onizo#

F5 Big-IP 6400 LTM 9.3.1- Asymetric routing across multiple VLANs

Yesterday, a coworker discovered an issue where packets routed outbound on one VLAN were not being processed when returning on a different VLAN.

here's the fix:

# disable Connection.VlanKeyed
[root@bigip:Active] config # bigpipe db Connection.VlanKeyed disable

# disable the Packet Velocity ASIC (PVA)
[root@bigip:Active] config # bigpipe db Pva.Acceleration none

F5 Big-IP 6400 LTM 9.3.1 - Save configuration using the bigpipe command

save your configuration after making any changes using the 'bigpipe' command:

# bigpipe save all
# this command will save 3 different files.
[root@bigip:Active] config # b save all
/config/bigip_base.conf was renamed to /config/bigip_base.conf.bak (62 lines).
/config/bigip.conf was renamed to /config/bigip.conf.bak (1643 lines).
/config/bigip_local.conf was renamed to /config/bigip_local.conf.bak (0 lines).

# bigpipe save
# this command will save 2 different files.
[root@bigip:Active] config # b save
/config/bigip.conf was renamed to /config/bigip.conf.bak (1643 lines).
/config/bigip_local.conf was renamed to /config/bigip_local.conf.bak (0 lines).

I tend to use 'b save all' out of habit. though, which, logically, you only need to use when using bigpipe command changing the bigip_base.com file.  'b save' works just as well for most cases. I'm really not sure why there is a difference. to be on the save side; it is usually a good idea to save *all* of your work.

some changes are not runtime, and need to be loaded in order for the switch to take the new configuration:

# bigpipe load
# this command will load all of your configuration files
[root@bigip:Active] config # b load
Reading configuration from /config/bigip_base.conf.
Reading configuration from /usr/bin/monitors/builtins/base_monitors.conf.
Reading configuration from /config/profile_base.conf.
Reading configuration from /config/daemon.conf.
Reading configuration from /config/bigip.conf.
Reading configuration from /config/bigip_local.conf.
Loading the configuration ...

as you can see. there 3 additional files loaded than just the one backed up from a 'b save all'. there are some changes that require a restart of the LTM base:

# bigstart restart
[root@bigip:Active] config # bigstart restart
[root@bigip:INOPERATIVE] config #
[root@bigip:Active] config #

the terminal will return after being unreachable for a short time. wait a few more moments and hit <enter> a few times to confirm the load balancer has recovered into 'active' mode.

if you see any errors running this command from the console interface, you should probably contact support and get the issue resolved as quickly as possible.

only a handful of cases require a complete reboot of the system. usually limited to system level changes such as code upgrades and hotfixes.

# full_box_reboot

F5 Big-IP 6400 LTM 9.3.1 - Remote reboot and reload via command line

when making configuration changes via command line, you will need to save and load the configuration into memory.

after ssh'ing into the load balancer:
# save your work
[root@bigip:Active] config # b save all

# load the config into memory
[root@bigip:Active] config # b load

# to completely reboot the box:
[root@bigip:Active] config # full_box_reboot

Ubuntu on Thinkpad T43 laptop - Numlock stuck 'on'

A few months ago, I found a common bug that is shared amongst all ubuntu users on thinkpad laptops. The numlock function stays 'on' and cannot be turned off via keyboard command. So, here is the fix:

Step 1:
# run the gconf-editor from a terminal window
onizo# gconf-editor

Step 2:
# in the Configuration Editor window
go to Edit -> Find and enter "numlock" in the search field. be sure to enable "Search also in key names"

Step 3:
# use the checkboxes to enable/disable features
Turn off "remember_numlock_state"
Turn off numlock "numlock_on"

That's it. no reboot required.