F5 Viprion Assembly Instructions

Platform Guide: VIPRION®
MAN-0311-00

Platform Guide: VIPRION® i
Product Version
This manual applies to the VIPRION®platform created by F5 Networks, Inc.
Publication Date
This manual was published on July 23, 2010.
Legal Notices
Copyright
Copyright 2010, F5 Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.
F5 Networks, Inc. (F5) believes the information it furnishes to be accurate and reliable. However, F5
assumes no responsibility for the use of this information, nor any infringement of patents or other rights of
third parties which may result from its use. No license is granted by implication or otherwise under any
patent, copyright, or other intellectual property right of F5 except as specifically described by applicable
user licenses. F5 reserves the right to change specifications at any time without notice.
Trademarks
F5, F5 Networks, the F5 logo, BIG-IP, 3-DNS, Access Policy Manager, APM, Acopia, Acopia Networks,
Application Accelerator, Ask F5, Application Security Manager, ASM, ARX, Data Guard, Edge Client,
Edge Gateway, Enterprise Manager, EM, FirePass, FreedomFabric, Global Traffic Manager, GTM,
iControl, Intelligent Browser Referencing, Internet Control Architecture, IP Application Switch, iRules,
Link Controller, LC, Local Traffic Manager, LTM, Message Security Module, MSM, NetCelera,
OneConnect, Packet Velocity, Protocol Security Module, PSM, Secure Access Manager, SAM, SSL
Accelerator, SYN Check, Traffic Management Operating System, TMOS, TrafficShield, Transparent Data
Reduction, uRoam, VIPRION, WANJet, WAN Optimization Module, WOM, WebAccelerator, WA, and
ZoneRunner are trademarks or service marks of F5 Networks, Inc., in the U.S. and other countries, and
may not be used without F5's express written consent.
All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Export Regulation Notice
This product may include cryptographic software. Under the Export Administration Act, the United States
government may consider it a criminal offense to export this product from the United States.
RF Interference Warning
This is a Class A product. In a domestic environment this product may cause radio interference, in which
case the user may be required to take adequate measures.
FCC Compliance
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device pursuant
to Part 15 of FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This unit generates, uses, and
can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual,
may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area
is likely to cause harmful interference, in which case the user, at his own expense, will be required to take
whatever measures may be required to correct the interference.
Any modifications to this device, unless expressly approved by the manufacturer, can void the user's
authority to operate this equipment under part 15 of the FCC rules.
Canadian Regulatory Compliance
This Class A digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

ii
Standards Compliance
This product conforms to the IEC, European Union, ANSI/UL and Canadian CSA standards applicable to
Information Technology products at the time of manufacture.
VCCI Class A Compliance
This is a Class A product. In a domestic environment, this product may cause radio interference, in which
case the user may be required to take corrective actions. The power cables included with this platform are
designed for use solely with this platform.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Platform Guide: VIPRION®v
1
The VIPRION Platform
About the VIPRION platform ......................................................................................................1-1
Platform chassis and blades .................................................................................................1-2
Getting started with the VIPRION platform ............................................................................1-4
Components provided with the VIPRION platform .....................................................1-4
Peripheral hardware that you provide ..............................................................................1-5
Technical support resources ........................................................................................................1-6
2
VIPRION Platform Installation
About VIPRION platform installation ........................................................................................2-1
General recommendations for installing a chassis in a rack ........................................2-1
PB100 and PB200 blade compatibility ........................................................................................2-2
Blade performance in mixed clusters ................................................................................2-2
Blade software versions in mixed clusters .......................................................................2-2
Trunk configuration in mixed clusters ..............................................................................2-3
Redundant system configuration and mixed clusters ....................................................2-3
3
VIPRION LCD Panel
About the LCD panel .....................................................................................................................3-1
Using LCD panel functionality ......................................................................................................3-2
Pausing on a screen ...............................................................................................................3-2
Accessing LCD menus ..........................................................................................................3-2
Clearing alerts .........................................................................................................................3-2
About the LCD menus ..................................................................................................................3-3
Options menu .........................................................................................................................3-3
System menu ...........................................................................................................................3-4
Screens menu ..........................................................................................................................3-5
About cluster management ...........................................................................................................3-6
Configuring clusters through the LCD menu ..................................................................3-6
Configuring cluster members ..............................................................................................3-8
4
VIPRION LEDs and Interfaces
About LED behavior ......................................................................................................................4-1
Indicator LED functions ........................................................................................................4-1
Indicator LED actions ...........................................................................................................4-2
Standard operating states ....................................................................................................4-2
Alert conditions indicated by the alarm LED ..................................................................4-3
Specific status indicated by the LEDs ................................................................................4-4
About platform interfaces .............................................................................................................4-5
Viewing the status and settings for interfaces .................................................................4-5
Specifying media type ............................................................................................................4-6
Network interface LED behavior .......................................................................................4-8
5
VIPRION Platform Maintenance
About maintaining the VIPRION platform ................................................................................5-1
Changing blades ...............................................................................................................................5-1

Table of Contents
vi
Changing the fan tray .....................................................................................................................5-5
Replacing the fan tray ............................................................................................................5-5
Changing a power supply ..............................................................................................................5-6
Adding a power supply .........................................................................................................5-6
Replacing a power supply .....................................................................................................5-7
Removing and replacing the LCD component .........................................................................5-8
6
Guidelines for DC Power in the VIPRION Platform
About the DC power supply option for the VIPRION platform ........................................6-1
Installing the system in a rack .............................................................................................6-1
Additional equipment for DC power ................................................................................6-2
Grounding the platform .......................................................................................................6-2
Connecting the DC power source to the system .........................................................6-4
VIPRION DC power supply specifications ...............................................................................6-6
Power redundancy provisioning .........................................................................................6-6
System power consumption ................................................................................................6-7
NEBS information ..................................................................................................................6-7
7
Platform Airflow
Platform airflow information ........................................................................................................7-1
Airflow for VIPRION platforms .........................................................................................7-1
8
Environmental Guidelines for the VIPRION Platform
Environmental requirements ........................................................................................................8-1
General environmental guidelines ......................................................................................8-1
Guidelines for AC-powered equipment ...........................................................................8-2
Guidelines for DC-powered equipment ...........................................................................8-2
9
Platform Specifications
General specifications for system features ...............................................................................9-1
AC power requirements ...............................................................................................................9-2
Power cables ...........................................................................................................................9-2
Power redundancy provisioning .........................................................................................9-2
System power consumption ................................................................................................9-3
PB100 blade specifications ............................................................................................................9-4
PB200 blade specifications ............................................................................................................9-5
J100 chassis specifications .............................................................................................................9-6
Acoustic, airflow, and altitude specifications ............................................................................9-7
A
Platform-Specific Hazardous Substance Levels for China
VIPRION chassis ............................................................................................................................A-1
VIPRION blades .............................................................................................................................A-2
Glossary
Index

1
The VIPRION Platform
• About the VIPRION platform
• Getting started with the VIPRION platform
• Technical support resources

The VIPRION Platform
Platform Guide: VIPRION®1 - 1
About the VIPRION platform
The VIPRION®platform is a robust system that is capable of managing
traffic for any size of enterprise. It consists of a unique chassis/blade
configuration. This configuration enables you to add, remove, and change
components on the fly, without interrupting the essential services of the
BIG-IP®software installed on the platform. Everything from the blades to
the power supplies, the fan tray to the LCD panel, is available for you to
add, remove, or change as needed.
The VIPRION platform is highly extensible and designed to be easy to
implement; however, having some familiarity with the components of the
VIPRION platform can ensure that you install and integrate the platform
successfully and effectively.
Note
If you have not already done so, we recommend that you read the Setting
Up the VIPRION™Platform guide. This guide provides a detailed
explanation of how to unpack, rack, install components, and power the
platform.

Chapter 1
1 - 2
Platform chassis and blades
The VIPRION platform includes two primary components: the chassis,
which houses the components, and blades, which reside within the chassis
and provide the hardware and software needed to manage network traffic.
About the chassis
The VIPRION chassis is the housing unit that contains all of the
components necessary for the VIPRION platform to operate effectively.
One of the most powerful features of the VIPRION platform is that you can
add, remove, or change any or all of the essential components of the
platform. These components include blades, power supplies, the fan tray, the
LCD panel, and the System ID card. 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.
1. Indicator LEDs (chassis and blades 1–4)
2. LCD display
3. LCD control buttons
Figure 1.1 Front view of the VIPRION platform, with four blades and LCD
panel attached

The VIPRION Platform
Platform Guide: VIPRION®1 - 3
About 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 chassis. These blades comprise a group, called 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 EMC compliance of the unit.
1. Compression screw
2. Indicator LEDs
3. Management port
4. USB ports
5. Console port
6. Hard-wired failover port
7. XFP ports
8. 10/100/1000 interfaces
9. SFP ports
Figure 1.2 Front view of the PB100 blade
1. Compression screw
2. Indicator LEDs
3. Management port
4. USB ports
5. Console port
6. Hard-wired failover port
7. 10/100/1000 interfaces
8. SFP+ ports
Figure 1.3 Front view of the PB200 blade

Chapter 1
1 - 4
Getting started with the VIPRION platform
There are several basic tasks you must complete to get the VIPRION
platform installed and set up:
• Review the hardware requirements. For more information about the
hardware requirements, read the following sections, Components
provided with the VIPRION platform, following, and Peripheral
hardware that you provide, on page 1-5.
• Familiarize yourself with the VIPRION hardware. For more information,
see About the VIPRION platform, on page 1-1.
• Connect the VIPRION platform to the network, and optionally connect
the peripheral hardware. For more information, see About VIPRION
platform installation, on page 2-1.
• Understand the environmental guidelines. For more information, see
Environmental requirements, on page 8-1.
The VIPRION platform comes with the hardware that you need for
installation. However, you must provide standard peripheral hardware, such
as a serial terminal, if you want to administer the VIPRION platform
directly.
Components provided with the VIPRION platform
When you unpack the VIPRION platform, you should make sure that the
following components are included:
• Four power cables (C19 to NEMA 6-20P)
• Two mounting brackets
• Four mounting handles
• Eight rack mount screws
• LCD component
• One electrical static discharge (ESD) strap
The power cables included with this unit are for exclusive use with this unit
and should not be used with other electrical appliances.

The VIPRION Platform
Platform Guide: VIPRION®1 - 5
Peripheral hardware that you provide
For each VIPRION blade in the system, you may need to provide additional
peripheral hardware.
◆You need standard input/output hardware if you plan to use direct
administrative access to the VIPRION platform. This requires a serial
terminal and a null modem cable.
◆You must have an administrative workstation on the same IP network as
the platform if you want to use the default VIPRION platform
configuration.
◆You need network hubs, switches, or concentrators to connect to the
VIPRION platform network interfaces. The devices you select must be
compatible with the network interface cards installed in the VIPRION
platform.
• Ethernet requires either a 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps hub or switch.
• Gigabit Ethernet requires a compatible Gigabit Ethernet switch.
• 10 Gigabit Ethernet requires a compatible 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch.
◆You can use an external USB CD/DVD-ROM drive or a USB compact
flash drive that is compatible with the system for installing upgrades and
for system recovery. Even though most USB CD/DVD-ROM and USB
compact flash drives should work, we cannot guarantee compatibility
with all makes and models.
If you plan on doing remote administration from your own PC workstation
as most users do, we recommend that you have your workstation already in
place on the same subnet to which the management interface is connected.

Chapter 1
1 - 6
Technical support resources
You can find additional technical documentation and product information in
the following locations:
◆Online help
The Configuration utility has online help for each screen. The online help
contains descriptions of each control and setting on the screen. Click the
Help tab in the left navigation pane to view the online help for a screen.
◆Welcome screen in the Configuration utility
The Welcome screen in the Configuration utility contains links to many
useful web sites and resources, including:
• The F5 Networks Technical Support web site
• The F5 Solution Center
• The F5 DevCentral web site
• Plug-ins, SNMP MIBs, and SSH clients
◆F5 Networks Technical Support web site
The F5 Networks Technical Support web site, https://support.f5.com,
provides the latest documentation for F5 products, including:
• Release notes for the product, current and past
• Updates for guides (in PDF form)
• Technical notes
• Answers to frequently asked questions
• The Ask F5SM Knowledge Base
To access this site, you need to register at https://support.f5.com.

2
VIPRION Platform Installation
• About VIPRION platform installation
• PB100 and PB200 blade compatibility

VIPRION Platform Installation
Platform Guide: VIPRION®2 - 1
About VIPRION platform installation
This chapter includes some general information about installing the
VIPRION®chassis. However, for details about installing the VIPRION
chassis, refer to the Setting Up the VIPRION™Platform guide, which
includes detailed information, including:
• Unpacking the chassis
• Installing the chassis in a rack
• Adding blades to the chassis
• Licensing the platform
Note
We highly recommend that you install the VIPRION platform chassis into a
rack before you install any blades. This ensures that the weight of the unit
remains manageable as you install the unit into a rack.
WARNING
At least two people are required to install the VIPRION platform into a
rack.
General recommendations for installing a chassis in a rack
Although not required, a 1U space between chassis makes it easier for you
to remove the chassis from the rack in the event that the unit requires
service. A 1U space between units also provides additional cable routing
options.
We recommend 100 mm spacing from the front panel of the unit to the rack
front or rack door. This provides enough room for you to route the cables
without bending them excessively.
WARNING
This product is sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD). We recommend
that when you install or maintain the unit, you use proper ESD grounding
procedures and equipment.
WARNING
Do not power on a VIPRION platform until the management serial console
and/or the management network is connected to the unit.

Chapter 2
2 - 2
PB100 and PB200 blade compatibility
You can use both PB100 and the newer PB200 blades in a VIPRION system
that is running BIG-IP version 10.1 or later.
Blade performance in mixed clusters
If you choose to create a mixed cluster, a system that includes both blade
types, any PB200 blades will perform at the same level as the PB100 blades.
Removing all PB100 blades from a mixed cluster, leaving only PB200
blades, enables the PB200 blades to perform at their maximum capacity.
Blade software versions in mixed clusters
The behavior of a mixed cluster differs depending on the software versions
installed on the blades.
PB200 blades in a cluster running BIG-IP version 10.0.x and earlier
If you install a PB200 blade in a PB100 cluster running a version of the
BIG-IP software that is earlier than version 10.1, you could experience the
following scenarios:
◆You receive an error message in the cluster status for the slot in which
the PB200 blade is installed, indicating that the blade is running the
wrong software version. The software installation status also displays an
error for the PB200 blade slot.
◆Earlier BIG-IP software versions may display in the Configuration
utility, but you will not be able to install them to the PB200 blade. You
receive an installation error message if you attempt to install an earlier
version of the BIG-IP software.
◆If you upgrade the cluster to version 10.1 or later, the PB200 blade joins
the cluster as an active member.
◆If the PB100 blades are subsequently removed from the cluster, the
situation does not correct itself automatically, as the system will
remember that the version of software for that cluster is a version prior to
version 10.1. You can correct this issue by specifying that version 10.1 or
later run on the cluster.
◆If you move a PB200 blade to a second chassis, this does not cause the
other chassis to downgrade to a version earlier than version 10.1. Cluster
configuration information, which includes the software version
information, is tied to the chassis identifier on the chassis hardware and
is removed from the blade when it is moved to another chassis.