Manage VE via serial connection - or sort of :-)

Hi,

 

Maybe obvious, maybe not very useful (but in my own lab quite so)... but was not so obvious for me so I decided to share my findings.

 

Here are steps that enable to connect and manage BIG-IP VE via pseudo-serial connection using telnet.

 

Edit VM settings via available client - add Serial Port device (unfortunately VM has to be powered off to add this device)

 

Choose Connect via Network

 

Select (Network Backing section in my vSphere Client) Server (VM listens for connection)

 

In Port URI enter: telnet://{vCenter or ESXi IP}:{port} - sure port should not collide with well know services, my choice starts with 5000

 

One more thing to check is how ESXi Firewall is configured. Click on ESX host, then Configuration tab, then Security Profile and finally Properties on the right

 

Find VM serial port connected over network. Should be checked with Incoming ports including ports used in telnet URI - if it is not then either change your ports or reconfigure this rule - but I don't know how :-(

 

After VM is booted again you can connect to confiured serial port with for example putty, set connection like that:

 

IP: ESX IP Port: port used when configuring telnet URI Connection Type: Telnet

 

After hitting Open there is black screen but hitting Enter should bring login prompt. Then everything is as with ssh connection - maybe except some strange refresh artifacts from time to time :-)

 

One more thing worth configuring on VE itself - serial port baud rate. By default it's 9800 and cli is rather sluggish. Change it to maximum setting of 115200 - then interface works much better.

 

tmsh modify sys console baud-rate 115200

 

Piotr

 

P.S Maybe URI ssh:// will work but I never tested it.