Manual Chapter :
Getting started with F5 rSeries
Applies To:
Show VersionsF5OS-A
- 1.7.0, 1.5.0, 1.3.0, 1.2.0
Getting started with F5 rSeries
F5
rSeries
F5
rSeries
platforms are powerful systems that are designed specifically for application
delivery performance and scalability.This guide walks you through getting started with a new installation of an
rSeries
platform, including essential steps
like configuring DHCP, network settings, and tenants. After you complete these
procedures, your system will be running a basic configuration that includes a
tenant.Before you begin, be sure that you have this information:
- Proposed new passwords forrSeriesadmin and root accounts
- Proposed management IP addresses for the system (if not using DHCP)
- Proposed static management IP addresses for tenants (if not using DHCP)
- IP address of DHCP server running in network (if using DHCP)
- IP address of NTP server
- IP address of DNS server
- BIG-IP base registration key
For additional information on installing and configuring F5OS on
rSeries
systems, see the documentation on the
F5OS Knowledge Center at techdocs.f5.com. For
information about F5OS
software, see K03278510: F5OS-A and F5OS-C software for F5 hardware
platforms.Platform installation overview
Platform
installation overviewFor detailed information about installing your platform, see the document titled that is included with the chassis.
Setting Up the F5 r2000/r4000 rSeries Platform
or Setting Up the F5 r5000/r10000/r12000 rSeries Platform
At a high level, to install the chassis into your data center, you perform these tasks:
- Rack the chassis using the rack mount kit provided.
- Connect the power cables to the power supply units (PSUs) and apply power to the chassis.
- Connect the serial console cables, management interfaces, and networking cables.
Internal platform network overview
platform
network overviewThe
rSeries
system uses an internal platform
network for control plane and management plane communication. Traffic on this internal network is firewall-protected and is not exposed to a customer’s management network. The internal network uses a predefined range of IP addresses, using 100.64.0.0/12 addressing, by default.IP addresses in the predefined range are reserved for internal networking and cannot be used for any of the following:
- Management IP addresses for the system and tenants
- Any external service configured on therSeriessystem, such as a DNS server and NTP server
- Source IP addresses of any device used to communicate with therSeriessystem (such as a laptop, workstation, or other device that connects)
If your network uses addresses in the predefined range for any of the above, you will not be able to access the
rSeries
system from the management interfaces (including the CLI, webUI, or RESTCONF APIs). This is only an issue if using 100.64.0.0/12 addresses for management IP addresses, external servers, or source IP addresses described here. This does not affect data plane/in-band interfaces.To prevent this issue,
F5
provides a procedure that enables you to select a different internal IP address range during initial provisioning of a system, as an alternative to using the default range. For more information on how to change the internal network IP address range, see F5 rSeries Systems: Administration and Configuration
on techdocs.f5.commy.f5.com.