Manual Chapter : Working with Folders

Applies To:

Show Versions Show Versions

BIG-IP AAM

  • 13.1.5, 13.1.4, 13.1.3, 13.1.1, 13.1.0

BIG-IP APM

  • 13.1.5, 13.1.4, 13.1.3, 13.1.1, 13.1.0

BIG-IP Link Controller

  • 13.1.5, 13.1.4, 13.1.3, 13.1.1, 13.1.0

BIG-IP Analytics

  • 13.1.5, 13.1.4, 13.1.3, 13.1.0

BIG-IP LTM

  • 13.1.5, 13.1.4, 13.1.3, 13.1.1, 13.1.0

BIG-IP AFM

  • 13.1.5, 13.1.4, 13.1.3, 13.1.1, 13.1.0

BIG-IP PEM

  • 13.1.5, 13.1.4, 13.1.3, 13.1.1, 13.1.0

BIG-IP DNS

  • 13.1.5, 13.1.4, 13.1.3, 13.1.1, 13.1.0

BIG-IP ASM

  • 13.1.5, 13.1.4, 13.1.3, 13.1.1, 13.1.0
Manual Chapter

About folders on the BIG-IP system

A folder is a container for BIG-IP® configuration objects and files on a BIG-IP device. Virtual servers, pools, and self IP addresses are examples of objects that reside in folders on the system.

In the context of the BIG-IP system, a folder is a container for BIG-IP system objects. Folders resemble standard UNIX directories, in that the system includes a hierarchy of folders and includes a root folder (represented by the / symbol) that is the parent for all other folders on the system.

You can create sub-folders within a high-level folder. For example, if you have a high-level folder (partition) within the root folder named Customer1, you can create a sub-folder, such as App_B, within Customer1.

A folder can contain other folders.

One of the important ways that you can use folders is to set up full or granular synchronization and failover of BIG-IP configuration data in a device group. You can synchronize and fail over all configuration data on a BIG-IP device, or you can synchronize and fail over objects within a specific folder only.

You manage BIG-IP folders and sub-folders using the Traffic Management Shell (tmsh) command line interface.

About folder attributes for redundancy

Folders have two specific redundancy attributes that enable granular synchronization and failover of BIG-IP® system data within a device group. These two attributes are a device group name and a traffic group name.

Device group name

This attribute determines the scope of the synchronization, that is, the specific devices to which the system synchronizes the contents of the associated folder. When you create a Sync-Failover device group on a BIG-IP device, the system assigns that device group name as an attribute of folder root. Any other folders that you subsequently create on a device group member then inherit that same device group name, by default.

The result is that when you enable config sync for the local device, the contents of the root folder and any sub-folders are synchronized across the members of the specified device group.

Note: The device group assigned to a folder must contain the local BIG-IP device. Also, you cannot remove the local BIG-IP device from the Sync-Failover device group assigned to a folder.

Traffic group name

This attribute determines the scope of a failover action, that is, the specific configuration objects that will fail over if the device becomes unavailable. If you enabled failover on a device (as part of running the Setup utility or upgrading from a previous BIG-IP version), the device contains the default traffic group named traffic-group-1. The system assigns this traffic group name by default as an attribute of folder root. Any other folders that you subsequently create on a device group member inherit that same traffic group name, by default. The result is that when the local device is a member of a Sync-Failover device group, all failover objects within the root folder and its hierarchy fail over based on the definition of the specified traffic group.

You can assign a different traffic group to a specific sub folder. For example, you can create an iApps™ application in a sub folder and change the inherited traffic group value of traffic-group-1 to a traffic group that you create, such as traffic-group-2. You can then manually cause traffic-group-2 to fail over to another device so that the iApp application runs on a separate device from traffic-group-1.

About the root folder

At the highest-level, the BIG-IP® system includes a root folder. The root folder contains all BIG-IP configuration objects on the system, by way of a hierarchical folder and sub-folder structure within it.

By default, the BIG-IP system assigns a Sync-Failover device group and a traffic group to the root folder. All folders and sub-folders under the root folder inherit these default assignments.

Viewing redundancy attributes for the root folder

You can view the device group and traffic group attributes assigned to the root folder. All eligible configuration objects in the root folder hierarchy synchronize to the named device group, and all failover objects in the hierarchy fail over with the named traffic group.
Note: All folders and sub-folders in the root folder hierarchy inherit these attribute values, by default.
  1. On the Main tab, click System > Platform .
    The Platform screen opens.
  2. For the Redundant Device Configuration setting, view the device group and the traffic group attributes.

Configuring the traffic group attribute for the root folder

If you have two or more traffic groups defined on the BIG-IP® system, you can configure the traffic group attribute assigned to the root folder. By default, this value is traffic-group-1.
Note: All folders and sub folders in the root folder hierarchy inherit this attribute value, by default.
  1. On the Main tab, click System > Platform .
    The Platform screen opens.
  2. If the system includes two or more traffic groups, then for the Default traffic group setting, select a traffic group from the list.
  3. Click Update.
By default, all failover objects in the rootfolder hierarchy fail over with the named traffic group, when failover occurs.

About using HA scores to pick the next-active device

An HA score is a numeric value that the BIG-IP® system calculates independently for each instance of a particular traffic group, when you have assigned an HA group to each traffic group instance. For each traffic group instance, the HA group's monitoring function determines the availability of certain resources such as trunk links, pool members, or VIPRION® cluster members.

The BIG-IP system uses these per-instance scores to decide which device has the most resources that the traffic group needs, such as trunk links or pool members. The higher the score for a traffic group instance, the higher the availability of needed resources.

You must have an HA group assigned to each instance of the same traffic group in order for the system to calculate an HA score. An HA score is calculated based on how the corresponding HA group is configured. Whenever the HA group for the active traffic group decides to trigger failover, the traffic group automatically fails over to the device with the highest score.

To get the BIG-IP to base the selection of a traffic group's next-active device on an HA score, you configure the Failover to Device with Best HA Score Failover Method setting on a floating traffic group.