BIG-IP® Platform Guide for the Dell® PowerEdge 1655MC Blade Server System version 4.
Product Version This manual applies to version 4.5 of the BIG-IP® software. Legal Notices Copyright Copyright 2003, F5 Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. F5 Networks, Inc. (F5) believes the information it furnishes to be accurate and reliable. However, F5 assumes no responsibility for the use of this information, nor any infringement of patents or other rights of third parties which may result from its use.
Acknowledgments This product includes software developed by the University of California, Berkeley and its contributors. This product includes software developed by the Computer Systems Engineering Group at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. This product includes software developed by the NetBSD Foundation, Inc. and its contributors. This product includes software developed by Christopher G. Demetriou for the NetBSD Project. This product includes software developed by Adam Glass.
This product includes open SSH software developed by Tatu Ylonen (ylo@cs.hut.fi), Espoo, Finland (© 1995). This product includes open SSH software developed by Niels Provos (© 1999). This product includes SSH software developed by Mindbright Technology AB, Stockholm, Sweden, www.mindbright.se, info@mindbright.se (© 1998-1999). This product includes free SSL software developed by Object Oriented Concepts, Inc., St. John's, NF, Canada (© 2000).
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents BIG-IP Software on the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC Blade Server System Getting started ................................................................................................................................1-1 Task overview .........................................................................................................................1-1 What is BIG-IP software? .....................................................................................................
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BIG-IP Software on the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC Blade Server System • Getting started • Installing the hardware • Installing the BIG-IP software • Activating the license • Using the Setup utility • Setting up a basic BIG-IP software configuration • Performing backup and recovery • Finding additional resources
BIG-IP Software on the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC Blade Server System Getting started The BIG-IP Platform Guide for the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC Blade Server System is designed to help you install and activate the BIG-IP® software on your Dell® PowerEdge 1655MC blade server system. Before you begin installing the BIG-IP software, we recommend that you refer to the following sections of the BIG-IP software documentation.
Chapter 1 What is BIG-IP software? The BIG-IP software delivers an easy-to-use solution for deploying and managing local area traffic. The software provides a scalable and secure platform where you can build and deploy web-based applications for intranet, extranet, or Internet environments.
BIG-IP Software on the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC Blade Server System Console redirection The default interface for a BIG-IP server blade is through the chassis management card KVM interface. When a server blade is started with BIG-IP software, the software does not support access to the serial port through the chassis management card remote console feature. If you want to configure console redirection, you can configure the BIG-IP software to force console I/O to the serial port.
Chapter 1 Component configuration In the most basic component configuration using the BIG-IP software, an external device, such as a router, is directly connected to the external side of the network switch module on the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC. The network switch module channels traffic to the BIG-IP server blade, which load balances inbound Internet traffic to several web server blades connected to the internal side of the switch.
BIG-IP Software on the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC Blade Server System Using the remote access utility You can also control the BIG-IP system server blade from the Dell Embedded Remote Access (ERA) utility that resides on the chassis System Management Card. Refer to the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC User’s Guide for details on how to connect to the management card through either a network or serial interface. The server blade responds to the ERA utility commands serviceaction powerdown and powerup.
Chapter 1 Installing the BIG-IP software Once you have properly installed the blade server system hardware, you are ready to install the BIG-IP software. To install the BIG-IP software on the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC, you use the network boot procedure known as a Pre-boot Execution Environment (PXE). The BIG-IP software installation disk supports configuring a host to act as a PXE server. Complete the following tasks to install the BIG-IP software: • Select a host to act as a PXE server.
BIG-IP Software on the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC Blade Server System To use an existing DHCP server on the subnet a) Select yes at the prompt. This avoids possible conflicts and automatically completes the PXE server configuration. The host displays the settings you selected, and prompts you to accept or reject them. b) If the settings are correct, type yes to accept them. If the settings are not correct, type no, and the host repeats the prompts.
Chapter 1 Connecting to the blade server system Once you have configured the PXE server, you must connect a keyboard and monitor to the Dell 1655MC Chassis System Management Module, in order to install the BIG-IP software. To connect a keyboard and monitor to the chassis system management module integrated KVM 1. Connect the data cable of the monitor to the VGA connector on the rear of the blade server system, and connect the power cable to a grounded outlet. 2.
BIG-IP Software on the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC Blade Server System Activating the license Once you have loaded the BIG-IP software onto the target server blade(s), you must have a valid license certificate to activate the software. To gain a license certificate, you need to provide two items to the license server: a registration key and a dossier. The registration key is a 25-character string that lets the license server know which F5 Networks’ products you are entitled to license.
Chapter 1 To automatically activate a license from the command line 1. At the logon prompt on the command line, type the user name root and the password default. 2. At the prompt, type license. The following prompts display: IP: Netmask: Default Route: 1.1, 1.2 Select interface to use to retrieve license 3.
BIG-IP Software on the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC Blade Server System To manually activate a license using the Configuration utility 1. Open a browser from the administrative workstation, and open the Configuration utility using the following address: https://192.168.1.245. This is a default address on the server blade’s local area network. 2. At the logon prompt, type the user name root and the password default. The Configuration utility menu appears. 3.
Chapter 1 11. To finish the licensing process, click License Terms, review the EULA, and accept it. 12. At the Reboot Prompt screen, select when you want to reboot the server blade. You must reboot the server blade to complete the license activation. Using the Setup utility Once you activate the license, the next step in the process is to run the Setup utility. The Setup utility defines the initial configuration settings required to install the BIG-IP system into the network.
BIG-IP Software on the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC Blade Server System Setting up a basic BIG-IP software configuration The most common application of the BIG-IP software is to distribute traffic across an array of web servers that host standard web traffic, including e-commerce traffic. Figure 1.1, on page 1-14 shows a configuration where a BIG-IP system load balances two sites: www.siterequest.com and store.siterequest.com. The www.siterequest.com site provides standard Web content, and the store.siterequest.
Chapter 1 Figure 1.
BIG-IP Software on the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC Blade Server System Performing backup and recovery Each time you perform a clean installation of the BIG-IP software, you completely delete all configuration data. Therefore, we recommend that each time you perform a new installation or upgrade of the BIG-IP software, you also back up the configuration data and license information, and store it in a remote location.
Chapter 1 For more information on how to perform a backup or recovery from the Configuration utility, see the online help for the System Admin/Configuration Management screen. For detailed information on backup and recovery procedures, see the Technical Note BIG-IP Backup and Recovery; you can find this on the F5 Networks technical support web site (http://tech.f5.com).
BIG-IP Software on the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC Blade Server System Finding additional resources You can use the following resources to find additional technical information about BIG-IP software: ◆ Reference and solutions guides You can download additional documentation such as the BIG-IP Reference Guide and the BIG-IP Solutions Guide from the Documentation section of the CD.
Chapter 1 1 - 18
Glossary
Glossary bigpipe The bigpipe utility provides command line access to the BIG-IP software. BIOS BIOS stands for basic input/output system. The BIOS is software that is built-in to the computer, and determines what the computer can do without accessing programs from a disk. blade server system A blade server system is an enclosure that houses server blades and provides shared components such as power, fans, and cabling. See also server blade. chassis See blade server system.
Glossary network boot A network boot is a method of starting up a computer, where you load the operating system and other basic software from a network rather than from a source within the computer itself (such as a CD-ROM drive or the hard drive). NIC NIC stands for network interface card. It is an expansion board used to connect a computer to a network. port A port is represented by a number that is associated with a specific service supported by a host.
Glossary subnet A subnet is a portion of a network that shares a common address component. For instance, on TCP/IP networks, subnets are all devices whose IP addresses have the same prefix segment. virtual server A virtual server is a specific combination of a virtual IP address and a virtual port, associated with a content site that is managed by BIG-IP software or other type of host server.
Glossary Glossary-4
Index
Index H A additional resources finding 1-17 automatic license activation from the command line 1-10 from the Configuration utility 1-10 B backup and recovery performing 1-15 backup, performing 1-15 basic configuration setting up BIG-IP system 1-13 BIG-IP software defined 1-2 installing on blade server system 1-6 bigpipe config save /config.
Index P pools setting up in basic configuration 1-13 poweroff command 1-4 PXE booting the blade server system 1-8 PXE boot defined 1-6 performing 1-8 PXE server configuring the host as 1-6 connecting to blade server system 1-8 selecting a host to act as 1-6 R reboot command 1-4 recovery, data 1-15 recovery, performing 1-15 redundant system using the Setup utility 1-12 registration key 1-9 release notes finding 1-17 remote location storing data 1-15 restart, graceful 1-4 S server see blade server system S
