F5 6900 Assembly Instructions

Platform Guide: 6900 and 8900
MAN-0297-03

Platform Guide: 6900 and 8900 i
Product Version
This manual applies to platforms 6900 and 8900 created by F5 Networks, Inc.
Publication Date
This manual was published on March 16, 2010.
Legal Notices
Copyright
Copyright 2008-2010, 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
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user licenses. F5 reserves the right to change specifications at any time without notice.
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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
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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. VCCI-A

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Platform Guide: 6900 and 8900 v
1
The 6900/8900 Platform
About the 6900/8900 platform ....................................................................................................1-1
Getting started with the 6900/8900 platform .................................................................1-2
Technical support resources ........................................................................................................1-5
2
Installing the 6900/8900 Platform
Installing and connecting the hardware .....................................................................................2-1
General recommendations for mounting a unit in a rack ............................................2-2
Attaching the front bezel to the unit ................................................................................2-2
Installing the unit using a front-mounting kit ...................................................................2-3
Installing the unit using a rail-mounting kit ......................................................................2-5
Connecting the cables and other hardware ................................................................. 2-10
3
Operating the LCD Panel
Introducing the LCD panel ...........................................................................................................3-1
Using the LCD panel ......................................................................................................................3-2
Pausing on a screen ...............................................................................................................3-2
Using LCD menus ..................................................................................................................3-2
Powering up the unit .............................................................................................................3-2
Halting the unit .......................................................................................................................3-2
Powering down the unit .......................................................................................................3-3
Rebooting the unit .................................................................................................................3-3
Clearing alerts .........................................................................................................................3-3
Navigating through the LCD menus ...........................................................................................3-4
LCD config menu ...................................................................................................................3-4
Screens menu ..........................................................................................................................3-5
System menu ...........................................................................................................................3-6
4
Using Additional 6900/8900 Platform Functionality
Understanding indicator LED behavior ......................................................................................4-1
Indicator LED behavior ........................................................................................................4-1
Standard operating states ....................................................................................................4-1
Alert conditions indicated by the alarm LED ..................................................................4-2
Specific status indicated by the indicator LEDs ..............................................................4-3
Working with interfaces ................................................................................................................4-4
Status and settings for interfaces .......................................................................................4-4
Status and settings for interfaces .......................................................................................4-5
Network interface LED behavior .......................................................................................4-7
SFP port LED behavior .........................................................................................................4-7
SFP+ port LED behavior ......................................................................................................4-8
5
Using Always-On Management
Introducing Always-On Management .........................................................................................5-1
Accessing the AOM Command Menu ........................................................................................5-2
Options for accessing the AOM Command Menu ........................................................5-2
Setting up Always-On Management SSH access .............................................................5-3
Using the AOM Command Menu ......................................................................................5-3

Table of Contents
vi
6
Configuring and Maintaining a FIPS Security Domain
Understanding the FIPS implementation ...................................................................................6-1
Installing the BIG-IP systems and connecting a serial console ..............................................6-1
Creating the FIPS security domain ..............................................................................................6-2
Initializing the first unit in a redundant system ...............................................................6-2
Initializing the peer system ..................................................................................................6-2
Running the Configuration utility ................................................................................................6-3
Running the fipscardsync utility to synchronize the FIPS HSMs ...........................................6-3
Managing FIPS keys .........................................................................................................................6-4
Planning for system recovery .......................................................................................................6-6
Configuring a redundant system .........................................................................................6-6
Configuring an additional unit for recovery .....................................................................6-6
Saving keys on a disk .............................................................................................................6-6
Recovering FIPS information after a system failure ................................................................6-7
7
Replacing AC Power Supplies
About the AC power supply ........................................................................................................7-1
Replacing a power supply ..............................................................................................................7-2
8
Replacing DC Power Supplies
About the DC power supply ........................................................................................................8-1
About the DC power supply and wiring block ...............................................................8-3
Guidelines for installing the system in a rack ..................................................................8-4
Wiring the DC power supply wiring block .....................................................................8-4
Connecting the DC power supply .....................................................................................8-5
Replacing a power supply .....................................................................................................8-6
Guidelines for DC-powered equipment ....................................................................................8-8
9
Replacing the Fan Tray
About the fan tray ...........................................................................................................................9-1
Replacing the fan tray .....................................................................................................................9-2
10
Replacing Hard Drives
About the hard drives ................................................................................................................. 10-1
If a hard drive fails ........................................................................................................................ 10-2
Hard drive replacement on a BIG-IP 10.1.0 system ............................................................ 10-3
Identifying the faulty hard drive ....................................................................................... 10-4
Replacing the hard drive .................................................................................................... 10-4
Hard drive replacement on a BIG-IP 10.0.1 system ............................................................ 10-6
Replacing the primary hard drive with the spare hard drive .................................... 10-7
Adding the replacement hard drive ................................................................................ 10-8
Creating a spare disk .......................................................................................................... 10-8
Halting the system .............................................................................................................. 10-9

Table of Contents
Platform Guide: 6900 and 8900 vii
11
Working with Environmental Guidelines for the 6900/8900 Platform
Environmental requirements ..................................................................................................... 11-1
General environmental guidelines ................................................................................... 11-1
12
Understanding Platform Airflow
Reviewing platform airflow information ................................................................................. 12-1
Airflow for the 6900/8900 platform ............................................................................... 12-1
13
Reviewing Hardware Specifications
General specifications for system features ............................................................................ 13-1
6900 platform hardware and operating specifications ........................................................ 13-2
8900 platform hardware and operating specifications ........................................................ 13-4
Acoustic, airflow, and altitude specifications ......................................................................... 13-6
A
Platform-Specific Hazardous Substance Levels for China
6900 platform .................................................................................................................................A-1
8900 platform .................................................................................................................................A-2
Glossary
Index

Table of Contents
viii

1
The 6900/8900 Platform
• About the 6900/8900 platform
• Technical support resources

The 6900/8900 Platform
Platform Guide: 6900 and 8900 1 - 1
About the 6900/8900 platform
The BIG-IP®6900 and 8900 platforms are powerful systems capable of
managing traffic for any size of enterprise.
Externally, the 6900 and 8900 platforms look similar. However, there are
some minor internal and external differences.
◆6900 platform
The 6900 platform (Figure 1.1, on page 1-2) features two dual-core
processors, provides hardware SSL acceleration and compression, and
supports eight small form-factor pluggable (SFP) transceivers (LC
connector type) and sixteen 10/100/1000 interfaces.
◆8900 platform
The 8900 platform (Figure 1.2, on page 1-3) features two quad-core
processors, provides hardware SSL acceleration and compression, and
supports eight small form-factor pluggable (SFP) transceivers (LC
connector type), two SFP+ transceivers, and sixteen 10/100/1000
interfaces.
Important
F5 Networks provides support only for F5-branded optics.
For detailed specifications of the 6900 and 8900 platforms, see Chapter 13,
Reviewing Hardware Specifications.

Chapter 1
1 - 2
Getting started with the 6900/8900 platform
You need to be familiar with both the front and back layout of the 6900 or
8900 platform that you are using. Figure 1.1 illustrates the front of a 6900
platform. On the back of the unit, you can turn the unit off and on. On the
front of the unit, you can reset the unit using the LCD panel and view the
indicator LEDs for hard disk access. You can use the front-panel LEDs to
assess the condition of the unit. For details about the behavior of the LEDs,
see Understanding indicator LED behavior, on page 4-1.
The interfaces on every platform are labeled, so it should be clear what each
port is, no matter which hardware configuration you have purchased.
Figure 1.1 Front view of a 6900 platform
Figure 1.2, on page 1-3 illustrates the front of the 8900 platform. The front
of the 8900 platform is similar to the front of the 6900 platform, except for
the addition of two SFP+ ports.
1. Management port
2. USB ports
3. Console port
4. Hard-wired failover port
5. 10/100/1000 interfaces
6. SFP ports
7. Indicator LEDs
8. LCD display
9. LCD control buttons

The 6900/8900 Platform
Platform Guide: 6900 and 8900 1 - 3
Figure 1.2 Front view of an 8900 platform
Figure 1.3 illustrates the back of the 6900 and 8900 platforms.
Figure 1.3 Back view of the 6900 and 8900 platforms
1. Management port
2. USB ports
3. Console port
4. Hard-wired failover port
5. 10/100/1000 interfaces
6. SFP ports
7. SFP+ ports
8. Indicator LEDs
9. LCD display
10. LCD control buttons
1. Power input panel
Power receptacle
2. Power input panel
Power receptacle
3. Fan tray

Chapter 1
1 - 4
Components provided with the 6900/8900 platform
The 6900/8900 platform comes with the hardware that you need for
installation. However, you must also provide standard peripheral hardware,
such as a serial terminal, if you want to administer the 6900/8900 platform
directly.
When you unpack the 6900/8900 platform, you should make sure that the
following components are included:
• Four SFP optical transceivers
• Two power cables (black)
• One failover cable (blue)
• One console cable (beige)
• One front bezel
• Rack-mounting hardware (front-mounting kit and rail-mounting kit)
Peripheral hardware that you provide
For each 6900/8900 platform, you need to provide the following peripheral
hardware:
◆If you plan to use direct administrative access to the platform, you need
standard input/output hardware. This requires a serial terminal and a null
modem cable.
◆If you want to use the default platform configuration, you must have an
administrative workstation on the same IP network as the platform.
◆You also need network hubs, switches, or concentrators to connect to the
platform network interfaces. The devices you select must be compatible
with the network interface cards installed in the platform. The devices
can support 10/100 Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet:
• Ethernet requires either a 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps hub or switch.
• Gigabit Ethernet requires a compatible Gigabit Ethernet switch.
◆You can use an external 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 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.

The 6900/8900 Platform
Platform Guide: 6900 and 8900 1 - 5
Technical support resources
You can find additional technical documentation and product information in
the following locations:
◆Online help for local traffic management
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 Ask F5SM Knowledge Base
• 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 the product, including:
• Release notes for the BIG-IP system, current and past
• Updates for guides (in PDF form)
• Technical notes
• Answers to frequently asked questions
• The Ask F5SM Knowledge Base
To gain access to this site, you need to register at https://support.f5.com.

Chapter 1
1 - 6

2
Installing the 6900/8900 Platform
• Installing and connecting the hardware