SOL4423: Overview of UCS archives

SOL4423: Overview of UCS archives

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Updated: 9/24/08 2:17 PM

A UCS archive is a compressed file that contains all of the configuration files that are typically required to restore your current configuration to a new system. These files are:

• All BIG-IP specific configuration files
• BIG-IP product licenses
• User accounts and password information
• DNS zone files and ZoneRunner configuration
• SSL certificates and keys

Important: In addition to user accounts, passwords, and critical system files, the UCS archive contains the SSL private keys that are used with your SSL proxies. You must store backup UCS archives in an environment that is as secure as where you store your private keys.

Note: For more information about the specific files that are contained in a UCS archive and instructions about how to modify those files, refer to SOL4422: Viewing and modifying the files that are configured for inclusion in a UCS archive.

Creating a UCS archive

You can create a UCS archive at any time using the Configuration utility or the command line.

Configuration utility

To create a UCS archive from the Configuration utility, perform the following steps:

1. From the Configuration utility, click System.

2. Click Archives.

   The Archives page displays.

3. From the Archives page, click the Create button.

4. In the File Name field, type a name for the file.

   Note: You can supply a path for the file, but if you do, the file will not appear in the Archive List. Only files stored in the default UCS path, /var/local/ucs, will appear in the Archive List.

5. Select Enabled from the Encryption dropdown menu only if you want to encrypt the UCS archive file.

   Note: If you enable encryption, you will need to type a passphrase for the encrypted UCS archive file. This passphrase will be required in order to restore using the encrypted UCS archive.

6. Click the Finished button.

   A status screen displays.

7. Click the OK button.

Command line

To create a UCS archive from the command line, use the following command syntax:

bigpipe config save

Replace with the name you want to give the archive. If you include a path, the file will be saved to that location. If you do not include a path, the file will be saved to the default path, /var/local/ucs.

To create an encrypted UCS archive from the command line, use the following command syntax:

bigpipe config save passsphrase

Replace with the name you want to give the archive. If you include a path, the file will be saved to that location. If you do not include a path, the file will be saved to the default path, /var/local/ucs.

Replace with the password you want to give the archive.

Restoring a configuration from a UCS archive

You can restore a configuration that is contained in a UCS archive using the Configuration utility or the command line.

Configuration utility

To restore a configuration in a UCS archive using the Configuration utility, perform the following steps:

1. From the Configuration utility, click System.

2. Click Archives.

   The Archives page displays.

3. From the Archive List, click the name of the UCS archive from which you want to restore.

   Note: If the UCS archive is encrypted, you will need to type the passphrase for the encrypted UCS archive file in the Restore Passphrase field.

4. Click the Restore button.

   A status screen displays.

5. Click the OK button.

Command line

To restore a configuration in a UCS archive from the command line, use the following command syntax:

bigpipe config install

Replace with the name of the archive. If the file is not contained in the default path or the directory from which you are working, you must also specify the path.

Note: If the UCS archive file specified was encrypted, you will be prompted to enter the passphrase for the archive file.

For more information about backing up and restoring your configuration using a UCS archive, see SOL3499: Backing up and restoring BIG-IP LTM, GTM, Link Controller, or ASM configuration files..

Viewing the UCS archive content

Note: For encrypted UCS archive files, refer to SOL8465: Viewing and extracting the contents of an ecrypted UCS archive file.

To view the files that are saved in a UCS archive, use the following command syntax:

tar -ztf

Replace with the name of the UCS archive.

This will provide a list of all the files included in the UCS archive.

Extracting files from the UCS archive

Note: For encrypted UCS archive files, refer to SOL8465: Viewing and extracting the contents of an ecrypted UCS archive file.

You can extract the files from a UCS archive without overwriting your existing configuration by using one of the following processes:

• Extract all UCS archive files
• Extract a single UCS archive file

Extracting all UCS archive files

To extract all files from a UCS archive, perform the following steps:

1. Create a new directory within the /var/tmp directory, using the following command syntax:

   mkdir /var/tmp/

   Replace with a name of your choice.

2. Copy the UCS archive into the new directory using the following command syntax:

   cp /var/tmp//

   Replace with the name of the UCS archive from which you want to extract files and with the name of the directory that you created in step 1.

3. Change directories to the new directory using the following command syntax:

   cd /var/tmp/

   Replace with the name of the directory that you created in step 1.

4. Extract the files from the UCS archive using the following command syntax:

   tar -zxf

   Replace with the name of the UCS archive.

   This command will extract the files and put them in the current directory. It will create subdirectories to match the directories in which the configuration files are normally stored. For example, a config directory will be created and will contain all the files that are normally contained in the /config directory.

Extracting a single UCS archive file

To extract a single file from a UCS archive, perform the following steps:

1. Create a new directory within the /var/tmp directory using the following command syntax:

   mkdir /var/tmp/

   Replace with a name of your choice.

2. Copy the UCS archive into the new directory using the following command syntax:

   cp /var/tmp//

   Replace with the name of the UCS archive from which you want to extract files and with the name of the directory that you created in step 1.

3. Change directories to the new directory using the following command syntax:

   cd /var/tmp/

   Replace with the name of the directory that you created in step 1.

4. Extract the desired file from the UCS archive, using the following command syntax:

   tar -zxf

   Replace:

   • with the name of the UCS archive

   • with the relative path and name of the file that you want to extract from the UCS archive

   For example, to retrieve the file bigip.conf you must specify the config directory, but not the root directory.

   For example:

   tar -zxf myconfig.ucs config/bigip.conf

   This command will extract the files and put them in the current directory. It will create a subdirectory to match the directory in which the configuration file is normally stored. For example, if you extract config/bigip.conf, a config directory will be created.

Viewing the contents of a file contained in a UCS archive

Note: For encrypted UCS archive files, refer to SOL8465: Viewing and extracting the contents of an ecrypted UCS archive file.

To view a single file from a UCS archive on a terminal screen (standard output), perform the following steps:

1. Change directories to the directory that contains the UCS archive using the following command syntax:

   cd

   Replace with the name of the directory where the UCS achive is located.

   Extract the desired file from the UCS archive to standard output using the following command syntax:

   Note: The third character in the flags list is a capital letter "O".

   tar -zxOf

   Replace:

   • with the name of the UCS archive

   • with the relative pathe and name of the file that you want to extract from the UCS archive

   For example, to view the file bigip.conf you must specify the config directory, but not the root directory, as follows:

   tar -zxOf myconfig.ucs config/bigip.conf

   Note: It is possible to use wildcards, for example config/bigip.*, to display multiple files from an archive.

   Warning: Some files contained in a UCS archive are binary files which will not display correctly to standard output.