Migrating older F5 BIG-IP has 3 partitions & Route Domains (RD) to new F5 BIG-IP with 2 partion & RD

[mmsuwaid]

Hi everyone,

I have an old appliance with 3 partitions and each partition has its own route domain. I want to terminate one of the partitions in the new appliance due to a change in the design. Is there any way to remove the partition before moving it to the new appliances? Rather than migrating the configuration to the new appliance and starting deleting the configuration for a specific partition.

[mihaic]

Here is how to delete a partition:

https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K74264919

[F5_Design_Engineer]

Hi @mmsuwaid ,

1st Method
===========

1. you need to identify Partition specific configuration files which are loacated in /config/partitions/<name>/bigip*.conf

Once you finish the procedure use
load sys config verify

Your UCS Should simply be an archive.
Try zipping it up with winzip/winrar and changing the file extension to .ucs. after removing/editing the desired partiton files residing in /config/partitions/<name>/bigip*.conf

Once done you can zip/pack your UCS file back and give it a file extension .ucs.

2nd Method
===========
I extensively use
load sys config merge from-terminal

Very helpful command for Enter configuration.

Press CTRL-D to submit or CTRL-C to cancel

Prerequisites

You must meet the following prerequisite to use this procedure:

You have Advanced Shell (bash) access to the BIG-IP system.
You are proficient with basic Linux commands.

Procedures

Extracting the UCS archive to a temporary directory
Deleting all unnecessary large files from the UCS archive
Repacking the UCS archive
Installing the new UCS archive

https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K12278
https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K13830181

References for load /sys config merge from-terminal with sample examples

https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K81271448
https://www.xglobe.com/knowledgebase/networking/f5-load-balancer/f5-copy-ltm-config-to-another-devic...

"load sys config merge "  with the help of an example

You can use the load sys config merge command to import the configuration as written in bigip.conf. 

If you want to write to a particular partiton change your folder using 

cd /Partition1

or 

cd /Partiton2

and then use the load sys config merge command so that the configuration will be written  in bigip.conf file for that specific partition or else you have to give in the name reference like we give 

/Common/VIP1 

......

/partition1/VIP10

/Partition2/VIP20

First, enter the load sys config merge from-terminal command.

Create a text file like the one below and paste it into the terminal.

1 2 3 Four Five 6 7 8 9 Ten 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 twenty one twenty two twenty three twenty four twenty five 26 27

net vlan VLAN0200 {     interfaces {         1.3 {             tagged         }     }     mtu 9000     tag 200 } net vlan VLAN0201 {     interfaces {         1.3 {             tagged         }     }     mtu 9000     tag 201 } net vlan VLAN0202 {     interfaces {         1.3 {             tagged         }     }     mtu 9000     tag 202 }

Ctrl+D reflects the settings, and Ctrl+C cancels the operation.

Let me know for any further help.

HTH

[mmsuwaid]

Thanks for this information, I will check it and let u know.

[mmsuwaid]

Hi F5_Design_Engineer,

I have tried to deploy the first method in my lab and I was able to extract the ucs.

After extracting this archive file I found this file configsync-2.0-1-Linux-3.10.0862.14.4.7..8664.im I was able to modify this file with notepad as you said just remove the desired file residing in /config/partitions/<name>/bigip*.conf for my case was part-2 then I tried to zip it up and change the extension to ucs. After I had uploaded to my F5 machine and then tried to restore it I received this error:

Operation Status

Unexpected Error: UCS loading process failed.

Further, I noticed many lines inside this file configsync-2.0-1-Linux-3.10.0862.14.4.7..8664.im with this config/partitions/<name>/bigip*.conf check the attached image. I tried both either deleting all lines related to config/partitions/<name>/bigip*.conf or deleting the more specific one and still receiving the same error.

let me know if I did it in the correct way!

Also, I still didn't try the second method if you could clarify more about the second method I will be so glad.

[F5_Design_Engineer]

Hi @mmsuwaid ,

I have never recommend to edit the system files or configsync-2.0-1-Linux-3.10.0862.14.4.7..8664.im

I only ask for checking/viewing /editing desired partiton files bigip.conf and bigip_base.conf

Make sure that you're editing the partition where the Routing Domain is configured.

Can you list the content of this folder /config/partitions/Part-2 using WINSCP and send me the screenshot and show the bigip.conf and bigip_base.conf file contents in text mode there , send those files text copy.

Or if no other option works for you and you want to delete as a last option, only when you have expertise removing/editing the desired partiton files residing in /config/partitions/Part-2/bigip*.conf ,

else do not use this option of deleting the files

/config/partitions/Part-2/bigip.conf

/config/partitions/Part-2/bigip_base.conf

Do not edit any other files.

Beginning in BIG-IP 11.0.0, the BIG-IP configuration files may reside in multiple locations. BIG-IP configurations for the Common partition continue to exist in the BIG-IP configuration files that reside in the /config directory. If there are BIG-IP configurations for a partition other than the Common partition, the configurations exist in configuration files located in the /config/partitions/<partition name>/ directory.

For example, if there is a self IP configured for the ExampleA partition, the self IP is in the /config/partitions/ExampleA/bigip_base.conf file.

Have you tried editing the bigip.conf and bigip_base.conf files for this partition, taking another partition as a template.

Do not edit this .im file, these are system auto-generated files so manual editing will corrcupt the file system.

[mmsuwaid]

Hi

Thank you for your clarification.

I got your point I shouldn't unzip ucs and delete them. I should only view it from Winrar.

See this screenshot for the F5-1:

see once I move this configuration from F5-1 to F5-2 I don't want to see part-2

here is the content of this folder /config/partitions/Part-2 using WINSCP and the screenshots for bigip.conf and bigip_base.conf file contents.

[mmsuwaid]

So, my plan is to terminate the part-2 in the new F5.

[F5_Design_Engineer]

@mmsuwaid 

Here i can see the configuration in your partition name 

ltm virtual /Part-2/node1-part2 {

address 192.168.2.2

}

So to shift/move this item to your /Part-1 partition i will make the following changes to the all objects whether monitor, node , pool , virtual where so ever they are referenceing or pointing to /Part-2 , i will change those part of the configuration lines replaced with /Part-1 like as follows, you can use notepad++ to replace /Part-2 with /Part-1 in one go after getting all the configuraiton item in one place or you can do one by one as per your choice, pick one set of Virtual , pool , nodes monitors and change the partiton number and paste in the configutiton using

load sys config merge from-terminal

Change that above as follows

ltm virtual /Part-1/node1-part2 {

address 192.168.2.2

}

And it will be easy to get the alll configuration item created in no time , it will save tons of our time.

i suually do it for all the configurrtion itema, i get the itms need to shift, modify their partition names and any other details oyu can change before you get the final confiuration, names IP etc etc, you can modify before pushing the configuration.

now once you got the final configuation , you are all set to push it into the desired partition.

use 

load sys config merge from-terminal

and

1. keep pasting either small small parts of your configuraiton one by one

and

2. if you are confident you an use large pieces of configuraiton multiple vips multiple pools multiple monitors all dependent profiles etc etc,

else

3. it will error that your Virtual cannot be created this pool is missing or this client  ssl profile or this http profie or this persistence profie is missing if they have been called in a Virtual server confiration lines,

4. so make sure all the dependedent configuration items also be part of your configurtion either before your paste new items ot they must be part of your pasting process

5. so that when F5 writer and validates all the dependednt configration iteams they must be present so that you will not get any error  and get your Partiton /Part-1 get filled with the configuration you need to move from partition /Part-2

Hope to see you complete your configuraiton move from one partition to another partition soon  easiy.