Installing the PTF

You can apply this PTF to version 2.0, and to v2.0PTF-01. Note that you do not have to apply previous PTFs; they are already included in the current PTF install.

If you run v2.0 PTF-02 and there are not exactly two network interfaces, you need a new license file, available from Technical Support at F5. This new license file will work with any number of network interfaces but will not work with BIG/ip versions prior to v2.0 PTF-02. You will need to use your old license file if you ever revert back to any BIG/ip version prior to v2.0 PTF-02. To save your old bigip.license files, use the following commands:

cp /etc/bigip.license /etc/bigip.license.old

Use the following process to install the PTF software:

1. Click here and follow the instructions for using the F5 Networks FTP site.
2. Download the v2.0PTF-02domkit.tar file to the /var/tmp directory on the target BIG/ip. (International customers will need to download the v2.0PTF-02intlkit.tar file.)
3. Enter the following commands to install this PTF:

   cd /var/tmp
   tar -xpf /var/tmp/v20ptf2domkit.tar

   International customers will need to extract the v2.0PTF-02intlkit.tar file.

4. From the root directory execute the following command: /var/tmp/upgrade_ptf
5. Follow the on-screen instructions.
   The install will automatically create a backup of your etc/rc.local file and remove any old files that are no longer used. If you have made changes to your /etc/rc.local file, you may need to edit the file and retype your modifications. A backup of the file is stored in /var/source/backupyymmdd.hhmm/ on your BIG/ip.

Once you install the PTF software, refer to the Configuring and using the updated software section below, which contains important information about changing parameter settings in the bigip.conf file.

Configuring and using the updated software

BIG/ip version 2.0PTF-02

Configuring for more than two network interfaces

If you are installing this PTF for support for more than two NICs, you will need to run the First-Time Boot utility in order to reconfigure your external and internal interfaces. You will also need to edit your httpd.conf and bigip.conf files.

BIG/ip version 2.0PTF-01

There are no configuration issues for BIG/ip version 2.0PTF-01.

Enhancements and fixes

BIG/ip version 2.0PTF-02

BIG/ip version 2.0PTF-02 provides significant performance improvements effected by the following enhancements:

• #516: Support for more than two network interfaces
  With v2.0 PTF-02, BIG/ip can now be configured with more than two network interface cards (NICs). Any number of NICs may be configured as internal or external interfaces, limited only by the number of PCI slots available in the BIG/ip chassis. A variety of NICs are available from F5 Networks, including: Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and FDDI. Some of the F5 Configuration utilityuration steps that previously assumed exactly two NICs are now changed slightly to accommodate additional NICs. Newer BIG/ips come with 4 PCI slots. One is used for video and two are used for the standard NICs. One more NIC can be added, for a total of three. It is possible to add a fourth NIC if you free up another slot by swapping the PCI video card for an AGP video card (available through F5 Networks).
  
• #831: UDP Checksums
  UDP checksums are now handled correctly.
  
• #833: Support for Outbound Path MTU discovery
  Path MTU is the smallest maximum transmission unit (MTU) of any link on the current path between two hosts. This may change over time since the route between two hosts, especially on the Internet, may change over time. It can vary for different types of traffic from the same host. BIG/ip now translates and forwards certain packets for ICMP that need fragmentation to be delivered successfully. BIG/ip checks the embedded IP header and forwards the packet to the matching node address. For this to work, the embedded destination IP address and transport protocol port must match the external address and port of an existing BIG/ip connection.
  
• Support for OSPF
  The BIG/ip kernel no longer interferes with Multicast OSPF link state advertisements.
  
• Updated version of GateD
  The gated routing daemon has been upgraded to v4.04 with this release.

BIG/ip version 2.0PTF-01

BIG/ip version 2.0PTF-01 contains the following improvements:

• #777: NAT default broadcast not created or not displayed
  This problem is now corrected.
• #820: Malformed resets for half-open connections 
  BIG/ip now sends the correct reset packet to handle half-open connections.
• #824: SSL session keys disappear prior to SSL session ID persistence timeout value
  This problem is now corrected.
• #825: F5 Configuration utility is not accepting valid NAT broadcast value
  NAT default broadcasts are now handled correctly by F5 Configuration utility.
• #839: GNIC II warm boot
  Gigabit Ethernet warm boot is now more reliable.
  
• #841: Can't reconfigure international web server
  The international F5 web server can now be correctly reconfigured.
• #842: Allow netmask and broadcast when adding a virtual server
  When adding a virtual server with the F5 Configuration utility Virtual Servers screen, the netmask and broadcast can now be defined at the same time as you define the virtual server. The netmask and broadcast options are still available from the Virtual Server Property screen as well.
• #846 Netstart.proto
  This file is now included in this PTF.

Known limitations in this version

• In general, the arming of failsafe does not work correctly when more than one external or more than one internal interface is installed. We recommend that you do not arm failsafe on an interface unless you are arming the sole external or internal interface upon which all nodes are configured. Failover still works as usual.
• F5 Configuration utility is not recommended for use with more than two NICs. It will overwrite configuration files, causing your settings for more than two external or internal interfaces to be lost. All configuration should be performed from the command line for BIG/ips with more than two NICs.
• Administrative web server configuration is only automated for the first internal and the first external interface. Manual configuration is presently necessary to configure the web server on additional interfaces, or to restrict which interfaces will accept administrative web connections.
• If you create a virtual server using the new bigpipe vip syntax to specify the name of the interface, and that interface is the default interface for your virtual server, the interface name will not be included in the vip syntax produced by using the bigpipe-s command. When you subsequently use your output file, for example by loading the file with the bigpipe-f command, the virtual server will be created on the same interface since it is the default interface.