Multitenancy and vCMP Virtualization in F5 Big-IP

Multi-tenant environment (BIG-IP hardware chassis) and vCMP Virtualization are 2 of the most debatable models, with each setup having its own features and benefits depending on volume of traffic we have in our environment. Let’s have a brief comparison of their features before actually focusing on vCMP d\feature on BIG-IP Viprion.

Comparison: Multitenancy vs vCMP Virtualization

Below is the comparison table –

Multi-Tenant Environment

Below illustration shows the problem which we have in Multi-Tenant Environment: –

Now, let’s start focusing on the real topic – vCMP. vCMP feature allows BIG-IP to virtualize its hardware to provide multiple instances. vCMP stands for Virtualized Clustered Multiprocessing. vCMP is a hypervisor in F5 which allows you to divide one physical high powerful F5 device into multiple independent virtual F5 devices.

vCMP: Key Takeaways

Below are the key takeaways of vCMP f5 –

Understanding vCMP

Some key notes on vCMP –

• vCMP host is the hypervisor which allows you to create and configure BIG IP Instances.
• This Instances are known as vCMP guests.
• For every guest, vCMP host allocates CPU and memory to it.
• A guest consists of a TMOS instance, plus one or more BIG-IP modules.
• Each guest has its own share of hardware resources that the vCMP host allocates to the guest, as well as its own management IP addresses, self IP addresses, virtual servers, and so on.
• Each guest can use TMOS features such as route domains and administrative partitions to create its own multi-tenant configuration.
• Each guest requires its own guest administrator to provision, configure, and manage BIG-IP modules within the guest.
• Depending on the hardware model, a vCMP system can support up to approximately six guests.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rashmi Bhardwaj

I am here to share my knowledge and experience in the field of networking with the goal being – “The more you share, the more you learn.”

I am a biotechnologist by qualification and a Network Enthusiast by interest. I developed interest in networking being in the company of a passionate Network Professional, my husband.

I am a strong believer of the fact that “learning is a constant process of discovering yourself.”
– Rashmi Bhardwaj (Author/Editor)