In the Corner

The big bad Viprion!

2012-03-15T04:35:00.001-07:00

Viprion Failover:

* The Standby cluster (chassis) monitors the Active cluster using either the cluster IP address, or the self IP address of VLAN HA.

Setting up a pair of Viprions in a redundant state requires a number of components to be configured and/or considered:

* Failover IP address;
* HA Group;
* Synchronization of configurations;
* Failback is also known as preemption, that is, when a failover has occured and the previously available cluster is available again, the original Active unit will become Active again.
* HA Group: A collection of Big-IP objects whose health is checked (HA score) to determine the initiation of a failover event.
* Network Mirroring: Where connections on the Active unit are mirrored to the standby unit.
* Fail-safe: A custom monitor defined by the administrator used to help determine the occurence of a failover event.

Cluster IP address: "F5 Networks strongly recommends that you define a management IP address for each slot. By doing so, you ensure that you can access any blade in the cluster if access through the cluster IP address is unsuccessful.

Important: All management IP addresses for the individual cluster members (slots) must be on the same network as the cluster IP address. Also, the gateway and netmask for the cluster IP address become the default values for the gateway and netmask for each individual management IP address."

F5 Big-IP Decrypting a private key

2011-11-02T21:57:00.001-07:00

1. Transfer key file to directory /config/ssl/ssl.key/myfile.key
2. Change directory on CLI. Command: cd /config/ssl/ssl.key
3. Use the OpenSSL utility to open or decrypt the key file. Apply the command:
openssl rsa -in myencryptedkeyfile.key -out mydecryptedkeyfile.key
4. You will be prompted to enter the Passphrase originally used to encrypt the key:
Enter pass phrase for myencryptedkeyfile.key:
writing RSA key
5. The following output appears if you have entered the wrong Passphrase:
Enter pass phrase for myencryptedkeyfile.key:
unable to load Private Key
21566:error:06065064:digital envelope routines:EVP_DecryptFinal_ex:bad decrypt:evp_enc.c:325:
21566:error:0906A065:PEM routines:PEM_do_header:bad decrypt:pem_lib.c:425:

F5 Big-IP - Cookies, Persistence, and SSL.

2011-07-09T23:54:00.000-07:00

Cookies provide a way to make http requests stateful. When a HTTP request is made from a client to a server, each request is independant of the previous, that is the server does not keep track of what happened in the previous request. To make http requests stateful and relate them Cookies can be used. Cookies provide a means for the server to record which http requests belong to the same client.

On an F5 Big-IP LTM, there are options to apply Cookie persistence profile to a Virtual Server. The Cookie profile can be customised and hence there are a number of options which administrators can select to meet their requirements. Of these options the main one is the Mode. Cookies can applied in one of four Modes - Hash, Insert, Rewrite, and Passive.

* Hash mode: In Hash mode, the Original Web Server (OWS) generates the Cookie. You can specify in Hash mode the name of the Cookie Name, Offset (The number of bytes in the cookie to skip before calculating the hash value), and Length (This is the number of bytes to use when calculating the hash value). The Timeout option does not apply in Hash mode.

* Insert mode: In Insert mode, as the name implies the Big-IP with this Cookie mode inserts a cookie into the HTTP response from the server that contains information about the OWS. The expiration time of the cookie is determined by the timeout configured on the Big-IP. You can set the expiration to an explicit amount of time or with a value of "session". A session cookie is a cookie which is set without an expiration date. Session cookies are generally stored in volatile memory by clients and expire when the user session expires (i.e. when the browser is shut down

* Rewrite mode: If you specify Rewrite mode, the Big-IP Controller intercepts a cookie, named BIGipCookie (the server must name its cookie BIGipCookie), sent from the server to the client and rewrites the name of the cookie to BIGipServer. When the BIG/ip Controller rewrites the cookie, the server information and time-out value are reset.

Rewrite mode requires you to set up the cookie created by the server. In order for Rewrite mode to work, there needs to be a blank cookie coming from the web server for BIG/ip to rewrite. With Apache variants, the cookie can be added to every web page header by adding an entry in the httpd.conf file:

Header add Set-Cookie
BIGipCookie=0000000000000000000000000000000000
00000000...
(The cookie should contain a total of 75 zeros.)

* Passive mode: In Passive mode the Big-IP does not search or insert cookies into the HTTP header of responses from the server. The server is expected to create a cookie add the encoding representing the node and port information. A sample http with a cookie and encoding may look as follows:

Header add Set-Cookie:
BIGipServer=184658624.20480.000; expires=Sat,
19-Aug-2000 19:35:45 GMT; path=/
In this example, 184658624 is the encoded node address and 20480 is the encoded port.

The equation for an address (a.b.c.d) is:

d*256^3 + c*256^2 + b*256 +a.

The way to encode the port is to take the two bytes that store the port and reverse them. So, port 80 becomes 80 * 256 + 0 = 20480. Port 1433 (instead of 5 * 256 + 153) becomes 153 * 256 + 5 = 39173.

DNS Notes

2011-06-30T16:55:00.000-07:00

A domain level name server may contain a list of DNS servers where a name record is kept. It then informs the resolver of the IP address(es) or location of these DNS servers. The resolver then attempts to query the ADNS servers. It attempts to resolve against the first server (ns1.x.x.x.x), if query fails then it attempts the to query the second (ns2.x.x.x.x) and so forth.

A DNS server may contain multiple addresses for a domain name. When requests are made to the DNS server from the resolver, the server shuffles the multiple IP addresses associated with the domain name then selects one to return to the client.

A name record is constant in a DNS server. For example, if a web server hosting domain www.mywebserver.com which a name record points to is no longer available the name record will continue to point to that server. A GTM device is useful in monitoring servers in a redundant setup and returning an IP address associated with a server which is reachable.

References:

http://support.f5.com/kb/en-us/solutions/public/9000/600/sol9619.html

http://www.wight-hat.com/guides/hosting/round-robin-dns-configuration/

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX122619

http://www.networkcomputing.com/wan-optimization-and-application-acceleration/a-gslb-reality-check.php

http://support.f5.com/kb/en-us/solutions/public/0000/100/sol159.html

F5 Big-IP: Performing a clean install or rebuild

2011-06-25T04:42:00.001-07:00

Recently I have been trying to apply a hotfix to a Big-IP without any luck. Numerous attempts have resulted in failed installations. I have tried both earlier and later hotfixes without any success. This suggested to me the Big-IP volumes were either corrupted or something went terribly wrong during the previous upgrade. To resolve the problem I decided the only way forward was to rebuild the device or set it back to its factory defaults and then install the new image.

The steps are detailed in the F5 Solution document SOL10819. However I will try to provide here the steps I took and some of the issues I encountered along the way.

1. Download the installation image: For my rebuild I selected version 10.2.0 1707.0 to match up with our device in production.

2. Verify the integrity of the files. In my case I used the File Checksum Integrity Verifier utility from Microsoft. You can download it for Windows here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/841290

Set the path of where you extracted the FCIV files at the cmd prompt:

set path=%path%;c:\fciv

Sample output:

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7600]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\me>cd /fciv

C:\fciv>set path=%path%;c:\fciv

C:\fciv>fciv BIGIP-10.0.1.283.0.iso
//
// File Checksum Integrity Verifier version 2.05.
//
ef9fdbf673d6355a74c2bae7980127f3 bigip-10.0.1.283.0.iso

C:\fciv>

Ensure ef9fdbf673d6355a74c2bae7980127f3 value equals that found in the corresponding md5 file downloaded from F5.

3. Installation method. For this step I chose to use an external USB drive. Since I am trying to rebuild on a 6400 series hardware the following utilities will be needed on a Linux device to make a bootable USB drive. See "Creating a Bootable USB Thumb Drive" in the Big-IP Gettint Started Guide.

"For BIG-IP platforms 1500, 3400, 3410, 6400, 6800, 8400, and 8800, the workstation must have the following utilities:
sfdisk: changes disk partitioning.
mke2fs: creates a Linux (ext2) file system.
extlinux: represents a lightweight bootloader that starts up computers with the Linux kernel."

Since Linux is not my forte :) and I have a spare F5 lying around, I decide to use the F5 to make my bootable USB stick. If you don't like reading, I found this great video on Youtube that shows you how to do it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KQ7MMWlwp4

Below are the steps I used to create the bootable USB:

a) Login into the Big-IP as root. Copy the iso file to the /tmp directory of the Big-IP:

cp /mnt/usb/myisofilename.iso /shared/images

b) Create the directory /mnt/cd to mount the iso file to:

mkdir /mnt/cd

c) Mount the iso file to the /mnt/cd directory:

cd /shared/images
mount -o loop BIGIP-10.2.0.1707.0.iso /mnt/cd
mount

I had many issues when trying to mount the USB drive. Some of the error messages included:
[root@BIGIP-6400:Active] cd # ./mkdisk
..cpio: write error: No space left on device
./mkdisk: line 18: /tmp/mkdisk.CVn667/usr/lib/install/umdinstall: No such file or directory

To resolve the problem I unmounted and removed the /mnt/cd path. I also removed the the /mnt/usb mount I originally made from a previous attempt. The when I applied the mount command I ensured the following line showed:
/shared/images/BIGIP-10.2.0.1707.0.iso on /mnt/cd type iso9660 (rw,loop=/dev/loop1)

d) Run the mkdisk utility in the /mnt/cd directory:

cd /mnt/cd
./mkdisk

e) The Big-IP will then prompt you to answer a series of questions. This will assist it to create a bootable USB drive relevant to your hardware platform.

Below is a sample output:

[root@BIGIP-6400:Active] / # cd /shared/images
[root@BIGIP-6400:Active] images # ls
BIGIP-10.2.0.1707.0.iso BIGIP-10.2.1.297.0.iso Hotfix-BIGIP-10.2.0-1755.1-HF1.iso Hotfix-BIGIP-10.2.0-1789.0-HF2.iso
BIGIP-10.2.0.1707.0.iso.md5 BIGIP-10.2.1.297.0.iso.md5 Hotfix-BIGIP-10.2.0-1755.1-HF1.iso.md5 Hotfix-BIGIP-10.2.0-1789.0-HF2.iso.md5
[root@BIGIP-6400:Active] images # mkdir /mnt/cd
[root@BIGIP-6400:Active] images # mount -o loop BIGIP-10.2.0.1707.0.iso /mnt/cd
[root@BIGIP-6400:Active] images # mount
/dev/mapper/vg--db--sda-set.1.root on / type ext3 (rw,noatime)
none on /proc type proc (rw)
devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw)
/dev/mapper/vg--db--sda-set.1._config on /config type ext3 (rw,noatime)
/dev/mapper/vg--db--sda-set.1._usr on /usr type ext3 (ro,noatime)
/dev/mapper/vg--db--sda-set.1._var on /var type ext3 (rw,noexec,noatime)
/dev/mapper/vg--db--sda-dat.share.1 on /shared type ext3 (rw,noatime)
/dev/mapper/vg--db--sda-dat.log.1 on /var/log type ext3 (rw,noatime)
none on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw,noatime)
none on /var/tmstat type tmpfs (rw)
none on /var/run type tmpfs (rw,noatime)
prompt on /var/prompt type tmpfs (rw,size=4m)
none on /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc type binfmt_misc (rw)
none on /dev/mprov/tmm type hugetlbfs (rw)
/shared/images/BIGIP-10.2.0.1707.0.iso on /mnt/cd type iso9660 (rw,loop=/dev/loop1)
[root@BIGIP-6400:Active] images # cd /mnt/cd
[root@BIGIP-6400:Active] cd # ./mkdisk
..............................................................................
7047 blocks
On which F5 platform will the installation media be used?

Index Platform

1 BIG-IP 1500
2 BIG-IP 1600
3 BIG-IP 3400
4 BIG-IP 3410
5 BIG-IP 3600
6 BIG-IP 3900
7 BIG-IP 4100
8 BIG-IP 6400
9 BIG-IP 6800
10 BIG-IP 6900
11 BIG-IP 8400
12 BIG-IP 8800
13 BIG-IP 8900
14 BIG-IP 8950
15 BIG-IP 11050
16 BIG-IP Viprion
17 BIG-IP_SAM 4300
18 Enterprise Manager EM500
19 Enterprise Manager EM3000
20 FirePass 1200
21 FirePass 4100
22 FirePass 4300
23 TrafficShield 4100
24 WANJet Appliance WJ300
25 WANJet Appliance WJ500
26 WBA Appliance WA4500
Please select a device by index (1 - 26) --->8
Please select the device on which you which to create the bootable installer

Index Device Product Size Notes

1 /dev/sdb SanDisk Cruzer Blade 3819 MB May hold 2 products
Please select a device by index (1 - 1) --->1
Chosen device /dev/sdb is SanDisk Cruzer Blade
WARNING: The next step will destroy all data on this device!
Are you sure you want to continue? (y|n) [n] --> y
info: FAT Formatting device /dev/sdb

info: Installing bootloader on /dev/sdb
info: Mounting device /dev/sdb on /mnt/ozimLXTaYx
copying ./isolinux/vmlinuz => /mnt/ozimLXTaYx
copying ./isolinux/initrd.img => /mnt/ozimLXTaYx
The following products are available for transfer:
BIG-IP version 10.2.0
Would you like to transfer BIG-IP version 10.2.0? (y|n) [y] --> y
Queueing BIG-IP version 10.2.0
Ready to copy one product (this will take a while...).
Creating repository ISO in /mnt/tm_install/16082.mJRdtt (this will take a while)...Using TS_MN000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/TS-mng-fbagent-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (TS-mng-fbloader-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using TMM_V000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/tmm-vadc-debug-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (tmm-vadc-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using TMM_P000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/tmm-padc-debug-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (tmm-padc-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using RRDTO000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/rrdtool-perl-1.2.27-156.0.i686.rpm (rrdtool-1.2.27-156.0.i686.rpm)
Using PERL_000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/perl-Config-IniFiles-2.39-156.0.i686.rpm (perl-Config-Crontab-1.03-156.0.i686.rpm)
Using OPENS000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/openssh-4.3p2-36.el5_4.2.156.0.i686.rpm (openssh-server-4.3p2-36.el5_4.2.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using OPENS001.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/openssh-server-4.3p2-36.el5_4.2.156.0.i686.rpm (openssh-clients-4.3p2-36.el5_4.2.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using OPENL000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/openldap-clients-2.3.43-3.el5.156.0.i686.rpm (openldap-2.3.43-3.el5.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using MONIT000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/monitors-genericdb-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (monitors-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using LIBSE000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/libselinux-utils-1.33.4-5.5.el5.156.0.i686.rpm (libselinux-1.33.4-5.5.el5.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using LIBSE001.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/libselinux-1.33.4-5.5.el5.156.0.i686.rpm (libselinux-python-1.33.4-5.5.el5.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using LIBHA000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/libhalmsg-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (libhalmsg-nonbj-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using LIBDA000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/libdatastor-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (libdatastor-large-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using LCDPR000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/lcdproc-apollo-0.5.2-4.fc9.156.0.i686.rpm (lcdproc-wanjet-0.5.2-4.fc9.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using LCDPR001.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/lcdproc-wanjet-0.5.2-4.fc9.156.0.i686.rpm (lcdproc-gemini-0.5.2-4.fc9.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using LCDPR002.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/lcdproc-gemini-0.5.2-4.fc9.156.0.i686.rpm (lcdproc-viprion-0.5.2-4.fc9.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using LCDPR003.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/lcdproc-viprion-0.5.2-4.fc9.156.0.i686.rpm (lcdproc-0.5.2-4.fc9.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using LCDPR004.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/lcdproc-0.5.2-4.fc9.156.0.i686.rpm (lcdproc-mercury-0.5.2-4.fc9.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using IPTAB000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/iptables-1.3.5-5.3.el5.156.0.i686.rpm (iptables-ipv6-1.3.5-5.3.el5.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using ICONT000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/iControl-modules-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (iControl-wsdl-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using ICONT001.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/iControl-wsdl-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (iControl-handlers-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using ICONT002.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/iControl-handlers-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (iControl-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using HALTO000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/haltools-moonshot-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (haltools-predator-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using GEOIP000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/geoip-1.0-10.2.0.1707.0.i686.rpm (GeoIP-1.4.5-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using FWMGR000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/fwmgr_bios-c107-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (fwmgr_bios-gemini-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using FWMGR001.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/fwmgr_bios-gemini-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (fwmgr_bios-apollo-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using FWMGR002.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/fwmgr_bios-apollo-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (fwmgr_bios-predator-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using FWMGR003.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/fwmgr_bios-predator-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (fwmgr_bios-mercury-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using FWMGR004.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/fwmgr_bios-mercury-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (fwmgr_bios-c106-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-common-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-D35-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL001.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-D35-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-D68-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL002.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-D68-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-A107-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL003.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-A107-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-C36-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL004.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-C36-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-D54-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL005.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-D54-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-D43-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL006.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-D43-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-family-virtual-appliance-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL007.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-family-virtual-appliance-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-D38-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL008.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-D38-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-D100-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL009.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-D100-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-family-predator-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00A.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-family-predator-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-C107-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00B.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-C107-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-family-swiftcurrent-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00C.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-family-swiftcurrent-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-C62a-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00D.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-C62a-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-Mercury-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00E.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-Mercury-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-family-hsibj-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00F.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-family-hsibj-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-family-appliance-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00G.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-family-appliance-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-D51-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00H.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-D51-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-C106-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00I.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-C106-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-Z100-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00J.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-Z100-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-C100-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00K.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-C100-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-debuginfo-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00L.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-debuginfo-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-D63-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00M.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-D63-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-D101-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00N.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-D101-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-family-moonshot-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00O.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-family-moonshot-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-D84-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00P.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-D84-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-D144-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00Q.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-D144-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-A100-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00R.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-A100-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-D46-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00S.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-D46-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-Z101-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00T.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-Z101-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-D63a-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00U.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-D63a-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-D88-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00V.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-D88-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-E102-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00W.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-E102-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-E101-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00X.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-E101-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-Gemini-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using F5_PL00Y.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/f5-platform-id-Gemini-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (f5-platform-id-C62-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using E2FSP000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/e2fsprogs-1.39-23.el5.156.0.i686.rpm (e2fsprogs-libs-1.39-23.el5.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using DEVIC000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/device-mapper-1.02.32-1.el5.156.0.i686.rpm (device-mapper-multipath-0.4.7-30.el5.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using DEVIC001.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/device-mapper-multipath-0.4.7-30.el5.156.0.i686.rpm (device-mapper-event-1.02.32-1.el5.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using DATAS000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/datastor-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm (datastor-large-10.2.0-1707.0.i686.rpm)
Using CYRUS000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/cyrus-sasl-2.1.22-5.el5.156.0.i686.rpm (cyrus-sasl-lib-2.1.22-5.el5.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using CYRUS001.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/cyrus-sasl-lib-2.1.22-5.el5.156.0.i686.rpm (cyrus-sasl-gssapi-2.1.22-5.el5.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using CRACK000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/cracklib-2.8.9-3.3.156.0.i686.rpm (cracklib-dicts-2.8.9-3.3.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using AUDIT000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/i686/audit-libs-python-1.7.13-2.el5_3.156.0.i686.rpm (audit-libs-1.7.13-2.el5_3.156.0.i686.rpm)
Using WOC_A000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/woc-application-10.2.0-1707.0.noarch.rpm (woc-application-lm-10.2.0-1707.0.noarch.rpm)
Using TS_MN000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/TS-mng-install-10.2.0-1707.0.noarch.rpm (TS-mng-idl-10.2.0-1707.0.noarch.rpm)
Using SELIN000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/selinux-policy-2.4.6-255.el5.1707.0.noarch.rpm (selinux-policy-targeted-2.4.6-255.el5.1707.0.noarch.rpm)
Using PERL_000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/perl-XML-Simple-2.13-156.0.noarch.rpm (perl-XML-NamespaceSupport-1.09-156.0.noarch.rpm)
Using PERL_001.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/perl-Class-Trigger-0.10-156.0.noarch.rpm (perl-Class-DBI-mysql-1.00-156.0.noarch.rpm)
Using PERL_002.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/perl-Class-DBI-mysql-1.00-156.0.noarch.rpm (perl-Class-Data-Inheritable-0.04-156.0.noarch.rpm)
Using PERL_003.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/perl-XML-NamespaceSupport-1.09-156.0.noarch.rpm (perl-XML-SAX-0.12-156.0.noarch.rpm)
Using PERL_004.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/perl-XML-SAX-0.12-156.0.noarch.rpm (perl-XML-DOM-1.44-4.fc9.156.0.noarch.rpm)
Using PERL_005.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/perl-Class-Data-Inheritable-0.04-156.0.noarch.rpm (perl-Class-DBI-3.0.14-156.0.noarch.rpm)
Using PERL_006.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/perl-XML-DOM-1.44-4.fc9.156.0.noarch.rpm (perl-XML-Twig-3.32-156.0.noarch.rpm)
Using PERL_007.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/perl-XML-Twig-3.32-156.0.noarch.rpm (perl-XML-Encoding-1.01-23.1707.0.noarch.rpm)
Using PERL_008.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/perl-XML-Encoding-1.01-23.1707.0.noarch.rpm (perl-XML-RegExp-0.03-4.fc9.156.0.noarch.rpm)
Using PERL_009.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/perl-Class-DBI-3.0.14-156.0.noarch.rpm (perl-Class-Accessor-0.25-156.0.noarch.rpm)
Using PERL_00A.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/perl-XML-RegExp-0.03-4.fc9.156.0.noarch.rpm (perl-XML-XPath-1.13-156.0.noarch.rpm)
Using PERL_00B.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/perl-JSON-RPC-0.96-1707.0.noarch.rpm (perl-JSON-2.15-156.0.noarch.rpm)
Using F5_CO000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/f5-console-serial-10.2.0-1707.0.noarch.rpm (f5-console-vga-10.2.0-1707.0.noarch.rpm)
Using F5CON000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/f5config-10.2.0-1707.0.noarch.rpm (f5config-sccp-10.2.0-1707.0.noarch.rpm)
Using F5CON001.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/f5config-sccp-10.2.0-1707.0.noarch.rpm (f5config-aom-10.2.0-1707.0.noarch.rpm)
Using COMMO000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/noarch/commons-fileupload-1.2.1-1.156.0.noarch.rpm (commons-io-1.4-1.156.0.noarch.rpm)
Using F5_PL000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-C107-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-Gemini-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL001.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-Gemini-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-debuginfo-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL002.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-debuginfo-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-Z100-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL003.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-Z100-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-C106-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL004.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-C106-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-family-moonshot-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL005.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-family-moonshot-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-family-predator-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL006.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-family-predator-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-D43-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL007.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-D43-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-D101-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL008.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-D101-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-D68-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL009.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-D68-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-E101-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00A.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-E101-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-C62-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00B.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-C62-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-C100-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00C.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-C100-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-D54-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00D.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-D54-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-D84-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00E.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-D84-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-family-appliance-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00F.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-family-appliance-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-D63-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00G.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-D63-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-family-hsibj-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00H.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-family-hsibj-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-C62a-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00I.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-C62a-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-D35-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00J.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-D35-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-D88-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00K.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-D88-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-D46-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00L.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-D46-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-Mercury-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00M.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-Mercury-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-A107-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00N.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-A107-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-D144-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00O.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-D144-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-D63a-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00P.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-D63a-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-A100-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00Q.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-A100-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-family-virtual-appliance-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00R.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-family-virtual-appliance-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-C36-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00S.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-C36-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-D100-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00T.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-D100-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-D38-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00U.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-D38-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-family-swiftcurrent-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00V.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-family-swiftcurrent-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-D51-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00W.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-D51-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-common-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00X.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-common-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-E102-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using F5_PL00Y.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/f5-platform-id-E102-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (f5-platform-id-Z101-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using DATAS000.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/datastor-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (datastor-drv-app-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
Using DATAS001.RPM;1 for ././BIGIP1020/x86_64/datastor-drv-app-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm (datastor-large-10.2.0-1707.0.x86_64.rpm)
1.25% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:00 2011
2.50% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:00 2011
3.75% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:00 2011
5.00% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:00 2011
6.25% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:00 2011
7.50% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:00 2011
8.75% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:11 2011
10.00% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:09 2011
11.25% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:08 2011
12.50% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:07 2011
13.76% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:07 2011
15.01% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:13 2011
16.25% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:12 2011
17.50% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:17 2011
18.75% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:21 2011
20.00% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:19 2011
21.25% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:18 2011
22.51% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:17 2011
23.76% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:16 2011
25.00% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:19 2011
26.25% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:22 2011
27.51% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:21 2011
28.76% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:24 2011
30.00% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:23 2011
31.26% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:22 2011
32.51% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:24 2011
33.76% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:23 2011
35.01% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:22 2011
36.25% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:22 2011
37.51% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:23 2011
38.75% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:23 2011
40.01% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:24 2011
41.26% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:24 2011
42.50% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:25 2011
43.76% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:25 2011
45.01% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:24 2011
46.26% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:23 2011
47.51% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:23 2011
48.76% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:22 2011
50.01% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:23 2011
51.26% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:23 2011
52.51% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:22 2011
53.76% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:22 2011
55.01% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:21 2011
56.26% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:21 2011
57.51% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:22 2011
58.76% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:22 2011
60.01% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:23 2011
61.26% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:24 2011
62.51% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:23 2011
63.76% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:23 2011
65.01% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:23 2011
66.26% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:24 2011
67.51% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:25 2011
68.76% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:24 2011
70.01% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:24 2011
71.26% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:23 2011
72.51% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:24 2011
73.76% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:24 2011
75.01% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:23 2011
76.26% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:23 2011
77.51% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:24 2011
78.76% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:24 2011
80.01% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:24 2011
81.26% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:25 2011
82.51% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:25 2011
83.76% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:25 2011
85.01% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:24 2011
86.26% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:25 2011
87.51% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:26 2011
88.76% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:25 2011
90.01% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:26 2011
91.26% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:26 2011
92.51% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:25 2011
93.76% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:25 2011
95.01% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:25 2011
96.26% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:25 2011
97.51% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:26 2011
98.76% done, estimate finish Sun Jun 26 21:58:27 2011
Total translation table size: 0
Total rockridge attributes bytes: 72463
Total directory bytes: 135168
Path table size(bytes): 304
Max brk space used a3000
399956 extents written (781 MB)
Inserting md5sum into iso image...
md5 = cce0625d016f8571974647453cc6fd78
Inserting fragment md5sums into iso image...
fragmd5 = e3e88cee8adb0fcb92fe92e3a465ceb2b49ee5c4d1e47e46e153d687dcce
frags = 20
Setting supported flag to 0
done
Moving repository ISO to thumb drive (this will take a while) ...done
Product setup complete.
Flushing disk buffer (this may take a while)... done
[root@BIGIP-6400:Active] cd #

==========================

F5 solution documents used for this blog:

sol11686 - Change in Behavior: When the BIG-IP system is booted from a USB removable media, a manufacturing installation dialog is automatically displayed
http://support.f5.com/kb/en-us/solutions/public/11000/600/sol11686.html

Creating a USB Drive: http://support.f5.com/kb/en-us/products/big-ip_ltm/manuals/product/bigip_gs_10_0_0/bip_gs_app_b_thmb.html#1026618

sol10819 - Performing a clean installation of BIG-IP version 10.x or Enterprise Manager 2.x
http://support.f5.com/kb/en-us/solutions/public/10000/800/sol10819.html

sol751 - Backing up and restoring BIG-IP configuration files
http://support.f5.com/kb/en-us/solutions/public/0000/700/sol751.html

sol11396a - Error Message: Terminal error: System memory of 1 GiB is insufficient for 'format=volumes' with this product image; 1.5 GiB is required
http://support.f5.com/kb/en-us/solutions/public/11000/300/sol11396a

Youtube - Preparing F5 USB boot disk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KQ7MMWlwp4

Upgrading F5 Big-IP from version 9.1.x to 9.3.1 - Local Install

2011-06-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

1. Download the image (.im) and accompanying md5 file from the F5 support site.

2. SCP to your Big-IP and transfer the image and md5 file to the directory /shared/tmp

3. Connect to the Console port of your Big-IP. This ensures during reboot you do not loose connectivity to the CLI of the Big-IP.

4. Extract the .im file and run installation script. Apply the following command:
im local-install-9.3.1.37.1.im

5. The system then prompts you for some installation options to be selected.

IPv6

2011-05-31T03:31:00.001-07:00

Resources
====================================================

## IPv6 Test sites: They are used to test the readiness of your host to communitcate over IPv6. Test sites include:

* http://www.test-ipv6.com
* http://www.ipv6-test.com

## IPv6 Brokers: They are required to connect your IPv6 enabled hosts to the IPv6 Internet world through IPv4 networks. Your network edge will still have a IPv4 Internet connection, whilst hosts behind it will be IPv6. IPv6 brokers includes , Hurricane Electric Services or browse to "http://tunnelbroker.net/". A more thorough list can be found on Wikipedia:

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_IPv6_tunnel_brokers

##Blogs:

How to configure a Cisco router to connect to the IPv6 world via a Network broker:
*http://blog.howardtang.com/tag/ipv6-cisco-configuration/

Displaying the configuration on JUNOS or SRX

2011-03-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

The configuration on a JUNOS based device can be displayed in two different formats - "JUNOS" or "set-based". Set-based means the configuration will be displayed as commands you would enter at the CLI to apply a configuration. JUNOS based displays the configuration file which you can edit at the CLI. The commands to apply are:

1. Set based:
show | display set | no-more

2. JUNOS based:
show | no-more

Upgrading Big-IP 10.2.0 1755.1 to 10.2.0 1789.0

2011-03-27T02:51:00.000-07:00

1. Download the image or *.iso file from the F5 support site.

2. SCP to the Big-IP device and copy the iso file to the directory /shared/images

3. Apply the following command to install the Hotfix image. Note, the Hotfix image can be installed in an empty partition:

bigpipe software desired HD1.3 product BIG-IP version 10.2.0 build 1789.0

4. Configure the device to boot from the location where the new image is installed:
switchboot -b
e.g. switchboot -b HD1.3

5. Reboot the entire device. Apply the command:
full_box_reboot

Cisco Flexlinks

2011-03-04T18:16:00.001-08:00

Cisco Flexlinks provide a layer 2 redundant link solution. It is often considered an alternate solution to Spanning-Tree protocol where STP is undesired. With Flexlinks redundant paths are manually configured by the network administrator, in comparison to STP where the redundant paths are calculated and formed dynamically by the Spanning-Tree protocol.

Advantages:
* Spanning-Tree Protocol Independant.
* No BPDUs across links.
* Fast convergence - testing shows convergence at approximately 110ms.
* Traffic can be load shared across the redundant links.
* Neighbouring switches are not affected by local network Spanning-Tree recalculations.
* Failure of an Etherchannel where STP is not running between interconnecting neighbours can cause network loops and subsequent broadcast storms.

Disadvantages
* Maximum of 16 Flexlink pairs.
* RSTP convergence can be quicker - sub-second.
* Dynamic loop prevention.
* Less administrative management.
* Etherchannel can load-balance and provide redundancy.
* Does not support load-balancing, only load sharing (allocation of VLANs per link).

Testing Scenarios:
3750 (Flexlink) -to- 3750 (STP)

TOP-SWITCH#show run int gi 1/0/21
Building configuration...

Current configuration : 351 bytes
!
interface GigabitEthernet1/0/21
switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
switchport trunk allowed vlan 237
switchport mode trunk
switchport backup interface Gi1/0/23
switchport backup interface Gi1/0/23 mmu primary vlan 237
switchport backup interface Gi1/0/23 preemption mode forced
switchport backup interface Gi1/0/23 preemption delay 60
end

TOP-SWITCH#show run int gi 1/0/23
Building configuration...

Current configuration : 135 bytes
!
interface GigabitEthernet1/0/23
switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
switchport trunk allowed vlan 237
switchport mode trunk
end

TOP-SWITCH#

Middle-Switch#show run int fa 2/0/45
Building configuration...

Current configuration : 156 bytes
!
interface FastEthernet2/0/45
switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
switchport trunk allowed vlan 237
switchport mode trunk
spanning-tree portfast
end

Middle-Switch#show run int fa 2/0/47
Building configuration...

Current configuration : 156 bytes
!
interface FastEthernet2/0/47
switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
switchport trunk allowed vlan 237
switchport mode trunk
spanning-tree portfast
end

Middle-Switch#

Diagnostics:
=======================
TOP-SWITCH#show interfaces switchport backup detail

Switch Backup Interface Pairs:

Active Interface Backup Interface State
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GigabitEthernet1/0/21 GigabitEthernet1/0/23 Active Up/Backup Standby

Interface Pair : Gi1/0/21, Gi1/0/23
Preemption Mode : forced
Preemption Delay : 60 seconds
Bandwidth : 100000 Kbit (Gi1/0/21), 100000 Kbit (Gi1/0/23)
Mac Address Move Update Vlan : 237

TOP-SWITCH#

TOP-SWITCH#show mac-address-table move update
Switch-ID : 033d.ae01.6210
Dst mac-address : 0120.d100.0010
Vlans/Macs supported : 1023/6272
Default/Current settings: Rcv Off/Off, Xmt Off/Off
Max packets per min : Rcv 40, Xmt 60

Rcv packet count : 0
Rcv conforming packet count : 0
Rcv invalid packet count : 0
Rcv packet count this min : 0
Rcv threshold exceed count : 0
Rcv last sequence# this min : 0
Rcv last interface : None
Rcv last src-mac-address : 0000.0000.0000
Rcv last switch-ID : 0000.0000.0000

Xmt packet count : 0
Xmt packet count this min : 0
Xmt threshold exceed count : 0
Xmt pak buf unavail cnt : 0
Xmt last interface : None
TOP-SWITCH#

Aspera FASP ( Fast and Secure Protocol )

2011-02-28T01:49:00.000-08:00

Aspera transfers use one TCP port for session initialization and control, and one UDP port for data transfer. The TCP port is usually either 22 (default port for SSH) or 33001, and the UDP port is by default 33001.
Control: TCP Port 22 (SSH)
Data: UDP Port 33001-33020

Both connections are initiated by the client. The UDP is negotiated between the server and client. Unix servers are are to run parrallel connections over the single port 33001. Windows operating systems require that unique ports for each transfer - a range of ports from 33001-33020 should be opened for multiple connections to the server.

Risks:
======
1) Firewalls can interpret the number of UDP transactions (2000+ per second) as a denial of server attack. Security features such as Screens available on the Juniper SRX will need to be tuned to allow the high number of transactions. The UDP flood event is identified in the Junos logs as:
RT_IDS: RT_SCREEN_UDP: UDP flood! source: 1.1.1.1:33001, destination: 2.2.2.2:8883, zone name: Untrust, interface name: reth3.0

This has the potential of allowing the sending of a large number of UDP packets containing 4 data bytes (all zeros) and coming from one source port to random destination ports on the target host. The target host returns ICMP Port Unreachable messages. The target slows down because it is busy processing the UDP packets, and at this point, there will be little or no network bandwidth left (Ref: Hack blog).

2) The applications can also pose a considerable risk to enterprise network bandwidth, potentially impacting business-critical applications. Since their data transfer rate is adapted to the available bandwidth on the end-to-end path, enterprises can protect their critical network segments by using appropriate bandwidth controls. On the Palo Alto Networks Next Generation Firewalls, the App-ID technology identifies all traffic from this application as FASP. Security and QoS policies can then be configured, based on the application, to deny, allow, or rate-limit the traffic according to defined bandwidth limits. Whatever application and bandwidth usage policies businesses come up with, Network and Security administrators will need to equip themselves with the right tools to enforce them (Ref: Palo Alto Networks).

Upgrading F5 Big-IP from version 9.3.x or 9.4.x to 10.x

2011-01-29T20:31:00.000-08:00

Upgrading Big-IP from version 9.3.x or 9.4.x to 10.x
======================================================
This installation was performed on a Big-IP 3600. Hardware details are as follows:
PLATFORM INFORMATION --
| Marketing Name: BIG-IP 3600
| BIOS Rev: AMIBIOS(C)2006 American Megatrends, Inc. F5 Platform: MERCURY OBJ-0272-03 BIOS S10.0 Date:04/24/2009
| base MAC: 00:00:00:00:00:00
+-> SYSTEM INFO
| Type: C103
| Chassis serial: f5-yyyy-xxxx Level 200 part: 200-0293-11 REV A
| Memory: 3.437GB
+-> HARDWARE CARDS
| | Type: pic Model: F5 cpld
| | version: 0x13
| | Type: crypto Model: Cavium NITROX-PX
| | version: CNPx-MC-SSL-MAIN-MC1-0001
+-> CPU 0
| | Type: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E6400 @ 2.13GHz Speed: 2133.469MHz
| | Temp: 37degC Fan speed: 10546rpm

1. Download the iso and md5 files from the F5 website.

2. SCP to your F5 Big-IP appliance.

3. Transfer files downloaded in step 1 to the directory “/shared/images”. Create this directory if it does not exist.

4. Login to the CLI of the device using the root account. Verify the integrity of the images. Apply the following commands:

md5sum /shared/images/BIGIP-10.0.1.283.0.iso
cat /shared/images/BIGIP-10.0.1.283.0.md5

Visually check that the hash values outputs are identical.

5. Login to the CLI of the device using the root account. Install the configuration utility “image2disk” – the iso image contains the image2disk utility. Apply the following command to install the utlity:

im /shared/images/BIGIP-10.0.1.283.0.iso

The process copies over the image2disk installation utility, and then presents a status message, which lets you know that the im command is no longer supported, and tells you how to proceed.

/tmp/rpmdisk.173hO1 /shared/images
info: media has tm_install version 2.6.2, release 40.0
info: adding bin/../isolinux/install/tm_install.rpm to system...
info: media has perl-RPM2 version 0.67, release 10.0.0.4598.0
info: adding bin/../isolinux/install/perl-RPM2.rpm to system...
The im utility is no longer used to upgrade software images.
Please use 'image2disk'. For help, use 'image2disk -h'.
You must always install to an image location that is not in use.
Here is your current image-location status:
HD1.1 active no default no title BIG-IP 9.1.2 Build 40.2
HD1.2 active yes default yes title BIG-IP 9.3.1 Build 37.1

6. Determine which HD slot to install the new in using the switchboot utility. You must install the image on an inactive slot. Apply the following command:

switchboot –l

Sample output:
[root@F5:Active] / # switchboot –l
Current boot image:
HD1.1 - BIG-IP 9.4.8 Build 355.0
Default boot image:
HD1.1 - BIG-IP 9.4.8 Build 355.0
Available boot image(s):
HD1.1 - BIG-IP 9.4.8 Build 355.0
HD1.2 - BIG-IP 9.4.8 Build 355.0
[root@F5:Active] / #

7. Install the new image. This step will reformat the disk to use Logical Volume Management. Apply the following command as the root using the CLI:
image2disk --instslot=HD1.2 --format=volumes /shared/images/BIGIP-10.0.1.283.0.iso
The upgrade process installs the software on the inactive installation location (--instslot) that you specify. This process usually takes between three minutes and seven minutes.

8. Reboot the into the volume where you installed the new image:
switchboot -b HD1.2
reboot

Installing Hotfixes 10.x
1. Download the Hot fix files from F5:
• Hotfix-BIGIP-10.0.1-402.7-HF4.iso
• Hotfix-BIGIP-10.0.1-402.7-HF4.md5

2. SCP to the device and copy the downloaded hot fix files to the directory “/shared/images”. Login to the CLI and verify the files are recognised by the device. Apply the following command:
bigpipe software list
Sample output:
[admin@F5:Active] images # bigpipe software list
software {
desired {
HD1.1 {}
HD1.2 {
product "BIG-IP"
version "10.0.1"
build "283.0"
active enable
}
HD1.3 {}
}
hotfixes "Hotfix-BIGIP-10.0.1-402.7-HF4.iso"
images "BIGIP-10.0.1.283.0.iso"
}
[admin@F5:Active] images #
3. Verify the integrity of the files. Apply the following commands:
md5sum /shared/images/Hotfix-BIGIP-10.0.1-402.7-HF4.iso
cat /shared/images/Hotfix-BIGIP-10.0.1-402.7-HF4.md5

Visually check the hash values are the same from the output.

4. Verify the disk formatting scheme used by the device. Apply the following command:

lvscan
Sample output:
[admin@F5:Active] images # lvscan
lvscan -- ACTIVE "/dev/vg-db-sda/dat.share.1" [30 GB] contiguous
lvscan -- ACTIVE "/dev/vg-db-sda/dat.log.1" [7 GB] contiguous
lvscan -- ACTIVE "/dev/vg-db-sda/set.1.root" [256 MB] contiguous
lvscan -- ACTIVE "/dev/vg-db-sda/set.1._config" [512 MB] contiguous
lvscan -- ACTIVE "/dev/vg-db-sda/set.1._var" [3.25 GB] contiguous
lvscan -- ACTIVE "/dev/vg-db-sda/set.1._usr" [1 GB] contiguous
lvscan -- ACTIVE "/dev/vg-db-sda/set.2.root" [256 MB] contiguous
lvscan -- ACTIVE "/dev/vg-db-sda/set.2._config" [512 MB] contiguous
lvscan -- ACTIVE "/dev/vg-db-sda/set.2._var" [3.25 GB] contiguous
lvscan -- ACTIVE "/dev/vg-db-sda/set.2._usr" [1 GB] contiguous
lvscan -- ACTIVE "/dev/vg-db-sda/set.3.root" [256 MB] contiguous
lvscan -- ACTIVE "/dev/vg-db-sda/set.3._config" [512 MB] contiguous
lvscan -- ACTIVE "/dev/vg-db-sda/set.3._var" [3.25 GB] contiguous
lvscan -- ACTIVE "/dev/vg-db-sda/set.3._usr" [1 GB] contiguous
lvscan -- 14 logical volumes with 52 GB total in 2 volume groups
lvscan -- 14 active logical volumes

[admin@F5:Active] images #

5. The Big-IP image and hotfix file into a volume which is NOT active. Check which volume is active – apply the following command:
bigpipe software
Sample output:
[admin@F5:Active] images # bigpipe software
SOFTWARE
+-> SOFTWARE STATUS
| Key Slot Product Version Build Active Status
| HD1.1 0 none none none no complete
| HD1.2 0 BIG-IP 10.0.1 283.0 yes complete
| HD1.3 0 none none none no complete
[admin@F5:Active] images #

6. Install the Big-IP image and hotfix file into the inactive volume.

a) First install the Big-IP image. Apply the following command:
bigpipe software desired HD1.3 product BIG-IP version 10.0.1 build 283.0
Sample Output:
[admin@F5:Active] images # bigpipe software desired HD1.3 product BIG-IP version 10.0.1 build 283.0
[admin@F5:Active] images # bigpipe software
SOFTWARE
+-> SOFTWARE STATUS
| Key Slot Product Version Build Active Status
| HD1.1 0 none none none no complete
| HD1.2 0 BIG-IP 10.0.1 283.0 yes complete
| HD1.3 0 BIG-IP 10.0.1 283.0 no installing 0.000 pct
[admin@F5:Active] images # bigpipe software
SOFTWARE
+-> SOFTWARE STATUS
| Key Slot Product Version Build Active Status
| HD1.1 0 none none none no complete
| HD1.2 0 BIG-IP 10.0.1 283.0 yes complete
| HD1.3 0 BIG-IP 10.0.1 283.0 no installing 3.000 pct
[admin@F5:Active] images #
[admin@F5:Active] images # bigpipe software
SOFTWARE
+-> SOFTWARE STATUS
| Key Slot Product Version Build Active Status
| HD1.1 0 none none none no complete
| HD1.2 0 BIG-IP 10.0.1 283.0 yes complete
| HD1.3 0 BIG-IP 10.0.1 283.0 no complete

b) Apply the hotfix onto the Big-IP image. Apply the following commands:
bigpipe software desired HD1.3 product BIG-IP version 10.0.1 build 402.7
Sample Output:
[admin@F5:Active] images # bigpipe software desired HD1.3 product BIG-IP version 10.0.1 build 402.7
[admin@F5:Active] images # bigpipe software
SOFTWARE
+-> SOFTWARE STATUS
| Key Slot Product Version Build Active Status
| HD1.1 0 none none none no complete
| HD1.2 0 BIG-IP 10.0.1 283.0 yes complete
| HD1.3 0 BIG-IP 10.0.1 402.7 no installing hotfix
[admin@F5:Active] images #

c) Boot into the volume containing the hotfix. Apply the following command:

switchboot -b HD1.3
reboot

Sample Output:
[admin@F5:Active] images # switchboot -b HD1.3
[admin@F5:Active] images # reboot

Broadcast message from root (pts/0) (Tue Jan 25 12:00:58 2011):

The system is going down for reboot NOW!
[admin@F5:Active] images #

References
F5: Manual Chapter: Using the image2disk and diskinit Utilities
F5: SOL11496

Free up Junper SRX disk or storage space

2010-11-26T05:42:00.000-08:00

1. Check the amount of disk usage:
show system storage
2. Perform an automated device storage/disk cleanup:
request system storage cleanup

Upgrade a standalone Cisco Catalyst 3750 (not in a Stack)

2010-11-26T05:37:00.000-08:00

1. Download and save the required image from the Cisco website.
2. Ensure you have the minumum amount of storage space on your flash drive. For the IP Services image this is likely to be 16Mb.

Apply the command:

dir flash:

3. In this example I use TFTP32 to transfer files from my desktop to the switch.

Apply the command:
copy tftp:.bin flash:

4. Once the new IOS image has been transferred, configure the switch to boot with the new image the next time it reloads:

Apply the following commands:
config terminal
boot system flash:/.bin
exit
write memory
reload

Note: There is no need to change the config-register value as the it is fixed on the Catalyst 3750.

5. Type "yes" or press enter to confirm to reload.

6. Once reloaded check that you are using the new image:
show version

Route Distinguishers and Route Targets

2010-02-04T19:29:00.000-08:00

A VRF represents an isolated instance on a device of a routing and forwarding table. A VRF belongs to a site and is assigned to a interface (logical or physical). This interface is used to peer to the CE to exchange routing updates and packets. These updates and packets are identified in the core (provider network) by a ROUTE DISTINGUISHER and thus making it unique where there is a overlap of addressing schemes from different VRFs.

A VPN is a service which provides security and isolation normally found in a private network over a shared provider infrastructure. The scope of a VPN is contained by what routing and forwarding is required by a organizations network. Therefore a VPN can entail multiple VRFs if it requires access to networks in different VRFs. The ROUTE TARGET is used to determine what routing information to import or export from a VRF and thus creating the scope of the VPN.

Reset the ProxySG back to default settings

2009-08-26T04:51:00.000-07:00

To reset the ProxySG back to the "out-of-the-box" configuration or default settings take the following steps:
1. Connect to the ProxySG CLI through the serial interface or a terminal server.
2. Press enter 3 times.
3. Choose option 1: "Command Line Interface".
4. Enter enable mode by entering the command "en".
5. At the prompt enter "restore-defaults factory defaults".
6. The system message "Continue with system re-initialization?". Enter Y for the system to proceed with re-initialization.
7. Sit back and wait.
8. Re-initialization is now complete.

Internet Content Adaption Protocol (ICAP) Fundamentals

2009-08-26T02:50:00.000-07:00

Core points on ICAP:

* The Blue Coat AV (virus checking) is an external service which the ProxySG can communicate with using ICAP.
* The policy definition is conducted on the ProxySG using the management console or Content Policy Language.
* There are two modes of operation: RESMOD and REQMOD. In REQMOD the ProxySG intercepts and forwards requests from the client to the origin server for parsing. In RESMOD the ProxySG (ICAP client) intercepts the response from the origin server and uses ICAP to communicate with the external service to process the response message.

Backup Static Routes in Cisco IOS

2009-07-06T21:36:00.001-07:00

Problem: I have primary static default route which I want to replace with a secondary default route when the primary fails.

Solution:

track 10 interface FastEthernet0/0 ip routing
delay down 2 up 2
!
track 11 list boolean and
object 10 not
!
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.2.2 track 10
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.3.2 track 11
!

Verify:
R1#show ip route track
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.2.2 track 10 state is [up]
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.3.2 track 11 state is [down]
!

R1#show track 11
Track 11
List boolean and
Boolean AND is Down
1 change, last change 00:05:24
object 10 not Up
Tracked by:
STATIC-IP-ROUTING 0
R1#show track 10
Track 10
Interface FastEthernet0/0 ip routing
IP routing is Up
3 changes, last change 00:16:39
Delay up 2 secs, down 2 secs
Tracked by:
Track-list 11
STATIC-IP-ROUTING 0
!

Resetting the Trial License

2009-06-22T22:58:00.000-07:00

The trial period on a ProxySG can be reset by entering at the CLI the command "reset-trial". This can only be done once and hence will not work if done previously by someone else who has trialed the appliance.

If the command is unsuccessful the owner of the appliance will need to contact Blue Coat and request a evaluation license. They need to fill in the following form located at: https://bluesource.bluecoat.com/evalrequest , or contact their account representative.

IM Filtering on Blue Coat ProxySG

2009-05-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

What kind of IM security functionality is available from the Blue Coat ProxySG?

Administrators can control IM functionality such as:
- Block File Transfers;
- Search for keywords;
- Limit chatroom access on a user or global basis;
- Instant Messaging messages can be monitored or logged (your boss is watching) =]

As a proxy the BC ProxySG can:
- Allow selected protocols;
- Establish authentication rules for using IM services;
- Allow or deny attachments by file type;
- Allow or deny chat activity;
- Filter Keywords (my boss is the best);
- Block access to IM services by user or other means.
- Block encrypted IM services, because you do not know what information is being transmitted.

Analysing 401 authentication on the Blue Coat ProxySG

2009-05-25T23:39:00.000-07:00

When a client attempt to access a website via the proxy the OCS can send to the client an authentication challenge. The response from the OCS includes a 401 code indicating either the authentication credentials from the user has failed or the user must send credentials for the requested resources. Note that a 401 message is different to a 407 message. 407 is from the proxy and 401 is from the OCS. Thus you may receive a 401 message even after you have successfully authenticated in response to a 407 message.

Below are the logs of client requests to www.google.com on the Blue Coat. You can see the initial 407 response to the proxy challenge:

2009-05-26 07:24:31 4 1.1.1.1 - - authentication_failed PROXIED "none" - 407 TCP_DENIED GET - http www.google.com 80 / - - "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; Trident/4.0; GTB5; Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1) ; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; InfoPath.1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727)" 203.41.5.249 1095 352 -
2009-05-26 07:24:37 524 1.1.1.1 joe - - PROXIED "none" - 302 TCP_NC_MISS GET text/html;%20charset=UTF-8 http www.google.com 80 / - - "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; Trident/4.0; GTB5; Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1) ; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; InfoPath.1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727)" 203.41.5.249 622 437 -
2009-05-26 07:24:39 536 1.1.1.1 joe - - PROXIED "none" - 200 TCP_NC_MISS GET text/html;%20charset=UTF-8 http www.google.com.au 80 / - - "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; Trident/4.0; GTB5; Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1) ; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; InfoPath.1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727)" 203.41.5.249 4253 407 -
2009-05-26 07:24:40 530 1.1.1.1 joe - - PROXIED "none" http://www.google.com.au/ 200 TCP_MISS GET image/gif http www.google.com.au 80 /images/close_sm.gif - gif "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; Trident/4.0; GTB5; Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1) ; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; InfoPath.1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727)" 203.41.5.249 380 543 -
2009-05-26 07:24:40 538 1.1.1.1 joe - - PROXIED "none" http://www.google.com.au/ 200 TCP_MISS GET image/gif http www.google.com.au 80 /images/chrome_48.gif - gif "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; Trident/4.0; GTB5; Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1) ; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; InfoPath.1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727)" 203.41.5.249 2756 544 -
2009-05-26 07:24:40 548 1.1.1.1 joe - - PROXIED "none" http://www.google.com.au/ 200 TCP_MISS GET image/gif http www.google.com.au 80 /images/modules/buttons/g-button-chocobo-basic-2.gif - gif "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; Trident/4.0; GTB5; Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1) ; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; InfoPath.1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727)" 203.41.5.249 619 575 -

Blue Coat ProxySG - How to find objects in the cache of the appliance.

2009-05-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

There are a number of ways to determine if an object is being cached by the proxysg. Two methods are:
1. Querying the cache directly.
2. Inspecting the logs.

1. Querying the cache directly:
To find/view/see if an object is being cached we can query the cache directly by browsing to the absolute path of the object without the specification of the protocol. For example, if we were to browse to www.cisco.com we can find the object "home.min.js" is requested. The absolute path of this object is:
http://www.cisco.com/web/fw/j/home.min.js

Using this information we verify if the Blue Coat proxySG is caching this object. Simply attach the absolute path of the object to the Blue Coat URL minus the protocol. For example:
https://proxysg ip address:8082/CE/Info/http/www.cisco.com/web/fw/j/home.min.js

If the object is found then you should see a page with statistics regarding the object such as that below:

2. Inspecting the logs.

An object can also be verified to be in the cache by inspecting or looking at the logs. To do this start a tail in the management console or on the CLI:

In this scenario we have browsed to Cisco.com having been there before. As you can see we have many "HITS" indicating the object is being served from the proxy. There are also misses indicating the corresponding object has not been cached.

PROTECT YOUR FREEDOM!

2009-02-13T02:43:00.001-08:00

Bluecoat Blue Coat ProxySG