Manual Chapter : Network Settings

Applies To:

Show Versions

F5OS-A

1.1.1, 1.1.0

Network Settings

Network settings overview

An administrator can configure L2 network settings for the

rSeries

system, such as port groups, LAGs, interfaces, VLANs, LACP, LLDP, and STP. You can configure these network settings from the webUI, the CLI, or REST APIs.

Port groups overview

The front-panel ports on

F5 r2000/r4000 and F5 r5000/r10000 platforms

support port group functionality. Port groups enable you to configure the mode of the physical port, which controls the port speed and whether the port is bundled or unbundled. Until configured, the

rSeries

system uses port speeds of

100G, 25G, or 10G, depending on the port and the platform

. You can change them based on what optical transceiver module type you are using.

F5 r2000/r4000 platforms have pre-defined configuration modes. These port group options are 4x25GbE, 8x10GbE, and 4x10GbE+2x25GbE.

Before configuring any interfaces, VLANs, or LAGs, you can set up port groups so that physical interfaces on the

platform

are configured for the proper speed and bundling. Depending on the port group mode, a different FPGA version is loaded, and the speed of the port is adjusted accordingly. The system creates the port group components.

Changing the mode for a port group reboots the

system

, removes stale interfaces from your configuration, and removes any references to stale interfaces from your configuration. You will then need to reconfigure any previously-configured protocols to use the modified port group.

Configure port groups from the webUI

You can configure port groups to use a specific mode depending on how you are connecting your system.

Changing the port group mode impacts the view of physical interfaces published by the system. The previous interfaces that corresponded to the previous port group mode are deleted, and new ones are created. All configuration associated with the deleted interfaces is also lost.

On the left, click

NETWORK SETTINGS

Port Groups

For a specific port group, select a

Mode

from the list.

For F5 r5000/r10000, you can choose one of these modes:

Option	Description
100GbE	Create one interface at 100G speed.
40GbE	Create one interface at 40G speed.
10GbE	Create one interface at 10G speed.

For F5 r2000/r4000, you can choose a pre-defined configuration as a mode:

Option	Description
4x25GbE	Creates four interfaces at 25G speed.
4x10GbE+2x25GbE	Creates four interfaces at 10G speed and two interfaces at 25G speed.
8x10GbE	Creates eight interfaces at 10G speed.

Click

Save

When you change the port group mode on ports for a specific group, the system resets. The previous interfaces that corresponded to the previous port group mode are deleted, and the associated (underlying) configuration is also lost.

Configure the mode of a port group from the CLI

You can configure a port group for the interfaces on the system at either 100GbE or 40GbE speeds from the CLI. .

When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.

Change to config mode.

config

The CLI prompt changes to include

(config)

Configure port groups for a specific interface.

portgroups portgroup <interface-number> config mode [

MODE_100GB

MODE_40GB

]

In this example, you configure the port group mode on interface 2 to use the 100GB mode:

appliance-1(config)# portgroups portgroup 2 config mode MODE_100GB

Commit the configuration changes.

commit

Show the state of port groups from the CLI

You can show the state for port groups on the system from the CLI.

When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.

Show the current state for the port groups configuration.

show portgroups portgroup

A summary similar to this example displays:

appliance-1# show portgroups portgroup
portgroups portgroup 1
 state vendor-name      "F5 INC."
 state vendor-oui       009065
 state vendor-partnum   "OPT-0031        "
 state vendor-revision  A0
 state vendor-serialnum "A1B2C3D40         "
 state transmitter-technology "850 nm VCSEL"
 state media            100GBASE-SR4
 state optic-state      QUALIFIED
 state ddm rx-pwr low-threshold alarm -14.0
 state ddm rx-pwr low-threshold warn -11.0
 state ddm rx-pwr instant val-lane1 -1.96
 state ddm rx-pwr instant val-lane2 -0.95
 state ddm rx-pwr instant val-lane3 -1.06
 state ddm rx-pwr instant val-lane4 -1.98
 state ddm rx-pwr high-threshold alarm 3.4
 state ddm rx-pwr high-threshold warn 2.4
 state ddm tx-pwr low-threshold alarm -10.0
 state ddm tx-pwr low-threshold warn -8.0
 state ddm tx-pwr instant val-lane1 0.07
 state ddm tx-pwr instant val-lane2 0.67
 state ddm tx-pwr instant val-lane3 0.32
 state ddm tx-pwr instant val-lane4 0.45
 state ddm tx-pwr high-threshold alarm 5.0
 state ddm tx-pwr high-threshold warn 3.0
 state ddm temp low-threshold alarm -5.0
 state ddm temp low-threshold warn 0.0
 state ddm temp instant val 40.8046
 state ddm temp high-threshold alarm 75.0
 state ddm temp high-threshold warn 70.0
 state ddm bias low-threshold alarm 0.003
 state ddm bias low-threshold warn 0.005
 state ddm bias instant val-lane1 0.00753
 state ddm bias instant val-lane2 0.007448
 state ddm bias instant val-lane3 0.007536
 state ddm bias instant val-lane4 0.007504
 state ddm bias high-threshold alarm 0.013
 state ddm bias high-threshold warn 0.011
 state ddm vcc low-threshold alarm 2.97
 state ddm vcc low-threshold warn 3.135
 state ddm vcc instant val 3.3027
 state ddm vcc high-threshold alarm 3.63
 state ddm vcc high-threshold warn 3.465
...

Port mappings overview

Port mappings show how the front-panel interfaces on F5 r5000/r10000 systems are configured for capacity bandwidth and allocated bandwidth using

pipelines

and

pipeline groups

pipeline: Corresponds to a traffic-processing pipeline. There are eight virtual ports per pipeline. Each pipeline has 100Gb of throughput.
pipeline group: Contains two pipelines and corresponds to FPGA sockets. The system FPGAs are configured in the bitstream to support the different ports. No bitstream supports all ports simultaneously.

Display port mappings from the webUI

You can view how port mappings are configured from the webUI.

On the left, click

NETWORK SETTINGS

Port Mappings

The current configuration for port mappings displays.

Port profiles overview

The front-panel ports on F5 r2000/r4000 systems support port profile functionality. Port profiles enable you to change which mode, or port speed, that port uses. SFP28 ports operate at 25GbE by default, and SFP+ ports operate at 10GbE by default. Only these configurations are available:

8x10G: All eight 10G (SFP+) ports run at 10G speed. This is the default configuration.
2x25G - 4x10G: Two 25G (SFP28) ports run at 25G speed, and four 10G (SFP+) ports run at 10G.
4x25G: All four 25G (SFP28) ports run at 25G speed.

Changing the mode for a port profile reboots the system, and then removes stale interfaces and any references to stale interfaces from your configuration. You must reconfigure any previously-configured protocols to use your modified port group.

All tenants must be in “configured” state before you can change the port profile. You cannot change the profile while a tenant is in “deployed” state.

Configure a port profile from the CLI

You can configure port profiles for the interfaces on the system from the CLI.

When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.

Change to config mode.

config

The CLI prompt changes to include

(config)

Change the port profile configuration.

port-profiles config mode [

2x25G-4x10G

4x25G

8x10G

]

In this example, you configure the port profile to use the 4x25G mode:

appliance-1(config)# port-profiles config mode 4x25G

Commit the configuration changes.

commit

Interfaces overview

rSeries

systems include a set number of front-panel interfaces (or ports). The number of available interfaces varies depending on hardware model.

Configure interfaces from the webUI

Before you begin, you must already have created the VLANs that you want to associate with the interface.

If you intend to create LAGs, you should wait to associate VLANs with interfaces, because an interface cannot be used as a LAG member if it is associated with an interface.

You can configure interfaces from the webUI.

On the left, click

NETWORK SETTINGS

Interfaces

A table showing all interfaces displays.

Click an interface name.

For

State

, select whether the interface is

Enabled

Disabled

These settings are informational, set values and cannot be changed: Operational Status, Speed, MAC Address, and Interface Type.

For

MTU

, the maximum transmissions unit is set to the default value of 9600 (read only).

This is the largest size that the system allows for an IP datagram passing through a physical interface.

Forward Error Correction

is set to the default value of

Auto

(read only) and detects and corrects a limited number of errors in transmitted data.

Since this setting is enabled automatically, your upstream switch must also support Forward Error Correction (FEC).

RX Flow Control

is set to

Off

, and it is not supported on any of the interfaces.

For

Native VLAN

, select the VLAN ID to use for untagged frames received on an interface: either a single interface or LAG.

An interface or LAG can have only one Native VLAN assigned to it. You can use a Native VLAN with multiple LAGs or interfaces. You cannot use a VLAN, however, as both a Native and Trunk VLAN for the same interface.

For

Trunk VLANs

, select one or more VLAN IDs, if available, and not a member of another LAG; this is used for tagged traffic.

You can use the same VLAN ID as the Trunk VLAN across all interfaces or LAGs. You cannot use a VLAN, however, as both a Native and Trunk VLAN for the same interface.

A trunk VLAN or a Native VLAN is required to pass traffic. If you do not select either a Native VLAN or a Trunk VLAN, the port will not carry any traffic.

Click

Save & Close

Display and reset interface statistics from the webUI

You can view statistics for physical interfaces configured on the system from the webUI. The table shows, for each interface, the amount of data that was input and output in multiple forms. You can also see in/out errors and frame check sequence (FCS) errors that occurred on each of the interfaces, and you can reset to clear the data.

On the left, click

SYSTEM SETTINGS

Management Interface

Under Interface Statistics, change the way the statistics are displayed in the

Data Format

by selecting

Normalized

Unformatted

Selecting

Normalized

converts the byte representation to kilobytes, megabytes, or terabytes, depending on the size. This provides better data readability especially when there are massive amounts of traffic passing through the interfaces.

Set the

Auto Refresh

interval for refreshing the data displayed or click the refresh icon to update the data immediately.

Select one or more interfaces, then click

Reset

to clear the data.

Link aggregation group (LAG) overview

A link aggregation group (LAG) is a logical group of interfaces that function as a single interface. The LAG (like a trunk on tenant systems) distributes traffic across multiple links, which increases the bandwidth by adding the bandwidth of multiple links together. For example, four fast Ethernet (100 Mbps) links, if aggregated, create a single 400 Mbps link. LAGs also enhance connection reliability by providing link failover if a member link becomes unavailable.

There are two types of LAGs:

Static: Ports in the LAG are manually configured, and the group of ports assigned to a static LAG is always made up of active members. This is the default type of LAG.
Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP): When LACP is enabled on a LAG, the port configure automatically into groups without manual configuration. The LACP protocol detects error conditions on member links and redistributes traffic to other member links, thus preventing any loss of traffic on a failed link.

Create LAGs from the webUI

You can create a link aggregation group (LAG) or edit the properties of an existing LAG from the webUI.

On the left, click

NETWORK SETTINGS

LAGs

The screen shows LAGs that are configured.

Click

Add

For

Name

, type a name for the LAG.

For

LAG Type

, select one of these options:

Option	Description
STATIC	Manually configure the links. The link state of LAG members is not dynamically updated. This is the default value for LAGs.
LACP	Automatically bundle links.

If you select

LACP

, configure these additional settings:

Option	Description
LACP Interval	Specify an interval at which interfaces send LACP packets. Select FAST (transmit packets every second) or SLOW (transmit packets every 30 seconds).
LACP Mode	Specify the negotiation state for LACP. Select ACTIVE (in an active negotiating state) or PASSIVE (do not initiate negotiation until peer contacts first).

For

Configured Members

, select one or more interfaces (not members of another LAG) to assign to the LAG.

Only interfaces that are configured with the same speeds can be members of the LAG. The interfaces cannot be associated with VLANs.

You can add up to 20 members to a LAG.

For

Native VLAN

, select the VLAN ID to use for untagged frames received on a trunk interface.

For

Trunk VLANs

, select one or more VLAN IDs, if available and not a member of another LAG.

A trunk VLAN or a native VLAN is required to pass traffic. If you do not select either a native VLAN or a trunk VLAN, the port will not carry any traffic.

Click

Save & Close

The LAG is created and shown in the list. You can edit LAG properties by clicking the LAG name. You can add up to 256 LAGs.

Display LACP details from the webUI

You can view the LACP details on the webUI to troubleshoot. For example, you can determine why an interface member of an LACP LAG on the system is not working as expected.

On the left, click

NETWORK SETTINGS

LACP Details

The screen shows state information about whether LACP is Up, Down, or Defaulted for LACP interfaces. The lower portion of the screen shows details that can be used for troubleshooting LACP issues.

Set the

Auto Refresh

interval for refreshing the data displayed or click the refresh icon to update the data immediately.

VLAN overview

A VLAN is a logical subset of hosts on a local area network (LAN) that operates in the same IP address space. Grouping hosts together in a VLAN has distinct advantages. For example, with VLANs, you can:

Reduce the size of broadcast domains, thereby enhancing overall network performance.

Reduce system and network maintenance tasks substantially. Functionally related hosts do not need to physically reside together to achieve optimal network performance.

Enhance security on your network by segmenting hosts that must transmit sensitive data.

For the most basic

rSeries

system configurations, you might create multiple VLANs. That is, you create a VLAN for each of the internal and external networks, as well as a VLAN for high availability communications. You then associate each VLAN with the relevant interfaces or LAGs.

Create VLANs from the webUI

You can create a VLAN and associate physical interfaces or LAGs with that VLAN. In this way, any host that sends traffic to an interface is logically a member of the VLAN or VLANs to which that interface or LAG belongs.

On the left, click

NETWORK SETTINGS

VLANs

The screen shows VLANs that are configured for the system.

Click

Add

For

Name

, type a name for the VLAN.

VLAN names must follow these rules:

Start with an alphabetic character (Aa-Zz).

Can be up to 56 characters in length.

After the first character, can contain alphanumeric characters, periods (.), hyphens (-) and underscores (_).

VLAN names must be unique.

For

VLAN ID

, type a number between 1-4094 for the VLAN.

The VLAN ID identifies the traffic from hosts in the associated VLAN for an associated interface or LAG.

Click

Add VLAN

to create the VLAN.

The VLAN is created and displayed in the VLAN list. You can use the VLANs when configuring interfaces, creating LAGs, and deploying tenants (one VLAN can be shared by more than one tenant).

VLAN listeners overview

VLAN listeners are created and deleted by the system at runtime. They are used to program the destination for broadcast packets and L2 destination lookup failures (DLFs).

The system creates a listener when you configure a VLAN for a tenant.

VLAN Listener (listener): Created when a VLAN is used by a single tenant or when a VLAN is not shared among tenants. VLAN listeners that are created for tenant VLANs that do not include any members are indicated with the value
0.host
for interface.

Display VLAN listeners from the webUI

You can view VLAN listeners when you need to troubleshoot data path issues and check whether the correct VLANs are assigned to the tenants from the webUI.

On the left, click

NETWORK SETTINGS

VLAN Listeners

The screen shows VLAN listeners that are active on the system.

Set the

Auto Refresh

interval for refreshing the data displayed or click the refresh icon to update the data immediately.

You can see the VLAN listeners that are associated with specific interfaces, VLANs, and other related information. If something does not look correct, review the configuration for that object.

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) overview

The

rSeries

system supports Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP), which is a Layer 2 industry-standard protocol (IEEE 802.1AB) that enables a network device to advertise its identity and capabilities to multi-vendor neighbor devices on a network. The protocol also enables a network device to receive information from neighbor devices. LLDP transmits device information in LLDP frames using the TLV (Type-Length-Value) format.

In general, this protocol:

Advertises connectivity and management information about the local

rSeries

device to neighbor devices on the same IEEE 802 LAN.

Receives network management information from neighbor devices on the same IEEE 802 LAN.

Operates with all IEEE 802 access protocols and network media.

Configure LLDP from the webUI

Before you can configure LLDP, make sure that the interfaces you will use are up and running with VLANs configured.

You can configure LLDP from the webUI.

On the left, click

NETWORK SETTINGS

LLDP Configuration

Set

Enable LLDP

Enabled

Type a

System Name

and optionally, a

System Description

For

TX Interval

, type a number (0-65535) for the interval (in seconds) at which LLDP packets are sent to neighbors. The default value is 30 seconds.

For

TX Hold

, type a number (0-65535).

The default value is 4 seconds.

For

Reinitiate Delay

, type a number (0-65535) to specify the minimum time interval, in seconds, an LLDP port waits before re-initializing an LLDP transmission.

The default value is 2 seconds.

For

TX Delay

, type a number (0-65535) to specify the minimum time delay, in seconds, between successive LLDP frame transmissions.

The default value is 2 seconds.

For

Max Neighbors Per Port

, type a number to specify the maximum number of LLDP neighbors for which LLDP data is retained.

The default value is 10.

In the

Interfaces

table, select the interfaces and LAGs (if any) for which you want to enable LLDP. For each one selected:

Select

Enabled

For

TLV Advertisement State

, select

(Transmit only),

(Receive only), or

TXRX

(Transmit and Receive).

For

TLV Map

, select the TLV device information that you want to transmit and/or receive, such as MAC Phy configuration, management address, MFS (maximum frame size), port description, port ID, and power MDI.

Click

Save

LLDP is configured on the system for the specified interfaces and LAGs.

Display LLDP details from the webUI

LLDP enables a network device to advertise information about itself to other devices on the network and enables network devices to receive information from neighboring devices. If using LLDP, you can display state information for the LLDP-enabled interfaces and LAGs on the system. When LLDP is enabled to receive data in a working network, any device information received from neighbors is included in a table.

On the left, click

NETWORK SETTINGS

LLDP Details

The screen shows LLDP state information for interfaces in the system (similar to info shown at the CLI using

show lldp

In the Neighbors table, examine the identification, configuration, and capabilities of neighboring devices.

This information provides details useful for troubleshooting many configuration problems.

Set the

Auto Refresh

interval for refreshing the data displayed or click the refresh icon to update the data immediately.

Spanning tree protocol (STP) overview

The

rSeries

system supports a set of industry-standard, Layer 2 protocols known as

spanning tree protocols

. A spanning tree is a logical tree-like depiction of the bridges on a network and the paths that connect them. Spanning tree protocols block redundant paths on a network, preventing bridging loops. If a blocked, redundant path is needed later because another path has failed, the spanning tree protocols clear the path again for traffic.

Spanning tree protocols are only supported on F5 r5000/r10000 platforms.

The spanning tree protocols that the

rSeries

system supports are:

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) - 802.1d

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) - 802.1w

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) - 802.1s

You can configure spanning tree protocols on

the system

from the webUI, CLI, or REST API. Only one spanning tree protocol can be configured at a time.

Central to the way that spanning tree protocols work is the use of bridge protocol data units (BPDUs). When you enable spanning tree protocols on Layer 2 devices on a network, the devices send BPDUs to each other, for the purpose of learning the redundant paths and updating their L2 forwarding tables accordingly, electing a root bridge, building a spanning tree, and notifying each other about changes in interface status.

The term

bridge

refers to a Layer 2 device such as a switch, bridge, or hub.

When you configure spanning tree on the

rSeries

system, you must first decide which protocol, or mode, you want to enable. Because MSTP recognizes VLANs, using MSTP is preferable. All bridges in a network environment that you want to use spanning tree must run the same spanning tree protocol. If a legacy bridge running RSTP or STP is added to the network, the

rSeries

system must switch and also use that same protocol.

STP/RSTP/MSTP configuration from the CLI

Change STP modes from the CLI

If you want to change STP modes, you must first remove the existing STP configuration by deleting the existing mode and configuration from the CLI.

When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.

Change to config mode.

config

The CLI prompt changes to include

(config)

Disable the current STP mode

no stp global config enabled-protocol STP

Commit the configuration changes.

commit

Remove the existing interface configuration for STP mode.

no stp stp interfaces interface

Remove the edge port and link type configuration.

no stp interfaces interface

Commit the configuration changes.

commit

Enable another STP mode.

stp global config enabled-protocol [

MSTP

RAPID_PVST

RSTP

STP

]

In this example, you enable RSTP:

appliance-1(config)# stp global config enabled-protocol RSTP

Commit the configuration changes.

commit

Configure STP from the CLI

STP is the original spanning tree protocol, but it is not recommended in VLAN-rich environments due to poor performance unless required by your configuration. STP can create only one spanning tree (instance 0) for the entire network, and therefore cannot take VLANs into account when managing redundant paths. You can configure STP from the CLI.

When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.

Change to config mode.

config

The CLI prompt changes to include

(config)

Enable STP.

stp global config enabled-protocol [

MSTP

RAPID_PVST

RSTP

STP

]

In this example, you enable STP mode:

appliance-1(config)# stp global config enabled-protocol STP

Configure the bridge-priority so that it is not selected as the root bridge.

stp stp config bridge-priority <priority>

The priority is used together with the address as a bridge identifier. The range is from 0 (highest) to 61440 (lowest), in increments of 4096. The default value is 32768.

In this example, you set the bridge priority to 32768:

appliance-1(config)# stp stp config bridge-priority 32768

Configure interface cost and port priority.

stp [

global

interfaces

mstp

rstp

stp

] interfaces interface <interface> config cost <cost> port-priority <priority>

You must configure all interfaces that will be included in STP.

The priority is used as the port identifier together with the port number. The port priority range is from 0 (highest) to 240 (lowest) in increments of 16. The default value is 128. The port path cost range is from 0 (lowest) to 20,000,000,000 in increments of 1. The default port path cost is assigned dynamically (cost = 20,000,000,000 / port speed in kbits).

In this example, you configure the RSTP to use port 1.0, with an interface cost of 200 and a port priority of 128:

appliance-1(config)# stp stp interfaces interface 1.0 config cost 200 
  port-priority 128

Commit the configuration changes.

commit

Configure RSTP from the CLI

RSTP is an enhancement to STP that improves spanning tree performance. RSTP can create only one spanning tree (instance 0) for the entire network, and therefore cannot take VLANs into account when managing redundant paths. You can configure RSTP from the CLI.

When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.

Change to config mode.

config

The CLI prompt changes to include

(config)

Enable RSTP.

stp global config enabled-protocol [

MSTP

RAPID_PVST

RSTP

STP

]

The bridge-priority, forwarding-delay, hello-time, hold-count, and max-age have default values, which are recommended for use.

In this example, you enable RSTP mode:

appliance-1(config)# stp global config enabled-protocol RSTP

Configure the bridge-priority so that it is not selected as the root bridge.

stp [

global

interfaces

mstp

rstp

stp

] config bridge-priority <priority>

The priority is used together with the address as a bridge identifier. The range is from 0 (highest) to 61440 (lowest), in increments of 4096. The default value is 32768.

appliance-1(config)# stp rstp config bridge-priority 32768

Configure interface cost and port priority.

stp [

global

interfaces

mstp

rstp

stp

] interfaces interface <interface> config cost <cost> port-priority <priority>

You must configure all interfaces that will be included in STP.

In this example, you configure the RSTP to use port 1.0, with an interface cost of 200 and a port priority of 128:

appliance-1(config)# stp rstp interfaces interface 1.0 config cost 200 
  port-priority 128

Configure interface edge-port and link-type.

stp interfaces interface <interface> config edge-port [

EDGE_AUTO

EDGE_DISABLE

EDGE_ENABLE

] link-type [

P2P

SHARED

]

You must configure all interfaces that will be included in STP.

In this example, you configure port 2.0 to set the interface as an EDGE_AUTO port that uses point-to-point spanning tree links:

appliance-1(config)# stp interfaces interface 2.0 config 
  edge-port EDGE_AUTO link-type P2P

Commit the configuration changes.

commit

Configure MSTP from the CLI

MSTP is an enhancement to RSTP and is the preferred spanning tree protocol (STP) for the

rSeries

system. MSTP is specifically designed to understand VLANs and VLAN tagging (specified in IEEE 802.1q). MSTP allows for multiple spanning tree instances. Each instance corresponds to a spanning tree and can control one or more VLANs that you specify when you create the instance. Thus, for any

rSeries

system interface that you assigned to multiple VLANs, MSTP can block a path on one VLAN, while still keeping a path in another VLAN open for traffic.

You can configure MSTP from the CLI. The spanning tree algorithm automatically groups bridges into regions, based on the values you assign to the MSTP configuration name, revision number, instance numbers, and instance members.

When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.

Change to config mode.

config

The CLI prompt changes to include

(config)

Enable MSTP.

stp mstp config name <region-name> revision [0-65535]

The

name

option is a string <= 32 characters, and the default value is the bridge MAC address. The

revision

option is a range from 0 to 65535, and the default value is 0. The

forwarding-delay

hello-time

hold-count

max-age

, and

max-hop

options have default values, which are recommended for use.

The

name

and

revision

options together form the common identifier of the BPDUs within the region. They must be identical on all bridges in the region.

Create an MSTP instance.

stp mstp mst-instances mst-instance <integer> config mst-id <integer>

In this example, you create an instance named test with the default revision level (0):

appliance-1(config)# stp mstp config name test revision 0

Configure VLANs for the MSTP instance.

vlans vlan <vlan-id>

The VLANs must already exist.

In this example, you create VLANs 300 and 301:

appliance-1(config)# vlans vlan 300
appliance-1(config-vlan-300)# vlans vlan 301

In this example, you assign VLANs 300 and 301 to MSTP instance 1:

appliance-1(config)# stp mstp mst-instances mst-instance 1 
  config vlan [ 300 301 ]

Exit to the top level of the configuration hierarchy.

top

Configure bridge priority for the MSTP instance.

stp mstp mst-instances mst-instance <instance> config bridge-priority <priority>

Each MSTP instance can have its own priority. The priority is used together with the address as a bridge identifier. The default value is 32768, and the range is from 0 (highest) to 61440 (lowest) in multiples of 4096.

In this example, you configure MTSP instance 1 with a bridge priority of 32768:

appliance-1(config)# stp mstp mst-instances mst-instance 1 config 
  bridge-priority 32768

Exit to the top level of the configuration hierarchy.

top

Configure interface cost and port priority.

stp mstp mst-instances mst-instance <instance> interface interface <interface> config cost <cost> port-priority <priority>

You must configure all interfaces that will be included in STP.

In this example, you configure MSTP instance 1 to use port 1.0, with an interface cost of 200 and a port priority of 128:

appliance-1(config)# stp mstp mst-instances mst-instance 1 interfaces 
  interface 1.0 config cost 200 port-priority 128

Exit to the top level of the configuration hierarchy.

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Configure interface edge-port and link-type.

stp interfaces interface <interface> config edge-port [

EDGE_AUTO

EDGE_DISABLE

EDGE_ENABLE

] link-type [

P2P

SHARED

]

You must configure all interfaces that will be included in STP.

In this example, you configure port 2.0 to set the interface as an EDGE_AUTO port that uses point-to-point spanning tree links:

appliance-1(config)# stp interfaces interface 2.0 config   
  edge-port EDGE_AUTO link-type P2P

These settings speed up convergence time by eliminating the learning state on ports that do not receive BPDUs. This configuration is cancelled automatically upon reception of a BPDU.

Commit the configuration changes.

commit

STP/RSTP/MSTP configuration from the webUI

Configure STP from the webUI

You can configure Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) from the webUI.

Spanning tree protocols are only supported on F5 r5000/r10000 platforms.

On the left, click

NETWORK SETTINGS

STP Configuration

For

STP Mode

, select:

STP

(single instance, best on networks with legacy systems).

A message warns you that changing modes deletes any existing STP configuration settings. When you click

, the selected mode is enabled, and additional options for that mode display (with default values set).

For

Hello Time

, specify the time interval, in seconds, that the system transmits spanning tree information (through BPDUs) to adjacent bridges in the network.

The default value is 2.

For

Max Age

, specify the length of time, in seconds, that spanning tree information received from other bridges is considered valid.

The default value is 20, and the valid range is from 6 to 40.

For

Forwarding Delay

, specify the amount of time, in seconds, that the system blocks an interface from forwarding network traffic when the spanning tree algorithm reconfigures a spanning tree.

The default value is 15, and the valid range is from 4 to 30. This has no effect when running in RSTP or MSTP unless using an added legacy STP bridge.

For

Hold Count

, specify the maximum number of spanning tree frames (BPDUs) that the system can transmit on a port within the Hello Time interval.

This ensures that spanning tree frames do not overload the network. The default value is 6, and the valid range is from 1 to 10.

For

Bridge Priority

, specify the bridge in the spanning tree with the lowest relative priority becomes the root bridge, which is responsible for managing loop resolution on the network.

Configure this setting so that the system never becomes the root bridge. The default value is 32768. The valid range is from 0 to 61440 in multiples of 4096.

For

Interfaces

, select the interfaces (and/or LAGs) for which you want to configure STP and specify these fields:

Option	Description
Cost	Used to calculate the cost of sending spanning tree traffic through the interface to an adjacent bridge or spanning tree region, based on the speed of the interface. The default value is 0, and the valid range is from 0 (lowest) to 200,000,000 (highest).
Port Priority	Used as the port identifier together with the port number. The default value is 128 (when an interface is selected), and the valid range is from 0 (highest) to 240 (lowest) in multiples of 16.
Edge Port	Needed only for RSTP or MSTP. When enabled, indicates the interface or LAG is an edge port that does not receive any BPDU frames. Set to EDGE-AUTO, EDGE-ENABLE, or EDGE-DISABLE. If you enable EDGE-ENABLE, and the interface later receives BPDUs, the system disables the setting automatically, because only non-edge interfaces can receive BPDUs.
Link Type	Specifies the type of optimization: P2P : Optimizes for point-to-point spanning tree links (connects two spanning tree bridges only). Note that P2P is the only valid STP link type for a LAG. Shared : Optimizes for shared spanning tree links (connecting two or more spanning tree bridges).

For more information on the available interfaces and LAGs, see the

NETWORK SETTINGS

Interfaces

LAGs

screens.

Click

Save

The system displays a confirmation dialog confirming whether to change the STP mode.

STP is now set up for use on the system.

Configure RSTP from the webUI

You can configure Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) from the webUI.

Spanning tree protocols are only supported on F5 r5000/r10000 platforms.

On the left, click

NETWORK SETTINGS

STP Configuration

For

STP Mode

, select

RSTP

(single instance, fast convergence).

A message warns you that changing modes deletes any existing STP configuration settings. When you click

, the selected mode is enabled, and additional options for that mode are displayed (with default values set).

For

Hello Time

, specify the time interval, in seconds, that the

rSeries

system transmits spanning tree information (through BPDUs) to adjacent bridges in the network.

The default value is 2. For RSTP, maintain this relationship between the Maximum Age and Hello Time options:

Max Age >= 2 * (Hello Time + 1)

For

Max Age

, specify the length of time, in seconds, that spanning tree information received from other bridges is considered valid.

The default value is 20, and the valid range is from 6 to 40. For RSTP, maintain these relationships between the Maximum Age and the Hello Time and Forward Delay options:

Max Age >= 2 * (Hello Time + 1)

Max Age <= 2 * (Forward Delay - 1)

For

Forwarding Delay

, specify the amount of time, in seconds, that the system blocks an interface from forwarding network traffic when the spanning tree algorithm reconfigures a spanning tree.

The default value is 15, and the valid range is from 4 to 30. This has no effect when running in RSTP or MSTP unless using an added legacy STP bridge. For RSTP, maintain these relationships between the Maximum Age and Forward Delay options:

Max Age <= 2 * (Forward Delay - 1)

For

Interfaces

, select the interfaces (and/or LAGs) for which you want to configure RSTP and specify these fields:

Option	Description
Cost	Used to calculate the cost of sending spanning tree traffic through the interface to an adjacent bridge or spanning tree region, based on the speed of the interface. The default value is 0, and the valid range is from 0 (lowest) to 200,000,000 (highest).
Port Priority	Used as the port identifier together with the port number. The default value is 128 (when an interface is selected), and the valid range is from 0 (highest) to 240 (lowest) in multiples of 16.
Edge Port	Needed only for RSTP or MSTP. When enabled, indicates the interface or LAG is an edge port that does not receive any BPDU frames. Set to EDGE-AUTO, EDGE-ENABLE, or EDGE-DISABLE. If you enable EDGE-ENABLE, and the interface later receives BPDUs, the system disables the setting automatically, because only non-edge interfaces can receive BPDUs.
Link Type	Specifies the type of optimization: P2P : Optimizes for point-to-point spanning tree links (connects two spanning tree bridges only). Note that P2P is the only valid STP link type for a LAG. Shared : Optimizes for shared spanning tree links (connecting two or more spanning tree bridges).

For more information on the available interfaces and LAGs, see the

NETWORK SETTINGS

Interfaces

LAGs

screens.

Click

Save

The system displays a confirmation dialog confirming whether to change the STP mode.

RSTP is now set up for use on the system.

Configure MSTP from the webUI

If you want to use Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) to define a region, you can configure it from the webUI.

Spanning tree protocols are only supported on F5 r5000/r10000 platforms.

On the left, click

NETWORK SETTINGS

STP Configuration

For

STP Mode

, select

MSTP

(multiple instances, fast convergence).

For

Region Name

, type a name (string with 1 to 32 characters) that you assign to all bridges in a spanning tree region.

A spanning tree region is a group of bridges with identical region names and MSTP revision numbers, as well as identical assignment of VLANs to spanning tree instances. The default value is the bridge MAC address. A region can have multiple members with the same MSTP configuration.

For

Revision

, specify a global revision number that you assign to all bridges in a spanning tree region.

The default value is 0, and the valid range is 0 to 65535. All bridges in the same region must have this same configuration revision number.

For

Max Hop

, specify The maximum number of hops that a spanning tree frame (BPDU) can traverse before it is discarded.

The default value is 20, and the valid range is from 1 to 255.

For

Hello Time

, specify the time interval, in seconds, that the system transmits spanning tree information (through BPDUs) to adjacent bridges in the network.

The default value is 2.

For

Forwarding Delay

, specify the amount of time, in seconds, that the system blocks an interface from forwarding network traffic when the spanning tree algorithm reconfigures a spanning tree.

The default value is 15, and the valid range is from 4 to 30. This has no effect when running in RSTP or MSTP unless using an added legacy STP bridge.

For

Hold Count

, specify the maximum number of spanning tree frames (BPDUs) that the system can transmit on a port within the Hello Time interval.

This ensures that spanning tree frames do not overload the network. The default value is 6, and the valid range is from 1 to 10.

To configure multiple instances for a region, adjust these settings for

MSTP Instances

Under

Instances

, click

In the Add MSTP Instance popup, for

Instance ID

, type a positive integer and click

Add

Under

Instances

, select one of the instances.

Available interfaces are listed below.

Under

VLANs

, select the VLANs to map to this instance.

For

Bridge Priority

, configure this setting so that the

rSeries

system never becomes the root bridge.

The default value is 32768, and the valid range is from 0 to 61440 in multiples of 4096. Each MSTP instance can have its own bridge priority.

For

Interfaces

, select the interfaces that traffic for this instance can use and specify these fields:

Option	Description
Cost	Used to calculate the cost of sending spanning tree traffic through the interface to an adjacent bridge or spanning tree region, based on the speed of the interface. The default value is 0, and the valid range is from 0 (lowest) to 200,000,000 (highest).
Port Priority	Used as the port identifier together with the port number. The default value is 128 (when an interface is selected), and the valid range is from 0 (highest) to 240 (lowest) in multiples of 16.
Edge Port	Needed only for RSTP or MSTP. When enabled, indicates the interface or LAG is an edge port that does not receive any BPDU frames. Set to EDGE-AUTO, EDGE-ENABLE, or EDGE-DISABLE. If you enable EDGE-ENABLE, and the interface later receives BPDUs, the system disables the setting automatically, because only non-edge interfaces can receive BPDUs.
Link Type	Specifies the type of optimization: P2P : Optimizes for point-to-point spanning tree links (connects two spanning tree bridges only). Note that P2P is the only valid STP link type for a LAG. Shared : Optimizes for shared spanning tree links (connecting two or more spanning tree bridges).

Continue to configure any other instances that you might need.

Click

Save

The system displays a confirmation dialog confirming whether to change the STP mode.

MSTP is set up for use on the system.

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Applies To:

F5OS-A

Network Settings

Network settings overview

Port groups overview

Configure port groups from the webUI

Configure the mode of a port group from the CLI

Show the state of port groups from the CLI

Port mappings overview

Display port mappings from the webUI

Port profiles overview

Configure a port profile from the CLI

Interfaces overview

Configure interfaces from the webUI

Display and reset interface statistics from the webUI

Link aggregation group (LAG) overview

Create LAGs from the webUI

Display LACP details from the webUI

VLAN overview

Create VLANs from the webUI

VLAN listeners overview

Display VLAN listeners from the webUI

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) overview

Configure LLDP from the webUI

Display LLDP details from the webUI

Spanning tree protocol (STP) overview

STP/RSTP/MSTP configuration from the CLI

Change STP modes from the CLI

Configure STP from the CLI

Configure RSTP from the CLI

Configure MSTP from the CLI

STP/RSTP/MSTP configuration from the webUI

Configure STP from the webUI

Configure RSTP from the webUI

Configure MSTP from the webUI

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