f5networks.f5_modules.bigip_profile_fastl4 module – Manages Fast L4 profiles

Note

This module is part of the f5networks.f5_modules collection (version 1.25.0).

You might already have this collection installed if you are using the ansible package. It is not included in ansible-core. To check whether it is installed, run ansible-galaxy collection list.

To install it, use: ansible-galaxy collection install f5networks.f5\_modules.

To use it in a playbook, specify: f5networks.f5_modules.bigip_profile_fastl4.

New in f5networks.f5_modules 1.0.0

Synopsis

  • Manages Fast L4 profiles. Using the FastL4 profile can increase virtual server performance and throughput for supported platforms by using the embedded Packet Velocity Acceleration (ePVA) chip to accelerate traffic.

Parameters

Parameter

Comments

client_timeout

string

Specifies a timeout for Late Binding.

This is the time limit for the client to provide the application data required to select a back-end server, meaning the maximum time the BIG-IP system waits for information about the sender and the target.

This information typically arrives at the beginning of the FIX logon packet.

When 0, or immediate, allows for no time beyond the moment of the first packet transmission.

When indefinite, disables the limit. This allows the client unlimited time to send the sender and target information.

description

string

Description of the profile.

explicit_flow_migration

boolean

Specifies whether a qualified late-binding connection requires an explicit iRule command to migrate down to ePVA hardware.

When false, a late-binding connection migrates down to ePVA immediately after establishing the server-side connection.

When true, this parameter stops automatic migration to ePVA, and requires the iRule explicitly trigger ePVA processing by invoking the release_flow iRule command. This allows an iRule author to control when the connection uses the ePVA hardware.

Choices:

  • false

  • true

boolean

Enables or disables hardware SYN cookie support when PVA10 is present on the system.

Choices:

  • false

  • true

idle_timeout

string

Specifies the length of time a connection is idle (has no traffic) before the connection is eligible for deletion.

When creating a new profile, if this parameter is not specified, the remote device will choose a default value appropriate for the profile, based on its parent profile.

When a number is specified, indicates the number of seconds the TCP connection can remain idle before the system deletes it.

When indefinite, specifies the system does not delete TCP connections regardless of how long they remain idle.

When 0, or immediate, specifies the system deletes connections immediately when they become idle.

ip_df_mode

string

Specifies the Don’t Fragment (DF) bit setting in the IP Header of the outgoing TCP packet.

When pmtu, sets the outgoing IP Header DF bit based on IP pmtu setting.

When preserve, sets the outgoing Packet’s IP Header DF bit to be same as incoming IP Header DF bit.

When set, sets the outgoing packet’s IP Header DF bit.

When clear, clears the outgoing packet’s IP Header DF bit.

Choices:

  • "pmtu"

  • "preserve"

  • "set"

  • "clear"

ip_tos_to_client

string

For IP traffic passing through the system to clients, specifies whether the system modifies the IP type-of-service (ToS) setting in an IP packet header.

May be a number between 0 and 255 (inclusive). When a number, specifies the IP ToS setting that the system inserts in the IP packet header.

When pass-through, specifies the IP ToS setting remains unchanged.

When mimic, specifies the system sets the ToS level of outgoing packets to the same ToS level of the most-recently received incoming packet.

ip_tos_to_server

string

For IP traffic passing through the system to back-end servers, specifies whether the system modifies the IP type-of-service (ToS) setting in an IP packet header.

May be a number between 0 and 255 (inclusive). When a number, specifies the IP ToS setting that the system inserts in the IP packet header.

When pass-through, specifies that IP ToS setting remains unchanged.

When mimic, specifies the system sets the ToS level of outgoing packets to the same ToS level of the most-recently received incoming packet.

ip_ttl_mode

string

Specifies the outgoing TCP packet’s IP Header TTL mode.

When proxy, sets the outgoing IP Header TTL value to 255/64 for IPv4/IPv6 respectively.

When preserve, sets the outgoing IP Header TTL value to be same as the incoming IP Header TTL value.

When decrement, sets the outgoing IP Header TTL value to be one less than the incoming TTL value.

When set, sets the outgoing IP Header TTL value to a specific value(as specified by ip_ttl_v4 or ip_ttl_v6.

Choices:

  • "proxy"

  • "preserve"

  • "decrement"

  • "set"

ip_ttl_v4

integer

Specifies the outgoing packet’s IP Header TTL value for IPv4 traffic.

The maximum TTL value is 255.

ip_ttl_v6

integer

Specifies the outgoing packet’s IP Header TTL value for IPv6 traffic.

The maximum TTL value is 255.

keep_alive_interval

integer

Specifies the keep-alive probe interval, in seconds.

late_binding

boolean

Enables intelligent selection of a back-end server or pool, using an iRule to make the selection.

Enabling late_binding on BIG-IP running TMOS 12.x branch requires software syn cookie is enabled.

Choices:

  • false

  • true

string

For IP traffic passing through the system to clients, specifies whether the system modifies the link quality-of-service (QoS) setting in an IP packet header.

The link QoS value prioritizes the IP packet relative to other Layer 2 traffic.

You can specify a number between 0 (lowest priority) and 7 (highest priority).

When a number, specifies the link QoS setting that the system inserts in the IP packet header.

When pass-through, specifies the link QoS setting remains unchanged.

string

For IP traffic passing through the system to back-end servers, specifies whether the system modifies the link quality-of-service (QoS) setting in an IP packet header.

The link QoS value prioritizes the IP packet relative to other Layer 2 traffic.

You can specify a number between 0 (lowest priority) and 7 (highest priority).

When a number, specifies the link QoS setting that the system inserts in the IP packet header.

When pass-through, specifies the link QoS setting remains unchanged.

loose_close

boolean

When true, specifies the system closes a loosely-initiated connection when the system receives the first FIN packet from either the client or the server.

Choices:

  • false

  • true

loose_initialization

boolean

When true, specifies the system initializes a connection when it receives any TCP packet, rather than requiring a SYN packet for connection initiation.

Choices:

  • false

  • true

mss_override

integer

Specifies a maximum segment size (MSS) override for server-side connections.

Valid range is 256 to 9162 or 0 to disable.

name

string / required

Specifies the name of the profile.

parent

string

Specifies the profile from which this profile inherits settings.

When creating a new profile, if this parameter is not specified, the default is the system-supplied fastL4 profile.

partition

string

Device partition to manage resources on.

Default: "Common"

provider

dictionary

added in f5networks.f5_modules 1.0.0

A dict object containing connection details.

auth_provider

string

Configures the auth provider for to obtain authentication tokens from the remote device.

This option is really used when working with BIG-IQ devices.

no_f5_teem

boolean

If yes, TEEM telemetry data is not sent to F5.

You may omit this option by setting the environment variable F5_TELEMETRY_OFF.

Previously used variable F5_TEEM is deprecated as its name was confusing.

Choices:

  • false ← (default)

  • true

password

aliases: pass, pwd

string / required

The password for the user account used to connect to the BIG-IP.

You may omit this option by setting the environment variable F5_PASSWORD.

server

string / required

The BIG-IP host.

You may omit this option by setting the environment variable F5_SERVER.

server_port

integer

The BIG-IP server port.

You may omit this option by setting the environment variable F5_SERVER_PORT.

Default: 443

timeout

integer

Specifies the timeout in seconds for communicating with the network device for either connecting or sending commands. If the timeout is exceeded before the operation is completed, the module will error.

transport

string

Configures the transport connection to use when connecting to the remote device.

Choices:

  • "rest" ← (default)

user

string / required

The username to connect to the BIG-IP with. This user must have administrative privileges on the device.

You may omit this option by setting the environment variable F5_USER.

validate_certs

boolean

If no, SSL certificates are not validated. Use this only on personally controlled sites using self-signed certificates.

You may omit this option by setting the environment variable F5_VALIDATE_CERTS.

Choices:

  • false

  • true ← (default)

pva_acceleration

string

added in f5networks.f5_modules 1.3.0

Specifies the Packet Velocity ASIC acceleration policy.

Choices:

  • "full"

  • "dedicated"

  • "partial"

  • "none"

reassemble_fragments

boolean

When true, specifies the system reassembles IP fragments.

Choices:

  • false

  • true

receive_window_size

integer

Specifies the amount of data the BIG-IP system can accept without acknowledging the server.

reset_on_timeout

boolean

When true, specifies the system sends a reset packet (RST) in addition to deleting the connection, when a connection exceeds the idle timeout value.

Choices:

  • false

  • true

rtt_from_client

boolean

When true, specifies the system uses TCP timestamp options to measure the round-trip time to the client.

Choices:

  • false

  • true

rtt_from_server

boolean

When true, specifies the system uses TCP timestamp options to measure the round-trip time to the server.

Choices:

  • false

  • true

server_sack

boolean

Specifies whether the BIG-IP system processes Selective ACK (Sack) packets in cookie responses from the server.

Choices:

  • false

  • true

server_timestamp

boolean

Specifies whether the BIG-IP system processes timestamp request packets in cookie responses from the server.

Choices:

  • false

  • true

state

string

When present, ensures the profile exists.

When absent, ensures the profile is removed.

Choices:

  • "present" ← (default)

  • "absent"

boolean

added in f5networks.f5_modules 1.11.0

Specifies whether or not to use SYN Cookie.

Choices:

  • false

  • true

integer

Specifies a value that overrides the SYN cookie maximum segment size (MSS) value in the SYN-ACK packet that is returned to the client.

Valid values are 0, and values from 256 through 9162.

Parameter only available on TMOS 13.0.0 and higher.

tcp_close_timeout

string

Specifies the length of time a connection can remain idle before deletion.

tcp_generate_isn

boolean

When true, specifies the system generates initial sequence numbers for SYN packets, according to RFC 1948.

Choices:

  • false

  • true

tcp_handshake_timeout

string

Specifies the acceptable duration for a TCP handshake (the maximum idle time between a client synchronization (SYN) and a client acknowledgment (ACK)). If the TCP handshake takes longer than the timeout, the system automatically closes the connection.

When a number, specifies how long the system can try to establish a TCP handshake before timing out.

When disabled, specifies the system does not apply a timeout to a TCP handshake.

When indefinite, specifies attempting a TCP handshake never times out.

tcp_strip_sack

boolean

When true, specifies the system blocks a TCP selective ACK SackOK option from passing to the server on an initiating SYN.

Choices:

  • false

  • true

tcp_time_wait_timeout

integer

Specifies the number of milliseconds a connection is in the TIME-WAIT state before closing.

This parameter is only available on TMOS 13.0.0 and later.

tcp_timestamp_mode

string

Specifies the action the system should take on TCP timestamps.

Choices:

  • "preserve"

  • "rewrite"

  • "strip"

tcp_wscale_mode

string

Specifies the action the system should take on TCP windows.

Choices:

  • "preserve"

  • "rewrite"

  • "strip"

timeout_recovery

string

Specifies how to handle client-timeout errors for Late Binding.

Timeout errors may be caused by a DoS attack or a lossy connection.

When disconnect, causes the BIG-IP system to drop the connection.

When fallback, reverts the connection to normal FastL4 load-balancing, based on the client’s TCP header. This causes the BIG-IP system to choose a back-end server based only on the source address and port.

Choices:

  • "disconnect"

  • "fallback"

Notes

Note

  • For more information on using Ansible to manage F5 Networks devices see https://www.ansible.com/integrations/networks/f5.

  • Requires BIG-IP software version >= 12.

  • The F5 modules only manipulate the running configuration of the F5 product. To ensure that BIG-IP specific configuration persists to disk, be sure to include at least one task that uses the f5networks.f5_modules.bigip_config module to save the running configuration. Refer to the module’s documentation for the correct usage of the module to save your running configuration.

Examples

- name: Create a fastL4 profile
  bigip_profile_fastl4:
    name: foo
    provider:
      password: secret
      server: lb.mydomain.com
      user: admin
  delegate_to: localhost

Return Values

Common return values are documented here, the following are the fields unique to this module:

Key

Description

client_timeout

string

The new client timeout value of the resource.

Returned: changed

Sample: "True"

description

string

The new description.

Returned: changed

Sample: "My description"

explicit_flow_migration

boolean

The new flow migration setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: true

boolean

Enables or disables hardware SYN cookie support when PVA10 is present on the system.

Returned: changed

Sample: false

idle_timeout

string

The new idle timeout setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: "123"

ip_df_mode

string

The new Don’t Fragment Flag (DF) setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: "clear"

ip_tos_to_client

string

The new IP ToS to Client setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: "100"

ip_tos_to_server

string

The new IP ToS to Server setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: "100"

ip_ttl_mode

string

The new Time To Live (TTL) setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: "proxy"

ip_ttl_v4

integer

The new Time To Live (TTL) v4 setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: 200

ip_ttl_v6

integer

The new Time To Live (TTL) v6 setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: 200

keep_alive_interval

integer

The new TCP Keep Alive Interval setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: 100

late_binding

boolean

The new Late Binding setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: true

string

The new Link QoS to Client setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: "pass-through"

string

The new Link QoS to Server setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: "123"

loose_close

boolean

The new Loose Close setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: false

loose_initialization

boolean

The new Loose Initiation setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: false

mss_override

integer

The new Maximum Segment Size Override setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: 300

pva_acceleration

string

Specifies the Packet Velocity ASIC acceleration policy.

Returned: changed

Sample: "full"

reassemble_fragments

boolean

The new Reassemble IP Fragments setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: true

receive_window_size

integer

The new Receive Window setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: 1024

reset_on_timeout

boolean

The new Reset on Timeout setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: false

rtt_from_client

boolean

The new RTT from Client setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: false

rtt_from_server

boolean

The new RTT from Server setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: false

server_sack

boolean

The new Server Sack setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: true

server_timestamp

boolean

The new Server Timestamp setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: true

boolean

Specifies whether or not to use SYN Cookie.

Returned: changed

Sample: false

integer

The new SYN Cookie MSS setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: 1024

tcp_close_timeout

string

The new TCP Close Timeout setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: "100"

tcp_generate_isn

boolean

The new Generate Initial Sequence Number setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: false

tcp_handshake_timeout

integer

The new TCP Handshake Timeout setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: 5

tcp_strip_sack

boolean

The new Strip Sack OK setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: false

tcp_time_wait_timeout

integer

The new TCP Time Wait Timeout setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: 100

tcp_timestamp_mode

string

The new TCP Timestamp Mode setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: "rewrite"

tcp_wscale_mode

string

The new TCP Window Scale Mode setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: "strip"

timeout_recovery

string

The new Timeout Recovery setting.

Returned: changed

Sample: "fallback"

Authors

  • Tim Rupp (@caphrim007)

  • Wojciech Wypior (@wojtek0806)