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Manual Chapter : Platform Maintenance

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Manual Chapter

Platform Maintenance

About maintaining the platform

The
i5000/i7000/i10000/i11000 Series
 platform contains components that you can replace individually without exchanging the entire system. This platform contains these replaceable components:
  • AC power supply
  • DC power supply
  • Fan tray
    (i7000/i10000/i11000 Series only)
  • Storage drive
    (i7000/i10000/i11000 Series only)

About power supply units (PSUs)

The
i5000/i7000/i10000/i11000 Series
 platform supports up to two AC
or DC
 hot-swappable power supply units (PSUs).
Most platforms come with only one PSU by default.
Running without power supply units (PSUs) installed in all available bays in the platform can affect cooling and electromagnetic interference (EMI). If you need to run the unit with one PSU, you must install a PSU blank into the empty PSU bay. The PSU blank is required to maintain proper airflow in the system. If you do not have a PSU blank, leave all supplies installed and disconnect power from any unused supplies.
Do not mix power supply unit (PSU) models of different wattage. If two PSUs are installed in the same system, use only PSUs of the same wattage and part number.
You should use only one power supply unit (PSU) type (AC or DC) in a platform. AC and DC interoperability is not supported.
This product is sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD). F5 recommends that you use proper ESD grounding procedures and equipment when you install or maintain the unit.
Be sure to use only the power supply unit (PSU) that is designed for your platform. For example, a lower wattage PSU might not electrically connect if your platform is designed to use a higher wattage PSU.
The power supply units (PSUs) do not have an on/off switch. Power is controlled from the rack switch
or the mains power source
.
After removing input power from any power supply unit (PSU), wait 30 seconds before reapplying input power to the PSU.

About AC power supply units (PSUs)

This platform can support up to two AC power supply units (PSUs). You can hot swap a supply without powering down the system if there are two installed, and one remains installed and operational during the replacement process.
The platform supports power supply redundancy, which ensures that the system is unaffected if a single supply fails in a system containing more than one operational supply.
When you add or replace a power supply unit in your system, be sure to verify the supply's features and that the PWR-XXXX part numbers match to ensure that you have the correct supply.
On the 250W AC PSU, you can find the part number (PWR-0334-XX) on the top of the supply. This supply also has a horizontal pull handle and hexagon-shaped perforations in the power cord face.
On the 650W PSU, you can find the part number on the top of the supply. For 650W AC, the part number is PWR-0306, and for 650W DC, it is PWR-0307. This supply also has a vertical pull handle and rectangle-shaped perforations in the power cord face.
The 250W AC power supply unit (Platform: i800/i2000/i4000; Part number: PWR-0334-xx)
Example of label to check PWR-XXXX part number
The 650W AC power supply unit (Platform: i5000/i7000/i10000/i11000; Part number: PWR-0306-xx)
Example of label to check PWR-XXXX part number
As a safety precaution, the socket outlet must be installed near the equipment and be easily accessible.

Replace an AC power supply

In the event of a power supply unit (PSU) failure, you can replace an AC PSU in your system. For a dual-supply system, you can perform the replacement without powering down the system, provided that there is at least one PSU operating during the replacement process.
Be sure that you are using the correct wattage and part number (PWR-XXXX) of power supply unit (PSU) in all bays, as applicable, when performing a PSU replacement.
All photos shown are examples. The appearance of your power supply units (PSUs) might vary slightly, but be sure to use the pull handle orientation and perforations in the power cord face to verify the correct PSU for your platform.
  1. Prepare the system for PSU replacement:
    • For a single-supply system, use the touchscreen LCD to halt and power off the system.
    • For a dual-supply system, make sure that you have an operational supply already installed in your system if you want to hot swap a supply while the system is running. If you do not want to hot swap, you can perform the replacement with the system powered off.
  2. Before removing the PSU from your system, disconnect the AC power cord (input connector) from the power supply by pulling one or both of the power cord locking tabs away from the power supply.
    Locking AC power cords might not be available in all countries.
  3. Remove the failed AC PSU by squeezing the ejector latch and pulling the handle straight toward you.
    After you remove a power supply unit (PSU) from the system, wait at least 30 seconds before you reinstall the PSU. Allow the PSU to fully discharge before you reinstall it.
  4. If an output connector protective cap is installed on your new PSU, remove it before installing the PSU into your system.
  5. Inspect the new PSU, especially the connector area and pins, for any damage that might have occurred during shipment.
  6. Slide the new PSU into the empty slot, and push it in until the ejector latch engages and clicks.
    While installing the supply, use care to ensure that the supply's connector does not come into contact with the rear of the chassis.
  7. Ensure that the PSU is fully seated in the chassis by making sure it does not come out when gently pulled.
  8. Insert the auto locking AC power cord into the PSU input connector and press firmly until it is fully seated.
    Be sure to route the power cords away from the fan tray so that the cords do not impede access to it.
  9. Connect the power cord to the power source.
    If the system is fully powered down and does not boot after you apply power to the PSU, use the touchscreen LCD to power on the system.
  10. Use the LCD touchscreen to clear any alert messages that might have resulted from performing the PSU replacement.

About DC power supply units (PSUs)

This platform can support up to two DC power supply units (PSUs). You can hot swap PSUs without powering down the system if there are two installed and one remains installed and operational during the replacement process.
The platform supports power redundancy, which ensures that the system is unaffected if a single supply fails in a system containing more than one power supply.
Your platform must be running
BIG-IP
 software versions 12.1.1 HF2, 12.1.2, or later to support DC power.
The 650W DC power supply unit (Platform:
i5000/i7000/i10000/i11000
; Part number: PWR-0307-xx)
Before installing a DC power supply unit (PSU), be sure that the circuit breaker for the DC mains power to the PSU is switched off.
Before you begin to work with one of these platforms, refer to the DC-powered equipment environmental warnings for this platform and review any safety requirements for the facilities where the DC-powered platforms will be installed.
You should use only one power supply unit (PSU) type (AC or DC) in a platform. AC and DC interoperability is not supported.
The platform must be installed in a RESTRICTED ACCESS LOCATION, such as a central office or customer premises environment.
Copper cables used for grounding must meet appropriate safety standards.
Bare conductors should be coated with an appropriate antioxidant before being crimped. Make sure to clean all unplated connectors, braided strap, and bus bars to a bright finish prior to coating them with the antioxidant.
The platform must be grounded to a common bonding network (CBN).
The battery return terminals on the platform are in an isolated DC return (DC-I) configuration.
When you are running a redundant DC power supply configuration, F5 strongly recommends that each DC power supply unit (PSU) in the system receives power from independent DC main power sources with independent circuit breakers.
After removing input power from any power supply unit (PSU), wait 30 seconds before reapplying input power to the PSU.

Replace a standard DC power supply unit (PSU)

Before you perform a DC power supply unit (PSU) replacement, you need to provide these tools and components:
  • 12 AWG copper cable long enough to reach from the platform to the DC power source
  • Flat-head or Phillips head screwdriver
In the event of a power supply unit (PSU) failure, you can replace a DC PSU in your system. For a dual-supply system, you can perform the replacement without powering down the system, provided that there is at least one PSU operating during the replacement process.
Be sure that you are using the correct wattage and part number (PWR-0307-xx) of power supply unit (PSU) in all bays, as applicable, when performing a power supply replacement.
All photos shown are examples. The appearance of your power supply units (PSUs) might vary slightly, but be sure to use the pull handle orientation and perforations in the power cord face to verify the correct PSU for your platform.
  1. Prepare the system for PSU replacement:
    • For a single-supply system, use the touchscreen LCD to halt and power off the system.
    • For a dual-supply system, make sure that you have an operational supply already installed in your system if you want to hot swap a supply while the system is running. If you do not want to hot swap, you can perform the replacement with the system powered off.
  2. Be sure that the circuit breaker for the DC mains power source is switched off.
  3. Remove the failed DC PSU by squeezing the ejector latch and pulling straight toward you.
    After you remove a power supply unit (PSU) from the system, wait at least 30 seconds before you reinstall the PSU. Allow the PSU to fully discharge before you reinstall it.
  4. If an output connector protective cap is installed on your new PSU, remove it before installing the PSU into your system.
  5. Inspect the new PSU, especially the connector area and pins, for any damage that might have occurred during shipment.
  6. Assemble the DC cable by connecting one of the included DC ring terminals to one end of each of your 12 AWG copper cables.
  7. Remove the terminal cover.
  8. Use a screwdriver to remove the screws from the DC power terminals.
  9. Connect the ring terminal for the positive (+) DC wire (typically red) to the left terminal, and the ring terminal for the negative (-) DC wire (typically black) to the right terminal.
  10. After you have attached the ring terminals to the terminals, secure them using a screwdriver.
    Use 13.5 inch-pounds (1.53 Newton-meters) of torque on these screws.
  11. If the chassis is not connected to Earth ground, connect the power supply Earth ground terminal to Earth ground.
  12. Verify that the DC power cables are connected to the appropriate terminal.
    The red wire should be connected to the terminal labeled positive (+), and the black wire should be connected to the terminal labeled negative (-).
  13. Replace the terminal cover.
  14. Slide the new PSU into the empty slot, and push it in until the ejector latch engages and clicks.
    While installing the supply, use care to ensure that the supply's connector does not come into contact with the rear of the chassis.
  15. Ensure that the PSU is fully seated in the chassis by making sure it does not come out when gently pulled.
  16. Reapply input power from DC mains power source by switching the circuit breaker back on.
  17. Use the LCD touchscreen to clear any alert messages that might have resulted from performing the PSU replacement.

Replace a high voltage DC power supply unit (PSU)

You can upgrade your AC-powered or standard DC-powered system with high voltage DC (HVDC) power supply units (PSUs). In this case, you must install two HVDC PSUs, even if your system previously included only one PSU. You can also replace failed HVDC PSUs with replacement HVDC PSUs.
For a dual-supply system, you can perform the replacement without powering down the system, provided that there is at least one PSU operating during the replacement process.
Be sure that you are using the correct wattage and part number (PWR-0378-xx) of power supply unit (PSU) in all bays, as applicable, when performing a power supply replacement.
All photos shown are examples. The appearance of your power supply units (PSUs) might vary slightly, but be sure to use the pull handle orientation and perforations in the power cord face to verify the correct PSU for your platform.
  1. Prepare the system for PSU replacement:
    • For a single-supply system, use the touchscreen LCD to halt and power off the system.
    • For a dual-supply system, make sure that you have an operational supply already installed in your system if you want to hot swap a supply while the system is running. If you do not want to hot swap, you can perform the replacement with the system powered off.
  2. Be sure that the circuit breaker for the DC mains power source is switched off.
  3. Remove the failed HVDC PSU by squeezing the ejector latch and pulling straight toward you.
    After you remove a power supply unit (PSU) from the system, wait at least 30 seconds before you reinstall the PSU. Allow the PSU to fully discharge before you reinstall it.
  4. If an output connector protective cap is installed on your new PSU, remove it before installing the PSU into your system.
  5. Inspect the new PSU, especially the connector area and pins, for any damage that might have occurred during shipment.
  6. Insert the auto locking HVDC power cord into the PSU input connector and press firmly until it is fully seated.
    Be sure to route the power cords away from the fan tray so that the cords do not impede access to it.
  7. Ensure that the PSU is fully seated in the chassis by making sure it does not come out when gently pulled.
  8. Connect the three ring terminals on the end of the cord to an approved power source.
    The blue wire (-L) connects to the negative terminal of an approved source, the brown wire (+N) connects to the positive terminal of an approved source, and the yellow/green wire connects to earth/ground.
  9. Reapply input power from DC mains power source by switching the circuit breaker back on.
    If the system is fully powered down and does not boot after you apply power to the PSU, use the touchscreen LCD to power on the system.
  10. Use the LCD touchscreen to clear any alert messages that might have resulted from performing the PSU replacement.

About the fan tray

The
i7000/i10000/i11000 Series
 platforms have a removable fan tray that is designed to maintain airflow throughout the chassis. You can change or replace the fan tray as part of the routine maintenance of the unit, or in the event of a fan failure. The fans in the fan tray run constantly while the unit is powered on. Over time, the fans can wear out, requiring you to replace the fan tray.
The
i7000/i10000/i11000 Series
 fan tray
This product is sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD). F5 recommends that you use proper ESD grounding procedures and equipment when you install or maintain the unit.

Replace the fan tray

To ensure that you can easily access the fan tray, route the power cords away from the fan tray so that the cords do not drape over or cross in front of it.
You do not need special tools and do not need to power down the unit when replacing the fan tray.
Operating the unit without a fan tray for more than 30 seconds might result in performance throttling or a thermal shutdown of the unit.
  1. Locate the fan tray on the back of the chassis.
  2. Loosen the fan tray screws by turning them counterclockwise with a Phillips screwdriver.
    The screws that hold the fan tray in place are captive and cannot be removed from the assembly.
  3. Remove the fan tray from the chassis by grasping the handles and pulling straight toward you.
  4. Slide the new fan tray into the fan tray slot.
  5. Tighten the screws into place with a Phillips screwdriver.
    Use 5 inch-pounds (0.6 Newton-meters) of torque on these screws. The fan tray is connected to the system when you tighten the screws completely. Once seated, the fan tray automatically powers up and begins circulating air through the chassis.

About storage drive options

For
BIG-IP
 platforms that include one or two solid-state drives (SSDs), you can replace drives in the event of a drive failure.
Platform model
Single solid-state drive
Dual solid-state drives
i7000
i7000
i7000-D
i10000
i10000
i10000-D
i11000
i11000
N/A

About replacing a drive in single-drive system

For iSeries platforms that include only one drive by default, the drive is located in drive bay 1, and you must install the replacement drive back into drive bay 1. You must also power down the system when replacing a drive as part of routine maintenance or in the event of a drive failure.
The replacement storage drive provided by
F5
 does not come with pre-installed software. You will need to create a bootable USB flash drive to install software onto the drive. Alternately, you can use a PXE server to install the software. For more information, see K13117: Performing a clean installation of BIG-IP 11.x - 16.x.

Prerequisites for replacing a single drive

Before you replace a storage drive in a single-drive system, you need:
  • A USB flash drive with a storage capacity that exceeds the size of the desired
    F5
     software ISO image
  • An
    F5
     software ISO image
  • An
    F5
     system or a Linux system that is used to create a bootable USB flash drive
    For information on creating a bootable USB drive, see
    F5 Platforms: Essentials
     at techdocs.f5.com/en-us/hw-platforms/f5-plat-hw-essentials.html.

Replace a storage drive tray in a single-drive system

You can remove the faulty drive from the chassis and install the blank replacement drive that you received from
F5
. You can access the storage drives after removing the fan tray from the back of the chassis.
All photos shown are examples. The appearance of your components or accessories might vary slightly.
  1. Locate the fan tray on the back of the chassis.
  2. Loosen the fan tray screws by turning them counterclockwise with a Phillips screwdriver.
    The screws that hold the fan tray in place are captive and cannot be removed from the assembly.
  3. Remove the fan tray from the chassis by grasping the handles and pulling straight toward you.
  4. Remove the faulty drive by pushing the lever in the middle of the drive tray to the left.
  5. Pull the large latch straight toward you to eject the drive tray from the chassis.
  6. Slide the new drive tray into the empty drive bay until the latch engages the chassis.
  7. Push the latch inward toward the chassis until it clicks.
  8. Slide the fan tray back into the fan tray slot.
  9. Tighten the screws into place with a Phillips screwdriver.
    Use 5 inch-pounds (0.6 Newton-meters) of torque on these screws. The fan tray is connected to the system when you tighten the screws completely. Once seated, the fan tray automatically powers up and begins circulating air through the chassis.
Bootable USB flash drive creation on an iSeries system
You can use
mkdisk
, which is included in the F5 software installation ISO image file, to create a bootable USB flash drive that contains an
F5
 software ISO image. You can then use this bootable USB flash drive to install or upgrade a system when you either do not have the installation image on the storage drive, or when you cannot access the storage drive. Additionally, you can use the USB flash drive to recover the system.
Linux system requirements for creating a bootable USB flash drive
For each platform, you might need to provide additional peripheral hardware. If you plan to remotely administer the system, it would be helpful to have a workstation already connected to the same subnet as the management interface.
Component
Description
Linux
2.6.x kernel
Perl
Version 5.8 or later
Library for WWW in Perl (LWP) package
Downloadable from www.cpan.org
Create a bootable USB flash drive
You can create a bootable USB flash drive that contains an F5 software ISO image using either an existing
F5
 system that is running a recent an
F5
 software release or a Linux workstation that is running a recent Linux distribution.
  1. Log in to the command line of the system using an account with root access.
  2. Mount the installation as a loopback device, using one of these methods:
    • If you have an
      F5
       system with the
      F5
       ISO image located in the
      /shared/images
       directory:
      • Create a new directory:
        mkdir /mnt/iso
      • Mount the ISO image:
        mount –o loop BIGIP-<
        version
        >.iso /mnt/iso
    • If you have a DVD drive attached to the system that contains a valid
      F5
       software image, insert the DVD into the DVD drive.
  3. Insert a 2 GB or larger flash drive into a USB port on the
    F5
     system or Linux workstation.
  4. Change to the root directory to the mounted image.
    cd /mnt/iso
  5. Start the
    mkdisk
     script.
    ./mkdisk
  6. Respond to the series of questions that display by choosing the appropriate options for your configuration.
    1. Specify the
      F5
       system that you plan to use as the target for USB flash drive installation.
    2. Specify the device to be used by
      mkdisk
       (that is, the USB flash drive that you are creating).
    3. Confirm that you want to continue by typing
      y
      .
    4. Specify the product to transfer (for example, BIG-IP version 11.6.0) or type
      y
       if there is only one product.
    The script checks for the required tools and creates the flash drive. The flash drive creation process might take several minutes.
  7. When the process is complete, unmount the ISO image.
    umount /mnt/iso
You can now remove the USB flash drive and use it to boot other
F5
 systems, as needed.
Boot the
iSeries
 system from a bootable USB flash drive
Before you boot the F5 system to the Maintenance OS (MOS), be sure that you have console access to the system, either through a console server or directly through a serial connection.
Once you boot to the MOS, you lose connection with the system over SSH on the management port.
You can use a bootable USB flash drive as the installation source to install or upgrade an
F5
 system.
  1. Insert the flash drive into the USB port of the target system.
  2. Boot the target system.
    The device automatically boots to the MOS on the attached USB flash drive.

About replacing a drive in a dual-drive system

For iSeries platforms that include two solid-state drives (SSDs) by default, when a drive fails, you can replace the failed drive. These platforms support drive mirroring using RAID. For these platforms, you do not need to power down the system when replacing a drive as part of routine maintenance or in the event of a drive failure.
Replacement drives provided by F5 do not come pre-installed with software.

Identify the faulty storage drive

To physically access the storage drives, you must first remove the fan tray from the unit.
Before you remove a storage drive from your system, you should identify the faulty drive.
  1. Open the TMOS Shell (
    tmsh
    ).
    tmsh
  2. View the status of the drives.
    show sys raid
    A disk summary similar to this example displays: 
    ---------------------
Sys::Raid::Array: MD1
---------------------
Size (MB)  931.5K

---------------------------------------------------------
Sys::Raid::ArrayMembers
Bay ID  Serial Number    Name  Array Member  Array Status
---------------------------------------------------------
1       S2HSNX0HB02143   HD2   yes           failed
2       S2HSNX0HB02237   HD1   yes           ok

-------------------------------------------------------------
Sys::Raid::Bay
Bay  Shelf  Name  Serial Number    Array Member  Array Status
-------------------------------------------------------------
1    1      HD2   S2HSNX0HB02143   yes           failed
2    1      HD1   S2HSNX0HB02237   yes           ok

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Sys::Raid::Disk
Name  Serial Number    Array   Array Status  Model
                       Member
--------------------------------------------------------------------
HD1   S2HSNX0HB02143  yes     ok            ATA     SAMSUNG MZ7KM480
HD2   S2HSNX0HB02237  yes     failed        ATA     SAMSUNG MZ7KM480
  3. Make note of the bay number and serial number for the faulty drive (the drive with the
    failed
     status).
    The serial number is printed in its entirety on the labels on top of the drive.
  4. Before you remove the drive from the system, remove the faulty drive from the array.
    The faulty drive is HD2 in this example.
    modify sys raid array MD1 remove HD2
Now you can remove the drive and replace it with the new one that you received from F5. You do not have to power down the system before you remove the drive.

Replace a storage drive tray in a dual-drive system

For dual drive systems, F5 sends you a replacement drive to replace the failed drive. You can remove the faulty drive from the chassis and install the blank replacement drive that you received from
F5
. You can access the storage drives after removing the fan tray from the back of the chassis.
All photos shown are examples. The appearance of your components or accessories might vary slightly.
  1. Locate the fan tray on the back of the chassis.
  2. Loosen the fan tray screws by turning them counterclockwise with a Phillips screwdriver.
    The screws that hold the fan tray in place are captive and cannot be removed from the assembly.
  3. Remove the fan tray from the chassis by grasping the handles and pulling straight toward you.
  4. Verify the location of the faulty drive by comparing the drive bay that you noted earlier.
  5. Remove the faulty drive by pushing the lever in the middle of the drive tray to the left.
    Verify that the serial number that you noted earlier matches what is on the drive.
  6. Pull the large latch straight toward you to eject the drive tray from the chassis.
  7. Slide the new drive tray into the empty drive bay until the latch engages the chassis.
  8. Push the latch inward toward the chassis until it clicks.
  9. Slide the fan tray back into the fan tray slot.
  10. Tighten the screws into place with a Phillips screwdriver.
    Use 5 inch-pounds (0.6 Newton-meters) of torque on these screws. The fan tray is connected to the system when you tighten the screws completely. Once seated, the fan tray automatically powers up and begins circulating air through the chassis.
  11. View the status of the drives.
    tmsh show sys raid disk
    A disk summary, similar to this example, displays: 
    -------------------------------------------------------------
Sys::Raid::Disk
Name  Serial Number    Array   Array Status  Model
                       Member
-------------------------------------------------------------
HD1   S2HSNX0HB02143   yes     ok            SAMSUNG MZ7KM480
HD2   S2HSNX0HB02237   yes     undefined     SAMSUNG MZ7KM480
    The status of the replacement drive is
    undefined
    , and the serial number should match that of the replacement drive.
    If after a few seconds, you do not see the additional drive in the disk summary, the drive might not be seated properly. If this occurs, remove and reinsert the drive.
  12. Add the replacement drive (HD2 in the example) to the array.
    tmsh modify sys raid array MD1 add HD2
    The status of the replacement drive should change to
    replicating
    , and the STAT LED should change to solid green. The replication process typically takes between 15 and 45 minutes.
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