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  5. The VIPRION 2400 Platform
Manual Chapter : The VIPRION 2400 Platform

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The VIPRION® 2400 Platform

About the platform

The VIPRION® 2400 system provides you with the flexibility and feature-rich capabilities of F5® products on a powerful and highly-extensible hardware platform. With this platform, you install and configure multiple F5 products using hot-swappable blades. This provides you with the ability to add, remove, or change the platform's configuration to best fit your network. Many components are available for you to add, remove, or change including the blades, power supplies, fan tray, and more. This configuration allows for an extremely robust and flexible system that can manage large amounts of application traffic, and remain operational even if one of its components goes offline.

VIPRION platforms include two types of components: blades, which provide the hardware and software needed to manage network traffic, and a chassis, which houses the blades.

The VIPRION 2400 platform supports either AC or DC power. If you ordered DC power as a factory option, the platform comes pre-installed with DC power supplies. If you ordered DC power supplies from F5 as an upgrade to an AC-powered platform, you have to switch out the AC power supplies for DC power supplies.

Important: The chassis and blades are shipped in separate boxes. The blades are not designed to be shipped inside a chassis.

Although the VIPRION 2400 platform is highly extensible and designed to be easy to implement, familiarity with the platform components can help ensure that you install and integrate the platform successfully and effectively.

About the chassis

The chassis is the housing unit that contains all of the components necessary for the VIPRION® 2400 platform to operate effectively.

Front view of the chassis

Front view of a VIPRION C2400 chassis with four blades installed and pre-installed two-point rack mounting brackets

  1. Power supply 1
  2. Power supply 2
  3. Blades (1-4)

The fan tray is on the back of the chassis.

Back view of the chassis

Back view of the chassis

About the blades

A blade is the primary component that handles the traffic management within the VIPRION® platform. You can install up to four blades in a VIPRION 2400 chassis. These blades comprise a group, known as a cluster. The chassis includes blanks in the slots where blades are not installed.

Blanks must be installed in all unused slots, as they help ensure proper airflow within the chassis and EMI compliance of the unit.

Front view of a blade

Front view of the B2100/B2150 blade

  1. Captive screws
  2. SFP+ ports (8)
  3. Console port
  4. Serial (hard-wired) failover port
  5. Management port
  6. USB ports (2)
  7. Indicator LEDs
Front view of a blade

Front view of the B2250 blade

  1. Captive screws
  2. 40GbE ports (4)
  3. Console port
  4. Management port
  5. USB ports (2)
  6. Indicator LEDs

USB LCD module

An external USB LCD module is available for use with the VIPRION 2000 Series platform.

Note: The USB LCD module is an optional device that is not included with the platform by default. It works only with VIPRION® 2000 Series platforms.
External USB LCD module

USB LCD module

Using the USB LCD module

You can connect a USB LCD module to the primary blade in a VIPRION® 2000 Series chassis and use the module to configure and manage the unit without attaching a console or network cable.
  1. Insert the plug into one of the two USB ports located on the front of the primary blade (the blade on which the Primary LED is lit).
    The USB LCD module powers on and displays BIG-IP® software information.
  2. Press the Check button to clear any alerts on the LCD screen.
    You must clear any alerts on the screen before you can use the LCD module.
  3. Press the X button to put the LCD in Menu mode.
    The Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, and Down Arrow buttons are functional only when the LCD is in Menu mode.

Pausing on a screen

Normally, the screens cycle on the LCD module at a constant rate, but you can pause on a specific screen.
Push the Check button to switch the LCD screen between Hold and Rotate modes.
In Hold mode, a single screen is displayed. The Rotate mode changes the screen that is displayed on the LCD screen every four seconds.

Clearing alerts

Use the LCD control buttons to clear alerts from the LCD screen.
Press the Check button to clear any alerts on the LCD screen.
You must clear any alerts on the screen before you can use the LCD module.

About LCD menus

There are three menus on the LCD module. You can configure the display options to meet your needs.

Options menu

You can use the Options menu to adjust the display properties of the LCD module.

Option Description
Heartbeat Enables (checked) or disables (unchecked) the heartbeat panel on the LCD. This heartbeat does not affect the failover mechanism of the system.
Backlight Specifies an LCD screen backlighting option. Select from these options:
  • ON enables the backlight.
  • GRAY enables the software to specify when the backlight is illuminated.
  • OFF disables the backlight.
Contrast Sets the contrast of the LCD.
On Brightness Adjusts LCD backlight brightness.
Off Brightness Controls the brightness of the LCD when the backlight is off.

Screens menu

You can use the Screens menu to specify the information that is displayed on the default screens.

Option Description
DateScreen Displays the date and time.
InfoScreen Displays the information screen menu.
VersionScreen Displays product version information.

System menu

You can use the System menu to configure the management interface on both clusters and blades. This menu also provides various options for the hardware.

Option Description Suboptions
Cluster Configures the cluster IP address, netmask, and default gateway for managing the cluster. Cluster Mgmt

Select from these suboptions:

  • Cluster IP sets the cluster IP address.
  • Cluster IP Mask sets the netmask.
  • Gateway sets the default gateway for managing the cluster.
  • Commit saves your changes.
  Configures the management IP addresses of the blades within the cluster. Cluster Mbrs

Select from these suboptions:

  • Blade [1-4] Mgmt
    • Blade Mgmt IP sets the management IP address of the selected blade within the cluster.
    • Commit saves your changes.

Indicator LEDs

The VIPRION® 2400 platform includes indicator LEDs in three locations: on the individual blades, on the power supplies, and on the fan tray.

Indicator LED actions

The behavior of the LEDs indicate system or component status.

Action Description
Off (none) LED is not lit and does not display any color.
Solid LED is lit and does not blink.
Blinking LED turns on and off at a regular frequency.
Intermittent LED turns on and off with an irregular frequency and might appear solid.

Blade indicator LEDs

The blade LEDs indicate whether the blade is a primary or secondary blade, and show alarm and blade status.

LED Status
Primary Indicates that the blade is a primary blade for a cluster.
Secondary Indicates that the blade is a secondary blade for a cluster.
Status Indicates the state of the system.
Alarm Indicates a non-specific alert level. Use SNMP traps, system logs, or the LCD display for more information.

Blade standard operating states

The blade LEDs indicate the operating state of a blade.

Note: On power up, the Status LED of each blade turns yellow. When the BIG-IP® software boots successfully, the Status LED changes to green.
System state Primary LED (PRI) Secondary LED (SEC) Status LED (STA) Alarm LED (ALM)
Active mode Off/None Off/None Green solid Off/None
Powered off Off/None Off/None Off/None Off/None

Blade LED status conditions

The blade LEDs indicate specific operating conditions, such as high availability (HA) status, or when a blade is shut down, reset, or not properly seated.

Blade state Primary LED Secondary LED Status LED Alarm LED
Blade is fully functional and operating as the primary in a high availability (HA) configuration Green solid Off/None Green solid Off/None
Blade is fully functional and operating as a secondary in a high availability (HA) configuration Off/None Yellow solid Green solid Off/None
User-initiated blade power down Green blinking Green blinking Green blinking Off/None
Blade shut down due to thermal overtemp limit Yellow blinking Yellow blinking Yellow blinking Red solid
Blade not seated properly Yellow blinking Yellow blinking Yellow solid Red solid
Power supply inserted, but not supplying power N/A N/A N/A Red solid

Fan tray indicator LED

The fan tray LED indicates the status of the fan tray.

Action Status
Yellow solid Indicates that either the fan tray controller is powering on, or one or more fans are not spinning within the specified RPM range.
Green solid Indicates that the fan tray controller is fully functional, and all fans are spinning within the specified RPM range.

AC power supply indicator LEDs

The AC power supply LEDs indicate the status of the power supply and power input.

LED Status
AC Indicates that AC input voltage is operational (on) or non-functioning (off).
DC Indicates that DC output voltage is operational (on) or non-functioning (off).
FAIL Indicates these conditions:
  • No AC input
  • Fan failure
  • Power supply errors or failures (for example, high temperature, high voltage)
SYS Indicates these conditions:
  • Yellow status when the fan tray is powered, and one of these conditions are true:
    • AC failure
    • DC failure
    • Any other power supply faults, such as fan failure (indicated by the FAIL LED)
  • Green status when the fan tray is powered, and the power supply is fully functional (AC and DC are OK; no other faults indicated by the FAIL LED).

DC power supply indicator LEDs

The DC power supply LEDs indicate the status of the power supply and power input.

LED Status
IN Indicates that DC input voltage is operational (on) or non-functioning (off).
OUT Indicates that DC output voltage is operational (on) or non-functioning (off).
FAIL Indicates these conditions:
  • No DC input
  • Fan failure
  • Power supply errors or failures (for example, high temperature, high voltage)
SYS Indicates these conditions:
  • Yellow status when the fan tray is powered, and one of these conditions are true:
    • DC failure
    • Any other power supply faults, such as fan failure (indicated by the FAIL LED)
  • Green status when the fan tray is powered, and the power supply is fully functional (DC is OK; no other faults indicated by the FAIL LED).

LED alert conditions

The Alarm LED indicates when there is an alert condition on the system.

Note: The Alarm LED might continue to display until alerts are cleared using the LCD module.
Action Description
System situation Alarm LED behavior
Emergency Red blinking
Alert or Critical Red solid
Error Yellow blinking
Warning Yellow solid

Defining custom alerts

The /etc/alertd/alert.conf and the /config/user_alert.conf files on the VIPRION® system define alerts that cause the indicators to change. The /etc/alertd/alert.conf file defines standard system alerts, and the /config/user_alert.conf file defines custom settings. You should edit only the /config/user_alert.conf file.
  1. Open a command prompt on the system.
  2. Change to the /config directory.
    cd /config
  3. Using a text editor, such as vi or Pico, open the /config/user_alert.conf file.
  4. Add these lines to the end of the file: 
    alert BIGIP_MCPD_MCPDERR_POOL_MEMBER_MON_DOWN "Pool member (.*?):(.*?) monitor status down." 
{
  snmptrap OID=".1.3.6.1.4.1.3375.2.4.0.10";
  lcdwarn description="Node down" priority="1"
}
alert BIGIP_MCPD_MCPDERR_NODE_ADDRESS_MON_DOWN "Node (.*?) monitor status down." {
  snmptrap OID=".1.3.6.1.4.1.3375.2.4.0.12";
  lcdwarn description="Node address down" priority="1"
}
alert BIGIP_MCPD_MCPDERR_POOL_MEMBER_MON_UP "Pool member (.*?):(.*?) monitor status up."
{
  snmptrap OID=".1.3.6.1.4.1.3375.2.4.0.11"
}
alert BIGIP_MCPD_MCPDERR_NODE_ADDRESS_MON_UP "Node (.*?) monitor status up." 
{
  snmptrap OID=".1.3.6.1.4.1.3375.2.4.0.13"
}
  5. Save the file and exit the text editor.
    The front panel LEDs now indicate when a node is down.

Platform interfaces

Every platform includes multiple interfaces. The exact number of interfaces that are on the system depends on the platform type.

Each interface on the platform has a set of properties that you can configure, such as enabling or disabling the interface, setting the requested media type and duplex mode, and configuring flow control.

About blade interfaces

B2100 Series blades

The B2100 Series blades have eight 10GbE SFP+ optical interfaces that are connected internally. The SFP+ connectors can each support 10G speed with an F5®-branded optical SFP+ module or 1000 Mbit speed with an F5-branded optical SFP 1GbE module installed.

B2250 blade

The B2250 blade has four 40GbE QSFP+ fiber interfaces that support up to four 40GbE ports (2.1-2.4), which you can use as individual 10GbE ports or as 40GbE ports, depending on how you bundle the ports. There are LEDs for both 10GbE and 40GbE operation.

B2250 blade interfaces and LEDs

B2250 blade interfaces and LEDs

Supported transceivers

For current specification information for optical transceivers that are supported by this platform, see F5® Platforms: Accessories.

About 40GbE interfaces

On VIPRION® platforms that include 40GbE interface ports, you can use the ports as a single 40GbE port or as four 10GbE SFP+ ports.

Note: Only the VIPRION B2250 blade includes 40GbE interface ports.

40 GbE QSFP+ components

Note: If you are using a breakout cable for 10GbE connectivity, you should use the supported distance as detailed in the Specifications for fiber QSFP+ modules section of this platform guide and not the Specifications for fiber SFP+ modules section.
QSFP+ breakout cable

An example of a 40 GbE QSFP+ breakout cable

You can order these 40 GbE QSFP+ components from F5®:

  • QSFP+ breakout cables (MTP to LC), provided as a pair, in these lengths:
    • 1 meter (F5-UPG-QSFP+-1M-2)
    • 3 meter (F5-UPG-QSFP+-3M-2+)
    • 10 meter (F5-UPG-QSFP+-10M-2)
  • F5-branded 40GbE QSFP+ transceiver modules (F5-UPG-QSFP+ and F5-UPG-QSFP+LR4)

Configuring bundling for 40GbE interfaces using tmsh

You can use tmsh to configure bundling for the 40GbE interfaces on the platform. When you disable bundling, you can use the 40GbE ports as individual 10GbE ports using a QSFP+ breakout cable.
  1. Open the Traffic Management Shell (tmsh).
    tmsh
  2. Change to the network module.
    net
    The command prompt updates with the module name: user@bigip01(Active)(/Common)(tmos.net)#.
  3. Configure bundling for a specific interface, where <interface_key> is 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, or 2.4.
    modify interface <interface_key> bundle [enabled | disabled]
    Note: When a 2.x port is bundled, the LEDs for the 10GbE ports remain off. When a 2.x port is unbundled, the 40GbE LEDs remain off.

Configuring bundling for 40GbE interfaces using the Configuration utility

You can use the Configuration utility to configure bundling for the 40GbE interfaces on the platform. When you disable bundling, you can use the 40GbE ports as individual 10GbE ports using a QSFP+ breakout cable.
  1. On the Main tab, click Network > Interfaces .
    This displays the list of available interfaces.
  2. Click an interface name.
    The properties screen for that interface opens.
  3. From the Bundled list, select whether to enable or disable bundling.
  4. Click Update.

About managing interfaces

You can use tmsh or the Configuration utility to configure platform interfaces.

Viewing the status of a specific interface using tmsh

You can use tmsh to view the status of a specific interface on a platform.
  1. Open the Traffic Management Shell (tmsh).
    tmsh
  2. Change to the network module.
    net
    The command prompt updates with the module name: user@bigip01(Active)(/Common)(tmos.net)#.
  3. Display the current status of a specific interface.
    show interface <interface_key>
    This is an example of the output that you might see when you run this command on interface 1/1.2 (slot 1, interface 1.2): 
                                     

----------------------------------------------------------------
Net::Interface
Name   Status    Bits  Bits  Pkts  Pkts  Drops  Errs       Media
                   In   Out    In   Out
----------------------------------------------------------------
1/1.2      up  637.8G  5.8M  1.1G  5.7K   1.1G     0  10000SR-FD

Viewing the status of all interfaces using tmsh

You can use tmsh to view the status of all interfaces on the platform.
  1. Open the Traffic Management Shell (tmsh).
    tmsh
  2. Change to the network module.
    net
    The command prompt updates with the module name: user@bigip01(Active)(/Common)(tmos.net)#.
  3. Display the current status of all interfaces.
    show interface
    This is an example excerpt of the output that you might see when you run this command on B2000 Series blades: 
                                     
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Net::Interface
Name    Status    Bits   Bits    Pkts   Pkts  Drops  Errs       Media
                    In    Out      In    Out
---------------------------------------------------------------------
1/1.1     miss       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/1.2       up  636.5G   5.5M    1.1G   5.4K   1.1G     0  10000SR-FD
1/1.3     miss       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/1.4     miss       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/1.5     miss       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/1.6     miss       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/1.7     miss       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/1.8     miss       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/1.9   uninit       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/1.10  uninit       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/1.11  uninit       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/1.12  uninit       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/1.13  uninit       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/1.14  uninit       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/1.15  uninit       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/1.16  uninit       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/2.1   uninit       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/2.2   uninit       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/2.3     miss       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/2.4     miss       0      0       0      0      0     0        none
1/mgmt      up  248.3M  42.8M  392.2K  16.1K      0     0    1000T-FD

Viewing the status of all interfaces using the Configuration utility

You can use the Configuration utility to view the status of all interfaces on the platform.
  1. On the Main tab, click Network > Interfaces .
    This displays the list of available interfaces.
  2. Click Statistics.
    The Statistics screen for all interfaces opens.

About interface media type and duplex mode

All interfaces on the system default to auto-negotiate speed and full duplex settings. We recommend that you also configure any network equipment that you plan to use with the system to auto-negotiate speed and duplex settings. If you connect the system to network devices with forced speed and duplex settings, you must force the speed and duplex settings of the system to match the settings of the other network device.

Important: If the system is attempting to auto-negotiate interface settings with an interface that has the speed and duplex settings forced (that is, auto-negotiation is disabled), you will experience severe performance degradation. This applies to 10GbE and 40GbE interfaces.

By default, the media type on interfaces is set to automatically detect speed and duplex settings, but you can specify a media type as well. Use the following syntax to set the media type:

                        
tmsh modify net interface <interface_key> media <media_type> | auto

If the media type does not accept the duplex mode setting, a message appears. If media type is set to auto, or if the interface does not accept the duplex mode setting, the duplex setting is not saved to the /config/bigip_base.conf file.

Important: Auto-MDI/MDIX functionality is retained when you manually configure an interface to use specific speed and duplex settings. You can use either a straight-through cable or a crossover cable when media settings are forced, and you will be able to successfully link to either DTE or DCE devices.
Valid media types

These media types are valid for the tmsh interface command.

Note: This platform might not support all of the media type options that are available in tmsh.
10BaseT half 10GBaseLR full
10BaseT full 10GBaseER full
100BaseTX half 10SFP+Cu full
100BaseTX full 40GBaseSR4 full
1000BaseT half 40GBaseLR4 full
1000BaseT full 100GbaseSR4 full
1000BaseSX full 100GbaseLR4 full
1000BaseLX full auto
1000BaseCX full none
10GBaseT full no-phy
10GBaseSR full  
Viewing valid media types for an interface
You can use tmsh to view the valid media types for an interface.
Note: This platform might not support all of the media type options that are available in tmsh.
  1. Open the Traffic Management Shell (tmsh).
    tmsh
  2. Change to the network module.
    net
    The command prompt updates with the module name: user@bigip01(Active)(/Common)(tmos.net)#.
  3. Display the valid media types for a specific interface:
    show running-config interface <interface_key> media-capabilities
    Important: In all Gigabit Ethernet modes, the only valid duplex mode is full duplex.
    This is an example of the output that you might see when you run this command on interface 1.3: 
                                        
net interface 1.3 {
    media-capabilities-sfp {
        none
        auto
        1000T-FD
        1000LX-FD
        1000SX-FD
        1000CX-FD
        10000SR-FD
        10000LR-FD
        10000SFPCU-FD
    }
}

Network interface LED behavior

The appearance and behavior of the network interface LEDs on the blades indicate network traffic activity, interface speed, and interface duplexity.

SFP+ port LED behavior

The appearance and behavior of the SFP+ optical interface LEDs indicate network traffic activity, interface speed, and interface duplexity.

Blade type Link Speed LED Activity LED
B2100/B2150 No link Not lit Not lit
B2100/B2150 1Gbit/s, half duplex Not supported Not supported
B2100/B2150 1Gbit/s, full duplex Yellow solid Green (with traffic)
B2100/B2150 10Gbit/s, half duplex Not supported Not supported
B2100/B2150 10Gbit/s, full duplex Green solid Green (with traffic)

QSFP+ port LEDs behavior

The appearance and behavior of the 40GbE QSFP+ optical interface LEDs indicate network traffic activity, interface speed, and interface duplexity. There are two sets of LEDs for QSFP+ ports. One set is for operation in 40GbE, and the other set is for operation in 4 x 10GbE.

Blade type Link Speed LED Activity LED
B2250 No link Not lit Not lit
B2250 40 Gbit/s, full duplex Green solid Green (with traffic)

Transceiver module specifications

For current specification information for optical transceivers that are supported by this platform, see F5® Platforms: Accessories.

Cable pinout specifications

For current pinout information for this platform, see F5® Platforms: Accessories.

Always-On Management

The Always-On Management (AOM) subsystem enables you to manage the VIPRION® 2400 system remotely using serial console, even if the host is powered down. The AOM Command Menu operates independently of the BIG-IP® Traffic Management Operating System® (TMOS).

Note: The available functionality and options in AOM vary depending on the platform type.

AOM Command Menu options

The AOM Command Menu provides the Always-On Management options for the VIPRION® 2400 platform.

Note: The availability of menu options varies depending on the platform type.
Letter Option Description
B Set baud rate Configures the baud speed for connecting to AOM using the serial console. Select from these options:
  • 9600
  • 19200 (default)
  • 38400
  • 57600
  • 115200
C Capture blade console Captures the console of a specified blade (1-4).
I Display platform information Displays information about the AOM firmware and bootloader, chassis serial and part numbers, blade serial number, MAC address, and power status for the active console.
P Power on/off blade Powers a specified blade (1-4) on or off.
R Reset blade Resets a specified blade (1-4) with a hardware reset.
Important: We do not recommend using this option under typical circumstances. It does not allow for graceful shutdown of the system.
E Display error report Displays a list of latched events/errors or out-of-range sensors.
Q Quit menu and return to console Exits the AOM Command Menu and returns to terminal emulation mode.

Accessing the AOM Command Menu from the serial console

You can access the AOM Command Menu through the host console shell (hostconsh) using the front panel serial console.
Important: The serial console is the only supported method for accessing AOM on this platform.
  1. Connect to the system using the serial console.
  2. Access the AOM Command Menu.
    Esc (
    The AOM Command Menu displays.

Capturing a blade console

You can use the AOM Command Menu Capture blade console option to manage the other blades installed in the chassis.
  1. Connect to the system using the serial console.
  2. Open the AOM Command Menu.
    Esc (
  3. Type C to select the Capture blade console menu option.
  4. When prompted to select a blade, type the slot number (1- 4 ) for the blade that you would like to manage.
    Note: If the specified blade's console is already being redirected, you will be prompted to confirm that you still want to capture the specified blade's console.
    A message similar to this example confirms that you are now viewing the console for the specified blade: Connecting to blade in slot n...success.
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