VMware Smart Assurance NCM: Push config to F5 load balancer Rev 11 device fails

Products

• VMware

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

When user tries to push config to F5_R11 series device from NCM, following error is received, even though syntax of the command is correct: command not found

Error similar to below will be seen in commmgr.log with debug enabled on Device Server:
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/push(8843785)#4: DASL: No Of termlet lines 1
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/push(8843785)#4: DASL: stdPushTermlet: 0#list net self | grep add
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/push(8843785)#1: State match:[1001][01;34m[^[^\(\)]+[>#]\s*(?:\e\[\S+)*$][00m [01;34m[list net self | grep a 
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/push(8843785)#1: dd
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/push(8843785)#1: bash: list: command not found
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/push(8843785)#1: [ncmadminE@ij7g-f5lb:Active:In Sync]]0;ij7g-f5lb ~ # ][00m
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/push(8843785)#4: RESULT: ****** Enable Mode Results ******
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/push(8843785)#4: list net self | grep a dd
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/push(8843785)#4: bash: list: command not found
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/push(8843785)#4: [ncmadminE@ij7g-f5lb:Active:In Sync]^]0;ij7g-f5lb~ ~ # 
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/push(8843785)#4: DASL: Config :PUSH_TERMLET Status :1 ErrorCode : 0 FileTag :$pushAction.ConfigUnitId ActionId :8759d2285cbbc73f0fc286e672010000
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/push(8843785)#4: RESULT: Configuration file 'PUSH_TERMLET' for IDX 20904 completed successfully in 5 seconds

Error in session.log:
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/ssh#1: SND>list net self | grep add
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/ssh#1: RCV-1001>list net self | grep a 
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/ssh#1: dd
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/ssh#1: RCV-1001>bash: list: command not found
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/ssh#1: RCV-1001>[ncmadminE@ij7g-f5lb:Active:In Sync]]0;ij7g-f5lb ~ # 
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/ssh#1: ::getCurrentState - State match:[1001][^[^\(\)]+[>#]\s*(?:\e\[\S+)*$][list net self | grep a 
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/ssh#1: dd
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/ssh#1: bash: list: command not found
Jun 24 13:31:41 -700479744/ssh#1: [ncmadminE@ij7g-f5lb:Active:In Sync]]0;ij7g-f5lb ~ # ]

Environment

VMware Smart Assurance - NCM

Cause

F5 devices offer two prompts in general (bash and tmos) and both prompt offers different set of commands.
NCM by default logs into bash prompt by sending command run util bash for discovery of device hence any tmos command sent/pushed in bash will give error as command not found.

Resolution

Workaround:
When performing push to F5_R11 device in NCM use tmsh with command.
Example : Send it as tmsh list net self | grep add instead of list net self | grep add