during communication, which includes self-signed and CA-signed certificates. This passage discusses managing device certificates on a BIG-IP system, which is crucial for SSL authentication in network communication. The BIG-IP system uses these certificates for authentication purposes when requesting SSL from another system. A device certificate can be either self-signed or CA-signed. The article provides detailed instructions and guidelines on how to view, import, renew, and export a device certificate using the Configuration utility of the BIG-IP system. It explains that you can access information about installed certificates through various properties such as name, subject, expires date, version number, serial number, issuer, etc. The process for importing includes specifying whether it's a key, certificate, PKCS 12 (IIS) file, or an archive and providing the necessary settings like source of the SSL certificate and device key with options to upload or paste text. Overall, this chapter is essential for system administrators who are responsible for maintaining network security by managing SSL certificates on BIG-IP systems. This document outlines procedures for managing SSL certificates on F5 Networks' BIG-IP systems, including renewing device certificates, exporting them, and handling key imports/exports. Key features discussed include modifying certificate properties such as issuer, common name, organization, locality, country, email address; setting the challenge password if necessary; specifying the lifetime of self-signed certificates; and changing the size of device keys from 512 to 2048 bytes. The process involves navigating through the system's interface, modifying settings in the Certificate Properties and Key Properties sections, and exporting or importing certificate files for migration between systems. The given text provides information about device keys and their properties, as well as procedures for importing and exporting these keys. It also mentions managing trusted device certificates and explains SSL authentication levels. Here's a summarized version of the key points from the text: 1. **Device Key Properties**: Table 3.5 lists the properties of a device key including its type (e.g., KTYPE_RSA_PRIVATE), size (e.g., 1024 bits), and other details. 2. **Importing Device Keys**: This involves replacing an existing certificate with a different one or a certificate/key pair. Table 3.2 describes the settings for importing either a device certificate or a certificate/key pair, including import type (Certificate or Certificate and Key), certificate name, source of the certificate, key source if applicable, and other related details. 3. **Steps to Import Device Keys**:

• Navigate to System > Device Certificates.

• Click on Device Key and then Import.

• Select the import type (Certificate or Certificate and Key).

• If choosing Certificate and Key, specify the source of the certificate and key by either uploading a file or pasting text.

• Complete the process by clicking Import.

4. **Exporting Device Keys**: This is done to migrate keys to another BIG-IP system. Table 3.7 lists settings for exporting including displaying the key text and a download button for the key file. 5. **Procedure to Export Device Key**: Navigate to System > Device Certificates, click on Device Key, and then Export. The screen will display the key text, and you can download it by clicking the Key File button labeled Download . 6. **Managing Trusted Device Certificates**: These are used for authentication between systems (e.g., Global Traffic Manager to Local Traffic Manager). SSL supports up to ten levels of authentication from Level 0 self-signed certificates to Level 9 with multiple CA servers in the chain. This summary captures the essential functions and procedures related to device keys and their management on BIG-IP systems, providing a clear overview for users and administrators. This document outlines how to configure multi-level certificate authentication in BIG-IP systems by importing and managing trusted device certificates. The steps involve viewing, importing, or exporting certificates as needed for secure communications between multiple BIG-IP systems. To begin, one must import trusted device certificates onto each system, specifying the depth of the chain required for verification. This can be done through a web interface by navigating to System > Device Certificates and clicking on Trusted Device Certificates at the bottom of the screen. The import process allows users to choose whether they are adding or replacing existing certificates, either by uploading a file or pasting text from another source. Exporting is possible when creating backups for migration between systems, using similar steps but selecting export instead. The provided text outlines the process for configuring general platform properties on a BIG-IP system, including setting up the management interface with an IP address, netmask, and route, assigning a unique hostname, specifying whether the system is standalone or part of a redundant setup, defining the unit ID if applicable, and choosing the appropriate time zone. The text also introduces alternative methods for configuration using bigpipe utility or tmsh, and provides additional details on configuring specific features such as management interface settings and TMM service interactions. This text provides an overview and explanation of how to manage the BIG-IP system's configuration state, focusing on two main aspects: introducing the concept of the BIG-IP system configuration state and understanding the load and save commands for configuration management using either the Configuration utility or command line tools such as bigpipe utility or tmsh. 1. **Introducing the BIG-IP System Configuration State**: The text explains that when configuring tasks are performed on a BIG-IP system, underlying configuration data is generated. To prevent loss of this data during unexpected events or restarts, it must be saved. This data exists in two states: stored and running configurations. The stored configuration includes all configuration tasks completed and saved to the system's configuration files; the running configuration includes both the stored configuration and any changes made since the last save operation. 2. **Understanding the Load and Save Commands**:

• **Load Command**: This is used when you want to apply or reload a previously saved configuration from the BIG-IP system's disk storage to its active memory for use in operations. The text does not provide explicit details on how to use this command, but implies that it might be part of a procedure related to managing configurations through tools like bigpipe utility or tmsh.

• **Save Command**: This is explicitly mentioned as necessary when using command line tools (bigpipe utility or tmsh) for configuration management in the BIG-IP system. The save command is required to store newly generated configuration data, ensuring it persists beyond immediate operations and can be recalled if needed. If not saved, this data would only exist temporarily during an active session.

The text also clarifies that while the Configuration utility automatically saves configurations for users, those using command line tools must explicitly issue save commands to maintain configuration persistence. This distinction highlights how different interfaces manage BIG-IP system configurations and ensures data integrity across various operational scenarios. The commands `bigpipe

` and `tmsh sys save

` are used to write the running configuration to stored configuration files. This ensures that any recent changes made to the system configuration are retained. However, if multiple users are making changes, running `bigpipe save all` or `tmsh sys save config` will result in saving the changes of all users, which can lead to overwriting each other's configurations unintentionally. To avoid this issue, only users with Administrator or Resource Administrator roles can run these commands; others receive an error and must use the `bigpipe save` command instead. The `bigpipe

` and `tmsh sys load

` commands are used to reset the running configuration based on the values in stored configuration files, which means that if you run a load command before saving your changes, any modifications will be lost. The table provided outlines the actions of various load and save commands related to system configuration states:

• `bigpipe base load` resets the running configuration based on contents of specific files.

• `bigpipe load` replaces the entire running configuration based on multiple files.

• `bigpipe base save` saves only specific portions of the running configuration.

• `bigpipe save` and `bigpipe save all` save different extents of the running configuration into stored configuration files.

• `tmsh sys load ` performs similar actions to `bigpipe`.

• `tmsh sys save ` also mirrors actions in `bigpipe`.

Understanding these commands is crucial for managing the BIG-IP system's configuration state, as they facilitate loading and saving configurations effectively. The provided text describes the management of a BIG-IP system's configuration state, focusing on how to save and load configurations from various files using specific commands like `bigpipe` and `tmsh`. Here is a summary of the key points discussed in the passage: 1. **Configuration Files**:

• The `/config/bigip_local.conf` file stores virtual servers for BIG-IP Global Traffic Manager.

• The `/config/bigip_sys.conf` file contains Linux or UNIX configuration objects, which are synchronized between redundant units.

• Other files like `/config/bigip/auth/pam.d`, `/config/httpd/conf`, and others store specific configurations such as PAM authentication, HTTP server settings, NTP, SSH, SNMP, DNS, and more.

2. **Editing Configuration Files**:

• It is important not to edit these files directly with a text editor because the BIG-IP system will ignore changes made in this manner when saving the configuration.

• Use commands like `bigpipe base load` or `tmsh sys load base-config` to load configurations from these files into the running configuration.

• Similarly, use `bigpipe save all` or `tmsh sys save config` to write the current running configuration back into these files.

3. **Using Commands**:

• The commands are crucial for managing and updating the BIG-IP system's configurations without directly editing the stored files. This ensures that changes made through standard operating procedures (SOP) can be properly saved, loaded, and synchronized across redundant units.

4. **Limitations and Warnings**:

• Some objects in these configuration files are limited by partition access control, meaning they have restricted protection based on their location within the system's partitioning structure.

• Users should avoid direct text editor edits of any configuration file to prevent overwriting changes made through standard procedures or automated scripts.

5. **Documentation and Access**:

• The table provides a reference for which commands correspond to specific files, aiding in the management of these configurations efficiently.

• This information is part of the TMOS Management Guide for BIG-IP Systems, aimed at providing guidance on how to handle configuration states and interactions with various system components through command-based interfaces like `bigpipe` and `tmsh`.

The article discusses the single configuration file (SCF) feature in BIG-IP systems, which allows users to save the configuration into a flat, text file. This SCF contains local traffic management and TMOS® configuration data that can be replicated across multiple BIG-IP systems for efficient network management. To use the SCF feature, one must understand the distinction between stored and running configurations of a BIG-IP system. The article explains how to create an SCF using the bigpipe utility's export command, which collects all commands, attributes, and values from the current configuration and saves them in a .scf file. This file can then be imported onto another BIG-IP system using the import command, where it replaces the running configuration after backing up the existing one. The article also highlights the importance of always using the import command for configuring systems with an SCF and provides tips such as comparing two SCF files to ensure consistency. It mentions that if multiple SCF files are created, they can be compared using the bigpipe config diff command. The article clarifies the backup process of the running configuration when importing an SCF, including how the system names backup files sequentially based on the number of times it has been backed up. In summary, the single configuration file feature in BIG-IP systems simplifies the management and replication of configurations across multiple devices by allowing users to export and import configuration data through a text file format that is easily managed and verifiable. The text discusses how to create and work with an SCF (Single Configuration File) for managing a BIG-IP system from F5 Networks. The four main commands discussed are export, import, save all, and load. Here's a summary of their usage and functions: 1. **Export Command**: This command is used to create an SCF that can be later imported into another BIG-IP system for configuration purposes. It does not modify the running or stored configurations on the BIG-IP system where it is run, but simply saves the current configuration to an SCF file. The export command creates a text file with a specified name and .scf extension in the /var/local/scf directory by default. An optional oneline attribute can be used for more compact formatting of the SCF contents. 2. **Import Command**: This command is used to replace the entire running configuration of a BIG-IP system with the values from an imported SCF file. After importing, it's necessary to save the new configuration using the save all command to update the stored configuration files. 3. **Save All Command**: This command writes the current running configuration to the stored configuration files, ensuring that any changes made during operation are preserved in these files. It is recommended for saving system changes to the stored configuration. 4. **Load Command**: This command replaces the entire running configuration with values from the stored configuration, effectively undoing recent changes or configurations imported from an SCF file. The table provided compares the usage of these commands and outlines their respective roles in managing a BIG-IP system's configuration. The process for using an SCF to configure another BIG-IP system involves exporting the running configuration to create an SCF, modifying it as needed, importing this modified SCF into the target system, and finally saving the changes to update its stored configuration. The provided text outlines a procedure for configuring a target BIG-IP system using an SCF (Single Configuration File). Here's a summary of the steps involved: 1. **Access the BIG-IP System**: On the configured BIG-IP system, access the bigpipe shell. 2. **Create an SCF**: Use the procedure detailed in "Creating a single configuration file" to create an SCF. 3. **Copy the SCF**: Copy the SCF to a location on your network that can be accessed from the target BIG-IP system. 4. **Edit the SCF**:

• Open the SCF in an editor.

• Update management IP address, network mask, default routes, self IPs, virtual server IPs, and other relevant fields to reflect the new system's configuration.

• Modify passwords for root and admin accounts if necessary using the command format `user password none newpassword `.

5. **Import the SCF**: On the target BIG-IP system, use the import command to import the SCF: `bp> import myConfiguration`. This process saves a backup of the running configuration and resets it with the imported SCF content. 6. **Save the Configuration**: Save the new running configuration to the stored configuration using the `save all` command. 7. **Restoring Configurations**:

• To restore to factory defaults, run `bigpipe import default`. This saves the current config and resets to the `/defaults/defaults.scf` SCF.

• To restore to a previous configuration, use `bigpipe import .scf`, which also saves the current config before resetting to the specified SCF content.

8. **Backup**: Always ensure to backup the running configuration before making significant changes or restorations. This procedure is crucial for maintaining and restoring configurations on BIG-IP systems, ensuring consistency across redundant units if applicable. To configure a target BIG-IP system using an SCF (Single Configuration File) with the copy-and-paste feature, you can follow these steps: 1. **Create an SCF**: First, create an SCF file on the original system as per the instructions in "Creating a single configuration file". 2. **Copy and Paste at BigPipe Shell Prompt**:

• Copy the contents of the SCF file.

• On the target BIG-IP system, access the bigpipe shell.

• Type `import -` followed by pressing Enter. Note that no prompt appears after entering the command.

• Paste the copied SCF content into the command line.

• Press CTRL-D to finalize the paste operation.

• Insert a carriage return (Enter) to indicate the end of the pasted content. Failing to do this will result in failure of the copy-and-paste operation.

• After running the command, type `save all` to save the new configuration.

3. **Copy and Paste with Import Command**:

• Copy the contents of the SCF file.

• On the target BIG-IP system, access the bigpipe shell and type `import -`.

• Paste the copied content into the command line.

• Press CTRL-D to finalize the paste operation.

• Insert a carriage return (Enter) to indicate the end of the pasted content.

• After running the command, type `save all` to save the new configuration.

4. **Considerations**:

• Ensure that no single line in the SCF exceeds 4096 characters; if it does, use the `bigpipe import .scf` command instead of copy-and-paste.

• If a command fails during the paste operation, subsequent commands may generate error messages and the running configuration might be left in an ambiguous state.

• The system will roll back any configuration changes if it encounters an error after pasting the content.

By following these steps, you can effectively use the copy-and-paste feature with SCFs to configure a target BIG-IP system. This passage is about configuring interfaces on a BIG-IP system from F5 Networks. The management interface is where you can configure all other network settings called TMM switch interfaces, which are used for sending or receiving application traffic. Interface properties include media speed, duplex mode, VLAN tagging and spanning tree protocol settings that you can set using the Configuration utility. After setting these properties, you can implement feature like interface mirroring to duplicate traffic across multiple interfaces and view statistics about the traffic on each interface. You can also configure virtual local area networks (VLAN) and assign interfaces to them, which allows a single interface to forward traffic for different VLANs by inserting a VLAN ID or tag into frames passing through those interfaces. For more detailed information, there are separate guides available, such as the Bigpipe Utility Reference Guide or the Traffic Management Shell (tmsh) Reference Guide. The passage also highlights that only users with certain roles can create and manage interfaces on the BIG-IP system. Understanding interface naming conventions is essential, where slot number of network interface cards and port numbers determine interface names like 1.1, 1.2, or 2.1. Lastly, it mentions how to view a list of all interfaces and their current status using the Configuration utility. This document provides a guide for configuring general properties of network interfaces on a BIG-IP system, including enabling/disabling an interface, specifying media type and duplex mode, managing flow control with pause frames, and implementing interface mirroring for reliability. The configuration involves accessing the interface list from the navigation pane, editing specific properties as needed, and clicking 'Update' to apply changes. To configure interface mirroring on a BIG-IP system, follow these steps: 1. **Navigate to Interfaces**: On the Main tab of the navigation pane, expand "Network" and click "Interfaces." This will display the list of interfaces on the BIG-IP system. 2. **Open Interface Mirroring**: On the menu bar, click "Interface Mirroring." The Interface Mirroring screen will open, displaying additional configuration settings. 3. **Enable Interface Mirroring**: From the Interface Mirroring State list, select "Enabled." This will activate the interface for mirroring traffic. 4. **Select Destination Interface**: From the Destination Interface list, choose the interface you want the BIG-IP system to use for mirrored traffic. 5. **Configure Mirrored Interfaces**: For the Mirrored Interfaces setting, click an interface number in the Available box and move it to the Selected box using the Move button (<<). Repeat this step for each additional interface you wish to mirror. 6. **Update Configuration**: Click "Update" to save your settings. **Displaying Interface Statistics:** 1. Navigate to Interfaces as above. 2. On the menu bar, click "Statistics." This will show statistics for the interfaces on the BIG-IP system. 3. Verify that the Statistics Type setting is set to "Interfaces." 4. For Data Format, retain the default (Normalized) or choose Unformatted from the list. 5. Set Auto Refresh to Disabled or select an interval as needed. Note that short intervals could impact performance. 6. Manually refresh statistics by clicking "Refresh" if auto-refresh is disabled. **Additional Configuration Tasks:**

• **VLANs and VLAN Groups**: Assign interfaces to virtual LANs (VLANs) for efficient traffic management, or use trunks with link aggregation for increased bandwidth.

• **Trunks and LACP**: Configure trunking using the industry-standard Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) for failover if an interface becomes unavailable.

• **Spanning Tree Protocols (STP, RSTP, MSTP)**: Reduce network traffic by preventing duplicate routes with these protocols that block bridging loops.

For more detailed information on VLANs, creating and managing them, refer to Chapter 8, "Configuring VLANs and VLAN Groups." For trunking and LACP, see Chapter 9, "Working with Trunks." Spanning tree protocols are covered in Chapter 19, "Configuring Spanning Tree Protocols." This guide provides a comprehensive overview of configuring interface mirroring on BIG-IP systems, along with additional network management tasks such as VLANs and trunking. The article discusses configuring VLANs on a BIG-IP system, which is a port-based switch capable of multilayer processing. Key features include: 1. **VLAN Association**: Physical interfaces can be directly associated with VLANs, allowing for multiple or single interface associations. This eliminates the need for physical routers between separate VLANs. 2. **Multivendor Compatibility**: The BIG-IP system complies with the IEEE 802.1q standard, enabling integration into existing multivendor switched environments. 3. **VLAN Grouping**: Two or more VLANs can be combined into a single object called a VLAN group, facilitating communication between hosts in different VLANs through Layer 2 forwarding and IP routing. **Default Configuration**: By default, the BIG-IP system includes two VLANs named internal and external. Each VLAN has a static self IP address, a VLAN tag, and one or more associated interfaces. These addresses help identify which VLAN contains the destination server during request processing. **Creating and Managing VLANs**: When creating a new VLAN, you must assign it a name and an identifying tag, then associate interfaces with it. For redundant systems, special MAC addresses can be specified to ensure failover-related connections are processed successfully. **Configuration Utility**: The Configuration utility is used for both creating and managing existing VLANs. Only users with the Administrator user role have permission to perform these tasks. In summary, BIG-IP systems support flexible VLAN configurations that leverage port-based switching and advanced networking capabilities to enhance network efficiency and performance. This document provides instructions on how to create and configure Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) settings within the BIG-IP system, including specifying unique names, tags, assigning interfaces, enabling source checking, setting Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU), MAC masquerade addresses, and configuring fail-safe mechanisms. The process involves navigating through the user interface of a BIG-IP system to set up VLANs in specific administrative partitions. It emphasizes that each VLAN must be assigned an IP address for proper functioning, which is detailed in another chapter on Configuring Self IP Addresses. For tagged interfaces, it suggests assigning them according to their respective VLAN tags as headers for messages, ensuring compatibility with devices connected via other switches. This text discusses the methods for accessing VLANs on a BIG-IP system, which are primarily determined by how an interface is added to a VLAN. The two main methods are port-based access and tag-based access. 1. Port-based Access to VLANs: In this method, frames received on interfaces that are members of a VLAN are automatically accepted by the BIG-IP system. Interfaces in this mode are untagged, meaning they do not include a VLAN tag in their headers. To allow an interface to accept traffic from multiple VLANs, it must be added as a tagged interface, which is described next. 2. Tag-based Access to VLANs: With tag-based access, the BIG-IP system accepts frames that contain matching VLAN tags. Tagged interfaces include a VLAN tag in their headers. When an interface is added to multiple VLANs as a tagged interface, it can accept traffic from all associated VLANs. The text highlights the difference between configuring untagged and tagged interfaces:

• Untagged interfaces require separate configurations for each VLAN they are part of.

• Tagged interfaces can be configured once and assigned to any number of VLANs, allowing them to receive frames from multiple VLANs.

It also mentions that when connecting another switch to a BIG-IP system interface, the VLAN tags must match between systems. The text concludes with additional settings like source checking and maximum transmission unit (MTU) specifications. The text discusses how specifying a MAC masquerade address for a Virtual LAN (VLAN) on a BIG-IP system provides increased reliability and failover speed, especially in networks with packet loss. It explains that this method ensures interoperability with switches that are slow to respond to network changes or those configured to ignore them. When a unit becomes unavailable, the BIG-IP system automatically sends a gratuitous Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) message to notify other devices on the network of the VLAN's MAC masquerade address. This process is crucial for maintaining network connectivity and performance during hardware failures or outages. The text also highlights that any locally-administered MAC masquerade address can be assigned to a VLAN, as long as it remains unique across the network. It recommends setting the MAC masquerade address consistently on both active and standby units for fail-safe redundancy. This failover mechanism is referred to as "fail-safe" and involves enabling VLAN fail-safe when relying on VLAN-related events for redundant system failover. The text then proceeds to describe how to manage VLANs using the Configuration utility, including modifying properties such as MAC address and deleting a VLAN. It also explains the function of the Layer 2 (L2) forwarding table, which is used by the BIG-IP system to determine interface selection for frame transmission based on MAC addresses. The L2 forwarding table includes both dynamic entries learned from traffic and static entries manually added by the user. In summary, this text provides a comprehensive guide on how to configure VLANs with MAC masquerade addresses, manage them using the BIG-IP system's Configuration utility, and maintain the Layer 2 forwarding table for efficient network operations. To create a VLAN group in the BIG-IP system, follow these steps: 1. **Navigate to the VLANs Section:**

• On the Main tab of the navigation pane, expand "Network" and click on "VLANs." This will display a list of all existing VLANs.

2. **Select the Target VLAN:**

• Click the name of the VLAN you want to modify. This will open the properties screen for the selected VLAN.

3. **Access the L2 Forwarding Table:**

• On the menu bar, click on "Layer 2 Static Forwarding Table." This will display any entries currently in the L2 forwarding table.

4. **Add a New Entry:**

• Click "Create" to add a new entry to the table. A screen for adding entries will appear.

5. **Select an Interface:**

• For the Interfaces setting, select an interface number.

6. **Enter MAC Address:**

• In the MAC Address box, type the MAC address of the host to which the entry applies.

7. **Finish or Add Another Entry:**

• Click "Repeat" if you want to add another entry, or click "Finished."

### Changing L2 Forwarding Aging Time 1. **Navigate to Configuration Settings:**

• On the Main tab of the navigation pane, expand "System" and click on "Configuration."

2. **Select General Properties:**

• From the Device menu, choose "General." This will display a list of general properties for the BIG-IP system.

3. **Access Local Traffic Settings:**

• From the Local Traffic menu, choose "General." This will display a list of general properties related to local traffic.

4. **Adjust Aging Time:**

• In the Layer 2 Cache Aging Time box, change the value.

5. **Save Changes:**

• Click "Update" to save the changes.

### Creating and Managing VLAN Groups 1. **Set Partition:**

• Ensure that you are in the partition where you want to create the VLAN group.

2. **Create a VLAN Group:**

• Assign a name and a VLAN group ID, specifying the existing VLANs you want the VLAN group to contain.

3. **Configure Transparency Mode:**

• Choose between "Opaque," "Translucent," or "Transparent" for the transparency mode.

4. **Redundant System Configuration:**

• Enable "Bridge All Traffic" and/or "Bridge in Standby" settings as needed, depending on your redundant system configuration.

5. **MAC Masquerade Address:**

• If applicable, specify a MAC masquerade address for redundancy purposes.

### Summary of VLAN Group Configuration Options:

• **Name**: A unique name for the VLAN group.

• **VLAN Group ID**: An optional ID for the VLAN group.

• **VLANs**: The specified VLANs to be included in the group.

• **Transparency Mode**: Determines how MAC addresses are exposed within the group.

• **Bridge All Traffic/Standby**: Forwarding options based on system role (active or standby) in a redundant setup.

• **MAC Masquerade**: A specific address used for redundancy, applicable when forwarding between VLANs.

By following these steps and using the provided configuration options, you can effectively create and manage VLAN groups within the BIG-IP system to optimize network traffic handling and reduce reconfiguration efforts. To create a VLAN group on a BIG-IP device, follow these steps: 1. **Navigate to VLANs**: On the Main tab of the navigation pane, expand "Network" and click "VLANs." This will display a list of all existing VLANs. 2. **List VLAN Groups**: On the menu bar, from "VLAN Groups," choose "List." This will show a list of all existing VLAN groups. 3. **Create a New VLAN Group**: In the upper-right corner, click "Create." The VLAN Groups screen will open. 4. **Specify General Properties**:

• In the "General Properties" area, in the "VLAN Group" box, type a unique name for the VLAN group.

• In the "VLAN Group ID" box, optionally type a unique VLAN ID (1-4094). If not specified, the system will automatically assign one.

5. **Configure Configuration Area**:

• For the "VLANs" setting, click a VLAN name in the "Available" box and move it to the "Members" box using the Move button (<<). Repeat as necessary.

• Select a transparency mode from the "Transparency Mode" list. The default is translucent.

6. **Bridge Traffic Settings**:

• Check the "Bridge All Traffic" setting if you want the VLAN group to forward all frames, including non-IP traffic.

• For the "Bridge in Standby" setting, leave the box checked if you want the VLAN group to forward frames even when the system is the standby unit of a redundant system.

7. **MAC Masquerade**:

• In the "MAC Masquerade" box, type a MAC address. This will be used for forwarding responses across VLANs.

8. **Finish Configuration**: Click "Finished." **Additional Information:**

• Ensure that you associate a self IP address with the VLAN group as per the separate section on page 8-21 of the document.

• The provided information includes details about:

• Naming the VLAN group (unique name is required).

• Assigning a unique VLAN group ID (automatically assigned if not specified).

• Setting transparency modes and their effects, including switching between Layer 2 and Layer 3 forwarding.

• Configuring options to bridge all traffic or handle bridging with standby units in redundant configurations.

• Specifying MAC masquerade addresses for specific VLAN groups.

By following these steps and considering the additional notes provided in the document, you can effectively configure a VLAN group on a BIG-IP device. This document explains how to manage a VLAN group in the BIG-IP system using the Configuration utility. The process involves changing properties, deleting the group, and managing proxy ARP forwarding. It also covers associating a VLAN or VLAN group with a self IP address and assigning them to route domains. Trunks are logical groupings of interfaces on a BIG-IP® system that function as single interfaces for distributing traffic across multiple links through link aggregation, increasing bandwidth without upgrading hardware and providing link failover. The maximum number of aggregated links is eight, with optimal performance achieved by aggregating in powers of two (e.g., two, four, or eight links). Trunks allow communication between peer systems using trunks to exchange frames, maintaining frame order based on source and destination addresses through automatic assignment of a unique MAC address. LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol) is an optional feature that can be configured for trunk settings, providing error condition detection and traffic redistribution across member links without loss on failed links. To create a trunk in the BIG-IP system, follow these steps: 1. **Navigate to Trunks**: On the Main tab of the navigation pane, expand Network and click on "Trunks". The Trunks screen will open. 2. **Create a New Trunk**: In the upper-right corner of the screen, click the "Create" button. Another Trunks screen will open. If the Create button is unavailable, ensure you have the Administrator or Resource Administrator role assigned to your user account. 3. **Specify the Name**: In the Name box, type a unique name for the trunk. This setting is required. 4. **Select Interfaces**: Using the Interfaces setting, specify the interfaces that will be used as member links for the trunk. Select an interface from the Available box and move it to the Members box using the Move button (<<). Repeat this step if necessary. 5. **Enable LACP (Optional)**: If you want to enable the LACP feature, check the LACP box. You can then select Passive mode or retain the default mode (Active), and choose a timeout value from the LACP Timeout list: Short or Long. 6. **Select Link Selection Policy**: From the Link Selection Policy list, select or retain a policy. 7. **Finish Configuration**: Click "Finished" to complete the trunk creation process. **Notes:**

• The BIG-IP system uses the lowest-numbered interface as the reference link for negotiation.

• Interfaces must operate at the same media speed and be set to full-duplex mode.

• Interface assignments are untagged, and each interface can only be assigned to one trunk.

• Trunks automatically assign VLANs using the standard VLAN assignment process.

• Spanning tree protocols (STP, RSTP, MSTP) operate on all member links together as a single unit when using trunks.

By following these steps and considerations, you can effectively create and configure trunks in the BIG-IP system to optimize network performance and utilization. LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol) is used to exchange control packets over member links in order to detect error conditions such as faulty MAC devices or link loopbacks. When an error is detected on a member link, the BIG-IP system removes that link from aggregation and redistributes traffic to the remaining links in the trunk, ensuring no lost traffic. By default, LACP is disabled for backward compatibility with previous versions of the BIG-IP system. If enabled, it negotiates the method for sending control packets based on two modes: Active mode (periodic packet sending) or Passive mode (request-based). The LACP Timeout setting determines how frequently the peer system should send control packets, affecting the interval in seconds between packets sent by either Active or both systems in Passive mode. If no response is received after three consecutive packets, the link is removed from aggregation. The timeout can be set to Short (once every second) or Long (once every 30 seconds), with default being Long. Changing this setting renegotiates the links used for aggregation on the trunk. The LACP mode and timeout settings are crucial for proper operation of link aggregation, ensuring that traffic is efficiently redistributed in case of a faulty link without causing network congestion or data loss. The BIG-IP system uses interface 1.2 as a reference link and aggregates all links with the same media speed (100 Mbps in this case). Interfaces 1.2 and 1.3 become working member links carrying traffic, while interface 1.4, operating at 1 Gbps, is not aggregated and does not carry traffic. If the speed of interface 1.4 drops to 100 Mbps, it gets added to the aggregation along with interfaces 1.2 and 1.3. The system selects the subset of member links providing the maximum amount of bandwidth when using the Maximum Bandwidth link selection policy, such as selecting only interface 1.4 if all three have speeds of 1 Gbps or aggregating interfaces 1.2 and 1.3 if their speed drops to 100 Mbps each. The BIG-IP system uses a frame distribution hash algorithm based on source and destination addresses for distributing frames across working member links, with possible values including Source/Destination MAC address, Destination MAC address, or Source/Destination IP address. Trunks can be managed by viewing existing trunks, modifying their properties, adding them to VLANs, deleting them, or managing interfaces. The provided text is a guide on how to manage trunks in a network management system, specifically for BIG-IP systems by F5 Networks. Here's a summarized version of the main points discussed: 1. **Managing Trunks**:

• You can view or modify properties of an existing trunk by navigating to the "Trunks" section under "Network" on the Configuration utility's Main tab.

• To add interfaces to a trunk, click on the trunk name and then click "Resources", select the interface you want to add from the Available box using the Move button (<<), and finally click "Update".

• Removing an interface from a trunk involves selecting the interface in the list and clicking "Delete".

• You can view trunk-related properties of an interface by selecting it under "Resources" after navigating to the trunk's properties.

2. **Creating a Trunk**:

• When creating a trunk, you need to specify LACP settings (mode and timeout), Link selection policy, and other relevant details. For more information on these settings, refer to "Creating a trunk" in the provided text.

3. **Adding a Trunk to a VLAN**:

• After creating a trunk, it can be added to a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) by configuring the VLANs under the Configuration utility. For detailed steps, see Chapter 8 of the TMOS Management Guide for BIG-IP Systems.

4. **Deleting a Trunk**:

• A trunk cannot be deleted if it is a member of any VLAN or participating in Spanning Tree Protocol (STP). Before deletion, ensure to remove the trunk from all assigned VLANs and STP configuration.

• To delete a trunk, locate its name in the "Trunks" list, check the Select box next to it, and click "Delete". Confirm the deletion as prompted.

5. **Interface Management**:

• You can add or remove interfaces from a trunk by following the procedures outlined above for viewing and modifying properties of trunks.

This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to configure, manage, and maintain trunk configurations in a BIG-IP system, ensuring network connectivity and performance through aggregation and load balancing across multiple physical or logical links. This document provides an overview on how to manage static TMM routes on BIG-IP systems, focusing specifically on configuring and using the Configuration utility to view, add, modify, and delete these routes. The system processes two types of routes: management routes and TMM routes. Only users with specific user roles can create and manage route entries. The process involves viewing existing entries, adding new ones, modifying or deleting them as necessary, and understanding their purpose in the routing table. This document provides information on how to configure static routes in BIG-IP systems using the Configuration utility. It outlines steps for adding both default and non-default (standard) routes, detailing settings such as Type, Route Domain ID, Destination, Netmask, and Resource type. The resource can be a gateway IP address, pool, or VLAN. Instructions are given to specify whether the route is standard or a default gateway. It also mentions that additional route domains require configuration through Chapter 11, Configuring Route Domains. For dynamic routing, refer to Chapter 15, Configuring Advanced Routing Modules. The text discusses configuring routes on a BIG-IP system to forward network traffic based on destination IP addresses or network IDs. It explains how to specify routes using either an exact IP address (as in "192.0.2.225") or a network ID with a netmask like "192.0.2.0". The text also covers the use of the Netmask property for defining non-default routes, specifying resources such as next-hop routers, pools of routers, or VLANs, and how to reject packets for certain destinations. It provides detailed steps on adding both default and standard (non-default) routes using the BIG-IP Configuration utility. This document outlines how to configure and manage static routes in BIG-IP systems using the Configuration utility. The steps include navigating through the user interface, creating new routes, modifying existing ones, and deleting entries as necessary. It also provides guidance on configuring dynamic routing and other related issues such as management route configuration and default routes on destination servers. The article discusses the importance of configuring default routes on load balancing servers to forward responses to a BIG-IP system for efficient network management. It explains that this setup prevents service interruptions in case one unit becomes unavailable by using floating self IP addresses that are shared between redundant units. The process involves setting up route domains, which segment network traffic and assign unique routing tables based on IDs. Route domains can be configured independently or as a parent-child relationship for broader management. By isolating traffic through route domains, the BIG-IP system ensures dedicated router resources for each application's traffic. The text provided outlines important considerations and procedures for creating a "route domain" on a BIG-IP system. A route domain is an essential configuration that must reside in the partition named "Common". It serves as a base to search for routes matching packet destinations, and its settings include ID (a unique integer identifier), description, parent ID, VLANs (virtual LANs included within the domain), and strict isolation features. To create a route domain object on a BIG-IP system: 1. Navigate to the "Route Domains" section in the Configuration utility. 2. Click the "Create" button after verifying permissions. 3. Enter an ID number, ensure it's within the range 1 to 65534 and is unique from other route domains. 4. Optionally provide a description for clarity. 5. Specify a parent ID which determines if the system should recursively search ancestor route domains or not. The default "None" means direct searching of current domain only. 6. Select VLANs to include in the route domain and move them into the members box. 7. Enable strict isolation features, if needed. 8. Mark the route domain as the partition's default if desired. 9. Complete the process by clicking "Finished". Understanding each setting within a route domain is crucial for its effective configuration:

• **ID**: A unique integer that identifies the route domain and must be between 1 and 65534, without duplication across domains.

• **Description**: A brief explanation of what the route domain does or manages. This field is optional but recommended for clarity.

• **Parent ID**: Determines if the system should search other parent route domains for a matching destination IP address when direct searching fails.

• **VLANs**: Lists which VLANs are included in this route domain, crucial for network segmentation and traffic management within defined areas.

• **Strict Isolation**: Whether to enforce restrictions on cross-routing; enabled by default but can be adjusted based on network needs.

• **Partition Default**: If checked, designates this route domain as the default for its partition, affecting how other settings might behave in its absence.

This configuration aids in managing multiple networks and traffic within a BIG-IP system, ensuring effective segregation of routes depending on specific application or user requirements. This document explains how to create and manage route domains on a BIG-IP system, including assigning VLANs and enabling or disabling strict isolation. It starts by detailing how to specify addresses for pool members when creating them. The BIG-IP system includes a default route domain with ID 0, which can have parent IDs assigned to allow it to look for routes in other domains if necessary. This is useful for traffic that needs to egress the system. The document explains how assigning a parent ID works during route table lookups and what happens when no match is found. It also covers setting the parent ID to None, which prevents the system from using another domain's routes. There are restrictions on specifying a parent route domain, as detailed in other parts of the documentation. The section about VLAN assignments explains how to move VLANs between route domains and what actions are required based on their current configuration. It also covers creating or recreating VLANs in different partitions if necessary, including Common, where the partition default VLAN is assigned automatically to a default route domain. Finally, it discusses using the Strict Isolation setting which determines whether routes should be restricted across route domains. By default, this setting is enabled, meaning routes cannot cross domain boundaries unless specifically allowed by disabling strict isolation. The document also explains how changes in the child route domain's isolation settings can affect its parent. The article discusses the configuration of route domains on a BIG-IP system, which is used to segment traffic within a partition. It explains that if strict isolation is enabled on a parent route domain, it must also be enabled on its child route domains for routes not to cross between them. If strict isolation is disabled, then the setting can be toggled freely or enabled to prevent routes from crossing route domains. The article provides details on configuring objects within partitions and how addresses are automatically associated with default route domains if no specific ID notation (%) is included. It also mentions that VLANs in partition Common are assigned to the default route domain unless specified otherwise, and a partition can have only one partition default route domain. On the BIG-IP system, you can add static route entries that reside in an administrative partition and are associated with a route domain. If no explicit route domains are created, all routes pertain to default route domain 0. Users with roles such as Administrator or Resource Administrator have permission to create and manage route domains and entries. To add a static route: 1. Navigate to the "Network" section and click on "Routes." 2. Click the "Add" button, ensuring you have the necessary permissions. 3. Choose between adding a default gateway or a standard route. 4. For default gateways, select the relevant route domain from the list and specify a gateway IP address, pool, or VLAN. 5. For standard routes, type the destination IP address including the %ID notation if it pertains to a non-default route domain. 6. Specify the netmask for the destination address. 7. Select a resource (gateway, pool, or VLAN) and click "Finished." Remember that adding a default route is recommended to avoid issues with administrative traffic using the management interface instead of the TMM switch interface. To view static routes on a BIG-IP system using the Configuration utility: 1. Navigate to the Main tab of the navigation pane and expand Network, then click Routes. 2. The list of static routes you have permission to view will be displayed based on your assigned user role. 3. If you have the Administrator or Resource Administrator role, you can view all static routes across multiple partitions and route domains by selecting All

from the Partition drop-down list. 4. To view routes for a specific partition, set the current partition using the Partition drop-down box on any Configuration utility screen. 5. The default route domain is shown as Partition Default Route Domain in the Route Domain ID column. If the partition's default route domain is 0, the destination IP address includes the %ID notation. 6. Routes for all partitions are displayed together when you select All

. The provided text discusses various aspects related to route domains and self IP addresses in BIG-IP systems, including their configuration and implications for network traffic management. Here's a summary of key points from the text: 1. **Route Domains**:

• A sample list in Figure 11.5 shows routes associated with route domains 0 and 3, where destination address 12.2.1.200 is in partition Common and domain 0, while addresses 10.2.1.100 and 10.2.1.250 have different associations based on configuration (default routes for specific partitions and a different route domain).

• The use of %ID or %3 notations depends on whether the route is in the default partition route domain (0) or a custom one, respectively.

2. **Route Domain Considerations**:

• When configuring route domains, it's important to be aware of system behaviors and considerations for Global Traffic Manager (GTM) and Advanced Routing Modules (ZebOS).

• GTM devices should not use non-default route domains for traffic management related to daemons. Default route domain 0 is interoperable with GTM services.

• ZebOS advanced routing modules can only access interfaces, self IP addresses, and static routes within their own route domain (route domain 0).

3. **Self IP Addresses**:

• Self IP addresses are IP addresses associated with VLANs to facilitate communication among hosts in those VLANs or VLAN groups.

• They serve as a basis for determining the specific VLAN containing destination servers, and can also function as default routes for corresponding VLANs.

4. **Configuration of Self IP Addresses**:

• These addresses are configured initially during setup and are used to determine which interface or interfaces should handle traffic destined for a particular host within a VLAN.

• They act as placeholders for an entire range of IP addresses, representing the network address space for hosts in that VLAN.

Overall, the text provides detailed information on how route domains impact network traffic and configuration of self IP addresses for effective communication between BIG-IP systems and their associated networks. When configuring a BIG-IP system, static and floating self IP addresses are assigned to default VLANs (internal and external). These can be expanded upon using additional VLANs. The process involves creating self IP addresses for each VLAN, which automatically assigns MAC addresses based on the lowest-numbered interface of the VLAN. Alternatively, global configuration allows assigning the same MAC address to all VLANs. Self IP addresses are stored in the administrative partition "Common." There are two types of self IP addresses: static and floating. Static self IP addresses are unique to each BIG-IP system, while floating self IP addresses can be shared between redundant systems. When creating a self IP address using the Configuration utility, you can specify if it should be a floating address. For managing local area traffic with SNAT (secure network address translation), configuring automapped SNAT ensures that the source IP address in packets is always a self IP address. This involves automatically selecting and assigning an address from a pool of internal self IP addresses. To create or manage self IP addresses, users must have either the Administrator or Resource Administrator user role. The configuration settings for a self IP address include specifying its IP address, netmask, VLAN it corresponds to, and whether it's floating. To configure self IP addresses on a BIG-IP device, follow these steps: 1. **Access Necessary Roles**: Ensure you have either the Administrator or Resource Administrator role assigned to your user account. 2. **Specify Self IP Address**:

• In the IP Address box, type the self IP address you want to assign to a VLAN.

• In the Netmask box, type a netmask that will represent the range of host IP addresses in the VLAN.

3. **Assign VLAN Setting**: Select the name of the VLAN to which you want to assign the self IP address. The default is internal. 4. **Set Port Lockdown**:

• Choose between Allow Default, Allow All, Allow None, or Allow Custom settings. If you choose Allow Custom, a custom list setting will appear for further configuration.

• For Allow Custom, select TCP or UDP and either add all (All), none (None), or specific ports as per your requirement.

5. **Enable Floating IP**: Check the Floating IP box if you want to configure it as a floating IP address. 6. **Repeat Configuration**: To create additional self IP addresses, click Repeat and repeat steps 2-5 until all are configured. 7. **Finish Configuration**: Click Finished after completing all configurations. ### Key Points:

• A self IP address represents a range of host IP addresses in a VLAN or VLAN group.

• You can specify a netmask to define the range more precisely.

• Port lockdown allows you to control which UDP and TCP protocols and services are accepted by the self IP address, with options to allow all, none, or custom settings.

• Enabling Floating IP makes it possible for traffic to be sent to an alternate BIG-IP unit when the original one is unavailable.

This process ensures that each self IP address is properly configured according to your network requirements, enhancing both security and connectivity options. The provided text discusses managing self IP addresses on a BIG-IP system using the Configuration utility. Users can view or change properties of a self IP address, or delete it. To do this, follow these steps: 1. Navigate to the Main tab in the navigation pane and expand Network, then click on "Self IPs." This will display a list of existing self IP addresses. 2. In the IP Address column, click on the specific self IP address you want to manage or modify. This will open its properties page. 3. To change any settings except for the IP Address, simply modify the values and click "Update." The updated list of self IP addresses will be displayed. If you need to modify the IP Address, delete the current self IP address and create a new one. 4. To delete a self IP address:

• Navigate to the Main tab in the navigation pane, expand Network, then click on "Self IPs."

• Locate the self IP address you want to delete in the IP Address column.

• Click the select box to the left of the IP address and then click "Delete." A confirmation screen will appear; confirm deletion by clicking "Delete" again.

The text also mentions that partitions are used for finer administrative control over certain BIG-IP system objects, such as virtual servers, pools, and user accounts. Administrative partitions contain a defined set of objects and can be assigned to specific users or roles to restrict their access accordingly. The text outlines the structure and management of files and partitions on a BIG-IP system during installation. It emphasizes that all objects created automatically reside in the Common partition unless other partitions are configured later. Users with different roles have varying levels of access to these objects, including read access for most users except those with No Access role. The current partition is determined by user account permissions and defaults to Common if not explicitly selected. Objects like virtual servers can reference others within their own partition or the Common partition. The article discusses the configuration of administrative partitions in a BIG-IP system, focusing on how user accounts and objects can be assigned to different partitions for management purposes. It outlines the importance of understanding the relationship between partitions and user accounts, emphasizing that each user account must have its own partition access defined at the time of creation. The article also explains how to create a new partition (e.g., vendor_appl) and configure it specifically for HTTP traffic objects like virtual servers and pools. It details the process of creating a user account named jsmith with manager role, assigning her password, and specifying that she has access to the newly created vendor_appl partition upon login. The article clarifies that Jane's user account (jsmith) can manage all objects within the assigned partition (vendor_appl), but remains in another partition (IT_users). It highlights that partitions should not reference each other unless they are both in Common or in the same partition, and advises re-creating objects if their partition needs to be changed. Finally, the article suggests considerations when implementing this feature, including object referencing rules and methods for moving objects between partitions. When managing administrative partitions on BIG-IP systems, it's crucial to follow specific guidelines and recommendations to avoid issues. Some key points include: 1. **Partitioning Pool Management**: If you want to delete and recreate a pool in another partition that is part of the Common partition, ensure you also delete any nodes associated with that pool. Otherwise, pools in other partitions could reference these nodes, causing conflicts. 2. **BIG-IP System Object Limitation**: A BIG-IP system object cannot be a member of more than one partition simultaneously. Therefore, if an authorized user modifies a parent object, the changes will propagate to all child objects regardless of their partition. 3. **Monitor Configuration**: Ensure that a default monitor for nodes is enabled and resides in the Common partition. If a user with permission to manage objects in the Common partition disables a default monitor, it will affect all nodes on the system. 4. **iRule Flexibility**: An iRule can reference any object regardless of its partition. For example, an iRule in partition A can contain a pool statement specifying a pool in partition B. 5. **Access Control and Permissions**: Users with appropriate roles (Administrator or Resource Administrator) have full access to objects that they manage, while other users can only view these objects but cannot create, modify, or delete them. 6. **Unique Object Naming**: Every object on the system must have a unique name, regardless of its partition. Therefore, when creating an object, ensure it has a unique name. 7. **Partition Management Tools**: While using the Configuration utility is recommended for managing administrative partitions, you can also use bigpipe or tmsh for alternate methods. However, note that objects cannot be moved between partitions; changes require recreation in new partitions. 8. **User Role Requirements**: To create, modify, or delete a partition or view its properties, users must have the Administrator or Resource Administrator role. Other roles can manage objects within partitions but not partitions themselves. In summary, managing partitions on BIG-IP systems requires careful attention to object references, permissions, and unique naming conventions. Proper use of tools like Configuration utility, bigpipe, and tmsh is essential for effective partition management. The provided text outlines procedures for managing partitions in a BIG-IP system, focusing on setting and changing the current partition users work within. It specifies that upon logging into the system, the user's assigned partition access automatically sets the current partition. This partition is where users can view or interact with system objects. Only one partition can be current at any time, but users with universal partition access can switch between partitions if needed. For changing the current partition, there are two methods: using the Configuration utility by selecting a partition name from the list box on any screen, and via command line, which involves setting the write or read partition argument depending on whether actions involve creation, modification, or deletion of objects. The text also mentions how listing partition names can be done through the Configuration utility, and provides details about modifying partition properties like description if users have appropriate permissions. Lastly, it addresses situations where certain users have permission to manage objects across all partitions, allowing them to view a comprehensive list of specific types of objects (like virtual servers) without needing to switch between partitions manually. To view objects across partitions in BIG-IP systems using the Configuration utility: 1. Access the Configuration utility and ensure "All

" is selected from the Partition list box, which makes all system objects read-only within their current partition. 2. You cannot create new objects or modify configuration values of any BIG-IP system object without setting the current partition to the partition where the object resides. 3. The default current partition is Common until manually changed by a user with appropriate permissions. 4. To delete a partition, first ensure it contains no objects and then follow these steps:

• On the Main tab of the navigation pane, expand System > Users and click Partition List to display the list of partitions.

• In the Name column, locate the partition you want to delete, select it by clicking its Select box, and click Delete. Confirm the deletion in the confirmation box that appears. Alternately, view the properties of an existing partition, click Delete while viewing these properties, and confirm the action in the ensuing dialog.

5. For Global Traffic Manager (GTM) objects like distributed applications, wide IPs, pools, pool members, and monitors, you can partition them within a GTM context but should consider additional factors affecting GTM behavior differently from Local Traffic Manager. Assigning listener and iRule objects to partitions is not recommended as they handle traffic handling without affecting GTM behavior. This passage discusses the management of user accounts in BIG-IP systems from a TMOS® Management Guide for BIG-IP® Systems manual. The guide explains how to introduce and manage both local and remote user accounts, emphasizing their roles in authentication and authorization within the system. It details that there are two types of user accounts: the system maintenance account (named root) which has full access to system resources, and standard user accounts that can be managed locally or remotely with assigned user roles for controlled resource access. The passage also highlights the importance of creating multiple layers of security through user authentication and authorization mechanisms, ensuring secure management of BIG-IP systems. The document outlines the management of user accounts on BIG-IP systems, emphasizing the creation and maintenance of standard administrator accounts, such as the root and admin accounts, using tools like the bigpipe utility and tmsh for configuration. It highlights the importance of creating other user accounts to control access to system resources in a granular manner through administrative partitions. Each user account has a Partition Access property that defines which partitions it can access, allowing for either single partition or universal access. The document also explains how to use user roles to manage access permissions to BIG-IP system resources effectively. User roles in BIG-IP systems define what types of resources or objects a user can manage, as well as the tasks they can perform on those objects. The main roles include Administrator, Resource Administrator, User Manager, Manager, Application Editor, Application Policy Editor, Operator, Guest, and No Access. Administrator: This role provides complete access to all partitioned and non-partitioned objects, including the ability to use specific commands like bigpipe load and save. It also allows configuration synchronization on a redundant system. However, when managing BIG-IP Application Security Manager objects specifically, the role changes to Guest. Resource Administrator: Similar to the Administrator role but excludes user account objects from management. This role is used for configuring administrative partitions and has similar command capabilities as the Administrator role. User Manager: Users with this role can manage all user accounts except those with the Administrator or User Manager roles within their partition. They also have the ability to change their own passwords. Manager: This role allows users to create, modify, and delete virtual servers, pools, pool members, nodes, custom profiles, custom monitors, and iRules. Users can view all objects on the system and change their own passwords. However, they cannot use the bigpipe save command to save changes without assistance from a user with the Administrator role. Application Editor: This role grants permission to modify nodes, pools, pool members, and monitors. It also allows viewing all objects and changing one's own password. Application Policy Editor: Similar to the Application Editor role but applies specifically to Application Security Manager™ security policy objects. Operator: Users with this role can enable or disable nodes and pool members, and they have access to view all objects as well as change their own passwords. Guest: This role allows users to view all objects on the system and change their own passwords. It provides limited management capabilities compared to other roles. No Access: This role prevents users from accessing the system altogether. The default user roles are automatically assigned based on the type of account created, with root and admin accounts typically being assigned the Administrator or Resource Administrator role by default. Understanding these roles is crucial for managing access control effectively in BIG-IP systems. The article discusses user roles and permissions in a BIG-IP system, emphasizing security measures such as assigning specific roles to accounts like root and admin for system maintenance, which cannot be altered. Standard user accounts are automatically assigned the "No Access" role by default but can be changed to other roles including Administrator if needed. Access levels within partitions are defined by user roles, ranging from full access (Write) to limited read access (Read). Each role specifies what actions users can perform on objects in their partition or shared with others (partition Common), except for the root and admin accounts which have unrestricted access regardless of assigned roles. The article also covers how to manage local user accounts using a Configuration utility, where only Administrators and User Managers can create or modify these accounts but all users can change their own passwords. Lastly, it highlights the importance of setting an initial password for the admin account through Setup or Configuration utilities and its default role that grants full access to system resources. The BIG-IP system offers an optional security feature for creating secure passwords for local user accounts. This includes enforcing character restrictions such as minimum password length and required character types (numeric, uppercase, lowercase, and special characters). Additionally, it has policy restrictions concerning the duration of passwords and warning messages before expiration, along with storing previous passwords to prevent reuse. It also allows for authentication lockout after a certain number of failed login attempts. The feature is available only to users with the Administrator role, who are not subject to these restrictions when managing their own or other accounts' passwords. Configuring this feature requires specific user roles and involves settings like Secure Password Enforcement, Minimum Length, Required Characters, and more. This document outlines various configuration settings for managing secure password policies and properties of local user accounts on BIG-IP systems. The primary focus is on setting up a secure password policy that includes Minimum Duration (1 to 255 days), Maximum Duration (1 to 99999 days), Expiration Warning (1 to 255 days), and other related settings. These settings apply universally to all user accounts, except for those with Administrator roles, which are exempt from these restrictions. To configure the secure password policy: 1. Navigate to the System > Users section of the BIG-IP interface. 2. Click on Authentication, then locate the Secure Password Enforcement setting and adjust it according to requirements by enabling or disabling character restrictions for Guest and Operator accounts. 3. Set default values for other settings such as Minimum Length and Restrictions if enabled. 4. Changes in password policy do not affect previously created passwords but will apply from the next time a user changes their password. The properties of local user accounts on BIG-IP systems include:

• User Name: Specifies the name of the account, case-sensitive and distinct for each entry.

• Partition: Indicates the partition where the user account resides. This is non-editable once set.

• Password: A required field that users must specify to log in.

• Role: Assigns a role to the user account among several options including Administrator, Resource Administrator, User Manager, etc., each with specific terminal access rights.

• Partition Access: Determines which partition the user can access based on their role and is only available for non-Administrator roles.

• Terminal Access: Specifies levels of access to the command line interface, ranging from disabled to advanced shell or bigpipe shell, with Administrator and Resource Administrator roles having broader access options.

These settings help in managing user account security and permissions effectively across different roles on BIG-IP systems. The provided text discusses how to create and manage local user accounts on BIG-IP systems, including details about roles, passwords, partition access, terminal access, and viewing existing accounts. Key points include: 1. **User Account Creation**:

• Users must assign a name and password when creating a local account.

• The default role for such accounts is "No Access".

• Only users with the Administrator or User Manager roles can create new user accounts.

• Usernames are case-sensitive, but certain reserved names like 'admin' are exempt from this rule.

• Steps to create a local account include expanding System > Users on the navigation pane, selecting the partition where the account will reside, and then filling in details such as username, password, role, and partition access.

2. **Role-Based Access**:

• Administrators can manage all user accounts across partitions.

• User Managers can manage their own users plus those within specified partitions.

3. **Modifying Accounts**:

• Users with appropriate roles (Administrator or User Manager) can modify existing local accounts, including changing passwords and roles but not the root account.

4. **Viewing Accounts**:

• Both Administrator and User Manager role holders can view any user account in their accessible partitions.

5. **Terminal Access**:

• Advanced shell access is granted to users with Administrator or Resource Administrator roles only.

6. **Password Management**:

• Detailed information on managing passwords for remote accounts is mentioned, highlighting the importance of secure password practices.

In summary, this guide provides a comprehensive set of instructions and considerations for effectively managing user accounts in a BIG-IP environment, emphasizing security and access control based on predefined roles. The document outlines different roles' abilities to manage user accounts in a system, specifically focusing on BIG-IP systems. It explains how certain roles such as User Manager can modify specific properties of their own accounts and those within their partition access, while others like Administrator or Resource Administrator have broader control over all aspects including the root account password and SSH settings. Users with the role of Application Security Policy Editor can change passwords but are restricted in modifying other properties of their accounts. The document also details steps for modifying local user account properties and deleting these accounts, emphasizing that roles such as Administrator and User Manager have full authority to do so across all partitions or within their access scope respectively. Lastly, it covers the management of remote user accounts stored on external authentication servers, requiring setup through the server vendor's mechanisms. To summarize the text provided, it outlines how to manage user accounts and their access controls on a BIG-IP system by specifying the type of remote user-account server (Active Directory/LDAP, RADIUS, or TACACS+), configuring specific settings for these servers, and assigning roles to users. It emphasizes that only administrators can manage roles for remote user accounts, and highlights some preliminary steps needed when using SSL for remote authentication. The summary would be: The BIG-IP system allows management of user accounts with authorization properties like user role, partition access, and terminal access through the Configuration utility. These settings are applied to both local and remote user accounts on a group basis, which can then be propagated across other devices using the single configuration file (SCF) feature. Information is stored in a local database for authenticated users when they log in. The type of server used can include Active Directory/LDAP, RADIUS, or TACACS+, with additional configurations like SSL handling and specific directory tree information required for some servers. Only administrators can change user roles for external (remote) accounts, and there are procedures to set up remote authentication using SSL when dealing with certain types of servers. This text is about configuring remote authentication for BIG-IP systems via RADIUS or TACACS+ protocols to authenticate administrative users. It includes instructions for setting up the BIG-IP system with a remote server's details such as IP address and secret information to facilitate secure user authentication without exposing sensitive credentials directly on the BIG-IP system. The configuration steps are outlined, specifying fields like Host (IP address), Port (default or specified), Secret (RADIUS/TACACS+ key) and Confirmation of the same, along with optional SSL configurations for enhanced security if required by the remote server. This setup is crucial for managing user access to BIG-IP systems remotely in a secure manner. The article discusses how to configure a remote authentication server for storing BIG-IP system user accounts in F5 Networks' BIG-IP systems. It mentions that valid servers include Active Directory, LDAP, RADIUS, and TACACS+. After specifying the server type via the Configuration utility, one can use it or bigpipe utility to set authorization properties for remotely stored user accounts. There are three methods to assign authorization properties: 1. Assigning a single set of default authorization properties to all remote user accounts. This involves understanding how to configure these defaults on the BIG-IP system. 2. Creating a corresponding local user account with unique authorization properties for each individual remote user account, which includes changing or assigning access-control properties. 3. Group basis where access control properties are assigned based on groups defined on a remote authentication server. Additionally, the article covers how to modify default authorization settings and addresses important considerations like partition settings when altering these properties for external users. It provides detailed steps, such as accessing the system through Main tab -> System -> Users, navigating to Authentication screen to make changes, and outlining specific actions needed in this process. This document outlines the procedures and guidelines for managing user accounts on a BIG-IP system, particularly how to assign or modify access control properties for external users. The process involves creating new remote user accounts using the Configuration utility and assigning them specific roles and partition access. Here's a summarized version of the key points: 1. **User Account Creation**: Remote user accounts are created on a remote server by the vendor, not through the BIG-IP Configuration utility. If you have Administrator privileges, you can assign access control properties to existing remote accounts using the utility. 2. **Access Control Properties**: The system automatically assigns default roles and authorization properties unless specified otherwise. You cannot create user accounts via the Configuration utility but must use a precise username to modify an existing account's settings. 3. **Assigning Non-Default Authorization**: To assign different access control properties, you need to follow specific steps:

• Expand System > Users on the navigation pane and click Create to open the Ne,w User screen.

• Type the remote user's name in the User Name box (must match the account).

• Select a role from the dropdown menu and assign a partition if necessary, though users with Administrator or Resource Administrator roles automatically have access to all partitions.

• Choose terminal access levels through bigpipe shell or Configuration utility.

• Click Finished to complete the process.

4. **Changing Authorization**: If you need to change already assigned properties, you can do so by clicking on the user account's name in the User List screen and updating the role, partition access, and terminal access settings. 5. **Considerations**: The system logs off all users when an administrator changes a remote user's role or partition assignment, emphasizing the need for careful management of these accounts. Remote user accounts that inherit default roles appear under "Other External Users" in the list but do not support changing authorization properties directly via the Configuration utility. This guide provides clear steps and considerations to ensure proper configuration and maintenance of external user access on a BIG-IP system, maintaining security and operational efficiency. The provided information outlines the process and functionality of managing user accounts in a BIG-IP system using the Configuration utility. Here's a summarized version: 1. **Accessing User List**: Navigate to the System section, expand it, and click on "Users" to open the User List screen showing all standard user accounts. 2. **Assigning Roles**:

• Click on a specific user name to view their properties.

• From the Role list, select a user role.

• From the Partition Access list, select a partition name.

• From the Terminal Access list, select an access level.

3. **Using remoterole Command**: For groups of remotely-stored user accounts, use the `bigpipe remoterole` command to assign non-default access control properties across all BIG-IP devices on the network using the SCF feature. 4. **Granting Partition Access**: Configure remote accounts to have access to specific partitions other than the default Common partition by assigning roles and selecting appropriate partitions during configuration. 5. **Viewing Remote User Accounts**: Using the Configuration utility, view a list of remote user accounts with non-default roles or assign them if they appear as Other External Users. 6. **Deleting Authorization**: When deleting a remote user account, change its authorization properties back to default values rather than physically removing the account from the remote server. 7. **Auditing User Access**: The BIG-IP system can generate audit reports for tracking user access to the system. This summary focuses on the high-level steps and features related to managing user accounts in a BIG-IP system, providing an overview of how to assign roles, configure partition access, and handle remote accounts efficiently. This passage is about a system that logs messages whenever a user or application tries to log in or out. The logs are stored in a file called /var/log/secure. It can record both successful and unsuccessful login attempts with information like the user's ID, IP address, time of the attempt, and details if it was successful or failed. There is also mention of logging related to SSH (Secure Shell) for command line interface sessions. Then there's a section about advanced routing modules on a BIG-IP system that help in dynamically adding routes to manage traffic and management traffic using different network protocols such as BGP, IS-IS, OSPF, RIP, and more. These are optional features requiring specific licenses and support various IP versions like IPv4 and IPv6. The BIG-IP system can use these modules to advertise virtual address routes to other routers in the network. This is a guide for accessing and using ZebOS guides on the AskF5SM website, specifically focusing on NSM Command Reference, BGP Command Reference, IS-IS Command Reference, OSPF Command Reference, RIP Command Reference, and Core Configuration Guide. It provides information about configuring advanced routing modules on BIG-IP systems in active/standby configurations, including considerations for dynamic routing, BGP IPv6 next-hop address selection, route domains, and route propagation. The guide also offers instructions on how to display OSPF interface status using the IMI shell for further configuration details. This text discusses configuring advanced routing modules on a BIG-IP system, focusing on enabling and disabling these modules as well as displaying their status. The procedure involves using specific commands such as `zebos enable `, `zebos disable `, and `bigstart disable tmrouted`. These commands are used to start, stop, restart the modules and check their status. It also mentions considerations for redundant configurations like not propagating changes at runtime unless explicitly managed on both units in a redundant setup. The provided text discusses the use of the IMI shell for configuring and managing advanced routing modules on BIG-IP systems, which are part of F5 Networks' products. Here is a summarized version of the content: 1. **Configuration via IMI Shell**: You can configure all aspects of dynamic routing using the IMI shell, a command-line shell. This includes backward compatibility with VTY Shell (vtysh) for those familiar with it. 2. **Runtime Monitoring**: The IMI shell allows you to monitor the operation of modules in real-time, such as listing the current state of the route table or displaying internal states of routing modules. 3. **Avoid Direct Modifications to ZebOS.conf**: It is recommended to use the IMI shell for configuration instead of directly editing the ZebOS.conf file with a text editor, as it provides error-checking and command completion that help ensure correct configurations. Changes made in the IMI shell are not lost upon restart unless explicitly saved using the write file command. 4. **Starting and Stopping Modules**: Commands to start and stop advanced routing modules include:

• `bigstart start tmrouted` for starting modules automatically or manually.

• `bigstart stop tmrouted` to temporarily stop protocols and routes.

• `bigstart restart tmrouted` for restarting all modules, useful for reloading configurations from ZebOS.conf.

5. **Status Checking**: The command `bigstart status tmrouted` displays the current status of advanced routing modules, showing process IDs (PIDs), uptime, and restarts if applicable. 6. **Route Health Injection (RHI)**: This feature allows the redistribution of routes to defined virtual addresses based on the status of attached virtual servers, enhancing network health monitoring. 7. **Considerations for Route Domains**: If using route domains, additional considerations apply regarding route advertisement and propagation. Overall, the IMI shell simplifies configuration and management tasks for advanced routing modules on BIG-IP systems, ensuring efficient operation with robust error handling and real-time monitoring capabilities. This document outlines how to configure route advertisement for virtual addresses in a BIG-IP system, and how to redistribute those routes using advanced routing modules like OSPF or BGP. The process involves creating virtual server objects that automatically generate virtual addresses with specific netmasks. Advertisement of these virtual addresses can be controlled based on the availability status of associated virtual servers, either always, when any are available, or only when all are available. After enabling route advertisement for a virtual address, it can be redistributed to other routers using various advanced routing modules like OSPF or BGP, with optional filtering via route maps to refine the routes. The provided text discusses configuring a route map in an OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) configuration on a BIG-IP system to filter redistributed host routes, specifically limiting them to those with a destination IP address within the 10.10.10.0/24 subnet. Key points from the text: 1. **Route Map Configuration**: The OSPF module is configured to use a route map named "virtual-addresses-out" for filtering redistributed host routes. This involves configuring access list virtual-addresses that permits all IP addresses within the specified 10.10.10.0/24 subnet, and then defining a route map entry with serial number 10 (virtual-addresses-out) to match these criteria. 2. **Access List Definition**: The access list named "virtual-addresses" is defined to permit all IP addresses within the 10.10.10.0/24 subnet, which means it will allow routes with destination prefixes that are either equal to or fully contained within this subnet. 3. **Route Map Matching Criteria**: The route map entry (serial number 10) matches all routes whose destination prefix is accepted by the access list virtual-addresses. This means any IP address belonging to the 10.10.10.0/24 subnet will be matched, while those outside this range will not. 4. **ARP and BIG-IP System**: The text also explains how the BIG-IP system uses ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) for routing functions, specifically noting that it broadcasts who-has packets to determine the MAC address associated with a given IP address, which is then stored in the ARP cache for later use. 5. **ARP Cache Entries**: The ARP cache can contain static and dynamic entries:

• Static entries are manually added pairs of IP addresses and their corresponding MAC addresses (e.g., when you know the MAC address associated with an IP address, such as a static IP configuration).

• Dynamic entries are automatically added by the BIG-IP system after receiving ARP responses to broadcast requests, based on the IP addresses that have been accessed.

6. **Managing ARP Cache**: The text highlights the importance of managing both static and dynamic entries in the ARP cache for effective routing, suggesting options such as specifying timeouts for dynamic entries or setting limits on request retries can be configured through the Configuration utility. In summary, this passage provides a detailed guide to configuring OSPF route maps and ARP settings on a BIG-IP system to ensure efficient IP address resolution and routing within specific subnets. This text discusses how the BIG-IP system handles Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) requests and responses. It starts by searching its ARP cache for a destination IP address's corresponding MAC address. If an entry exists in the cache, it forwards packets to that MAC address; if not, it broadcasts an ARP request. The system then waits two seconds before repeating the process until a response is received or until the maximum number of requests is reached. The text further explains how the system behaves when no response is received: if a host sends an ARP response within two seconds, the entry is stored in the ARP cache as RESOLVED; if not, and after two seconds have passed without a response, it will broadcast the request until a response is received or until the maximum number of requests is reached. If this limit is exceeded, the state of the entry becomes DOWN. Additionally, the text explains that when more packets need to be sent to the same host later, and if the ARP cache entry has not timed out, the BIG-IP system can send the packets without sending another ARP request first. The configuration utility allows users to view, modify, and delete entries in the ARP cache, with each entry having a state such as RESOLVED or DOWN. Static entries are permanently stored unless deleted by the user; they do not have a timeout period and help reduce ARP requests by specifying known MAC addresses. Lastly, the text mentions that the BIG-IP system does not respond to certain types of ARP requests from firewalls using multicast IP addresses as their source address. This document provides detailed instructions for managing the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) cache on F5 Networks' BIG-IP systems. The primary functions include adding, viewing, modifying, and deleting static entries in the ARP cache without broadcasting an ARP request. To add a static entry to the ARP cache: 1. Navigate to the Main tab in the navigation pane and expand the Network section before clicking on "ARP." 2. Click "Create" in the upper-right corner of the screen, which will open the ARP configuration screen. 3. Enter the IP address and corresponding MAC address for a destination host into their respective boxes. 4. Confirm by clicking "Finished." To view static entries: 1. Navigate to Network > ARP on the Main tab. The list of existing static entries will be displayed, with no records if none have been added yet. 2. To modify a static entry, locate the IP address in the column and click it; change the MAC address in the box and confirm by clicking "Update." 3. To delete a static entry, select the entry from the list using the provided checkbox and click "Delete" to confirm removal. While dynamic entries are automatically added and updated without user intervention, users can view or delete them as needed. They do not require manual addition but users can configure global options that affect how ARP handles these entries. For more details on configuring dynamic entries, refer to the specific sections of this document. The article provides an overview and detailed description of various configuration options for managing Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) on BIG-IP systems. These options include Dynamic Timeout, Maximum Dynamic Entries, Request Retries, and Reciprocal Update. 1. **Dynamic Timeout**: This option allows users to set the maximum number of seconds a dynamic ARP entry can remain in the cache before being automatically removed. The default value is 300 seconds. If an entry reaches zero seconds, it will be deleted from the cache. 2. **Maximum Dynamic Entries**: Users can configure this option to limit the number of dynamic entries that the BIG-IP system can hold in the ARP cache at any given time. This helps maintain a manageable size for the cache and does not affect static entries. The default value is 2048, but users should consider increasing it if they have more than 2000 directly connected hosts. 3. **Request Retries**: Specifies how many times the BIG-IP system will resend ARP requests for an unresolved address before considering the remote host unreachable. The default value is 60 attempts. 4. **Reciprocal Update**: This option determines whether the BIG-IP system should add entries to the ARP cache in response to receiving ARP broadcast requests from other network hosts. When enabled, it enhances performance by reducing the need for additional ARP exchanges. Disabling this option can improve security against ARP poisoning attacks by preventing false MAC addresses from being added to the cache. In summary, these configuration options provide flexibility and control over how ARP operates on BIG-IP systems, allowing users to optimize performance and enhance network security based on their specific needs. This summary outlines how to manage ARP cache entries in a BIG-IP system, including viewing dynamic entries and deleting them when necessary. It also introduces packet filtering with the BIG-IP system, detailing how to configure global settings and create rules for filtering packets based on specified criteria. The information is sourced from the TMOS Management Guide for BIG-IP Systems manual. To configure global properties for packet filtering on a BIG-IP system, follow these steps: 1. **Enable Packet Filtering**: Change the "Packet Filtering" setting to "Enabled". The default is "Disabled". 2. **Configure Unhandled Packet Action**: Set the "Unhandled Packet Action" property to specify how the system should handle packets not matching any rule. Possible values are "Accept", "Discard", and "Reject"; the default is "Accept". 3. **Set Options for Packet Filtering**: Use the "Options" property to configure two additional options:

• **Filter established connections**: When enabled, the system filters all ingress packets even if they are part of an existing connection. The default setting is disabled (unchecked). Note that this does not typically enhance security and can impact system performance.

• **Send ICMP error on packet reject**: When enabled, the system sends an ICMP type 3, code 13 (administratively prohibited) packet when a rejected ingress packet is detected. The default setting is disabled (unchecked).

4. **Configure Exemptions**: Set exemptions for protocols, MAC addresses, and VLANs to override specific criteria in packet filter rules. Possible values include "Always Accept ARP", "Always accept important ICMP" for IPv4, "Always Accept" for MAC addresses, and "Always Accept" for VLANs. The default values vary based on the exemption type. 5. **Update Configuration**: Click "Update" to apply the changes and implement packet filtering on the BIG-IP system. This configuration ensures that packets are managed according to predefined rules and settings, providing control over unhandled packets and establishing a secure network environment for the system. This passage provides an overview of how to configure packet filter rules in BIG-IP systems, focusing on exemptions such as MAC addresses, IP addresses, and VLANs. It also explains how to create and configure these rules with specific settings like "Always Accept" and "None." The process involves navigating through the system's interface, selecting appropriate settings from drop-down menus, entering or selecting values in text fields or lists, and clicking buttons to add or confirm entries. This is about how to set up rules for letting certain types of internet traffic through (called "packet filters") on something called a BIG-IP system, which helps manage how data travels across networks. You can give each rule a name and say when it should be used, like first or last in the line. When there's a match with some online stuff coming in, you can choose what to do next – accept, discard, reject it, or just carry on without changing anything. If your rules are about how fast data moves, you might have different speeds for different types of stuff and that's called "rate shaping." You also pick which part of the network (called VLAN) should be watched by each rule, and if you want to remember every time something matches a rule, you can turn on logging. To do all this, you need to make some choices about what kind of online stuff goes through your BIG-IP system. To create and manage packet filter rules in BIG-IP systems, you can either build an expression manually using a Filter Expression box or specify criteria for source and destination IP addresses, which will then be used by the system to generate the filter expression. The settings available include protocol filtering, specifying hosts and networks, port filtering, and logging options. Once created, packet filter rules can be listed, viewed, modified, or deleted as needed, along with access to statistics related to these filters. Only users with specific roles have permission to manage these rules. To view the list of existing rules, navigate through the network settings in the Configuration utility; here you will find details such as rule order, name, action taken, VLAN traffic, rate shaping, and logging state for each rule. To configure rate shaping on a BIG-IP system, follow these steps: 1. **Introducing Rate Shaping**: Understand that rate shaping allows you to enforce a throughput policy on incoming traffic, prioritizing and restricting bandwidth for selected traffic patterns. 2. **Creating and Implementing Rate Classes**:

• A rate class defines the throughput limitations and packet scheduling method applied to all traffic handled by it.

• Assign rate classes to virtual servers, packet filter rules, or through iRules. The system applies rate classes in a specific order: from the last packet filter rule that matched the traffic, then from the virtual server, and finally from the iRule.

3. **Configuring Rate Class Settings**:

• Use the BIG-IP Configuration utility to create one or more rate classes.

• Apply these rate classes to virtual servers and packet filter rules. The system will apply them in the order specified above.

4. **Managing Rate Classes**: Note that rate classes cannot reside in partitions, so access is defined by user role rather than partition-access assignment. By following these steps, you can effectively configure rate shaping on a BIG-IP system to manage traffic throughput and prioritize bandwidth as needed. To create a rate class on BIG-IP, follow these steps: 1. **Navigate to the Rate Shaping Section:**

• On the Main tab of the navigation pane, expand "Network" and click on "Rate Shaping."

2. **Open the New Rate Class Screen:**

• In the upper-right corner of the screen, click "Create." This will display the "New Rate Class" screen.

3. **Configure Basic or Advanced Settings:**

• Decide whether you want to enable the rate class to borrow bandwidth from a parent rate class:

• If not borrowing bandwidth, select "Basic."

• If borrowing bandwidth is allowed, select "Advanced."

4. **Set Up Rate Class Settings:**

• Configure all settings as needed. For detailed information on each setting, refer to the Configuring rate class settings section or consult the online help.

5. **Finish Creating the Rate Class:**

• Click "Finished" after configuring all required and desired settings.

**Post-Creation Steps:**

• After creating a rate class, you must assign it to a virtual server, packet filter rule, or use an iRule.

• For more information on virtual servers and iRules, refer to the Configuration Guide for BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager.

• For details on packet filter rules, see Chapter 17 of the TMOS Management Guide for BIG-IP Systems.

The Burst Size setting on a BIG-IP system allows you to define how much extra bandwidth can be used when the traffic exceeds the set base rate. This feature helps smooth out fluctuations in traffic and ensures that bursts of data are accommodated without exceeding predefined limits. The default unit for this setting is bits per second, but it can also be specified in kilobits per second (Kbps), megabits per second (Mbps), or gigabits per second (Gbps). When a rate class is part of a parent rate class, the Burst Size sets an upper limit on the total data flow from both child and parent classes combined. The Burst Size setting defines the maximum number of bytes that can be used for bursts without exceeding the base rate. If the traffic exceeds the base rate by 1,000 bytes per second, the BIG-IP system allows this burst for a short period depending on the specified burst size. For instance, if set to 5,000 bytes, it would allow bursts up to five seconds. A Burst Size of 0 means no bursting is allowed; any other value represents the maximum amount that can be used in excess of the base rate before exceeding its limit. The actual burst duration depends on how much bandwidth exceeds the set base rate and is measured by bytes per second, which can then be converted from bits to bytes if needed (1 byte = 8 bits). The Burst Size setting also determines both the maximum depletion and replenishment of a 'burst reservoir'. This is an internal storage for unused bandwidth that becomes depleted when traffic exceeds the base rate and gets refilled as the flow drops below it. The size of this reservoir cannot exceed the specified burst size, and it's replenished with any excess bandwidth until it reaches its maximum capacity defined by the Burst Size setting. In summary, configuring a non-zero Burst Size enhances traffic handling capabilities beyond predictable baselines, providing more flexibility in managing data flow according to both predefined limits (ceiling rate) and unexpected variations (bursting behavior). The BIG-IP system's bandwidth management capabilities are discussed in this text, highlighting how it handles different traffic conditions and its ability to borrow bandwidth from parent classes when necessary. Initially, the system is preloaded with 5000 bytes in its burst reservoir, which prevents it from storing additional unused bandwidth. However, if traffic levels exceed the base rate or drop back down, the BIG-IP adjusts its handling based on these conditions: 1. **Traffic at 2,500 bytes per second:** The system uses 1,500 bytes of bandwidth every second to prevent depletion beyond the preconfigured limit until it reaches zero and then reduces traffic back to the base rate (1,000 bytes per second). 2. **Traffic drops to 800 bytes per second:** The BIG-IP adds up to 200 bytes per second of unused bandwidth into the reservoir if it's empty or depleted, allowing it to refill from zero to full in varying times depending on the rate (from 5 seconds at base rate back up to nearly continuous flow as the reservoir is refilled at a rate of 200 bytes per second). The text also explains how a rate class can be assigned a parent, enabling it to borrow unused bandwidth from the ceiling of its parent class. This borrowing mechanism operates in a hierarchical manner until there's no more available bandwidth for borrowing or when reaching the root without any parent classes. The process involves depleting local reserves and potentially borrowing from higher-level parents iteratively if necessary, but borrowed bandwidth does not revert to the lending class nor is it returned to unrelated classes. Lastly, the text highlights how shaping policies can be specified within the BIG-IP system's configuration settings, affecting how traffic is managed according to the rules and hierarchies established in this document. The text provided outlines the configuration settings and features related to rate shaping and queue methods in BIG-IP systems. Here's a summary of key points: 1. **Customized Values for Drop Policy and Queue Method**:

• The default value for both drop policy and queue method is 'None'.

• Additional policies can be created using the bigpipe utility or the Traffic Management shell (tmsh).

2. **Queue Methods**:

• There are two main queue methods supported by a rate class: Stochastic Fair Queueing (SFQ) and Priority FIFO (PFIFO).

• **Stochastic Fair Queueing (SFQ)**: This method queues traffic based on a hash of connection information, ensuring that traffic from the same connection is always queued in the same list. It dequeues packets in a round-robin fashion to maintain fairness among different connections.

• **Priority FIFO (PFIFO)**: Traffic is divided into five lists according to the Type of Service (ToS) field: Minimum delay, Maximum throughput, Maximum reliability, Minimum cost, and no ToS value. The method attempts to preserve the ToS meaning by processing these lists in a specific order.

3. **Drop Policies**:

• The system drops packets when the specified rate limit is exceeded.

• Possible drop policies include:

• 'fred': Drops packets based on the type of traffic in the flow.

• 'red': Randomly drops packets.

• 'tail': Drops the end of the traffic stream.

• Additional drop policies can be created using the bigpipe utility or tmsh.

4. **Configuration and Management**:

• Existing rate classes can be listed, viewed, modified, or deleted through the Configuration utility.

• To list existing rate classes, navigate to 'Network' -> 'Rate Shaping'. The list displays all rate classes with their settings.

• To view or modify a specific rate class, click on its name and adjust the settings as needed. Click 'Update' to save changes.

• To delete a rate class, select it from the list and confirm deletion through a confirmation screen.

5. **Spanning Tree Protocols**:

• Spanning tree protocols are used in networks with redundant paths between Layer 2 devices to prevent bridging loops caused by forwarding frames continuously.

• The BIG-IP system supports Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP), and Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP).

• These protocols use Bridge Protocol Data Units (BPDUs) to learn redundant paths, update L2 forwarding tables, elect a root bridge, and build spanning trees.

This summary captures the essential details about configuring rate shaping and queue methods in BIG-IP systems, as well as managing rate classes and understanding how these settings work together to optimize network performance. The article discusses different spanning tree protocols supported by the BIG-IP system, which are used in Layer 2 networks to prevent network loops. These protocols include Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP), and Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP). STP is the original protocol designed to block redundant paths; however, it has limitations like not recognizing VLANs and poor performance in such environments. RSTP is an enhancement over STP with improved performance but still faces issues in VLAN-rich networks. MSTP, on the other hand, is specifically designed for VLAN awareness and supports multiple spanning tree instances, each controlling specific VLANs. It also allows for regions where configuration settings are uniform across bridges to optimize path management. Prior to version 9.0, BIG-IP systems did not support MSTP. The article highlights that protocol degradation occurs when the system detects legacy bridges and automatically degrades to a lower protocol if necessary. The article explains how a BIG-IP system automatically degrades its spanning tree protocol (STP) when it detects a legacy device running STP or RSTP on the network. It introduces the concept of protocol degradation, where the BIG-IP system interfaces switch from MSTP to STP if a bridge with STP is added to the network. If an RSTP bridge is detected and no bridges are running STP, MSTP degrades to RSTP. The article also provides instructions on how to manually reset the protocol back to MSTP after removing the legacy device. It highlights that the protocol automatically creates a separate MSTP region when MSTP must degrade to RSTP. The article provides a guide on how to configure global spanning tree properties for BIG-IP systems using TMOS Management Guide. It outlines the steps and procedures necessary to set up various modes, timers, and other MSTP-specific properties. Firstly, you need to navigate to the Spanning Tree section under Network in the Main tab of the navigation pane on the BIG-IP system interface. From here, click on 'Options' to access the configuration screen for global spanning tree properties. Here, you can configure different properties as needed: 1. **Mode**: This option specifies the particular spanning tree protocol to be used. The default mode is 'Pass Through', which forwards BPDUs without altering them. Other options include 'STP', 'RSTP', and 'MSTP'. If MSTP or RSTP is selected, additional configuration options will appear on screen.

• **Disabled**: Discards received spanning tree frames (BPDUs).

• **Pass Through**: Forwards BPDUs to all other interfaces without modification.

• **STP**: Adheres to the STP protocol for handling BPDUs.

• **RSTP**: Follows the RSTP protocol for BPDUs.

• **MSTP**: Conforms to the MSTP protocol for BPDUs.

2. **Timers**: The global timers include Hello Time, Maximum Age, and Forward Delay which can be configured as needed:

• **Hello Time**: Specifies the interval in seconds that the BIG-IP system transmits spanning tree information (BPDUs) to adjacent bridges. The default is 2 seconds; however, for optimal performance, it's recommended not to change this value unless absolutely necessary.

• **Maximum Age**: Determines how long received spanning tree information from other bridges is considered valid in seconds. For RSTP, the relationship with Hello Time and Forward Delay should be maintained: Maximum Age >= 2 * (Hello Time + 1) and Maximum Age <= 2 * (Forward Delay - 1).

• **Forward Delay**: Specifies the time in seconds that a system interface blocks from forwarding network traffic during reconfiguration of the spanning tree, primarily for STP but has no effect on RSTP or MSTP modes.

Remember to click 'Update' after making changes to save your configurations. These settings are crucial for managing and optimizing the operation of the BIG-IP system in a network environment that incorporates spanning tree protocols like STP, RSTP, and MSTP. The article discusses configuring Spanning Tree Protocols (STP) and Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) on a BIG-IP system for managing network stability. It explains how to maintain specific relationships between options such as Forward Delay and Maximum Age, which are crucial for the proper functioning of these protocols. For MSTP (Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol), additional global properties can be configured including an MSTP Configuration Name, Revision, and a Maximum Hop Number. The configuration name is used to assign a unique global name across bridges within a spanning tree region, while the revision number should have all bridges in the same region share the same number. The article also covers managing multiple spanning tree instances under MSTP, where each instance can be assigned VLANs according to specific needs. The capabilities include viewing existing instances, creating new ones, modifying properties, and deleting either entire instances or their members. It is important to note that only users with the Administrator or Resource Administrator role have permission to manage these instances. In summary, this article provides detailed steps for configuring STP/RSTP and MSTP on a BIG-IP system, including setting up instance properties, managing VLAN assignments, and understanding the roles of different user permissions in network management. When using MSTP (Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol) on BIG-IP systems, you can create instances to control bridge loops and redundant paths based on VLANs. Unlike STP or RSTP which disregard VLANs, MSTP allows for per-VLAN blocking decisions. To avoid issues like unwanted blocking due to all BPDUs referencing instance 0, ensure each VLAN is a member of an explicitly created instance rather than just instance 0. To create and configure a spanning tree instance: 1. Navigate to the Spanning Tree screen in the Configuration utility. 2. Click the Create button if it appears (it only shows up when MSTP is running). If not, check if your hardware platform supports MSTP. 3. Enter an Instance ID number between 1 and 255. 4. Set a Bridge Priority from the dropdown menu. 5. Add or retain default VLANs using the Move button to transfer them from Available to Selected. 6. Click Finished, and the instance will be automatically enabled. Creating instances helps in managing bridge loops and redundant paths by assigning specific VLANs to different instances, ensuring that BPDUs reference unique instances and avoid blocking issues. The summary of the provided text can be as follows: The bridge with the lowest relative priority in a spanning tree becomes the root bridge and is responsible for loop resolution. F5 Networks recommends setting the default Bridge Priority to 61440, which is the highest value available, ensuring that the BIG-IP system does not become the root bridge. When running MSTP, you can add VLANs to an instance by associating them with the specific spanning tree instance. For multiple bridges to operate in the same spanning tree, they must be in the same region and have matching instance numbers, members, and VLAN tags. If a VLAN is associated with more than one spanning tree instance, it cannot be added to another instance. The text provides instructions for viewing and modifying spanning tree instances, including adding or deleting VLANs and configuring bridge priority. Additionally, it outlines the configuration of interfaces for spanning tree protocols, including setting up interface settings and managing them per the specific spanning tree instance. Table 19.4 provides a list of settings related to Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) for configuring interfaces on BIG-IP systems. These settings include enabling or disabling STP, specifying the link type, and designating an interface as an edge port or enabling auto-detection of this status. The default values are also listed, with explanations provided in subsequent sections: 1. **STP**: This setting determines whether the interface can participate in the Spanning Tree Protocol. It is enabled by default on all BIG-IP system interfaces. 2. **STP Link Type**: Specifies the type of link (auto, p2p, or shared) to optimize STP usage based on the Active Duplex interface property. Auto mode allows the system to determine this automatically. 3. **STP Edge Port**: When checked, designates the interface as connecting to an end station rather than another spanning tree bridge. The default is disabled. 4. **STP Edge Port Detection**: Automatically detects and designates the interface as an edge port based on non-receipt of STP, RSTP, or MSTP frames. The default is not checked. 5. **STP Protocol Detection**: Resets the interface back to using Rapid Spanning Tree (RSTP) or Multiple Spanning Tree (MSTP) after a legacy bridge is removed, requiring manual reset. To configure these settings: 1. Navigate to the Main tab of the navigation pane and expand "Network" then click on "Interfaces." 2. Select an interface name from the list. 3. In the STP Configuration area, adjust the settings as needed under each description. 4. Click 'Update' to save changes. The Spanning Tree Protocol can be enabled or disabled for a trunk by setting its reference link accordingly. The default value of STP is "Enabled," and you can enable auto-detection if required. To configure these settings, refer to the detailed sections following Table 19.4 in the TMOS Management Guide for BIG-IP Systems manual. The provided text discusses configuring spanning tree protocols (STP) on a BIG-IP system, specifically focusing on managing interfaces for a specific instance. It explains how to reset the STP protocol detection and outlines the process of viewing and configuring properties for per-instance interfaces. Key points include: 1. **Resetting Spanning Tree Protocol**: When an interface is determined not to be an edge port but has the STP Edge Port setting enabled, it becomes an edge port, which cannot receive BPDUs from a bridge. The system automatically removes this designation if detected. Manual intervention is required to reset the spanning tree protocol (STP) when legacy bridges are removed, as automatic detection may fail due to the lack of periodic BPDUs in legacy STP bridges. 2. **Interface Management**: You can view and configure interfaces for a specific STP instance, including their properties like port role and state. The interface IDs listed depend on whether MSTP, STP, or RSTP is being used; in MSTP, these are tied to specified VLANs, while in STP/RSTP, they are assigned automatically to instance 0. 3. **Port Role**: This property determines the role of an interface in the spanning tree protocol and cannot be manually set; roles include Root, Alternate, Designated, Backup, or Disabled, determined by the system based on network topology. 4. **Port State**: Specifies how the interface processes normal data packets, with states including Blocking and Forwarding, which are also automatically assigned by the system without user input. 5. **Configuration Steps**: Detailed steps for configuring these settings within the BIG-IP system are provided, detailing navigation through the Configuration utility to view and manage interfaces effectively. This text is part of a larger documentation on managing network interfaces in BIG-IP systems, aimed at helping users configure STP protocols according to their specific network requirements. This document discusses configuring interface settings for a specific instance in a spanning tree protocol, such as STP or RSTP. The interface's priority within its instance is configurable, affecting traffic flow selection; lower values indicate higher priority. The path cost of an interface can be set to influence the routing of network traffic based on factors like speed and reliability, with default costs adjusted for maximum interface speeds but not affected by link aggregation. For MSTP (multiple spanning tree protocol), both external and internal path costs are configurable, affecting the cost of reaching adjacent spanning tree regions or within a local region respectively. High availability in a BIG-IP system refers to its ability to continue processing network traffic successfully despite hardware or software failures. This can be achieved with either a single device or within a redundant system configuration consisting of two identically configured BIG-IP units. For systems functioning as a single device, high availability means that core services are operational and VLANs can communicate. In a redundant setup, the focus shifts to ensuring that core services run on one of the two units while maintaining connectivity between the BIG-IP system and routers, enabling traffic processing even if one unit becomes unavailable or unhealthy. Redundant systems operate in either active/standby mode where only one unit is actively processing traffic at a time, or active-active mode where both units handle different virtual servers simultaneously. Failover mechanisms are implemented to switch between units: hard-wired failover uses physical connections for quick reactions, while network failover relies on heartbeat packets sent over the network, also providing rapid response times. The configuration process involves specifying failover types (hard-wired or network-based), which dictate how the redundant system responds when one unit fails. This setup ensures minimal disruption to service and maximum uptime by leveraging redundancy in BIG-IP systems. This passage explains how network failover is used in conjunction with hard-wired failover for ensuring proper communication in a BIG-IP high availability setup. It highlights that even if serial cable failover is configured, network failover is necessary for certain features to function correctly, such as failover mirroring. Configuring network failover is also crucial for active-active configurations where units must communicate over the network to indicate objects and resources they are serving. If network communications fail, there's a risk of duplicate IP addresses on the network due to both units attempting to service the same objects. The passage further explains that if a BIG-IP high availability pair is configured with network failover and serial cable failover, serial cable failover takes precedence unless network traffic is compromised. For active/standby configurations, understanding how failover works in this mode and how to configure static self IP addresses for failover communication is essential. Additionally, the passage discusses fail-safe capabilities of BIG-IP systems, which allow them to monitor system or network interruptions and take actions like rebooting or initiating failover. To set up a redundant system configuration with High Availability (HA) on a BIG-IP device, you must follow these steps after ensuring that the unit is designated as part of a redundant system: 1. **Configure Redundancy Properties**: Run the Setup utility to configure redundancy properties on each unit involved in the redundant system configuration. This involves verifying and setting the High Availability list to "Redundant Pair" and assigning a unique Unit ID for each BIG-IP system. 2. **Create VLANs and Self IP Addresses (for network failover only)**: Set up special VLANs and associated self IP addresses if you are configuring network failover. This can be done by creating the necessary VLANs and defining self IP addresses on the device for failover purposes. 3. **Specify Failover Addresses (for network failover only)**: Configure failover addresses for each unit to ensure that traffic is directed to a standby unit in case of failure. This involves specifying the failover address settings for both units involved in the redundant system configuration. 4. **Mirror Connection Information (optional)**: Optionally, mirror connection information between the two units to maintain high availability and redundancy. This can be configured through the BIG-IP interface by setting up network mirroring. 5. **Synchronize Configuration Data**: Copy the initial configuration data from Unit 1 to Unit 2 to ensure both units are synchronized in their configurations. 6. **Configure Fail-Safe Settings**: Set fail-safe settings on each unit to provide a backup mechanism in case of system failure, ensuring that traffic is directed away from the failing unit and towards the standby unit. 7. **Consider Additional Optional Tasks**: As an optional step, consider performing other tasks such as setting up failover policies or configuring advanced networking features to enhance the redundancy setup's effectiveness. 8. **Utilize HA Setup Wizard (Alternative Method)**: Alternatively, you can use the High Availability (HA) Setup wizard within the Configuration utility to quickly and easily set up all necessary objects for redundancy through a series of intuitive screens. 9. **Ensure Proper Designation**: Before creating a redundant system configuration, ensure that the device is already designated as part of a redundant system during initial Setup utility run or via the Platform screen in the Configuration utility. 10. **Manage Redundant System Continuously**: For ongoing management of units within a redundant system configuration, refer to the section on maintaining a redundant system for detailed information and instructions. Remember that only users with either the Administrator or Resource Administrator user role can configure a redundant system on BIG-IP devices. The provided document outlines how to configure redundancy properties for a redundant system configuration in BIG-IP systems using the Configuration utility or the HA Setup wizard. Here's a summary of the key steps and considerations: 1. **Accessing Redundancy Properties:**

• Navigate to the High Availability section under System on the Main tab of the navigation pane.

• The Redundancy Properties screen will open, where you can configure various redundant system properties.

2. **Configuring Redundancy Mode:**

• From the Redundancy Mode list, choose between Active/Standby or Active/Active modes.

• For more detailed information on configuring the redundancy mode, refer to "Configuring the redundancy mode" and "Specifying a redundancy state preference."

3. **Specifying Redundancy State Preference:**

• Select whether you prefer the unit to be active or standby in case both units are available for processing traffic. You can also choose not to have a preferred state (None).

• If setting None on one unit, it must be set on the other unit as well to avoid invalid configuration.

4. **Specifying Link Down Time on Failover:**

• Use the Link Down Time on Failover setting to specify the time interfaces for any VLANs on external devices are down when a failover occurs (0 to 10 seconds). Setting this value to 0 disables the feature.

5. **Creating VLANs and Self IP Addresses for Failover:**

• Create dedicated VLANs and static self IP addresses for each unit used in the redundant system configuration. This can be done using the Configuration utility, or alternatively, through the HA Setup wizard.

• For more information on creating VLANs and self IP addresses, refer to "Chapter 8, Configuring VLANs and VLAN Groups" and "Chapter 12, Configuring Self IP Addresses."

6. **Configuring Network Failover:**

• Specify unicast or multicast IP addresses for failover communication between the units in an active-active configuration. This can be done through the Network Failover screen or using the HA Setup wizard.

• For more information, refer to "Appendix B, Additional Considerations for Redundant System Configurations" and "To use the HA Setup wizard, on page 20-7."

In summary, configuring redundancy properties involves setting the mode, specifying preferences, adjusting link down times, creating failover VLANs, and ensuring proper network failover configurations. This document is about configuring network failover settings for a system called VIPRION, which has multi-bladed chassis platforms. The local unit refers to the system you are currently setting up, and the remote unit is its peer system. To set up failover using unicast or multicast addresses, follow these steps: 1. **Unicast Address Configuration**:

• Specify two pairs of IP addresses where one pair includes management IP addresses for both units, and the other pair includes self IP addresses for VLAN HA on each unit. For example, if the local unit is named "bigip_A" and the remote unit is "bigip_B", and their management IP addresses are 192.168.15.17 and 192.168.15.18 respectively, you would configure: `bigip_B|192.168.15.17|192.168.15.18|1026`.

• If the self IP addresses for HA VLANs are 10.10.10.2 (local) and 10.10.10.3 (remote), add: `bigip_B_mgmt|192.168.15.17|192.168.15.18|1026` and `bigip_B_self|10.10.10.2|10.10.10.3|1026`.

2. **Multicast Address Configuration**:

• This is typically used for VIPRION systems but can be applied to others too. Specify a local interface and a multicast IP address which represents the management IP of the remote unit. For example: `bigip_B|eth0|224.0.0.245|62960`.

3. **Network Failover Settings**:

• Enable network failover by checking the box and specifying whether to use unicast or multicast. The default settings include a peer management address, unicast configuration identifier, local address, remote address, and port as specified above.

4. **Configuration Steps**:

• Navigate to "System" > "High Availability".

• Click on "Network Failover" from the menu bar.

• Check the box for network failover settings.

• Fill in necessary details like peer management address, unicast configuration identifier, local and remote addresses, port, etc., based on your system setup and IP configurations.

This setup ensures that if one unit fails, the other can take over seamlessly using either unicast or multicast communication methods to manage failover between units. To configure network mirroring for a redundant BIG-IP system, follow these steps: 1. **Navigate to High Availability Settings:**

• On the Main tab of the navigation pane, expand System and click on "High Availability."

2. **Open Network Mirroring Screen:**

• On the menu bar, click on "Network Mirroring."

3. **Configure Mirroring Addresses:**

• For the Mirroring Address settings:

a) In the Self box, type the static self IP address of this unit to which the peer unit should mirror connections. b) In the Peer box, type the static self IP address for the peer unit to which this unit should mirror connections. Before typing the IP addresses, delete the two colons (::).

• For the Alternate Mirroring Address settings:

a) In the Self box, type another self IP address on this unit to which the peer unit should mirror connections when the primary Self address is unavailable. b) In the Peer box, type another self IP address on the peer unit to which this unit should mirror connections when the primary Peer address is unavailable. Before typing the IP addresses, delete the two colons (::). 4. **Update Settings:**

• Click "Update" to save the changes.

This process ensures that the BIG-IP system can mirror its connection states to the peer unit, providing a seamless failover experience and maintaining uninterrupted service during failures. The BIG-IP system calculates an overall health score for units in redundant systems based on available members (trunks, pools, clusters) within HA groups, with weights assigned to each. Units with the highest scores become active; only VIPRION systems can use clusters in HA groups. The process of failover is facilitated by changes in trunk health and not system or VLAN failure, allowing for faster failover than via hardware or daemon failures. Before configuring an HA group, ensure that redundant pairs are set up to use network failover. A weight assigned to each object (pool, trunk, cluster) must be between 10 and 100; the sum of all weights plus active bonus values can be high. Thresholds can optionally be specified for objects in an HA group, determining the minimum number of members that must be available to prevent failover. The provided text discusses configuring active bonuses in High Availability (HA) groups on a BIG-IP system to prevent failover due to flapping, where the system fails over frequently as members toggle between availability and unavailability. It explains that an active bonus is automatically added to the score of the active unit to ensure it remains active when its score might temporarily fall below that of the standby unit. The text suggests not configuring the `min-up-members` attribute on any pool intended for inclusion in the HA group, and recommends setting an active bonus value between 0 and 100 to prevent failover from occurring due to flapping or minor configuration changes. It provides a table illustrating how configuring an active bonus can affect failover scenarios by comparing scores with and without the active bonus applied. The text concludes with an example table that demonstrates how different configurations of active bonuses can influence whether failover occurs, based on the health of trunk members and the application of active bonuses. To summarize the provided information about configuring High Availability (HA) groups on BIG-IP systems, here's a concise breakdown of the steps and settings involved: 1. **Configure an HA Group:**

• Navigate to System > High Availability > HA Group.

• Configure the following settings in the HA Group Properties area:

• **Name**: Assign a name to the HA group.

• **Enable**: Ensure this box is checked.

• **Active Bonus**: Specify an integer that increases the score of the active unit. This helps prevent unnecessary failover during minor changes.

• Use the Move button to add pools, trunks, and clusters from the Available box to the Selected box.

• For each pool or trunk in the HA group, set a threshold value (optional) and weight ranging from 10 to 100.

2. **Viewing HA Scores:**

• Use the tmsh command line interface to view the HA score for each unit:

``` tmsh /sys show ha-group details ```

• Compare scores between units using:

``` tmsh /sys show ha-status all-properties ``` 3. **Synchronizing Configuration Data:**

• Ensure synchronized configuration data is crucial for failover to work correctly. Only users with specific roles (Administrator or Resource Administrator) can synchronize data.

• Synchronization involves transferring virtual servers, SNATs, and floating IPs from the source unit to the target unit during initial setup and regularly afterward as configurations change.

In summary, configuring an HA group on a BIG-IP system involves setting up properties such as name, enablement, active bonus, and managing pools, trunks, and clusters within the group. The system then calculates scores based on these settings to determine failover points under specific conditions. This document explains how to synchronize configuration data between two BIG-IP units using the Configuration utility. You can specify which peer IP address to use, enable encryption of configuration data, view synchronization status, and choose the direction of synchronization (from or to the peer unit). The ConfigSync screen in the Configuration utility allows you to set various settings such as configuring the type of peer IP address, specifying a specific IP address for synchronization, and setting up a user account for synchronization. Synchronization is necessary before putting redundant systems into operation by copying a .ucs file containing configuration data from one unit to another. It's important that the ConfigSync user name and password are consistent across both units; otherwise, synchronization may not function correctly. To perform configuration synchronization on a BIG-IP system when not using the admin user, you must select a user from the Name list and type their password. If you need to give another user permission to sync configurations, assign them an Administrator or Resource Administrator role through the Users screen. Encryption can be enabled for security by setting a passphrase that is confirmed again, with default settings being off unless specified otherwise. Synchronization direction can be set between two units using "Synchronize TO Peer" (sharing updated data from your unit) and "Synchronize FROM Peer" (receiving updates from another unit). Detailed synchronization status information is available in the Configuration utility for transparency. The procedure to sync configuration data involves expanding System > High Availability, clicking ConfigSync, selecting an option for peer address if needed, optionally enabling encryption, turning on global display of sync status, and choosing a direction to synchronize before updating settings. The BIG-IP system has three types of fail-safe features designed to prevent and mitigate various types of failures in its operation: System Fail-safe, Gateway Fail-safe, and VLAN Fail-safe. These features are only accessible to users with Administrator or Resource Administrator user roles. Configuration involves monitoring specific hardware components, services, or network traffic for potential issues that could lead to system failure. **System Fail-safe**: This feature monitors the switch board component as well as a set of key system services such as BIGD (BIG-IP Dispatch), MCPD (Management Center Process Daemon), and TMM (Traffic Management Module). If any of these components fail or show a heartbeat anomaly, the BIG-IP system can take predefined actions including rebooting the system, restarting all system services, going offline, aborting the TMM service, failing over and restarting TM, rebooting the system service itself, or taking no action at all depending on the specific service. **Gateway Fail-safe**: This type of fail-safe is specifically designed for redundant systems and monitors traffic between the BIG-IP system and a gateway router within a pool configuration. It triggers a failover if the gateway router becomes unreachable, protecting against internet connection loss by setting a minimum number of available members in the pool before taking action. **VLAN Fail-safe**: This feature focuses on monitoring VLAN traffic for anomalies that could lead to service disruptions and takes actions like going offline or down links and restarting services when necessary. Each fail-safe configuration involves navigating through the BIG-IP system's interface, selecting the appropriate module (System, Gateway, or VLAN), specifying the action to be taken upon failure detection, and setting thresholds for different pools as required by each type of fail-safe. Configuration steps are detailed in the provided documentation, including how to access these features from the navigation pane and configure specific actions based on detected failures. To configure VLAN fail-safe on a BIG-IP system for maximum reliability, follow these steps after selecting Failover as the action in the Threshold box. 1. **Navigate to High Availability Settings**: On the Main tab of the navigation pane, expand System and click on High Availability. This will open the Redundancy Properties screen. 2. **Select VLANs from Fail-safe Menu**: From the Fail-safe menu, choose VLANs. The VLAN Fail-safe screen will then open. 3. **Add a New VLAN Configuration**: In the upper-right corner of the screen, click Add to open the Add VLAN screen. 4. **Choose the Desired VLAN**: From the VLAN list, select the name of the VLAN you want to configure fail-safe for. 5. **Set Timeout and Action**:

• In the Timeout box, specify the period during which traffic should be detected on the VLAN before triggering the designated action. The default value is 90 seconds.

• From the Action list, select the appropriate action that the BIG-IP system should take when the timeout period expires. The default action is Reboot.

6. **Finish Configuration**: Click Finished to complete the setup for fail-safe on this VLAN. ### Additional Information:

• For configuring fail-safe on a single device, you can choose between rebooting or restarting all system services. The default setting is Reboot.

• It's crucial to configure fail-safe only after the BIG-IP system is in a stable production environment to avoid unnecessary failover due to routine network changes.

• Each interface card installed on the BIG-IP system maps to a different VLAN, so ensure you know which interface corresponds to each VLAN when setting up fail-safe options.

### Methods of Configuration: 1. **Using Redundancy Properties Screen**: Navigate through System > High Availability > Fail-safe menu and follow steps 2 to 7 as described above. 2. **Using VLANs Screen**: Expand Network > VLANs, select or create a new VLAN, go to the Advanced configuration settings, check the box for fail-safe setting, set the timeout and action accordingly, and click Update or Finished. ### Maintaining Redundant System: Regularly review the redundancy state of each unit and their synchronization status. Use Configuration utility features like Expanding > High Availability to monitor these states effectively. Adjust configurations as necessary based on performance and network conditions to ensure optimal operation. This passage discusses how to monitor and manage synchronization status for BIG-IP systems in a high availability configuration. It emphasizes the importance of checking synchronization status regularly and suggests two methods for viewing detailed or general sync status: through the ConfigSync screen accessed from Redundancy Properties, or by enabling auto detection feature that shows status on all Configuration utility screens. The article also explains what each status message means (e.g., 'ConfigSync: OK' indicates no need to sync, while 'Sync Recommended' with a different color arrow suggests intervention is needed), and describes how units switch roles when one goes into Standby or Offline mode. This document explains how to manage the High Availability (HA) feature of BIG-IP systems, including forcing units offline or into standby mode, releasing them from forced states, troubleshooting with the bigpipe utility, determining unit IDs, and controlling failback. To force a BIG-IP unit into standby mode, go to the System > High Availability section, then click the Force to Standby button. To release an OFFLINE state, do the same but click Release Offline. If a unit is forced offline, using bigpipe utility commands like "bigpipe ha table", "bigpipe ha table show all", and "bigpipe ha table failures" can help diagnose problems. Unit ID can be found by expanding System > High Availability on the Redundancy Properties screen. Failback in an active/standby configuration is manual unless a preference is set, but you can manually initiate it by forcing the current active unit into standby mode. Setting state preferences automates failback processes. If connection mirroring is enabled and failback occurs, connections must be re-mirrored if possible. When setting up a redundant-system configuration on BIG-IP systems, it is important to consider several aspects such as specifying default routes on back-end servers and using shared MAC masquerade addresses for efficient processing of network traffic. For high availability setups, virtual server types like Performance (Layer 4) reference Fast L4 protocol profiles, while Standard or HTTP type virtual servers use TCP protocol profiles. Failback re-mirroring does not occur in these scenarios. When configuring user-defined scripts for maintenance tasks after a failover, you can manually edit 'active' and 'standby' scripts located in the /config/failover directory on the BIG-IP system to automate non-persistent maintenance tasks such as reading ARP tables or removing erroneous entries post-failover. When setting up redundant systems, ensure that each back-end server has its default route set to a shared floating IP address assigned to the surviving unit for proper handling of inbound and outbound connections during failover. This helps in ensuring successful communication between the back-end servers and the BIG-IP units. In addition to static self IP addresses, redundant systems utilize floating self IP addresses which are shared between two systems or units, allowing responses from back-end servers to be directed towards this address if the target unit is unavailable. This approach helps maintain service continuity by ensuring that traffic can still reach the surviving system via the shared IP address. This document discusses configuring High Availability (HA) features for F5 Networks' BIG-IP systems, including setting up MAC masquerade addresses for active/standby redundant units. The steps include finding the MAC address on both active and standby units, choosing a unique shared MAC address, and using it across both units in the redundant system. Additionally, it covers viewing interfaces and MAC addresses, configuring SNMP for remote management, and working with SNMP MIB files to collect performance data. The provided text discusses the implementation of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) on F5 Networks' BIG-IP systems. It explains that the BIG-IP system includes an SNMP agent, standard and enterprise MIB files, allowing it to be managed remotely via an SNMP manager. Key tasks in configuring SNMP for the BIG-IP system involve setting up the SNMP agent, downloading necessary MIB files, and managing objects like virtual servers, addresses, nodes, and pool members using SNMP commands or utilities such as bigpipe and tmsh. The configuration process includes specifying contact information, allowing client access to data, assigning access levels for communities or users, enabling or disabling traps, and configuring a self IP address for monitoring. This document provides a guide on how to configure SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) settings for BIG-IP systems, which are used for managing network devices remotely. The steps outlined include configuring client access and controlling access to SNMP data, ensuring secure monitoring and management of the system. To begin, navigate to the System section under Main in the navigation pane, then click on SNMP to open the configuration screen. Here, fill out the required fields such as Global Setup details and update the settings. Next, configure client access by selecting Host or Network depending on whether you are specifying a host system or subnet IP address. Add the IP address with netmask if applicable, then click 'Add' button to complete this process. To allow monitoring of the SNMP agent, set up self IPs and specify port number 161 (the standard for SNMP) in order to enable communication between the BIG-IP system and the client. When it comes to controlling access to SNMP data, you can assign an access level to SNMP v1/v2c communities or v3 users by modifying default read-only levels through Configuration utility. Granting read/write access will allow for editing of specific data objects if necessary, with the most secure setting taking precedence in case of conflicts. Lastly, grant community (SNMP v1/v2c) or user (SNMP v3) access to SNMP data by specifying a community name and source IP address, choosing an appropriate access level from Read Only or Read/Write, and entering the relevant OID for top-most node of the SNMP tree. For SNMPv1 clients, it is recommended to use only those that support SNMPv2 or higher due to limitations with Counter64 OIDs. To assign an access level to a community or user using the Configuration utility for SNMP, follow these steps: 1. **Access (v3)**: This opens the SNMP Access screen where you can manage access records. 2. **Create New Access Record**: Click "Create" in the upper-right corner of the screen. A new window titled "New Access Record" will appear. 3. **Enter User Name**: In the "User Name" box, type the name of the user for whom you are assigning an access level (specified in step 8). 4. **Set Authentication and Privacy Settings**:

• For authentication settings, select a method and enter/confirm the password.

• For privacy settings, choose a protocol and either re-enter the password or check "Use Authentication Password" box.

5. **Enter OID (Object Identifier)**: Type the top-most node of the SNMP tree to which this access applies in the "OID" box. 6. **Select Access Level**: Choose between "Read Only" or "Read/Write" from the dropdown menu under "Access". This setting will apply only to the user name specified in step 3. 7. **Finish Configuration**: Click "Finished" after filling out all necessary fields. The utility updates the snmpd.conf file accordingly, assigning a single access setting to the community or user. **Alternative Method (Direct Editing of Configuration File)**: If you need more sophisticated control, edit the `/config/snmp/snmpd.conf` file directly by:

• Creating a new entry in the configuration file for the specific community or user.

• Defining the access level using appropriate strings such as `rocommunity`, `rwcommunity`, etc., and specifying the IP address, port number, and OID accordingly.

For example, you might configure: ```bash rocommunity public default rwcommunity public1 127.0.0.1 .1.3.6.1.4.1.3375.2.2.10.1 ``` Where `rocommunity` identifies a community with read-only access, and `rwcommunity` identifies one with read/write access. **Configuring Traps**: To set up SNMP traps on the BIG-IP system: 1. Navigate to System > SNMP in the Configuration utility. 2. From the Traps menu, select "Configuration". 3. Enable or disable trap notifications for events like agent start/stop, authentication warnings, and other specific warnings by checking or unchecking the respective boxes. 4. Update the configuration with changes made. 5. Specify the destination SNMP manager using community name, IP address, and port number under "SNMP Trap Configuration". This guide provides a structured way to manage SNMP access control and configure traps on a BIG-IP system, ensuring proper handling of notifications for both default and user-defined events. The provided content outlines steps and considerations for configuring SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) on a BIG-IP system, focusing on both version 1 and version 2c. It includes details on setting up trap destinations, managing MIB files, and understanding the specific information contained in F5 enterprise MIBs. **Setting Up Trap Destinations:** 1. Navigate to the SNMP Agent Configuration screen through the navigation pane of the BIG-IP system's management interface. 2. From the Traps menu, select Destination to open the SNMP Destination screen. 3. Create a new trap record by clicking "Create" in the upper-right corner of the screen and specifying:

• The SNMP version (either v1 or v2c).

• A community name for authentication.

• The IP address of the SNMP management system.

• The port number through which traps will be sent to the management system.

4. Click "Finished" after entering all necessary information. **Managing MIB Files:**

• MIB files define the data objects within an SNMP agent and are divided into enterprise MIBs (specific to F5 systems) and standard SNMP MIBs.

• The BIG-IP system includes specific enterprise MIB files in /usr/share/snmp/mibs, which need to be downloaded to an SNMP manager system for management purposes.

• These include:

• F5-BIGIP-COMMON-MIB.txt (common information and notifications)

• F5-BIGIP-LOCAL-MIB.txt (specifics related to traffic management features)

• F5-BIGIP-SYSTEM-MIB.txt (global system-specific objects)

• MIB files can be downloaded from the Configuration utility's Welcome screen by expanding Overview and clicking "Welcome," then navigating to Downloads > SNMP MIBs.

**SNMP Commands:**

• For managing a BIG-IP system with SNMP, standard SNMP commands are necessary.

• Refer to third-party SNMP documentation or visit the net-snmp sourceforge website for more information on available SNMP commands and their usage.

This guide is intended to help configure and manage the SNMP capabilities of F5 BIG-IP systems, ensuring effective network monitoring through remote management stations using specific MIB files. The TMOS® Management Guide for BIG-IP® Systems provides guidance on using three specific MIB (Management Information Base) files to manage and monitor F5 Networks' BIG-IP systems via SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). These files are the F5-BIGIP-COMMON-MIB.txt, F5-BIGIP-LOCAL-MIB.txt, and F5-BIGIP-SYSTEM-MIB.txt, each serving different purposes: 1. **F5-BIGIP-COMMON-MIB.txt**: This is an enterprise MIB file that includes common information and F5-specific SNMP traps. All F5-specific traps are contained within this file, which can be identified by the NOTIFICATION-TYPE designation in object names. When a trap notification is sent to an SNMP manager system, it receives a descriptive text message about the event or problem occurring on the BIG-IP system. 2. **F5-BIGIP-LOCAL-MIB.txt**: This file contains information relevant to managing local application traffic, such as viewing maximum node entries, pool names, current active members of load balancing pools, and profile information like total concurrent authentication sessions. It allows for the management of various objects including virtual servers, pools, nodes, profiles, SNATs, health monitors, and iRules®. 3. **F5-BIGIP-SYSTEM-MIB.txt**: This MIB file provides a description of common BIG-IP system information such as global statistics, network information, and platform details. While some data overlaps with that in MIB-II, it is not identical. A table within the guide (Table 21.2) compares standard MIB-II objects to F5-specific counterparts, helping users understand how BIG-IP systems implement these standards differently. Additionally, there's the RMON-MIB.txt file which supports a subset of Remote Network Monitoring groups including statistics, history, alarms, and events. It monitors BIG-IP system interfaces rather than standard Linux interfaces and provides combined transmission and receiving statistics for packet length specific in the RMON statistics group due to hardware limitations. Overall, these MIB files facilitate comprehensive SNMP management of F5 Networks' BIG-IP systems, providing essential data and performance insights across different aspects of network operations. This passage discusses the use of SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) for collecting performance metrics in a BIG-IP system, which is part of F5 Networks' products. The types of data that can be gathered using SNMP include memory usage, number of active connections, number of new connections, throughput in bits per second, number of HTTP requests, RAM Cache use, CPU use, and the number of SSL transactions. To gather this information, specific OIDs (Object Identifiers) associated with each metric are used in SNMP commands. For instance, to collect data on memory usage, one would issue an SNMP command using the OID for sysStatMemoryUsed (.1.3.6.1.4.1.3375.2.1.1.2.1.45). For metrics like throughput and new connections, calculations are necessary to interpret the collected data. For example, to calculate the throughput rate of incoming bits into the system, one must use OID sysStatClientBytesIn (.1.3.6.1.4.1.3375.2.1.1.2.1.3), take two polls at a chosen interval (e.g., every ten seconds), calculate the difference between these polls, and then apply the formula: (DeltaStatClientBytesIn * 8) / interval. The passage also provides tables listing the OIDs needed for specific metrics such as memory use and active connections, detailing what calculations are required to interpret the data collected with SNMP. For example, Table 21.3 shows OIDs for memory usage in BIG-IP systems, while Table 21.4 lists those for active connections. Both tables provide necessary information about which graphs require these specific metrics, thereby facilitating effective performance monitoring and management of F5 Networks' devices through the use of SNMP. Summary failed for this part. To summarize this information, it provides detailed steps for collecting and interpreting various metrics related to HTTP requests, RAM cache usage, and CPU usage on a BIG-IP system using SNMP commands with OIDs (object identifiers). The process involves several key steps including: 1. **Polling OIDs**: Use SNMP commands to poll specific OIDs at chosen intervals to gather data. 2. **Calculating Deltas**: For metrics like HTTP requests, calculate the difference between two polled values to get a delta. 3. **Performing Calculations**: Based on the type of metric, perform specific calculations such as dividing deltas by an interval or using ratios involving OID values. 4. **Interpreting Metrics**: Use the results from the calculations to interpret and understand the performance metrics like request rates, RAM cache hit/miss ratios, and CPU usage percentages. **Examples Provided:**

• For collecting data on HTTP requests:

• Poll OID `sysStatHttpRequests` twice at a 10-second interval.

• Calculate delta of these two values to get ``.

• Use the formula ` / ` to interpret metrics.

• For RAM Cache use (Hit Rate):

• Poll OIDs `sysHttpStatRamcacheHits` and `sysHttpStatRamcacheMisses`.

• Calculate Hit Rate using the formula ` / ( + ) *100`.

• For CPU use:

• Optionally set a predefined polling interval or choose your own.

• Use MIBs `sysMultiHostCpu` and `sysGlobalHostCpu` to gather data on CPU usage.

This summary highlights the importance of accurate data collection and calculation for interpreting performance metrics, providing a structured approach to gathering and analyzing SNMP data from BIG-IP systems. Summary failed for this part. Summary failed for this part. To summarize the given text, it provides information on how to calculate CPU usage and SSL transactions per second using SNMP commands with OIDs. It also explains how to gather and interpret data for metrics like SSL TPS (Transactions Per Second) in BIG-IP systems. Additionally, the document discusses creating and managing archives as a way to back up configuration data for disaster recovery or propagating it to other systems. The article discusses the contents and management of UCS (Universal Configuration Snapshot) files on F5 BIG-IP systems. These files contain system configuration data, including specific files, product licenses, user accounts, DNS zone files, SSL keys, and certificates. To create, delete, upload or download archives, one must have Administrator or Resource Administrator privileges. The article explains how to save and restore archives using the Configuration utility: by default, UCS files are stored in /var/local/ucs; however, you can specify a different location. Once created, an archive can be downloaded from the BIG-IP system to another secure remote system for backup purposes. The importance of matching hostnames between the source and target systems during restoration is emphasized. For restoring data from a BIG-IP system, only the /var/local/ucs directory or previously downloaded archives on a remote system are accessible. To mitigate loss of configuration data in redundant systems, it's recommended to create routine backups (archives) on each unit before synchronization and consider enabling archive encryption for added security. The article concludes with summarizing that one can manage UCS files by viewing them, creating new ones, deleting unnecessary ones, and transferring them between systems. The process involves using the Configuration utility with appropriate permissions, ensuring data integrity through matching hostnames and routine backups, especially in redundant configurations. This document provides a guide for managing archives on a BIG-IP system, detailing how to view existing archives, create new ones, and understand their properties. Users must have either Administrator or Resource Administrator user roles to manage archives. To create an archive, navigate to the System > Archives section, click "Create" in the upper-right corner, provide a unique file name for the archive, and configure settings such as encryption and private key inclusion. The document also outlines how to view properties of previously created archives without modifying them. This document provides a detailed guide on how to view, create, download, upload, delete, and restore data from BIG-IP system archives. It explains that if the configuration data becomes corrupted, it can be restored from an archive stored in the directory /var/local/ucs. The hostname of the BIG-IP system must match the one in the archive file for a successful restoration. To manage these archives: 1. Navigate to the System > Archives section and select the desired archive. 2. For viewing or managing properties, click on the specific archive name in the File Name column. 3. Click Restore to restore configuration data from an archived file. 4. Downloading and uploading archives can be done by expanding System > Archives, selecting the archive, and using the provided options for download/upload. 5. To delete an archive, select it in the File Name column, check the Select box, and click Delete. 6. This document also covers logging BIG-IP system events, including general system events and specific to BIG-IP services, configuring encrypted remote logging, and understanding different log types. The BIG-IP system's logging feature includes several key components designed for efficient event tracking across different types of activities such as Linux system events, packet filtering rules, local traffic management, and user-initiated configuration changes. This comprehensive logging mechanism supports customizable log levels that allow users to set the minimum severity level for each type of logged event, enhancing selectivity in reporting criticality. In addition to standard logging capabilities, BIG-IP systems offer remote logging via encrypted tunnels to a designated server, facilitating centralized management and increased visibility across multiple devices. The system can also be configured to send email or pager notifications based on the priority levels defined by logged events, providing real-time alerts when necessary. The logs generated by the BIG-IP system encompass various types of information including timestamps, host names, services, status codes, and detailed descriptions of each event. These logs are organized into specific categories which can be accessed via different log types like System, Packet Filter, Local Traffic, and Audit events. The Configuration utility facilitates easy access to these logs and allows for the filtering of messages based on search strings, while more advanced users can utilize the Traffic Management Shell (tmsh) for similar functionalities. This robust logging system ensures that administrators have a comprehensive view of all activities and changes within the BIG-IP infrastructure, which is crucial for maintaining operational efficiency and security. The article provides a guide on how to view and understand log messages, including system, packet filter, local traffic, and audit logs, on a BIG-IP system using the Configuration utility or Traffic Management Shell (tmsh). It explains steps for viewing historical log files by date range, expanding codes in log messages using the Linux zcat command with bigcodes, filtering log messages based on specific text strings, and understanding different types of log entries such as system, packet filter, local traffic, and audit logs. The provided text discusses the logging capabilities of a BIG-IP system, which is part of F5 Networks' product line. It covers various types of events that can be logged on the Local Traffic Logging screen, including ARP packets and cache events, database (bigdb) events, HTTP protocol events, HTTP compression events, IP packet discard events due to bad checksums or other invalid parameters, Layer 4 event related to TCP, UDP, and Fast L4 processing, MCP/TMM configuration events, Monitor configuration events, Network events at layers 1 and 2, Packet Velocity® ASIC (PVA) configuration events, iRule events for runtime processing, SSL traffic processing events, and general TMM events such as startup and shutdown. The text also explains the optional feature of audit logging which logs messages whenever a BIG-IP system object is created, modified, or deleted. The log messages are stored in the file /var/log/ltm. It discusses how to view these audit log entries using the Configuration utility, providing examples from a sample audit log. Furthermore, it explains how objects can be configured in three ways: by user action, system action, and loading configuration data. Each time an object is configured this way, the BIG-IP system logs a message to the audit log. The text then details methods for setting log levels for both local traffic events (through Configuration utility settings or using bigpipe utility/tmsh) and auditing events. It provides information on minimum log levels that can be set for different types of local traffic events from highest severity (Emergency) to lowest (Debug), with a default value of Informational. In summary, the text is about configuring logging settings in BIG-IP systems to monitor various system activities and configure audit logs detailing changes made to system objects. It provides detailed guidance on how to view these logs, set minimum log levels for different events, and adjust system configurations accordingly. This text discusses configuring encrypted remote logging for BIG-IP systems, specifically focusing on setting up syslog-ng utility for sending log messages through an SSH tunnel. The setup process involves several steps and considerations to ensure successful configuration. It starts by outlining prerequisites such as having root access to both the BIG-IP system and the remote logging host, and ensuring that both are connected to the same subnet. The main tasks within the configuration include: 1. Reviewing the SSH syntax necessary for establishing an encrypted connection between the BIG-IP system and the remote logging host. 2. Creating a unique SSH identity key to authenticate and authorize the BIG-IP system. 3. Editing the syslog-ng utility startup script to manage the creation and termination of SSH tunnels for log transmission. 4. Configuring the remote logging host to accept messages from the BIG-IP system through the established tunnel. 5. Copying the unique SSH identity key to the remote logging host and adding it to the authorized keys file for authentication. 6. Verifying the configuration and restarting the syslog-ng utility to implement changes. The document also provides warnings about attempting such configurations only if one has a thorough understanding of the potential risks associated with altering daemon startup scripts, highlighting that this procedure should not be attempted by those unfamiliar with these tasks. This document outlines the process for setting up an SSH tunnel on a BIG-IP system to securely forward logs to a remote logging server. It begins by detailing the syntax and creation of an SSH key, specifically designed to identify and authorize the BIG-IP system on the remote logging host. The steps include creating two files, syslog_tunnel_ID and syslog_tunnel_ID.pub, using the ssh command with specific parameters. These files are then copied to the /var/ssh directory for security reasons. The document also instructs how to edit the syslog-ng utility startup script to automatically open and close SSH tunnels based on system start-up or shutdown events. The syntax for adding this functionality is provided in Figure 23.3, which includes a sample command similar to: ```bash ssh -L :: \ @ -nNCxf -i /var/ssh/syslog_tunnel_ID ``` After setting up the SSH tunnels, the document explains how to modify the syslog-ng configuration to send messages to a remote logging host. This involves creating source and filter configurations using local IP addresses and ports specified in the document. Finally, it describes how to copy the unique SSH identity file (syslog_tunnel_ID.pub) to the remote logging server for authorization purposes. Overall, this guide provides a comprehensive set of instructions for securely forwarding logs from a BIG-IP system to a remote logging host using an SSH tunnel and managing log data through configuration modifications in syslog-ng. To configure remote logging on a BIG-IP system using syslog-ng, follow these steps: 1. **Log in as root** to the BIG-IP system and establish an SSH connection to the remote logging host using the new identity key created for this purpose. ```bash ssh logger@10.0.0.100 -i /var/ssh/syslog_tunnel_ID ``` 2. **Add a source configuration block** in the `/etc/syslog-ng/conf` file on the remote logging host to identify the source as a TCP connection from the BIG-IP system: ```bash source remote { tcp(ip(10.0.0.1) port(5140)); }; ``` 3. **Add filter, destination, and log configuration blocks** to handle the data received from this source according to your application's requirements. Ensure that these configurations are set up correctly in the `/etc/syslog-ng/conf` file on the remote logging host. 4. **Verify the SSH connection** to ensure it is functional by attempting to access the remote logging host without being prompted for a password (since the identity key should be used for authentication). If successful, you can proceed with restarting the syslog-ng utility. 5. **Restart the syslog-ng utility**: ```bash /etc/init.d/syslog-ng restart ``` 6. **Monitor the logs** to ensure that messages from the BIG-IP system are being received by the remote logging host. ### Managing Services on a BIG-IP System 1. **Access the Configuration utility** and navigate to the "Services" section under "System". 2. **View the status of services**: The list will show each service's name along with its current status, which can be seen in the "History" column. 3. **Manage services** using the Configuration utility:

• Expand "System", click on "Services".

• Locate the desired service in the "Name" column.

• To stop or start a service, select the checkbox to the left of the service name and then choose either "Start," "Stop," or "Restart."

• Check the status in the "History" column after performing these actions to confirm changes.

4. **Alternative management methods** include using `tmsh` (Traffic Management Shell) for more advanced operations, or the `bigstart` utility if needed. For detailed information on these tools, refer to their respective manuals. The provided text is a section of an appendix in a document related to F5 Networks' BIG-IP systems, detailing the various types of SNMP traps that can be received and their recommended actions. These traps include hardware-related issues, license-related concerns, TMOS management issues, authentication problems, denial of service (DoS) scenarios, network-related glitches, logging discrepancies, application security manager issues, global traffic manager complications, and other miscellaneous trap types. The text outlines that when certain conditions are met on a BIG-IP system, an SNMP trap may be triggered and sent to the management station. These traps are grouped into specific categories such as general traps, hardware-related, license-related, TMOS-related, authentication-related, denial of service (DoS)-related, network-related, logging-related, application security manager-related, global traffic manager-related, and other miscellaneous traps. For each type of trap, the text provides a brief description of what triggers the trap, how it manifests on the system, and what actions are recommended to be taken in response to receiving that specific trap notification via an SNMP manager. For example: 1. **bigipAgentStart** - Triggered when the SNMP agent on the BIG-IP device starts up; no action is required as this information is for informational purposes only. 2. **bigipCpuTempHigh** - Indicates that the CPU temperature has reached a critical level, requiring monitoring of both the CPU and air temperatures, with potential follow-up actions depending on whether the condition persists or not. 3. **bigipLicenseFailed** - This trap is generated when there's an issue with validating a BIG-IP license; in case of automatic licensing issues, verify network connectivity to fix errors if needed before attempting validation again. 4. **bigipServiceDown** - Triggered by the system's health monitor indicating that a service has stopped on one or more nodes, requiring restart of the affected service(s) to rectify this issue. Each trap is linked directly to its description and recommended action within the document, ensuring clarity in response strategies for different operational issues faced by BIG-IP systems. This systematic approach aids in maintaining system stability and facilitating efficient troubleshooting when these traps are received on an SNMP manager. Table A.4 provides an overview of TMOS-related traps, including descriptions and recommended actions for each specific trap related to BIG-IP systems. The table includes details on traps such as node status changes (bigipNodeUp/bigipNodeDown), system mode switches (bigipStandby/bigipActive), feature failures (bigipFeatureFailed/bigipFeatureOnline), packet rejections (bigipPacketRejected), port exhaustion alerts (bigipInetPortExhaustion), authentication attempts and failures (bigipTamdAlert/bigipAuthFailed), denial of service conditions (bigipAggrReaperStateChange), network link issues (bigipNetLinkDown), and logging emergencies, critical errors, or alerts (bigipLogEmerg/bigipLogCrit/bigipLogErr). The recommended actions typically involve checking system logs for further details about the cause of the trap, which can then be used to address specific issues such as correcting configuration errors, updating high-availability features, investigating authentication failures, or diagnosing hardware and software faults. For Management Guide for BIG-IP® Systems, this summary provides an overview of various logging-related traps and their corresponding recommended actions that can be taken when these traps are triggered. The guide outlines different types of SNMP notifications received from multiple modules such as Application Security Manager (ASM), Global Traffic Manager (GTM), and TMOS management features. ### Key Points: 1. **Logging Levels**: There are specific log levels for warnings and errors which include LOG_ERR, LOG_WARNING, etc., depending on the severity of the issue detected. 2. **Actions Based on Traps**: For each trap triggered by BIG-IP systems (like `bigipLogWarning`, `bigipAsmRequestBlocked`, etc.), there are recommended actions such as checking detailed messages in logs or specific configuration files to understand and resolve issues like request violations, certificate expirations, pool unavailabilities, etc. 3. **Visual Inspection**: Users can also view logging information through the Configuration utility's Logs screen for a broader understanding of system conditions. 4. **Trap Categories**: Traps are categorized into sections based on modules (ASM and GTM) which helps in identifying and managing issues within those specific areas. 5. **Recommended Actions Table Summary**: Each trap has a table that outlines the recommended actions, providing guidance to users or administrators on how to proceed with troubleshooting once these traps are detected. ### Purpose: The purpose of this document is to provide clear, actionable steps for BIG-IP system administrators and support engineers to quickly identify issues raised by various SNMP traps and take appropriate action to resolve them. This helps in maintaining the performance and stability of BIG-IP systems. This text appears to be a documentation or guide related to network management and traffic handling for F5 Networks' BIG-IP system, specifically focusing on Global Traffic Manager (GTM) module traps and notifications. The GTM module is used in this context to manage and optimize the distribution of incoming requests across multiple data centers or application servers. Here's a summary of the key points from the text: 1. **Trap Notifications**: The document lists various trap names and their descriptions, indicating different states or events within the GTM module. These include virtual server availability statuses (like `bigipGtmVsAvail`, `bigipGtmVsNotAvail`, etc.) and data center statuses (such as `bigipGtmDcAvail`, `bigipGtmDcNotAvail`). 2. **Action Recommendations**: For each trap notification, the text suggests actions that should be taken by an administrator or user:

• "Check the status of the virtual server/data center..." and then take appropriate action based on whether it's available, unavailable, disabled, enabled, etc. This implies monitoring and troubleshooting steps to ensure network performance and availability.

• For traps related to license limits (e.g., `bigipSslLimitExceeded`, `bigipCompLimitExceeded`), the recommendation is to "Purchase additional licensing from F5 Networks."

• For changes in external link status (`bigipExternalLinkChange`), determine whether the link should be up or down and take appropriate action based on that determination.

3. **Appendix: Additional Considerations for Redundant System Configurations**: This section discusses active-active redundancy, which is an alternative to the more common active-standby setup. It explains how to configure such a system by setting both units to "Active" in the redundant configuration. The text emphasizes the importance of network failover and suggests that simply relying on physical cabling changes for failback may not be sufficient; instead, it recommends considering ways to distribute load between the two systems (up to 50% per unit) to maintain service continuity without overloading any single unit. 4. **Visual Representation**: A figure (`Figure B.1`) is referenced but not included here. This suggests that there might be a visual representation in the actual document showing how an active-active system behaves before and after failover, possibly illustrating the transition from two units processing traffic to one unit taking over after a failure. Overall, this text serves as a guide for maintaining and managing BIG-IP GTM module configurations, focusing on both proactive monitoring of network states and reactive troubleshooting in case of issues or changes detected via traps. Unit 2 continues processing its own and unit 1's connections in an active-active configuration. Part of configuring this involves assigning a unit ID to each self IP address and virtual address that processes application traffic, using the Configuration utility or by displaying properties of floating self IP addresses/virtual addresses and selecting the relevant unit ID. If unit 2 normally handles virtual servers C and D, assign it unit ID 2 to their respective floating self IP addresses and virtual addresses. When a unit fails over, its floating self IP addresses and virtual addresses retain their assigned unit IDs on the new unit they are running on. Additionally, each unit in an active-active system must have a unique floating IP address for VLAN internal, shared with its peer using ConfigSync. If unit 1 becomes available after failover, it can initiate failback where it continues to operate actively, handling its own connections while the other unit relinquishes processing for both units. Failback does not occur automatically in two specific cases: if manually initiated by bigpipe failover standby command or if manually required by setting the bigdb key Failover.ManFailBack to enable. In these situations, you must initiate failback manually after a failover event. This document outlines the process of failback and switching from an active-active redundant system configuration to an active/standby configuration on a BIG-IP system. The steps include using either the Configuration utility or the bigpipe utility, depending on the method chosen. When initiating failback, each unit resumes processing for its virtual servers after 60 seconds in an active-active setup. To initiate failback via the Configuration utility: 1. Access the Configuration utility on the unit that assumed processing from the failed unit. 2. Navigate to the Main tab and expand System > High Availability, then click Fail Back at the bottom of the screen. Alternatively, to initiate failback using the command line, access the bigpipe shell on the same unit and type 'failover failback'. For converting an active-active system to an active/standby configuration: 1. Navigate to System > High Availability in the Configuration utility. 2. Change the redundancy mode from Active/Active to Active/Standby. 3. Click ConfigSync > Synchronize TO Peer, then Update. 4. Finally, click Redundancy > Redundancy Properties and update the unit's preferred state between Active or Standby. It is crucial to ensure that back-end servers are configured with default routes set to either the floating IP address of the failed unit (for those serving the failed unit's virtual servers) or the surviving unit's floating IP address (for those serving the surviving unit's virtual servers). This setup ensures smooth processing of traffic by the surviving unit after failback. Please note that MAC masquerading is not supported in active-active mode, and specific attention should be given to configuring default routes for back-end servers during transition between modes. This document discusses active-active configurations for redundant systems and the essential core services that must be running to maintain proper operation. It provides details about starting, stopping, and their impacts when unavailable, along with specific information about the Master Configuration Process service (MCPD), Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) service, and System On-Disk (SOD) service. Key points include: 1. For active-active systems, synchronization between units is crucial to maintain proper functionality. 2. Redundant systems configured in an active-active mode require re-synchronization of configuration data. 3. Unavailability of certain core services can lead to significant impacts such as inability to send alerts or perform SNMP functions. 4. The MCPD service, TMM, and SOD are critical for maintaining system configurations, managing traffic flows, and handling failover mechanisms respectively. They operate automatically unless explicitly stopped. 5. Users should be aware of the actions to take if a core service fails to detect a heartbeat, as defined in the high availability configuration settings. 6. The bigstart command-line utility can be used for explicit starting or stopping of services when necessary, although this is typically done during setup and not frequently during normal operation. The Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) service running on a BIG-IP system is responsible for most traffic management functions. It processes configuration change requests from MCP clients, validates these changes based on database schema and other system rules, updates storage with the new configurations, and returns success or failure results to the clients. Additionally, it handles statistics and query requests from MCP clients, as well as notifying all interested clients about any relevant configuration changes through a publish-and-subscribe interface. The TMM service has separate instances for each active processor on the BIG-IP system. It controls how network traffic is routed through different interfaces: user application traffic always uses TMM switch interfaces, while administrative traffic can use either the management or TMM switch interfaces depending on the type of traffic. When stopped, certain types of traffic are affected (user application traffic stops being processed, and administrative traffic can still be managed via the management interface). It's important to define a default route in the main TMM routing table when the TMM service is running to avoid high volumes of administrative traffic using the management interface. The interfaces used for different types of traffic are as follows: user application traffic uses TMM switch interfaces, administrative traffic destined for the BIG-IP system (except UDP) uses the management interface, and administrative traffic generated by the BIG-IP system uses TMM switch interfaces when a default route is defined. The ntpd service, which manages network time protocol, typically uses the MGMT interface unless restarted, in which case it may use a TMM interface. Prior to performing certain administrative tasks on the BIG-IP system, such as an installation, the TMM service should be stopped to prevent disruption of traffic management functions. This summary provides an overview of traffic management on a BIG-IP system when the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) service is stopped. The table below outlines which interfaces are used for different types of traffic when TMM is stopped: | Traffic Type | Incoming Interface | Outgoing Interface | |