Minimum system requirements and supported browsers

The minimum system requirements for this release are:

• 512 MB RAM (if installed as a stand-alone Local Traffic Manager or Global Traffic Manager product)
• 768 MB RAM (if installed as a combination of BIG-IP systems, such as a Local Traffic Manager/Global Traffic Manager installation, or as a Link Controller installation)
• 512 MB CompactFlash^® media drive

Note: The 520/540 platform must meet certain requirements in order to support this version of the BIG-IP software. For more information, including memory requirements, see 520/540 Platform: Installing BIG-IP version 9.3.

The supported browsers for the browser-based Configuration utility are:

• Microsoft^® Internet Explorer^®, version 6.x
• Mozilla^® Firefox^®, version 1.5x and version 2.0x

Note that we recommend that you leave the browser cache options at the default settings.

Important: Popup blockers and other browser add-ons or plug-ins may affect the usability of the browser-based Configuration utility. If you experience issues with navigation, we recommend that you disable these types of browser plug-ins and add-ons.

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Supported platforms

This installation method is supported only on the following platforms that contain hard drives:

• BIG-IP 520 and 540 (D35), for more information, see 520/540 platform support.
• BIG-IP 1500 (C36)
• BIG-IP 3400 (C62)
• BIG-IP 4100 (D46) (for standalone Application Security Manager installations)
• BIG-IP 6400 (D63)
• BIG-IP 6800 (D68)
• BIG-IP 8400 (D84)

If you are unsure which platform you have, look at the sticker on the back of the chassis to find the platform number.

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About the installation

This technical note describes how to copy an installation manager (IM) file of the BIG-IP software to the hard drive of the unit you want to upgrade to version 9.3.1. You can perform a local upgrade if you have direct access to the system. We recommend using the local upgrade if you have a direct connection to the unit you want to upgrade.

Important: You can only apply this upgrade to BIG-IP version 9.x systems.

Important: A valid service contract is required to complete this upgrade.

Warning: You must reactivate the license on the BIG-IP system you intend to upgrade before you begin the upgrade.

Important: You cannot upgrade to version 9.3.1 from versions 9.0 through 9.0.4. You must first upgrade to 9.0.5, or a later 9.x release.

Important: You should perform the installation on the standby unit in a redundant system. If you are satisfied with the results, initiate failover and apply the upgrade to the other unit in the redundant system.

Warning: You must turn off mirroring before you attempt to upgrade to version 9.3.1. We do not support mirroring between units that are not running the same version of the software.

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Installing the upgrade

If the BIG-IP system is currently running version 9.x, you can upgrade directly to version 9.3.1, using the following procedure.

The process of upgrading to BIG-IP version 9.3.1 requires completing the following steps:

• Saving and backing up existing BIG-IP system configuration data
• Downloading the installation IM package from F5 Networks
• Copying the local installation package to the BIG-IP system
• Extracting the installation files and running the installation script

The following sections describe how to perform these tasks.

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Saving and backing up existing configuration data

Before you upgrade to this version of the software, you need to save your current BIG-IP system configuration data. Backing up your configuration prevents loss of data if, for any reason, the upgrade is not successful.

Collect and archive the existing configuration files, by typing the following command. Note that to have the installer automatically load the configuration file during startup, you must name the file config.ucs and store it in the / partition.

bigpipe config save /config.ucs

Important: If you are upgrading a system that is using zone files with named, you must manually back up all necessary zone files and save them to a remote location. After the upgrade is complete, you can place them on the upgraded system. There is a new location on the version 9.x system for these files: /var/named/config/namedb.

Important: It is critical that you back up the archived configuration files to a secure remote location. In the event installation fails, you might need to use the remotely stored file in order to restore your previous configuration data. For more information about UCS archive files, see SOL4423: Overview of UCS archives.

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Downloading the installation IM package from F5 Networks

After you save the existing configuration, download the installation local-install-9.3.1.<build_number>.im file from http://tech.f5.com. For details about downloading the IM package, see SOL167: Downloading software from F5 Networks.

Note: Before you continue, we recommend downloading the associated MD5 checksum file and performing the MD5 checksum operation to ensure that the file downloaded correctly. For more information about running the MD5 checksum, see Verifying the MD5 checksum of the installation file.

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Copying the local installation package to the BIG-IP system

After you save the existing configuration and download the local installation package, you need to copy the local-install-9.3.1.<build_number>.im file to the /var/tmp directory on the BIG-IP system that you want to upgrade. The following example shows how to use the scp command to copy the file to the BIG-IP system, where <local-install>.im is the name of the local installation IM, and the <bigipsystem> is the BIG-IP system to which you want to copy the IM file.

scp <local-install>.im root@<bigipsystem>:/var/tmp

After you copy the local installation IM file to the BIG-IP system you want to upgrade, you can run the im command to extract the installation files from the local installation IM file.

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Extracting the installation files and running the installation script

Now that you have copied the local installation package to the target system, you are ready to install the 9.3.1 software. On the BIG-IP system, use the im command to extract the installation files from the IM package and run the installation script.

1. To extract the local-install script from the IM package and complete the installation, type the following command:

   im local-install-9.3.1.<build_number>.im

   The installation script prompts you for the following information:

   Terminal type? [vt100]

   Press the Enter key to continue, or specify the terminal type you are using. We recommend that you use vt100.
   The system posts a number of messages, and then installation starts. Once installation starts, you can use the arrow and Tab keys to navigate the presented options. You can select an option from a menu using the Enter key or the highlighted character key, and you can toggle select boxes on or off using the spacebar.
2. Respond to the installation script prompts for the following information:
   • When prompted to choose an installation image, select the version 9.3 installation image.
   • After you select the installation image, you are then prompted for the installation location. An installation location is a portion of a drive with adequate space required for an installation. If the hardware supports multiple installation locations, you can create more than one installation by installing the software on each location. At boot time, you can select which installation you want to boot. To install on multiple installation locations, follow the on-screen instructions.
   • Next, you have the option to roll forward any supported configurations (config.ucs files) found on the system. If you are installing this software on a system that contains a 9.x version of BIG-IP software, you should have already saved a UCS in the procedure Saving and backing up existing configuration data.
3. After responding to each prompt, review the installation options you have selected. Select Yes on the final BIG-IP system installation screen to begin installing.

After the installation is complete, the BIG-IP system reboots and you lose connectivity to the BIG-IP system.

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Contacting F5 Networks

For additional information, please visit http://www.f5.com

Copyright © 2007, F5 Networks, Inc., Seattle, Washington.  All rights reserved. 
F5, F5 Networks, the F5 logo, BIG-IP, 3-DNS, iControl, Internet Control Architecture, IP Application Switch, iRules, OneConnect, Packet Velocity, SYN Check, Control Your World, ZoneRunner, uRoam, FirePass, TrafficShield, Swan, WANJet, WebAccelerator, and TMOS are registered trademarks or trademarks, and AskF5 is a service mark, of F5 Networks, Inc., in the U.S. and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. F5 Networks' trademarks may not be used in connection with any product or service except as permitted in writing by F5.

This product protected by U.S. Patents 6,311,278, 6,374,300; 6,473,802; 6,505,230; 6,640,240; 6,772,203; 6,970,933; 7,113,962; and 7,114,180. Other patents pending.