Table Of Contents
Getting Started
Configuration Overview
Operating System Support
Preparing to Configure the CSM-S
Using the Command-Line Interface
Accessing Online Help
Saving and Restoring Configurations
Configuring SLB Modes
Mode Command Syntax
Migrating Between Modes
Differences Between the CSM and RP Modes
CSM Mode
RP Mode
Changing Modes
CSM Mode to RP Mode
RP Mode to CSM Mode
Verifying the Configuration
Upgrading to a New Software Release
Upgrading from the Supervisor Engine Bootflash
Upgrading from a PCMCIA Card
Upgrading from an External TFTP Server
Recovering a Lost Password
Getting Started
This chapter describes what is required before you begin configuring the CSM-S and contains these sections:
•
Configuration Overview
•
Operating System Support
•
Preparing to Configure the CSM-S
•
Saving and Restoring Configurations
•
Configuring SLB Modes
•
Upgrading to a New Software Release
•
Recovering a Lost Password
Configuration Overview
The configuration process assumes that the switch is in the RP mode. Figure 3-1 shows an overview of the required and optional operations in the basic CSM-S configuration process. Figure 3-2 shows an overview of the SSL portion of the configuration process.
Note
Configuring policies is not necessary for Layer 4 load balancing.
These sections describe how to configure the required parameters:
•
CSM-S and SSL Services Module Command Differences, page 1-10
•
Software Version Information, page 1-10
•
Configuration Restrictions, page 1-12
•
Recovering a Lost Password
•
Configuring Client-Side VLANs, page 4-2
•
Configuring Server-Side VLANs, page 4-3
•
Configuring Server Farms, page 5-1
•
Configuring Real Servers, page 5-3
•
Configuring Virtual Servers, page 6-1
Figure 3-1 CSM-S Basic Configuration Overview
After you configure the required load-balancing parameters on the CSM-S, you can configure the optional parameters in the following sections:
•
Configuring Redirect Virtual Servers, page 6-6
•
Configuring Client NAT Pools, page 5-6
•
Configuring Server-Initiated Connections, page 5-7
•
Configuring TCP Parameters, page 6-4
Figure 3-2 CSM-S SSL Configuration Overview
To configure the SSL parameters, see the following sections:
•
CSM-S and SSL Services Module Command Differences, page 1-10
•
Initial SSL Daughter Card Configuration, page 7-2
•
Configuring SSL for Client-Side and Server-Side Operation, page 7-6
To work with advanced configurations, see the following sections in Chapter 2 through Chapter 11:
•
Configuring the Single Subnet (Bridge) Mode, page 2-1
•
Configuring the Secure (Router) Mode, page 2-3
•
Configuring URL Hashing, page 5-7
•
Configuring Generic Header Parsing, page 6-12
•
Configuring SSL for Client-Side and Server-Side Operation, page 7-6
•
Configuring Route Health Injection, page 10-5
•
Configuring Fault Tolerance, page 9-1
•
Configuring Persistent Connections, page 10-13
•
Configuring HSRP, page 9-5
•
Configuring Connection Redundancy, page 9-9
•
Configuring SNMP Traps for Real Servers, page 10-20
•
Configuring Probes for Health Monitoring, page 11-1
•
Understanding and Configuring Inband Health Monitoring, page 11-8
•
Understanding and Configuring HTTP Return Code Checking, page 11-9
•
Using TCL Scripts with the CSM-S, page 12-1
•
Configuring Stealth Firewall Load Balancing, page 13-7
•
Configuring Regular Firewall Load Balancing, page 13-16
•
Configuring Reverse-Sticky for Firewalls, page 13-24
Operating System Support
The CSM-S is supported on switches running Cisco IOS software only. Because the CSM-S is configured through the MSFC CLI, you must first session into the MSFC for access to the MSFC CLI. All Layer 2 configurations (such as VLAN and port associations) are performed on the supervisor engine when using a switch running the Cisco IOS software.
Note
When running the CSM-S on a switch, configured VLANs are automatically added to the trunk or channel that connects the CSM-S to the switch backplane.
Preparing to Configure the CSM-S
Before you configure the CSM-S, you must take these actions:
•
Be sure that the Cisco IOS versions for the switch and the module match. Refer to the Catalyst 6500 Series Switch Content Switching Module Installation Guide.
•
Before you can configure server load balancing, you must obtain the following information:
–
Network topology that you are using in your installation
–
Real server IP addresses
–
An entry for the CSM-S VIPs in the Domain Name Server (DNS) (if you want them to be reached through names)
–
Each virtual server's IP address
•
Configure VLANs on the Catalyst 6500 series switch before you configure VLANs for the CSM-S. VLAN IDs must be the same for the switch and the module. Refer to the Catalyst 6500 Series Switch Software Configuration Guide for details.
This example shows how to configure VLANs:
Router# configure terminal
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
Router(config-vlan)# name CLIENT_VLAN
Router(config-vlan)# exit
Router(config-vlan)# name SERVER_VLAN
•
Place the physical interfaces that connect to the servers or to the clients in the corresponding VLAN.
This example shows how to configure a physical interface as a Layer 2 interface and assign it to a VLAN:
Router(config)# interface 3/1
Router(config-if)# switchport
Router(config-if)# switchport access vlan 150
Router(config-if)# no shutdown
•
If the Multilayer Switch Function Card (MSFC) is used on the next-hop router on either the client or the server-side VLAN, then you must configure the corresponding Layer 3 VLAN interface.
Caution 
You cannot use the MSFC simultaneously as the router for both the client and the server side unless policy-based routing or source NAT is used and the CSM-S is configured in router mode. This situation occurs because the CSM-S must see both flow directions that load balances or forwards. If you use the CSM-S in bridge (single subnet) mode, do not configure the Layer 3 VLAN interface on the MSFC for both the client and the server side. If you use the CSM-S in router mode, do not configure the Layer 3 VLAN interface on the MSFC for both the client and the server side unless you properly configure policy-based routing or source NAT to direct return traffic back to the CSM-S.
This example shows how to configure the Layer 3 VLAN interface:
Router(config)# interface vlan 130
Router(config-if)# ip address 10.10.1.10 255.255.255.0
Router(config-if)# no shutdown
Using the Command-Line Interface
The software interface for the CSM-S is the Cisco IOS command-line interface. To understand the Cisco IOS command-line interface and Cisco IOS command modes, refer to Chapter 2 in the Catalyst 6500 Series Switch Cisco IOS Software Configuration Guide.
Note
Because each prompt has a character limit, some prompts may be truncated. For example
Router(config-slb-vlan-server)# may appear as Router(config-slb-vlan-serve)#.
Accessing Online Help
In any command mode, you can get a list of available commands by entering a question mark (?) as follows:
or
Router(config)# module CSM 5
Router(config-module-CSM)# ?
Note
Online help shows the default configuration values and ranges available to commands.
Saving and Restoring Configurations
For information about saving and restoring configurations, refer to the
Catalyst 6500 Series Switch Cisco IOS Software Configuration Guide.
Configuring SLB Modes
Server load balancing on the Catalyst 6500 series switch can be configured to operate in two modes: the routed processor (RP) mode and the CSM mode. The switch configuration does not affect CSM-S operation. By default, the CSM-S is configured in RP mode. The RP mode allows you to configure one or multiple CSM-S modules in the same chassis and run Cisco IOS SLB on the same switch.
Note
The RP mode is the default mode and is the recommended mode. The CSM mode is used for backward compatibility only for releases with CSM software images previous to release 2.1. When installing a new CSM or CSM-S image, use the RP mode.
The CSM mode allows you to configure a single CSM-S only. The CSM mode is supported for backward compatibility with previous software releases. The single CSM-S configuration will not allow Cisco IOS SLB to run on the same switch.
The following sections provide information about the modes:
•
Mode Command Syntax
•
Migrating Between Modes
•
Differences Between the CSM and RP Modes
•
Changing Modes
Mode Command Syntax
Before you can enter the CSM-S configuration commands on the switch, you must specify the CSM-S that you want to configure. To specify a CSM-S for configuration, use the module csm slot-number command. The slot-number value is the chassis slot where the CSM-S being configured is located.
The module csm command places you in CSM-S configuration submode. All additional configuration commands that you enter apply to the CSM-S that is installed in the slot you have specified.
Note
Unless otherwise specified, all the examples in this publication assume that you have already entered this command and entered the configuration submode for the CSM-S that you are configuring.
The command syntax for the CSM-S mode and RP mode configuration is identical with these exceptions:
•
When configuring in the CSM mode, you must prefix each top-level command with ip slb.
•
Prompts are different for the CSM mode and RP mode configurations.
To configure a virtual server for a CSM-S in slot 5, perform this task:
| |
Command
|
Purpose
|
Step 1
|
Router(config)# module csm 5
|
Specifies the location of the CSM-S that you are configuring.
|
Step 2
|
Router(config-module-csm)# vserver
VS1
|
Configures the virtual server.
|
This example shows the complete list of CSM-S commands in the config-module-csm mode:
Router# configure terminal
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
Router(config)# module csm 5
Router(config-module-csm)# ?
arp configure a static ARP entry
capp configure Content Application Peering Protocol
default Set a command to its defaults
dfp configure Dynamic Feedback Protocol manager
exit exit SLB CSM module submode
ft configure CSM fault tolerance (ft) feature
natpool configure client nat pool
no Negate a command or set its defaults
owner configure server owner
policy configure an SLB policy
probe configure an SLB probe
real configure module real server
script configure script files and tasks
serverfarm configure a SLB server farm
static configure static NAT for server initiated connections
sticky configure a sticky group
variable configure an environment variable
vserver configure an SLB virtual server
xml-config settings for configuration via XML
Migrating Between Modes
Existing CSM-S configurations are migrated to the new configuration when the mode is changed from CSM to RP using the ip slb mode command. If a CSM-S configuration exists, you are prompted for the slot number.
You can migrate from an RP mode configuration to CSM mode configuration on the Catalyst 6500 series switch. You can migrate manually only from a Cisco IOS SLB configuration to a CSM-S configuration.
Differences Between the CSM and RP Modes
The CSM and RP modes only affect the way in which the CSM-S is configured from the CLI, not the operation and functionalities of the CSM-S itself. The RP mode is required to configure multiple CSM-S modules in one chassis as well as the Cisco IOS SLB in the same chassis with a CSM-S.
CSM Mode
You can use the ip slb mode csm command mode to configure a CSM-S in 1.x releases. This mode allows the configuration of a single CSM-S in the chassis. (Other CSMs or Cisco IOS SLB cannot be configured in the same chassis.)
In this mode, all the CSM-S configuration commands begin with ip slb.
The CSM-S show commands begin with show ip slb.
This mode is not recommended where it is provided as an option in the Cisco IOS CLI for backward compatibility if you are using CSM software 2.1 or later releases.
The following is an example of a configuration for a single CSM-S in the chassis:
Cat6k# show running-config
Building configuration...
Current configuration : 5617 bytes
ip address 10.10.110.1 255.255.255.0
ip address 10.10.111.2 255.255.255.0
ip slb probe HTTP_TEST http
request method get url /probe/http_probe.html
ip slb serverfarm WEBFARM
virtual 10.10.111.100 tcp www
RP Mode
You can use the ip slb mode rp command mode (the default) to configure multiple CSM-S modules in a chassis with Cisco IOS SLB. You can only configure the CSM-S using this mode starting from release 2.1.
In this mode, the CSM-S is configured from this command submode:
The X is the slot number of the CSM-S that you want to configure.
CSM-S show commands start with show mod csm X.
Beginning with CSM software release 2.1, the RP mode is the recommended mode when configuring the CSM-S. While in this mode, all the commands apply to Cisco IOS SLB and not to a CSM-S in the chassis. These commands begin with ip slb.
The following is an example of a configuration for a single CSM-S in the chassis:
Cat6k# show running-config
Building configuration...
Current configuration : 5597 bytes
module ContentSwitchingModule 5
ip address 10.10.110.1 255.255.255.0
ip address 10.10.111.2 255.255.255.0
request method get url /probe/http_probe.html
virtual 10.10.111.100 tcp www
Changing Modes
You can change the CSM operating mode from CSM mode to RP mode or RP mode to CSM mode. The next sections provide examples of how to change the modes.
CSM Mode to RP Mode
This example shows how to change from CSM mode to RP mode. This example is typical of a migration from CSM 1.x to 2.1 or later releases and does not require a module reset.
Cat6k# configure terminal
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
Cat6k(config)# ip slb mode ?
csm SLB in Content Switching Module
Cat6k(config)# ip slb mode rp
% The current SLB mode is CSM-SLB.
% You are selecting RP-SLB mode.
% All configuration for CSM-SLB will be moved to module submode.
% Confirm switch to RP-SLB mode? [no]: yes
% Enter slot number for CSM module configuration, 0 for none [5]: 5
% Please save the configuration.
Building configuration...
RP Mode to CSM Mode
This example shows how to migrate from RP mode to CSM mode and requires a module reset:
Cat6k# configure terminal
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
Cat6k(config)# ip slb mode ?
csm SLB in Content Switching Module
Cat6k(config)# ip slb mode csm
% The current SLB mode is RP-SLB.
% You are selecting CSM-SLB.
% All SLB configurations for RP will be ERASED.
% After execution of this command, you must
% write the configuration to memory and reload.
% CSM-SLB module configuration will be moved to ip slb submodes.
% Confirm switch to CSM-SLB mode? [no]: yes
% Enter slot number for CSM module configuration, 0 for none [5]: 5
% Please save the configuration and reload.
Building configuration...
Proceed with reload? [confirm] y
Verifying the Configuration
To confirm that your configuration is working properly, use these commands in RP mode:
Cat6k# configure terminal
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
Catk6-1(config)# ip slb ?
dfp configure Dynamic Feedback Protocol manager
entries initial and maximum SLB entries
firewallfarm configure an SLB firewall farm
mode configure SLB system mode
natpool define client nat pool
probe configure an SLB probe
serverfarm configure an SLB server farm
vserver configure an SLB virtual server
To confirm that your configuration is working properly, use these commands in Cisco IOS SLB mode:
Cat6k(config)# module csm 5
Cat6k(config-module-csm)# ?
default Set a command to its defaults
dfp configure Dynamic Feedback Protocol manager
exit exit SLB CSM module submode
ft configure CSM fault tolerance (ft) feature
natpool configure client nat pool
no Negate a command or set its defaults
policy configure an SLB policy
probe configure an SLB probe
serverfarm configure an SLB server farm
static configure static NAT for server initiated connections
sticky configure a sticky group
vserver configure an SLB virtual server
To confirm that a single CSM-S in the chassis configuration is working properly, use these commands in CSM mode:
SLB configured mode = csm
Catk6-1# configure terminal
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
dfp configure Dynamic Feedback Protocol manager
ft configure CSM fault tolerance (ft) feature
mode configure SLB system mode
natpool configure client nat pool
policy configure an SLB policy
probe configure an SLB probe
serverfarm configure an SLB server farm
static configure static NAT for server initiated connections
sticky configure a sticky group
vserver configure an SLB virtual server
Upgrading to a New Software Release
This section describes three methods for upgrading the CSM-S:
•
Upgrading from the Supervisor Engine Bootflash
•
Upgrading from a PCMCIA Card
•
Upgrading from an External TFTP Server
Note
When upgrading to a new software release, you must upgrade the CSM-S image before upgrading the Cisco IOS image. Failure to do so prohibits the supervisor engine from recognizing the CSM-S. In this case, you would have to downgrade the Cisco IOS image, upgrade the CSM-S image, and then upgrade the Cisco IOS image.
Note
During the CSM-S upgrade, both the CSM and the SSL daughter card images are upgraded. You cannot use a CSM image on the CSM-S, and you cannot use a CSM-S image on a CSM.
To upgrade the CSM-S, you need to session into the CSM-S module being upgraded. During the upgrade, enter all commands on a console connected to the supervisor engine. Enter each configuration command on a separate line. To complete the upgrade, enter the exit command to return to the supervisor engine prompt. See the "Configuring SLB Modes" section.
Caution 
You must enter the
exit command to terminate sessions with the CSM-S that is being upgraded. If you do not terminate the session and you remove the CSM-S from the Catalyst 6500 series chassis, you cannot enter configuration commands to the CSM-S unless you press
Ctrl +
^, enter
x, and enter the
disconnect command at the prompt.
Upgrading from the Supervisor Engine Bootflash
Note
Refer to the Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine Flash PC Card Installation Note for instructions on loading images into bootflash.
To upgrade the CSM-S from the supervisor engine bootflash, perform these steps:
Step 1
Enable the TFTP server to supply the image from bootflash as follows:
Router# configure terminal
Router(config)# tftp-server sup-bootflash:c6slb-apc.revision-num.bin
Step 2
Set up a session between the supervisor engine and the CSM-S:
Router# session slot csm-slot-number processor 0
Step 3
Load the image from the supervisor engine to the CSM-S:
CSM> upgrade 127.0.0.zz c6slb-apc.revision-num.bin
where zz is the following:
•
12 if the Supervisor Engine 1 or 2 is installed in chassis slot 1
•
22 if the Supervisor Engine 1 or 2 is installed in chassis slot 2
•
51 if the Supervisor Engine 720 is installed in chassis slot 5
•
61 if the Supervisor Engine 720 is installed in chassis slot 6
•
71 if the Supervisor Engine 720 is installed in chassis slot 7
•
81 if the Supervisor Engine 720 is installed in chassis slot 8
Note
The supervisor engine can be installed in chassis slot 1 or slot 2 only.
Step 4
Close the session to the CSM-S, and return to the Cisco IOS prompt:
CSM> exit
Step 5
Reboot the CSM-S by power cycling the CSM-S or by entering the following commands on the supervisor engine console:
Router(config)# hw-module module csm-slot-number reset
Upgrading from a PCMCIA Card
Note
Throughout this publication, the term Flash PC card is used in place of the term PCMCIA card.
To upgrade the CSM-S from a removable Flash PC card inserted in the supervisor engine, perform these steps:
Step 1
Enable the TFTP server to supply the image from the removable Flash PC card:
Router# configure terminal
Router(config)# tftp-server slotx:c6slb-apc.revision-num.bin
The x value is 0 if the Flash PC card is installed in supervisor engine PCMCIA slot 0.
Step 2
Set up a session between the supervisor engine and the CSM-S:
Router# session slot csm-slot-number processor 0
Step 3
Load the image from the supervisor engine to the CSM-S:
CSM> upgrade slot0: c6slb-apc.revision-num.bin
Note
The supervisor engine can only be installed in chassis slot 1 or slot 2.
Step 4
Close the session to the CSM-S and return to the Cisco IOS prompt:
CSM> exit
Step 5
Reboot the CSM-S by power cycling the CSM-S or by entering the following commands on the supervisor engine console:
Router# hw-module module csm-slot-number reset
Upgrading from an External TFTP Server
To upgrade the CSM-S from an external TFTP server, perform these steps:
Step 1
Create a VLAN on the supervisor engine for the TFTP CSM-S run-time image download.
Note
You can use an existing VLAN; however, for a reliable download, you should create a VLAN specifically for the TFTP connection.
Step 2
Configure the interface that is connected to your TFTP server.
Step 3
Add the interface to the VLAN.
Step 4
Enter the CSM-S vlan command.
See Chapter 4, "Configuring VLANs" for more information.
Step 5
Add an IP address to the VLAN for the CSM-S.
Step 6
Enter the show csm slot vlan detail command to verify your configuration.
See Chapter 4, "Configuring VLANs" for more information.
Step 7
Verify the CSM-S connectivity to the TFTP server:
Router# ping module csm csm-slot-number TFTP-server-IP-address
Step 8
Set up a session between the supervisor engine and the CSM-S:
Router# session slot csm-slot-number processor 0
Step 9
Upgrade the image:
CSM> upgrade TFTP-server-IP-address c6slb-apc.rev-number.bin
Step 10
Close the session to the CSM-S, and return to the Cisco IOS prompt:
Step 11
Reboot the CSM-S by power cycling the CSM-S or by entering the following commands on the supervisor engine console:
Router# hw-module module csm-slot-number reset
Recovering a Lost Password
Recovering a password for SSL on the CSM-S does not require that you load a separate software image on the system. To recover passwords, use the special commands from the Certificate Management (Cert. Mgt.) port on the CSM-S front panel. Due to security concerns, you can recover the password through this port only.
When recovering lost SSL passwords, the following conditions apply:
•
You must have a console connection to both the CSM and the SSL daughter card.
•
All traffic to and from the SSL daughter card is interrupted when the SSL daughter card is rebooted during the password recovery process.
•
Use the following prompts when recovering lost passwords:
–
CSM> or VENUS for the CSM console
–
ssl-proxy# for the SSL daughter card.
To recover the SSL daughter card password, perform this task:
| |
Command
|
Purpose
|
Step 1
|
|
Enables the Venus command line interfaces.
|
Step 2
|
VENUS#
set_ssl_password_recovery 1
|
Causes the SSL daughter card to reboot into the password recovery mode. In this mode, the SSL daughter card does not require a password to enter the enable mode.
|
Step 3
|
|
Enters enable mode on the module.
|
Step 4
|
ssl-proxy# copy
nvram:startup-config
running-config
|
Copies the startup configuration to the running configuration.
|
Step 5
|
ssl-proxy# configure terminal
|
Enters the configuration mode.
|
Step 6
|
ssl-proxy(config)# enable
password password
|
Enables the password.
Note The password is the new password that you want to have as your enable password for the SSL daughter card. If you do not want an enable password, you can enter the no enable password command instead.
|
Step 7
|
ssl-proxy(config)# line vty
start_line end_line
|
Sets the virtual terminal starting and stopping console line numbers that you want to reset for the enable password.
|
Step 8
|
ssl-proxy(config-line)# login
|
Login.
|
Step 9
|
ssl-proxy(config-line)#
password password
|
Enter the new enable password that you want to set for the virtual terminal.
|
Step 10
|
ssl-proxy(config-line)# end
|
Ends the session.
|

Caution 
For security reasons, all private keys are unusable after password recovery.
This example shows how to recover a lost password on the SSL daughter card that is inserted in slot 4 from the SSL daughter card Certificate Management (Cert. Mgt.) console port:
VENUS# set_ssl_password_recovery 4
ssl-proxy# copy nvram:startup-config running-config
ssl-proxy# configure terminal
ssl-proxy(config)# enable password cisco
Note
Enter the enable password cisco command to set the password to cisco.
ssl-proxy(config)# line vty 0 4
ssl-proxy(config-line)# login
ssl-proxy(config-line)# password cisco
ssl-proxy(config-line)# end
From the SSL daughter card console port, import the keys from the backup image or regenerate the keys.
See the "Configuring the Keys and the Certificates" section on page 8-2 for information on generating keys and importing keys.