Manual Chapter : Create a service chain object

Applies To:

  • BIG-IP LTM

    21.0.0, 17.5.1, 17.5.0, 17.1.3, 17.1.2, 17.1.1, 17.1.0, 17.0.0, 16.1.6, 16.1.5, 16.1.4, 16.1.3, 16.1.2, 16.1.1, 16.1.0, 16.0.1, 16.0.0, 15.1.10, 15.1.9, 15.1.8, 15.1.7, 15.1.6, 15.1.5, 15.1.4, 15.1.3, 15.1.2, 15.1.1, 15.1.0, 15.0.1, 15.0.0, 14.1.5, 14.1.4, 14.1.3, 14.1.2, 14.1.0, 14.0.1, 14.0.0

Updated Date: 07/07/2026

Create a service chain object

A service chainrepresents a particular service function path through the SFC configuration. A service chain automates the task that network administrators traditionally do to connect a set of L4-7 devices to process network traffic.The object needs a name and some associated information, namely a path ID and a start index. You must also specify whether you want the service chain to be enabled or disabled. This procedure creates a new service chain object.

Important: Except for changing the BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM) classifier policies associated with a chain, you cannot modify a chain object after you have created it. In general, if you need to modify a chain, you must delete the chain and re-create it.

  1. From the SFC controller menu on the left side of the screen, select Service Function Chains.

  2. In the upper left corner, click Create.

    The Create New Service Chain screen opens.

  3. Type a unique name for the chain.

    In our sample configuration, this is chain1.

  4. Type a path ID, such as 880.

    This ID is an identifier for the service chain and is used by service nodes for forwarding.

  5. In the Start Index field, type an index number, such as 255.

    This index number is a location identifier for a packet within the service path.

    1. From the Classifier list, select an SFF, and choose the list of classification rules to be applied.

    In our sample configuration, this SFF is sff1.

    1. From the right side of the screen, drag all SFs and drop them into the chain, in the correct order.

  8. Click Create.

After completing this task, the SFC configuration contains a service chain representing a defined path.