Specifications

Monitoring and Administration
BIG-IP® Reference Guide 11 - 15
eventually determine that the nodes associated with the server are down,
specifically removing the nodes from service can prevent interruptions on
long duration client connections.
You can remove the entire BIG-IP from service, or you can remove the
following individual items from service:
• Virtual servers
• Virtual addresses
• Virtual ports
•Nodes
• Node addresses
Removing the BIG-IP from service
The BIG-IP platform offers a Maintenance mode, which allows you to
remove the BIG-IP from network service. This is useful if you want to
perform hardware maintenance, or make extensive configuration changes.
When you activate Maintenance mode, the BIG-IP no longer accepts
connections to the virtual servers it manages. However, the existing
connections are allowed to finish processing so that current clients are not
interrupted.
The bigpipe maint command toggles the BIG-IP into or out of Maintenance
mode. Use the following command to put the BIG-IP in maintenance mode:
b maint
If the BIG-IP runs in Maintenance mode for less than 20 minutes and you
return the machine to the normal service, the BIG-IP quickly begins
accepting connections. However, if the BIG-IP runs in Maintenance mode
for more than 20 minutes, returning the unit to service involves updating all
network ARP caches. This process can take a few seconds, but you can
speed the process up by reloading the /config/bigip.conf file using the
following command:
b -f /config/bigip.conf
To activate maintenance mode using the Configuration
utility
1. In the navigation pane, click System.
The Network Map screen opens.
2. Click the Properties tab.
The Properties screen opens.
3. Check the Maintenance Mode box.
4. Click the Apply button.