F5 Signaling Delivery Controller Installation Guide · F5 Signaling Delivery Controller Installation Guide ... CREATING AN SDC SITE CONFIGURATION FILE ... F5 Signaling Delivery Controller

Proprietary and Confidential Information of F5 Networks

F5 Signaling Delivery Controller

Installation Guide

Software Version: 4.0.5

Publication Date: April 2014

Catalog Number: RG-014-405-9 Ver. 2


Installation Guide

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1 ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT .......................................................................................................................... 6

ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT ................................................................................................ 6

CONVENTIONS ............................................................................................................. 6

GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................... 7

DOCUMENT VERSION HISTORY ....................................................................................... 7

2 PREREQUISITES ......................................................................................................................................... 8

3 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 9

WHAT IS CREATED DURING THE INSTALLATION PROCESS? .................................................... 9

3.1.1 Completing a site survey .................................................................................................................... 9

3.1.2 Creating the site configuration file .................................................................................................... 9

3.1.3 Installing the SDC site ...................................................................................................................... 11

ABOUT THE SITE TOPOLOGY WIZARD ............................................................................. 12

ABOUT THE INSTALLATION UTILITY ................................................................................ 12

ABOUT SDC SITES ....................................................................................................... 12

4 INSTALLING THE INSTALLATION UTILITY ................................................................................................. 13

PREREQUISITES ........................................................................................................... 13

INSTALLING THE INSTALLATION UTILITY ........................................................................... 13

5 CREATING THE SITE CONFIGURATION FILE .............................................................................................. 16

PREREQUISITES ........................................................................................................... 16

CREATING AN SDC SITE CONFIGURATION FILE – AN OVERVIEW ........................................... 16

5.2.1 Step 1: Defining file properties ........................................................................................................ 17

5.2.2 Step 2: Defining basic configuration ................................................................................................ 18

5.2.3 Step 3: Defining networks ................................................................................................................ 19

5.2.4 Step 4: Defining FEP instances ......................................................................................................... 20

5.2.5 Step 5: Summary .............................................................................................................................. 21

CREATING AN SDC SITE CONFIGURATION FILE .................................................................. 21

5.3.1 Defining File Properties and Site Type ............................................................................................. 22

5.3.2 Defining Basic Site Configuration .................................................................................................... 23

5.3.3 Defining the site networks ............................................................................................................... 25

5.3.4 Defining FEP instances ..................................................................................................................... 29


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5.3.5 Summary and Defining SS7 .............................................................................................................. 31

CREATING AN EMS SITE CONFIGURATION FILE – AN OVERVIEW .......................................... 34

5.4.1 Step 1: Defining file properties ........................................................................................................ 34

5.4.2 Step 2: Defining basic configuration ................................................................................................ 35

5.4.3 Step 3: Defining networks ................................................................................................................ 36

5.4.4 Step 4: Defining FEP instances ......................................................................................................... 36

5.4.5 Step 5: Summary .............................................................................................................................. 37

CREATING AN EMS SITE CONFIGURATION FILE ................................................................. 37

5.5.1 Defining File Properties and Site Type ............................................................................................. 38

5.5.2 Defining Basic Site Configuration .................................................................................................... 39

5.5.3 Defining the site networks ............................................................................................................... 41

5.5.4 Summary .......................................................................................................................................... 45

VIEWING THE SITE CONFIGURATION FILE REPORT ............................................................ 46

6 PERFORMING THE INSTALLATION ........................................................................................................... 47

PREREQUISITES ........................................................................................................... 47

PERFORMING AN INSTALLATION .................................................................................... 47

6.2.1 Accessing the wizard ........................................................................................................................ 47

6.2.2 Selecting a site configuration file ..................................................................................................... 47

6.2.3 Select the installation type .............................................................................................................. 48

6.2.4 Select the installation steps ............................................................................................................. 49

6.2.5 Defining the Operating System ........................................................................................................ 52

6.2.6 Confirming the installation setup .................................................................................................... 53

6.2.7 Monitoring the installation progression .......................................................................................... 53

7 POST INSTALLATION PROCEDURES ......................................................................................................... 54

CHANGING THE ROOT PASSWORD ................................................................................. 54

CHANGING THE SNMP COMMUNITY STRING .................................................................. 54

CONNECTING BETWEEN SDC AND EMS SITES ................................................................. 54

7.3.1 Prerequisites .................................................................................................................................... 54

7.3.2 Connecting between an SDC site and an EMS site ........................................................................... 55

7.3.3 Hardening the Connection between an SDC site and an EMS site ................................................... 56

INSTALLING THE SPLUNK LICENSE .................................................................................. 56

8 APPENDIX A: COMMON CLUSTER CONFIGURATIONS .............................................................................. 58


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CLUSTER CONFIGURATION FOR AN SDC SITE .................................................................... 58

CLUSTER CONFIGURATION FOR AN EMS SITE ................................................................... 59

ABOUT F5 NETWORKS...................................................................................................................................... 61


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Legal Notices

Document Name: F5 Signaling Delivery Controller 4.0.5 Installation Guide

Catalog Number: RD-014-405-9 Ver.2

Publication Date: April 2014

Copyright

© 2005-2014 F5 Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.

F5 Networks, Inc. (F5) believes the information it furnishes to be accurate and reliable. However, F5

assumes no responsibility for the use of this information, nor any infringement of patents or other

rights of third parties which may result from its use. No license is granted by implication or otherwise

under any patent, copyright, or other intellectual property right of F5 except as specifically described

by applicable user licenses. F5 reserves the right to change specifications at any time without notice.

Trademarks

F5 Networks, F5, F5 (design), OpenBloX, OpenBloX (design), Rosetta Diameter Gateway, Signaling

Delivery Controller and SDC, are trademarks or service marks of F5 Networks, Inc., in the U.S. and

other countries, and may not be used without F5’s express written consent.

All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Confidential and Proprietary

The information contained in this document is confidential and proprietary to F5 Networks. The

information in this document may be changed at any time without notice.


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About this Document 6


1 About this Document

About this Document

This document introduces the F5 SDC Installation Utility, the F5 SDC Topology Wizard, and

describes the installation process.

Conventions

The style conventions used in this document are detailed in Table 1.

Table 1: Conventions

Convention Use

Times New Roman Regular text

Times New Roman

Bold

Names of menus, commands, buttons, and other elements of the

user interface

Times New Roman

Italic

Links to figures, tables, and sections in the document, as well as

references to other documents

Courier New Language scripts

Calibri File names

Note: Notes which offer an additional explanation or a hint on how to

overcome a common problem

Warnings which indicate potentially damaging user operations and

explain how to avoid them

An example

For simplicity, throughout this document, the F5 Signaling Delivery Controller will be referred

to as the SDC.


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About this Document 7


Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations

Table 2: Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations

Term Definition

AAA Authentication, Authorization and Accounting

DRA Diameter Routing Agent

EMS Element Management System

FEP-I Front End Proxy

FEP-O Back End Proxy

KPI Key Performance Indicator

Node Physical or virtual addressable entity

Peer Physical or virtual addressable entity. A Client or Server Peer in the

NGN network that provides or consumes AAA services

Remote Node A client or server node in the network that provides or consumes

AAA services

SDC Signaling Delivery Controller

Document Version History

Date – Version Change Reference

April 2014 -2 Added Post Installation

Procedures

Post Installation Procedures


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Prerequisites 8


2 Prerequisites

This document assumes that you have read the F5 SDC Product Description and have

comprehensive understanding of:

1. Positioning of the SDC in and/or between networks

2. SDC and EMS deployments

3. SDC architecture

4. SDC pipeline


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Introduction 9


3 Introduction

This section includes the following topics:

What is created during the installation process?

About the Site Topology Wizard

About the Installation Utility

About SDC sites

What is created during the installation process?

The installation process installs, configures, and enables the necessary hardware, network

infrastructure, and SDC components needed to process the expected variants of message types

and traffic load.

3.1.1 Completing a site survey

To correctly assess your specific needs and ensure that the installed solution will meet them, a

site survey, reviewing your anticipated traffic type and scope, is completed. Based on the site

survey, a solution is built and the hardware requirements and site configuration

recommendations are decided upon.

Note: This document assumes that this stage has been successfully completed.

3.1.2 Creating the site configuration file

Using the Site Topology Wizard, the site configuration file is created. The site configuration

file defines the site’s infrastructure – the hardware that the site uses, which networks are used

and their communication paths (within the SDC site, between the SDC and EMS sites, and

with external networks), and the SDC components needed to process the expected traffic.

For more information about creating configuration files, see Creating the site configuration

fileNote: Installing the Installation Utility takes approximately 35 minutes.

Note: The installation process of the Installation Utility includes the installation of an

Operating System. When attempting to install the Installation Utility on a machine with an


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Introduction 10


existing Operating System, the Operating System will be deleted and the Operating System on

the bootable media will be installed instead.

To install the Installation Utility:

1. Insert the bootable media (either a USB or CD).

2. Reboot the machine.

3. Enter the machine BIOS and configure the machine to boot from the USB/CD.


5. From the OS installation UI select the OS version (the first option).

Note: This step usually takes about 25 minutes to complete.

Figure 1: OS installation screen

6. Enter the following information, as prompted:

a. Host name of the installer machine

b. Management network, mask and interface.

c. An available IP in the management network for the Installation Utility

machine.

d. The default gateway of the machine.


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Introduction 11


e. The DHCP network configuration (start and end DHCP).

7. Confirm the configuration, and reboot the machine.

The machine is installed with the installation utility.

8. On the machine that has the Installation Utility installed, the processes below are

configured as follows:

a. The Installation Utility component runs on port 9090 on the Management

Network.

b. The Cobbler (SDC Repository) runs on port 9090 on the Management

Network.

c. The DHCP runs on port 67/68 on the Management Network.

9. After rebooting the machine the DHCP is not started. Perform the following steps to

start the DHCP:

Note: Verify that additional DHCP do not exist in Management Network to avoid

DHCP collisions.

a. Run the following script to start the DHCP

:service dhcpd start

b. Run the following script to disable the DHCP when the Installation Utility is

not in use

:service dhcpd stop

10. Access the Installation Utility by entering the following URL in your internet

browser:

http://<installer_machine_IP>:9090/Installer

Creating the Site Configuration File.

3.1.3 Installing the SDC site

Using the Installation Utility, the SDC site is installed after both the hardware requirements

have been met and the site configuration file has been successfully created and edited (if

needed).


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Introduction 12


For more information about performing the installation, see Performing the Installation.

About the Site Topology Wizard

The SDC Topology Wizard is a desktop application. The SDC Topology Wizard guides you

through a short series of questions about the SDC site you want to install. Using the gathered

information, the SDC Topology Wizard creates a site configuration file, which is then

uploaded to and used by the Installation Utility to perform the SDC site installation.

About the Installation Utility

The Installation Utility is a web-based wizard tool that guides you through the steps needed to

perform the site installation.

The Site Topology Wizard creates the site configuration file – an .xml file containing the site

infrastructure information. This .xml file is then uploaded to the Installation Utility and the

installation is performed.

For more information, see Performing the Installation.

About SDC sites

An SDC site contains one or more servers that are configured based on the site configuration

file.

There are two common types of SDC sites:

1. Signaling Delivery Controller (SDC) sites – these sites include the network

infrastructure and SDC components needed to correctly process messages between the

client and server peers.

2. SDC Element Management System (EMS) sites – these sites include the network

infrastructure and SDC components needed to collect and manage data from SDC sites.


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Installing the Installation Utility 13


4 Installing the Installation Utility


Prerequisites

Installing the Installation Utility

Prerequisites

Before installing the Installation Utility, verify that you have:

The bootable media with the installation files.

The IP addresses of the machine that will run the Installation Utility.

Note: The Installation Utility must be installed on at least one server per site.

Installing the Installation Utility

Note: Installing the Installation Utility takes approximately 35 minutes.

Note: The installation process of the Installation Utility includes the installation of an

Operating System. When attempting to install the Installation Utility on a machine with an

existing Operating System, the Operating System will be deleted and the Operating System on

the bootable media will be installed instead.

To install the Installation Utility:

11. Insert the bootable media (either a USB or CD).


13. Enter the machine BIOS and configure the machine to boot from the USB/CD.


15. From the OS installation UI select the OS version (the first option).

Note: This step usually takes about 25 minutes to complete.


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Figure 1: OS installation screen

16. Enter the following information, as prompted:

a. Host name of the installer machine

b. Management network, mask and interface.

c. An available IP in the management network for the Installation Utility

machine.

d. The default gateway of the machine.

e. The DHCP network configuration (start and end DHCP).

17. Confirm the configuration, and reboot the machine.

The machine is installed with the installation utility.

18. On the machine that has the Installation Utility installed, the processes below are

configured as follows:

a. The Installation Utility component runs on port 9090 on the Management

Network.


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b. The Cobbler (SDC Repository) runs on port 9090 on the Management

Network.

c. The DHCP runs on port 67/68 on the Management Network.

19. After rebooting the machine the DHCP is not started. Perform the following steps to

start the DHCP:

Note: Verify that additional DHCP do not exist in Management Network to avoid

DHCP collisions.

a. Run the following script to start the DHCP

:service dhcpd start

b. Run the following script to disable the DHCP when the Installation Utility is

not in use

:service dhcpd stop

20. Access the Installation Utility by entering the following URL in your internet

browser:

http://<installer_machine_IP>:9090/Installer


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Creating the Site Configuration File 16


5 Creating the Site Configuration File

This section includes the following:

Prerequisites

Creating an SDC site configuration file – an overview

Creating an SDC site configuration file

Creating an EMS site configuration file – an overview

Creating an EMS site configuration file

Prerequisites

The hardware requirements are understood and fulfilled.

You have read over the next section and have the necessary IP and networking

information.

Creating an SDC site configuration file – an overview

The flow below provides a high level view of the configuration file creation process for an

SDC site, using the SDC Site Topology Wizard.

For a high level view of the configuration file creation process for an EMS site, see Creating

an EMS site configuration file – an overview.


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5.2.1 Step 1: Defining file properties

Figure 2: Topology File Name screen

In this screen, the SDC Topology Wizard begins the site configuration file creation process and

asks you to define a name for the new .xml file that will be created, and the location to which

you want to save the created file. You are also asked to define what type of site you are

configuring – an SDC site or an EMS site. The SDC Topology Wizard screens that follow will

prompt you for information related to the selected site type.

For detailed information, see Defining File Properties and Site Type.


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5.2.2 Step 2: Defining basic configuration

Figure 3: SDC Site Basic Configuration screen

At this point, the SDC Topology wizard knows where the site configuration file is going to be

saved and what it will be called. It also knows if the site is going to be an SDC site or an EMS

site. The SDC Topology wizard now helps you to define the HW, OS, SW version, and NTP

configuration for the site.

For detailed information, see Defining Basic Site Configuration.


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5.2.3 Step 3: Defining networks

Figure 4: Network Configuration screen

At this point, the SDC Topology wizard knows what SDC components need to be configured

in the site configuration file. The SDC Topology wizard also knows how many interfaces it has

through which to configure effective communication between these components, between the

site nodes, and (in cases of multi-site deployments) between sites themselves. The SDC

Topology wizard now needs to configure the networks that these components will run on.

For detailed information, see Defining the site networks.


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5.2.4 Step 4: Defining FEP instances

Figure 5: FEP Configuration screen

In this screen, the SDC Topology wizard displays the configured FEP instances for the site.

The FEP IP address is the destination network address of incoming messages.

For detailed information, see Defining FEP instances.


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5.2.5 Step 5: Summary


In this screen, the SDC Topology wizard displays the SDC components that are configured for

each of the nodes in your site, and defines the allocation between active and standby

components. This configuration is based on the default components that are configured for the

specific site type (SDC or EMS). Using this screen you can also configure SS7 for the SDC

site, if applicable.

For detailed information, see Summary and Defining SS7.

Creating an SDC site configuration file

Follow the steps in the Site Topology wizard to create an .xml site configuration file for an

SDC site. The created file will then be saved for later use, to be uploaded to the installer server

and installed using the Installation Utility. For more information about uploading the created

.xml site configuration file, see Upload site configuration file.

For information about creating an .xml site configuration file for an EMS site, see Creating an

EMS site configuration file.


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5.3.1 Defining File Properties and Site Type



asks you to define a name for the new XML file that will be created, and the location to which




To define the name of the topology XML file and the location to which it will be saved:

1. In the Site Configuration file name field, enter the desired name for the SDC site.

2. In the File location field, enter the path to the location to which you want the

created file to be saved, or click the browse icon and browse to the desired file path.

Note: If you want to work on an already existing file, click the browse button,

navigate to and select the desired file, and click Open. The file name will appear in

the Site Configuration file name field.


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To define the type of site you are configuring:

1. In the Site Type area, mark one of the following options:

a. SDC – mark this option if the site you are creating is an SDC site (either

standalone or connected to other SDC sites in a multisite deployment).

b. EMS – mark this option if the site you are creating is the management site in a

multisite deployment.

5.3.2 Defining Basic Site Configuration





Figure 8: SDC Site Basic Configuration screen

To define the basic SDC site configuration:


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1. In the SDC Site Name field, enter the desired name for the site nodes. In the XML file

that is created, each site name will appear in the following format:

<entered site name>-<number node>.

For example, if I enter the site name value as “SampleSite”, and define that the site

contains four nodes, four nodes will be created with the following names: SampleSite-

1, SampleSite-2, SampleSite-3, and SampleSite-4.

2. In the Nodes field, indicate the number of nodes included in the site.

To define the hardware and software details:

1. In the Hardware field, click on the arrow to display the hardware options, and select

the hardware that the site is going to run on.

The options displayed include:

o VM

o HP Blade Center

o IBM Blade Center

o Pizza

o Sparc

2. In the # of interfaces field, click on the arrow and select the number of ports that each

node is going to use.

Note: The number of available interfaces changes based on the hardware option

selected. Some hardware options have a set number of interfaces and therefore this

field may be disabled.

3. In the Operating System field, click on the arrow to display the Operating System

option, and select the OS that is going to run on the selected hardware.


o CentOS

o RH 6.3 for IBM

o RH 6.3 for HP

o RH 6.3 for Others

4. In the SDC Version field, click on the arrow to display the version options, and select

the SDC version that the site is going to be run with.

5. In the Time zone field, click on the arrow to displays the timezone options, and select

the time zone that the site is going to run in.

6. In the NTP Server IP Addresses field, verify the NTP server IP address. This is the

NTP server address. The NTP server synchronizes time zones between the nodes.

You can add, delete, or edit the NTP IP addresses, as follows:

a. To add an NTP server IP address:


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i. Enter an IP address in the field below the NTP field

ii. Click Add. The IP address appears in the NTP field.

b. To delete an NTP server IP address:

i. In the NTP field, select the IP address to delete.

ii. Click Del. The IP address is removed from the NTP field.

c. To edit the NTP Server IP address list order:

i. In the NTP field, select the IP address to move.

ii. Using the arrows at the right of the NTP, move the IP address to the desired list

position.

To define the additional SDC components (for SDC sites):

1. In the Advanced Configuration area, you define the add-on site configurations:

a. Mark the Managed by EMS checkbox if the site is part of a multisite

environment.

The SDC Topology wizard now asks you for the IP addresses of the

Configuration Manager installed on each of the EMS site nodes (the Reporting

IP Addresses), as well as the VIP address of the NMS Manager installed on the

EMS site (the Monitoring IP Address).

b. In the # of maximum concurrent sessions field, enter the maximum number of

sessions that can be saved in the Tripo database.

5.3.3 Defining the site networks





Topology wizard now needs to configure the networks running between these different

components.


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Figure 9: Networks Definition screen

In this screen, the SDC Topology wizard displays the IC and Management networks that are

automatically configured.

The networks are displayed in the network definition table with the following information:

a. Name

b. Interface

c. VLAN

d. IP version

e. Network Address

f. Mask

g. R/Offset

h. Type

To add a network:

1. Click Add. The Add/Edit Network screen appears.

2. Follow the instructions in The Add/Edit Network screen.


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To edit a network:

1. Select a row in the network definition table.

2. Click Edit. The Add/Edit Network screen appears.


To edit the Gateway IP:

1. In the Gateway IP area, mark the Manual checkbox, click in the IP field and enter

the IP address.

Note: This Gateway IP address is the default gateway IP address for the selected

network.

The Add/Edit Network screen

The Network Config Diagram in the Edit Network screen displays the defined ports for the site

nodes, and the network that runs on them (when configured). Click on a port to display the

associated information. The Edit Network screen displays (and asks for) the following details:

Network name

Interfaces that the network runs on

Network VLAN tag

Network IP version

Network IP Address Range

Network IP address

Network mask

Network gateway

To add or edit a network:

1. In the network area:

a. In the Interface field, select the interface or bond that the network is going to

run on.

b. In the VLAN field, enter the VLAN tag that the network is going to run on, if

applicable.


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c. Select the option – V4 or V6 – that corresponds to the IP version that the

network uses.

Note: IPV6 is not yet supported and cannot be edited.

d. In the Address Range field, enter the range for the IP addresses that the

network can use.

e. In the Network field, enter the IP address that the network is going to run on.

f. In the Mask field, enter the network mask.

g. In the Gateway field, enter the IP address that the network is going to use.

h. To add routes to the network, click Routes. The Static Network for Network

screen appears.

Static routing is the term used to describe routing that is per server, without

differentiating between the different FEPs installed on the site. When only static

routing is configured, all messages from the server are routed to the same

(external) destination network

i. In the Static Network routes for Network screen, click Add.

ii. Enter the Destination Network’s IP address and mask.

iii. Click Insert.

2. Click Save Network. The network now appears in the networks table.

To add a bond:

Creating a bond between two interfaces, defining them as one new interface, can achieve

one of two possible performance enhancements:

Increased capacity – when two interfaces are defined in an active/active bond, the

individual port’s capacity is doubled, creating a new interface with double the capacity.

Redundancy – when two interfaces are defined in an active/standby bond – the

standby bond is available to take over in case the active bond experiences failure,

ensuring continuous performance.

1. Mark the Interface checkbox. The Add Bond section appears.


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i. In the Bond Name field, use the arrows or click inside the field and

enter the desired value.

Note: Bond0 and Bond1 cannot be edited.

ii. Use the arrow to select and move ports between the Free Interfaces and

Bond Interfaces lists.

iii. Click Save Bond.

At this point, the SDC Topology wizard knows the networks that the site will use. The SDC

Topology wizard will allocate IP addresses from these networks to the SDC cluster

components on the site nodes.

5.3.4 Defining FEP instances

Figure 10: Site FEPs Definition screen

In this screen, the SDC Topology wizard displays the configured FEP instances for the site.

The FEP IP address is the network address that will appear in each message sent.

To add a FEP instance:


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1. Click Add. The Front End Proxy (FEP) screen appears.

2. Follow the instructions in the Add/Edit Front End Proxy (FEP) screen.

To edit a FEP instance:

1. Select a row in the definition table.

2. Click Edit. The Front End Proxy (FEP) screen appears.

Follow the instructions in the Add/Edit Front End Proxy (FEP) screen.

Add/Edit Front End Proxy (FEP) screen

The Add/Edit Front End Proxy (FEP) screen asks you to define a protocol based FEP instance.

To add or edit a FEP instance:

1. In the FEP Name field, enter the name that the FEP instance will appear as in the

summary table in step 5.

2. In the Type field, select the protocol that the FEP instance supports.

3. In the IP Protocol area, select the transport protocol that the FEP instance uses.

4. In the Homing field (applicable for SCTP only), select multi-homing if the FEP

instance connects to more than one IP address.

5. In the Port field, enter the port used to access the protocol.

6. To define the FEP instance as an out-only instance, mark the Out only FEP checkbox.

Note: A FEP instance can only be defined as an out-only instance if a FEP-in instance

is already configured.

7. In the Network Name field, select the previously configured network that the FEP

instance is going to run on.

8. Mark the VIP checkbox if you wish to define a loopback IP address for the FEP

instance. In the field that appears, enter the desired IP address. This is the IP address

that will appear for messages that are sent through the FEP instance, instead of the FEP

IP address.

9. To add routes to the FEP, click Routes. The Fep routes for FEP screen appears.

Fep-specific routing is routing that is configured individually for each FEP

installed on the site. Each FEP is configured to communicate with a specific

(external) destination network.

a. In the Fep routes for FEP screen, click Add.


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b. Enter the Destination Network’s IP address and mask.

c. Click Insert.

10. Click Save FEP. The FEP instance now appears in the FEP instances table.

5.3.5 Summary and Defining SS7




specific site type (SDC or EMS), and the additional roles you defined for the site. Using this

screen you can also configure the SS7 and File Server components for the SDC site, if

applicable.

Figure 11: Site FEPs Definition screen

The components displayed in the screen are as follows:

Column Name SDC Component

FEP1 A defined FEP instance


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CPF CPF

CM Config Manager

WUI WebUI

Idx Splunk Indexer

Fwd Splunk Forwarder

Mst SplunkMaster

Srh Splunk Searchhead

Agt NMS Agent

Ss7 SS7

Tpo Tripo

Cls Splunk Cluster

FS File Server

For more information about the SDC components and common cluster configurations, see

Appendix A: Common Cluster Configurations.

To configure S77:

1. In the Configure SS7 nodes area, mark the Includes SS7 checkbox. The Configure

SS7 button is enabled.

2. Click Configure SS7. The SS7 Configuration screen appears.

Each of the 2 CPFs in the SDC that are connected to the Signaling System 7 network

(ss7) is a separated Node.

All nodes in ss7 have a Point Code. All nodes should connect to 2 remote nodes.

The ss7 is connected by SCTP/IP network. In SCTP multi homing, one port is

connected via two physical network interface cards (NIC) to two different networks.

Each NIC has connection (socket) to the 2 remote node through his network (Red or

Blue).

To see the sockets line, click on the diagram.


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(The sockets are the lines from the CPF NICs going through the corresponding network

to the remote nodes)

We call the two networks Red & Blue. The CPFs will have default NIC cards with IPs

connected to the Red & Blue network that you will assign in the ComboBox.

For each remote node you configure an IP both for the Red & Blue networks. Each

remote node needs a port and a Point Code.

To create the site configuration file:

1. Click Finish. The Wizard Report screen will appears, displaying a summary of all

defined values in the wizard.

a. Click Print to print a hard copy of the report.

b. Click Save as to save the report.


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Creating an EMS site configuration file – an overview

The flow below provides a high level view of the configuration file creation process for an

EMS site, using the SDC Site Topology Wizard.

For a high level view of the configuration file creation process for an SDC site, see Creating

an SDC site configuration file – an overview.

5.4.1 Step 1: Defining file properties







For detailed information, see Defining File Properties and Site Type.


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5.4.2 Step 2: Defining basic configuration

Figure 13: EMS Basic Configuration screen





For detailed information, see Defining Basic Site Configuration.


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5.4.3 Step 3: Defining networks

Figure 14: Network Configuration screen






components.

For detailed information, see Defining the site networks.

5.4.4 Step 4: Defining FEP instances

This step is not relevant for EMS sites and is therefore disabled in the SDC Site Topology

Wizard.


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5.4.5 Step 5: Summary

Figure 15: Summary screen




specific site type (SDC or EMS).

Creating an EMS site configuration file

Follow the steps in the Site Topology wizard to create the .xml site configuration file. The

created file will then be saved for later use, to be uploaded to the installer server and installed

using the Installation Utility. For more information about uploading the created .xml site

configuration file, see Upload site configuration file.


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5.5.1 Defining File Properties and Site Type







To define the name of the topology XML file and the location to which it will be saved:

1. In the Site Configuration file name field, enter the desired name for the SDC site.

2. In the File location field, enter the path to the location to which you want the

created file to be saved, or click the browse icon and browse to the desired file path.

Note: If you want to work on an already existing file, click the browse button, navigate to

and select the desired file, and click Open. The file name will appear in the Site

Configuration file name field.


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To define the type of site you are configuring:

1. In the Site Type area, mark one of the following options:

a. SDC – mark this option if the site you are creating is an SDC site (either

standalone or connected to other SDC sites in a multisite deployment).

b. EMS – mark this option if the site you are creating is the management site

in a multisite deployment.

5.5.2 Defining Basic Site Configuration





Figure 17: EMS Site Basic Configuration screen

To define the basic SDC site configuration:


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1. In the EMS Site Name field, enter the desired name for the site nodes. In the XML file

that is created, each site name will appear in the following format:

<entered site name>-<number node>.

For example, if I enter the site name value as “SampleSite”, and define that the site

contains four nodes, four nodes will be created with the following names: SampleSite-

1, SampleSite-2, SampleSite-3, and SampleSite-4.

2. In the Nodes field, indicate the number of nodes included in the site by using the

arrows or clicking on the displayed number and manually entering the desired value.

To define the hardware and software details:

1. In the HardWare field, click on the arrow to display the hardware options, and select

the hardware that the site is going to run on.


o VM

o HP Blade Center

o IBM Blade Center

o Pizza

o Sparc

2. In the # of interfaces field, click on the arrow and select the number of ports that each

node is going to use.

Note: The number of available interfaces changes based on the hardware option

selected. Some hardware options have a set number of interfaces and therefore this

field may be disabled.

3. In the Operating System field, click on the arrow to display the Operating System

option, and select the OS that is going to run on the selected hardware.


o CentOS

o RH 6.3 for IBM

o RH 6.3 for HP

o RH 6.3 for Others

4. In the SDC Version field, click on the arrow to display the version options, and select

the SDC version that the site is going to be run with.

5. In the Time zone field, click on the arrow to displays the timezone options, and select

the time zone that the site is going to run in.

6. In the NTP Server IP Addresses field, verify the NTP server IP address. This is the

NTP server address. The NTP server synchronizes time zones between the nodes.

You can add, delete, or edit the NTP IP addresses, as follows:

a. To add an NTP server IP address:


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iii. Enter an IP address in the field below the NTP field

iv. Click Add. The IP address appears in the NTP field.

b. To delete an NTP server IP address:

iii. In the NTP field, select the IP address to delete.

iv. Click Del. The IP address is removed from the NTP field.

c. To edit the NTP Server IP address list order:

iii. In the NTP field, select the IP address to move.

iv. Using the arrows at the right of the NTP, move the IP address to the desired list

position.

To define the additional EMS components (for EMS sites):

1. In the EMS Group Configure area:

a. In the Group Name field, select the name for the group of sites managed by the

EMS site.

b. The list of sites in the EMS group appears below the group name. To add a site

to the group list, enter the site name in the field below and click Add. The site

name now appears in the group list of SDC sites managed by the EMS site.

5.5.3 Defining the site networks






components.


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Figure 18: Networks Definition screen

In this screen, the SDC Topology wizard displays the IC and Management networks that are

automatically configured.

The networks are displayed in the network definition table with the following information:

Name

Interface

VLAN

IP version

Network Address

Mask

R/Offset

Type

To edit a network:

1. Select a row in the network definition table.

2. Click Edit. The Add/Edit Network screen appears.


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To edit the Gateway IP:

1. In the Gateway IP area, mark the Manual checkbox, click in the IP field and enter

the IP address.

Note: This Gateway IP address is the default gateway IP address for the selected

network.

The Add/Edit Network screen

The Network Config Diagram in the Edit Network screen displays the defined ports for the site

nodes, and the network that runs on them (when configured). Click on a port to display the

associated information. The Edit Network screen displays (and asks for) the following details:

Network name

Interfaces that the network runs on

Network VLAN tag

Network IP version

Network IP Address Range

Network IP address

Network mask

Network gateway

To edit a network:

1. In the network area:

a. In the Interface field, select the interface or bond that the network is going to

run on.

b. In the VLAN field, enter the VLAN tag that the network is going to run on, if

applicable.

c. Select the option – V4 or V6 – that corresponds to the IP version that the

network uses.


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Note: IPV6 is not yet supported and cannot be edited.

d. In the Address Range field, enter the range for the IP addresses that the

network can use.

e. In the Network field, enter the IP address that the network is going to run on.

f. In the Mask field, enter the network mask.

g. In the Gateway field, enter the IP address that the network is going to use.

h. To add routes to the network, click Routes. The Static Network for Network

screen appears.

Static routing is the term used to describe routing that is per server, without

differentiating between the different FEPs installed on the site. When only static

routing is configured, all messages from the server are routed to the same

(external) destination network

i. In the Static Network routes for Network screen, click Add.

ii. Enter the Destination Network’s IP address and mask.

iii. Click Insert.

2. Click Save Network. The network now appears in the networks table.

To add a bond:

1. Mark the Interface checkbox. The Add Bond section appears.

i. In the Bond Name field, use the arrows or click inside the field and

enter the desired value.

Note: Bond0 and Bond1 cannot be edited.

ii. Use the arrow to select and move ports between the Free Interfaces and

Bond Interfaces lists.

iii. Click Save Bond.

At this point, the SDC Topology wizard knows the networks that the site will use. The SDC

Topology wizard will allocate IP addresses from these networks to the SDC cluster

components on the site nodes.


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5.5.4 Summary




specific site type (SDC or EMS), and the additional roles you defined for the site.


The components displayed in the screen are as follows:

Column Name SDC Component

FEP1 A defined FEP instance

CPF CPF

CM Config Manager

WUI WebUI

Idx Splunk Indexer

Fwd Splunk Forwarder

Mst SplunkMaster


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Srh Splunk Searchhead

Agt NMS Agent

Ss7 SS7

Tpo Tripo

Cls Splunk Cluster

FS File Server

For more information about the SDC components and common cluster configurations, see

Appendix A: Common Cluster Configurations.

To create the site configuration file:

1. Click Finish. The Wizard Report screen will appears, displaying a summary of all

defined values in the wizard.

a. Click Print to print a hard copy of the report.

b. Click Save as to save the report.

Viewing the Site Configuration File Report

The SDC Site Topology Wizard produces a report that details the site configuration. This

report includes the SDC components that have been defined for the site, as well and the

networks and IP addresses that are allocated to each site and each site component.


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Performing the Installation 47


6 Performing the Installation


Prerequisites

Performing an Installation

Prerequisites

Before creating or editing a site configuration file, verify that:

The hardware requirements are understood and fulfilled.

The site configuration file is updated and validated.

Performing an Installation

6.2.1 Accessing the wizard

To access the “Perform Installation” wizard:

1. In the Installation Utility home page, click Perform Installation.

The Select Site Configuration File screen appears.

6.2.2 Selecting a site configuration file

Figure 20: Select Configuration screen

This screen contains two options to retrieve the site configuration file. Select the site

configuration file by choosing the one of the following options:


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Load site configuration file from the installation server

Choose this option if the file you want to work with is included in the default files included

with the Installation Utility, or if the file has previously been uploaded to the Installer server.

To load a file from the installation server:

1. Select the desired file from the drop-down list.

Upload site configuration file

Choose this option if the file you want to work with is located locally (for example, on a USB

or on the desktop) and has not yet been uploaded to the installation server.

To upload a file to the installation server:

1. Click Browse and navigate to the desired file.

2. Click Open.

Note: The selected configuration file is now on the installation server, and will appear in the

drop-down list of available configuration files.

6.2.3 Select the installation type

Figure 21: Select Installation screen

In this screen, we select the servers that are going to be installed as part of the installation

procedure. There are two types of installations. Site Installations install all servers that are

defined as part of the installation process in the site configuration file. Installations Per

Servers installs only those servers that are selected from the list of available servers that

appears when this option is selected.

Select the installation type by choosing one of the following options:

Site installation

Installation per server


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Site installation

Select this option if you want to apply the configuration file to all site servers.

Installation per server

Select this option if you want to apply the configuration file to specific site servers only, and

select the checkbox next to those servers.

6.2.4 Select the installation steps

Figure 22: Select Steps screen

In this screen, we define which installation steps are going to be performed as part of the

installation. Recommended Installation does not perform any installation step related to

testing or simulating performance, whereas Custom Installation performs all steps that are

selected from the list of available steps that appears when this option is selected.

Note: By default, all installation steps aside for those related to testing or simulating

performance are selected in the Custom Installation option.

Select the installation type by choosing one of the following options:

Recommended installation

Custom installation

Recommended installation

Select this option if you want to perform all installation steps aside for steps related to

performance testing and product simulation.


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Custom installation

Select this option if you want to define specific installation steps to be performed, and select

the checkbox next to those steps. Table 3 details the available installation steps.

Table 3: Installation Steps

Installation Step Description Guidelines

Check System

Checks the hardware to verify that

there is enough memory and interface

availability for a successful

installation

Shutdown All

Applications

Shuts down all F5 applications

Update SDC Installation

Repository

Edits the /etc/yum.repo.d/traffix.repo

file and updates the Installer IP in the

file

Perform Java

Installation

Installs Java Only applicable if Java is not already

installed.

Copy Installation Files

Copies the installer scripts and the

SDC.tar.gz file

Only applicable if something in the

installer has changed or if you want to

update the SDC version.

Update Topology File Updates the site configuration file Always applicable.

Prepare Operating

System

Updates the snmp, rsyslog, logrotate

definitions; turns off the SNMP

service; builds the /etc/host file;

configures the kernel, the core file, the

time zone, and the NTP; starts the

coredumps, snmp, and logrotate

services; tells the system to remount

the /dev/shm/ on boot; configures

nsswitch.

Only needs to be performed once.

Configure Network

Configures the interfaces, bonds,

hostname, and static routing.


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Reboot

Reboots the machine. Only needs to be performed if the

previous two steps are selected.

Install installer

Installs the installation utility on the

selected servers.

Open SDC Installation

Kit

Opens the tar.gz file, builds the

/opt/traffix/sdc, and creates a backup

of the old one.

Install Tripo

Component

Installs and configures Tripo.

File Server installation Installs and configures the File Server.

Install SS7 Component Installs and configures SS7

Configure SDC

Builds the configuration file for each

component in the

/opt/traffix/sdc/config/sysconfig file.

Install NMS Agent

Component

Installs and configures the NMS agent Only needs to be performed once.

Install Splunk

Component

Installs and configures Splunk

Run SDC

Runs the SDC to check the effect the

changes had.

Stop SDC Stops the check.

Configure SDC Cluster

Configures the activeMQ and the

config manager group; the servers

begin communicating with eachother;

the cluster between sites is created –

before each site was standalone.

Configure Corosync

Cluster

Builds the configuration for Corosync


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Hardening system

(Security)

Performs system hardening according

to the product requirements. This step

verifies that only the necessary SDC

ports are open and ready to accept

inbound connections.

Configure SDC for

JMeter Tests

Only applicable for test environments

Update Installation

Repository for JMeter

Server


Install Java for JMeter

Server


Install JMeter Server Only applicable for test environments

Configure JMeter for

Server Tests


Update Installation

Repository for JMeter

Client


Install Java for JMeter

Client


Install JMeter Client Only applicable for test environmentss

Configure Client for

JMeter Tests


6.2.5 Defining the Operating System

Figure 23: Define OS screen


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In this screen, we define if an operating system should be installed as part of the installation.

Select the checkbox indicating if the OS should be installed during installation.

6.2.6 Confirming the installation setup


In this screen, we verify the definitions we made in the previous screens.

Click Next to start the installation process or Cancel to exit.

6.2.7 Monitoring the installation progression

Figure 25: Installation Progress screen

In the Installation OS and Installation Progress screens, we see the installation progression for

each installation step for each server. This way, if the installation fails on specific steps for a

specific server, we can effectively troubleshoot the cause of the failure.


Installation Guide

Post Installation Procedures 54


7 Post Installation Procedures

The following procedures are performed after the installation process is successfully

completed:

Changing the Root Password

Changing the SNMP Community String

Connecting between SDC and EMS Sites

Installing the Splunk License

Changing the Root Password

During installation the Root password is assigned a default value. For increased security, change

this value.

To change the root password:

1. Run the Unix “passwd” command.

Changing the SNMP Community String

To prevent access to the system’s SNMP data, change the community “public” string. The change

should be performed in two levels: in every SDC and EMS site’s OS and in the XML configuration

file. For more information, see the Changing the SNMP Community String document.

Connecting between SDC and EMS Sites


Prerequisites

Connecting between an SDC site and an EMS site

Hardening the Connection between an SDC site and an EMS site

7.3.1 Prerequisites

Before connecting between SDC sites:

Verify that the site configuration file is complete.


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7.3.2 Connecting between an SDC site and an EMS site

Note: Shut down the sites before configuring the connection, if they are running.

To create connections between both SDC site and an EMS site:

1. On all servers (on both the SDC and EMS sites), verify and update the /etc/hosts file

with the following:

a. nmsmanager.traffix.com - set to the VIP of the NMS Manager component, as

defined in the EMS site cluster.

b. splunkfwic.traffix.com – set to the VIP of the splunk forwarder component, as

defined in the site cluster.

c. splunkic1.traffix.com AND splunkic2.traffix.com - set to the IP of the Splunk

indexer component.

Note: If there is only one Splunk indexer, both should be set with the same IP.

d. splunkmaster.traffix.com – set to the VIP of the splunk cluster component, as

defined in the EMS site cluster.

Note: This is only defined on the EMS site servers.

2. On the EMS site servers:

a. Add the following section to the traffix_config_mgr file in

/opt/traffix/sdc/config/sysconfig:

CONFIG_MGR_REMOTE_NETWORK_URI="static:(failover:(tcp:

//

SITE_A_1_IP:61617?wireFormat.maxInactivityDuration=0&

keepAlive=true,tcp://

SITE_A_2_IP:61617?wireFormat.maxInactivityDuration=0&

keepAlive=true)?randomize=false&maxReconnectAttempts=

0,failover:(tcp://

SITE_B_1_IP:61617?wireFormat.maxInactivityDuration=0&

keepAlive=true,tcp://

SITE_B_2_IP:61617?wireFormat.maxInactivityDuration=0&

keepAlive=true)?randomize=false&maxReconnectAttempts=

0)"


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b. Update the following parameters:

i. SITE_A_1_IP – set as the IP address of the config manager component

on the first server in the first SDC site.

ii. SITE_A_2_IP – set as the IP address of the config manager component

on the second server in the first SDC site.

iii. SITE_B_1_IP – set as the IP address of the config manager component

on the first server in the second SDC site (applicable only if you are

connecting two SDC sites to an EMS site).

iv. SITE_B_2_IP – set as the IP address of the config manager component

on the second server in the second SDC site (applicable only if you are

connecting two SDC sites to an EMS site).

7.3.3 Hardening the Connection between an SDC site and an EMS site

When configuring a multi-site network that includes EMS we need to configure a connection

between the EMS and the SDC. The connection can be secure or unsecure. To secure the

connection we use an SSL configuration based on trusted key authentication. The connection is

initiated by the EMS site while the SDC site checks that the key in is trusted list. For more

information about securing the connection, see F5 SDC Configuring ActiveMQ with SSL.

Installing the Splunk License

To correctly install the Splunk license on your system, each Splunk component – the Splunk

Master, Splunk Indexer, and Splunk Search – must be individually configured to work with the

given license.

To configure the license on the Splunk Master:

1. Access the Splunk WebUI using the following URL:

http://<EMS_IP_Address>:8100

2. Go to Manager>Licensing.

3. Click Add License and then select Copy & paste the license XML directly....

4. Enter the license string provided to you by F5.

5. Click Install.

6. Log out.


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To configure the license on the Splunk Indexer:


http://<EMS_IP_Address>:8200


3. Click Change to Slave.

4. Select Designate a Different Splunk instance as the master license server.

5. In the Master license server URI edit box, enter the following string:

https://splunkmaster.traffix.com:8189

6. Log out.

7. Repeat step 1-6 on the second server running the Splunk Indexer.

To configure the license on the Splunk Search:


http://<EMS_IP_ADDRESS>:8000


3. Click Change to Slave.

4. Select Designate a different Splunk instance as the master license server.

5. In the Master license server URI edit box, add the following string:

https://splunkmaster.traffix.com:8189

6. Log out.


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Appendix A: Common Cluster Configurations 58


8 Appendix A: Common Cluster

Configurations

This section provides an overview of the cluster configuration of two common SDC site

setups:

Cluster configuration for an SDC site

Cluster configuration for an EMS site

Cluster configuration for an SDC site

The Illustration of an SDC site cluster configuration shows an SDC site with two servers,

where one server is running the process. The following components are installed on this site:

WebUI – running on the management network, the WebUI is run on the active server

Configuration Manager – running directly on both servers concurrently

CPF – running directly on both servers concurrently

Tripo - running directly on both servers concurrently

NMS Agent - running on the management network, the NMS agent is run on the active

server

Splunk Forwarder - running on the interconnect network, the Splunk Forwarder is run

on the active server

FEP instances – running on a signaling network, the FEP instances are run on the active

server

SS7 – running directly on both servers concurrently

File Server – running directly on both servers concurrently


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Figure 26: Illustration of an SDC site cluster configuration

Cluster configuration for an EMS site

The Illustration of an EMS site cluster configuration shows an EMS site with two servers,

where one server is running the process. The following components are installed on this site:

WebUI – running on the management network, the WebUI is run on the active server

Configuration Manager – running directly on both servers concurrently

NMS Manager - running on the management network, the WebUI is run on the active

server

Splunk Forwarder - running on the interconnect network, the WebUI is run on the

active server

Splunk Indexer – running directly on both servers concurrently

Splunk Cluster – containing the Splunk Master and Splunk Search Head, running on the

management network, the Splunk Cluster is run on the active server


Installation Guide



Figure 27: Illustration of an EMS site cluster configuration


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61


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