Updated Date: 07/07/2026
Getting Started with BIG-IQ Virtual Edition
BIG-IQ Virtual Edition (VE) is a version of F5 BIG-IQ Centralized Management that runs as a guest on specifically-supported hypervisors. BIG-IQ VE emulates a hardware-based BIG-IQ system running a VE-compatible version of BIG-IQ software.
The BIG-IQ Virtual Edition (VE) software includes support for a growing list of public and private cloud platforms. For a list of the supported platforms, refer to the BIG-IQ Virtual Edition Supported Platforms matrix.
BIG-IQ VE is compatible with the Amazon Web Services (AWS) EC2 hypervisors. This workflow follows the AWS interface as of May 2018.
Important: This BIG-IQ version only supports the Instance types identified in this guide. Installation attempts on unsupported platforms might not be successful.
The virtual machine guest environment for the BIG-IQ Virtual Edition (VE), at minimum, must include:
-
a 64-bit EC2 instance with at least 4 virtual cores (up to 16 are supported in this release).
-
sufficient RAM for the functions the BIG-IQ will perform (64 GB has been tested, F5 recommends at least 2 GB per virtual core). For current RAM requirements, see When do I need extra resources?.
-
2 virtual network adapter cards (NICs) (up to 9 are supported)
Important: F5 recommends three or more network adapters for most topologies, but the minimum requirement is two (one for management and one for traffic).
-
1 virtual private cloud (VPC).
Note: To support multiple NICs on Amazon Web Services, you must create a virtual private cloud (VPC).
Important: If you do not supply at least the minimum virtual configuration limits, it produces unexpected results.
Important: The resources required for a BIG-IQ virtual machine depend to some degree on what you intend to do with it. Refer to Determine the resources required for deploymenton support.f5.com for details.
Note: Currently, these requirements map to what Amazon designates as M4 XLarge (EBS) instance types. Refer to http://docs.amazonwebservices.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/instance-types.html#AvailableIpPerENI for their most current definition.
The CPU, RAM, and disk space requirements for the devices in your BIG-IQ deployment are determined by a number of factors, including:
- How many BIG-IP devices your BIG-IQ deployment manages, and which services are provisioned on the managed BIG-IP devices?
- Does your BIG-IQ deployment collect statistics data from your managed BIG-IP devices??
- Does your BIG-IQ deployment collect alerts and events data, from the managed BIG-IP devices?
Note: When you deploy the BIG-IQ software, you can choose 95 GB or 500 GB of disk space. If you choose 500 GB, only 95 GB of the 500 GB is allocated initially. You must allocate extra disk space beyond 95 GB before you can use it. Usually, the extra storage space is for DCDs. However, there are also situations in which BIG-IQ devices can use the extra space. For example, you might want to store a large number of UCS backups. Or, your business needs might require you to store multiple versions of the BIG-IQ software so you can upgrade back and forth between BIG-IQ versions.
|
Deployment type |
Device Type |
CPU |
RAM |
Disk Space |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
BIG-IQ deployment with statistics collection enabled, as well as alerts and events. |
BIG-IQ |
8 See When do the BIG-IQ devices need additional resources? |
32 GB See When do the BIG-IQ devices need additional resources? |
Generally, 95 GB; or 500GB if extra space is needed. |
|
DCD |
8 |
32 GB |
Initially, 500 GB. VE disk space can be extended further as needed. | |
|
BIG-IQ deployment with alerts and events enabled. |
BIG-IQ |
4See When do the BIG-IQ devices need additional resources? |
16 GB See When do the BIG-IQ devices need additional resources? |
Generally, 95 GB; or 500GB if extra space is needed. |
|
DCD |
4See When do the DCDs need additional resources? |
16 GB See When do the DCDs need additional resources? |
Initially, 500 GB. VE disk space can be extended further as needed. | |
|
BIG-IQ deployment without statistics collection, alerts, or events. |
BIG-IQ |
4 or 8See When do the BIG-IQ devices need additional resources? |
16, 32, or 64 GBSee When do the BIG-IQ devices need additional resources? |
Generally, 95 GB; or 500GB if extra space is needed. |
Important: CPU and RAM pairings other than those listed above have not been tested.
When the number of managed BIG-IP devices in your BIG-IQ deployment exceeds the specified thresholds, F5 recommends that you allocate 8 CPUs and either 32 or 64 GB of RAM to your BIG-IQ devices.
The following table lists the threshold for each BIG-IP service. For example, if your BIG-IQ deployment manages more than 32 BIG-IP devices provisioned with Access, allocate additional resources to your BIG-IQ devices.
| A BIG-IQ managing devices… | Needs 32 GB to manage more than: |
|---|---|
| provisioned with Access | 32 devices |
| provisioned with ADC | 80 devices |
| provisioned with ASM | 40 devices |
| provisioned with DNS | 100 devices |
| provisioned with FPS | 50 devices |
| deployed in a VMware service scaling group | 100 devices |
| deployed in an AWS or Azure service scaling group | 50 devices |
Note: This is a rough approximation. Depending on the number of objects on each BIG-IP device. When your managed BIG-IP devices are provisioned with multiple modules, the RAM requirement increases.
For a broader consideration of the factors that can impact the CPU, RAM, and disk space requirements for DCD devices, refer to the BIG-IQ Centralized Management DCD Sizing Guide.
For work flows that describe how to manage your disk space, refer to the BIG-IQ Centralized Management: Data Collection Device Disk Space Management Guide on support.f5.com.