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Manual Chapter : Chassis Partitions

Applies To:

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F5OS-C

  • 1.1.4, 1.1.3, 1.1.2, 1.1.1, 1.1.0
Manual Chapter

Chassis Partitions

Chassis partition overview

On the VELOS platform, a
chassis partition
 is a kind of virtual system or subset of the chassis that handles the management and separation of disjoint sets of blades within the chassis. The chassis has eight slots, which can contain up to eight blades. One or more slots are assigned to a partition, which then controls whatever blade is inserted into it (if any).
The chassis can be divided into multiple chassis partitions, and a chassis partition can have multiple tenants. A
tenant
 is a guest system running software (for example, a Classic BIG-IP system).
The chassis, chassis partitions, and tenants in the partitions each have separate sets of users, and they have different functions at the different levels. The chassis administrator manages the whole chassis and creates chassis partitions. The partition administrator manages their chassis partition only.
Within the VELOS system, a chassis administrator can create chassis partitions then allocates one or more slots that work as a separate computing cluster for traffic. A chassis may contain multiple chassis partitions, and a slot may belong to only one chassis partition at a time. For example, an 8-slot chassis could potentially have up to 8 chassis partitions, one slot each.
The VELOS system comes initially preconfigured with one
default
 chassis partition. The slots for all blades are automatically assigned as members of the default partition. The blades in the chassis can be used that way, so they work together as one powerful system to process network traffic, or reconfigured into multiple chassis partitions that are organized into smaller subsets of the chassis.
Here is a summary of chassis partition attributes:
  • A chassis is divided into distinct sets of slots called chassis partitions.
  • A slot (and the blade it contains, if any) can be part of only one chassis partition.
  • Each chassis partition is an independently managed entity with its own addressable management stack. The system controller is responsible for isolating traffic between chassis partitions.
  • Each chassis partition provides RESTConf APIs, a CLI, and a web UI to use to perform management tasks.
  • The partition administrator configures L2 networking, deploys tenants, and performs other administrative duties within the chassis partition.
  • Each chassis partition can have multiple tenants.
  • Tenants can span multiple slots in a chassis partition.
  • The VELOS platform supports F5 signed tenants only.

Chassis partition high availability overview

The chassis partition is designed so that all of the partition configuration data is constantly stored in an active location and replicated to a standby location. It is already configured for high availability. The active and standby instances of a single partition are always on different system controllers (one is on system controller 1, the other is on system controller 2). However, the active chassis instance may not always reside on the active system controller. The active and standby chassis partition instances swap roles during a failover event.
Configuration data is not shared between chassis partitions. Each partition runs its own software image. Partition configuration data is kept independent from other partitions.

Chassis partition management from the webUI

Display chassis partition information from the webUI

You can view details on how the chassis partitions are configured on your VELOS system.
  1. Log in to the system controller webUI using an account with admin access.
  2. On the left, click
    CHASSIS PARTITIONS
    .
    The Chassis Partitions screen opens.
  3. Review the partition data.
    • Examine the graphic to see how many slots are in use. Those in use are highlighted.
    • Look at the partition list to see how many chassis partitions currently exist, which slots are associated with each partition, the management IP address of each, whether the partition is Enabled or Disabled, and the operational status.
  4. Perform other tasks as needed regarding chassis partition management.
    • From here, you can create, edit, or delete chassis partitions.
    • You can Enable or Disable a partition using the dropdown in the chassis partition list.
Here is a sample Chassis Partitions screen with two chassis partitions, custpart, which uses the 2 slots that contain blades, and the other, default, assigned 4 empty slots. The custpart partition is Enabled and running.

Create a chassis partition from the webUI

Before creating a chassis partition, make sure you have chassis partition software images in the Software Management area. You can download the latest versions from the F5 downloads website. When creating a chassis partition, you will need to specify which image to install and run.
The VELOS system initially comes preconfigured with one
default
 chassis partition that you can use instead of having to create partitions. The slots for all blades are automatically assigned as members of the default partition. The blades in the chassis can be used that way, or reconfigured into multiple chassis partitions that are organized into smaller subsets of the chassis.
You create chassis partitions by dividing the chassis into subsets of blades. You assign one or more blades to form the chassis partition. Associating more blades with a chassis partition provides greater computing power to accommodate the workload requirements for tenants deployed on that chassis partition.
  1. Log in to the system controller webUI using an account with admin access.
  2. On the left, click
    CHASSIS PARTITIONS
    .
    The Chassis Partitions screen opens where you can see a graphical view of the VELOS chassis and see which slots contain blades, how many chassis partitions currently exist, which slots are associated with the partition, whether the partitions are enabled or disabled, and available slots.
  3. If all slots are assigned to the default partition, before you can create a new chassis partition, you first need to select one or more slots and remove them from the default partition. (Otherwise, the
    Create
     button will be unavailable.)
  4. On the chassis graphic, select the slots to associate with the chassis partition you are creating.
    Make sure the slots you select are not already in use by other partitions.
    The slots you select need not have blades installed when creating a chassis partition. For example, you can set up partitions before additional blades are available and install them later.
  5. To create a new partition, click
    Create
    .
    If using the
    default
     partition, select it and click
    Edit
     instead.
  6. In the list of chassis partitions, for
    Name
    , type a name for the chassis partition.
    Partition names must consist only of alphanumerics (0-9, a-z, A-Z), must begin with a letter, and are limited to 31 characters.
  7. In the IPv4 section:
    1. For
      IP Address
      , type the IP address of the chassis partition.
    2. For
      Prefix Length
      , type a number from 1-32 for the length of the prefix.
    3. For
      Gateway
      , type the IP address of the gateway.
  8. Selected Slots
     shows the slots you selected in the chassis graphic to be included in the chassis partition.
  9. For
    Partition Image
    , define the software to use for the chassis partition:
    1. Click either
      Bundled
       or
      Unbundled
      .
      Choose
      Bundled
       if you are installing the entire operating system for the chassis partition (use the ISO Image). Choose
      Unbundled
       if you are installing a service update (specify Base OS Version and Service Versions to use).
    2. Select the previously uploaded software image (or images) to run on the chassis partition.
  10. Click
    Save
    .
    A new chassis partition is created, enabled, and shown in the chassis partition list.
You can now log into the chassis partition using its management IP address to access the partition webUI, the partition CLI over SSH, or use APIs.

Edit chassis partition from the webUI

You can edit a chassis partition if you need to change its configuration.
  1. Log in to the system controller webUI using an account with admin access.
  2. On the left, click
    CHASSIS PARTITIONS
    .
    The Chassis Partitions screen opens.
  3. In the Partition list, select the chassis partition you want to edit.
  4. Click
    Edit
    .
  5. Adjust the settings as needed.
    For example, you can add available slots to a partition or delete slots from a partition (so they can be added to another partition).
  6. Click
    Save
    .

Configure high availability settings for partitions from the webUI

High availability is already implemented for chassis partitions on the VELOS system. You should not need to change the default configuration, but you can change it as described here, or initiate a failover from the active chassis partition to the standby.
  1. Log in to the chassis partition webUI using an account with admin access.
  2. On the left, click
    SYSTEM SETTINGS
    High Availability
    .
  3. For
    Preferred Node
    , select the system controller to run the active instance of the chassis partition, or choose
    Auto
     to let the system decide.
    Using Auto is recommended.
    Hardware health conditions of the system controllers always take precedence. If one of the controllers is not healthy, the chassis partition will ignore the preference and synchronize with the healthy system controller.
  4. If you really want to indicate a preference and have selected one of the system controllers (not auto):
    1. Set
      Auto Failback
       to
      Enabled
      .
    2. In the
      Failback Delay
       field, type the number of seconds to delay before initiating the failback.
  5. To force a failover to occur now, click
    Failover
    .
    You would only do this if for some reason you want to change which controller is being used from the current active controller to the current standby controller.

Chassis partition management from the CLI

Create a chassis partition from the CLI

The VELOS system includes one preconfigured chassis partition that includes all slots, by default. You can create additional chassis partitions but you need to remove the slots associated with the default partition first.
  1. Log in to the command line interface (CLI) of the system controller using an account with admin access.
    When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.
  2. Change to config mode.
    config
    The CLI prompt changes to include
    (config)
    .
  3. Create a chassis partition.
    partitions partition
    <partition_name>
     config iso-version
    <iso-version>
     mgmt-ip ipv4 address
    <address>
     gateway
    <gateway_ip>
     prefix-length
    <prefix_length>
     enabled
    Name the chassis partition, specify the ISO version, management IP address (IPv4), gateway IP address, prefix length (1-32), and enable it.
    Partition names must consist of only alphanumerics (0-9, a-z, A-Z), must begin with a letter, and are limited to 31 characters.
    This example creates a partition called
    custom
     with an IPv4 IP address of 192.0.2.254, a gateway address of 192.100.2.254, a prefix length of 24, and enables it:
    partitions partition custom config iso-version 1.0.0-12022 mgmt-ip ipv4 address 192.0.2.254 mgmt-ip ipv4 gateway 192.100.2.254 prefix-length 24 enabled
  4. Commit the configuration changes.
    commit
  5. Return to user mode.
    end
The system creates the chassis partition. You can now log into the chassis partition using its management IP address to access the partition webUI, the partition CLI over SSH, or use REST API.

Log in to a new chassis partition from the CLI

After you have created a chassis partition, you can enable it and log into it using the default admin username and password.
  1. Use SSH to log in to the chassis partition using the management IP address.
    For example: 
    ssh admin@10.192.20.20
admin@10.192.20.20's password:
Last login: Fri, Oct 30 08:02:15 2020 from 10.10.230.178
Welcome to the Partition Management CLI
admin connected from 10.10.0.242 using ssh on partition1
partition1#
    This example logs admin in to partition 1.
You can work in the chassis partition to set up networking parameters, configuring the interface, VLANS, LAG; add VELOS system users if needed; set up logging; and install and deploy a tenant in the partition.

Add a slot to a chassis partition from the CLI

Before you can use a chassis partition, you must add slots to the partition. Slots can be assigned to one partition only.
  1. Log in to the command line interface (CLI) of the system controller using an account with admin access.
    When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.
  2. View how chassis partitions and slots are currently configured on the system.
    show running-config slots
    A summary similar to this example displays: 
    slots slot 1
 partition default
!
slots slot 2
 partition default
!
slots slot 3
 partition default
!
slots slot 4
 partition default
!
slots slot 5
 partition default
!
slots slot 6
 partition default
!
slots slot 7
 partition default
!
slots slot 8
 partition default
!
    Here all slots are still assigned to the default partition.
  3. Change to config mode.
    config
    The CLI prompt changes to include
    (config)
    .
  4. Add the slot to a specified chassis partition.
    slots slot [default | <
    slot_number
    > | none] partition <
    partition_name
    >
    This example adds slot
    1
     to a partition named
    custompartition
    :
    slots slot 1 partition custompartition
  5. Repeat to add slots to other chassis partitions.
  6. Commit the configuration changes.
    commit
  7. Return to user mode.
    end
  8. Confirm that the partitions and slots are correctly configured on the system.
    show running-config slots
    A summary similar to this example displays: 
    slots slot 1
 partition custompartition
!
slots slot 2
 partition default
!
slots slot 3
 partition default
!
slots slot 4
 partition default
!
slots slot 5
 partition default
!
slots slot 6
 partition default
!
slots slot 7
 partition default
!
slots slot 8
 partition default
!
After adding slots to partitions, the blade will reboot to install the appropriate partition software.

Remove a slot from a chassis partition from the CLI

You can remove slots from a chassis partition.
  1. Log in to the command line interface (CLI) of the system controller using an account with admin access.
    When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.
  2. View how chassis partitions and slots are currently configured on the system.
    show running-config slots
    A summary similar to this example displays: 
    slots slot 1
 partition default
!
slots slot 2
 partition default
!
slots slot 3
 partition default
!
slots slot 4
 partition default
!
slots slot 5
 partition default
!
slots slot 6
 partition default
!
slots slot 7
 partition default
!
slots slot 8
 partition default
!
  3. Change to config mode.
    config
    The CLI prompt changes to include
    (config)
    .
  4. Remove a specified slot from a chassis partition.
    slots slot <
    slot_number
    > partition none
    This example removes slot number 8 from a partition:
    slots slot 8 partition none
  5. Commit the configuration changes.
    commit
  6. Return to user mode.
    end
  7. Confirm that the chassis partitions and slots are correctly configured on the system.
    show running-config slots

Show partitions from the CLI

You can show the chassis partitions that were created on the system controllers.
  1. Log in to the command line interface (CLI) of the system controller using an account with admin access.
    When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.
  2. Show the partitions that are currently configured on the system.
    show partitions
    A summary similar to this example displays: 
    
PARTITION NAME  CONTROLLER  ID     STATUS
-----------------------------------------------
 default           1        1      running-standby  
                   2        1      running-active 
 none              1        0      disabled         
                   2        0      disabled
 part2             1        5      running
                   2        5      running
 part3             1        2      running-standby  
                   2        2      running-active
 part4             1        3      running-standby
                   2        3      running-active
    This chassis has three partitions: the default, partition2, and partition3.
  3. Show more about how the slots are currently configured on the system.
    show running-config slots
    A summary similar to this example displays: 
    slots slot 1
 partition default
!
slots slot 2
 partition default
!
slots slot 3
 partition default
!
slots slot 4
 partition default
!
slots slot 5
 partition default
!
slots slot 6
 partition default
!
slots slot 7
 partition default
!
slots slot 8
 partition default
!
    Here all of the slots are assigned to the default chassis partition.

Show partition redundancy from the CLI

You can show the status of chassis partition redundancy.
  1. Log in to the command line interface (CLI) of the chassis partition using an account with admin access.
    When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.
  2. Show the chassis partition redundancy configuration.
    show system redundancy
    A summary similar to this example displays. This example is for a partition with two assigned slots where one is empty.
    
partition1# show system redundancy
system redundancy state mode prefer-1
system redundancy state auto-failback enabled
system redundancy state auto-failback failback-delay 30
system redundancy state current-active controller-1
system redundancy state status redundant
                                                                            SERVICES
NAME         STATUS  FAULT STARTUP TIME        LAST TRANSITION OS VERSION  VERSION
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
blade-1      replica false 2020-09-16 15:31:35 2020-09-16 ...  1.0.0-0000  1.0.0-0000
blade-2      -       -     -                   -                    -           -
controller-1 active  false 2020-09-16 15:30:41 2020-09-16 ...  1.0.0-0000  1.0.0-0000
controller-2 standby false 2020-09-16 15:31:16 2020-09-16 ...  1.0.0-0000  1.0.0-0000
    This chassis has three partitions: the default, partition2, and partition3.

Back up chassis partition configuration from the CLI

After you have configured a chassis partition, it is a good idea to back it up.
  1. Log in to the chassis partition webUI using an account with admin access.
  2. Change to config mode.
    config
    The CLI prompt changes to include
    (config)
    .
  3. Save the chassis partition configuration.
    system database config-backup name partition-backup1.xml
    Chassis partition configuration backup files are located in
    /var/F5/partition/configs
    .
  4. Export the chassis partition configuration backup onto an intermediary device for safe keeping.
    file export local-file /var/F5/partition/configs/partition-backup1.xml remote-file /tmp/partition-backup1.xml remote-host 172.27.21.75 username root
    The system requests the password for the remote root account. 
    Value for 'password' (<string>): *******
result File transfer is initiated.( /var/F5/partition/configs/partition-backup1.xml)
  5. Later, you can log onto the chassis partition where you want to load the backed up configuration.
  6. Import the configuration backup from the intermediary device.
     
    file import local-file  /var/F5/partition/configs/partition-backup1.xml remote-file 
/tmp/partition-backup1.xml remote-host 172.27.21.75 username root
Value for 'password' (<string>): *******
  7. Load the chassis partition backup onto the chassis partition.
    system database config-restore name partition-backup1.xml
    system database config-restore name partition-backup1.xml
  response Succeeded.
  8. Commit the configuration changes.
    commit
  9. Leave config mode
    exit
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