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Manual Chapter : Deploying a BIG-IQ System

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BIG-IQ Centralized Management

  • 6.0.1
Manual Chapter

Deploying a BIG-IQ System

How do I deploy a BIG-IQ system?

To manage your BIG-IP devices using BIG-IQ Centralized Management, you deploy a BIG-IQ system and then configure it to meet your business needs.
To deploy a BIG-IQ system, you should:
  • Prepare your network environment and architecture (refer to
    Planning a BIG-IQ Centralized Management Deployment
     in
    Planning a BIG-IQ Centralized Management Deployment
     on
    support.f5.com
     for details).
  • Install and configure the platform you plan to use to run the BIG-IQ system. The platform can either be a physical device or a virtual device. To use a physical device, you need a BIG-IQ 7000 series device. To use a virtual device, the solution you choose depends on the environment you choose. Supported platforms for this release are listed below. Use the guide appropriate for the platform you use to complete the installation. All of these guides are posted on
    support.f5.com
    .
    If you choose this platform:
    Refer to this guide for installation details:
    BIG-IQ 7000 Series
    Platform Guide: BIG-IQ 7000 Series
    Amazon Web Services
    F5 BIG-IQ Centralized Management 6.0.0 and Amazon Web Services: Setup
    Citrix XenServer:
    F5 BIG-IQ Centralized Management 6.0.0 and Citrix XenServer: Setup
    KVM
    F5 BIG-IQ Centralized Management 6.0.0 and Linux KVM: Setup
    Microsoft Azure
    F5 BIG-IQ Centralized Management 6.0.0 and Microsoft Azure: Setup
    Microsoft Hyper-V
    F5 BIG-IQ Centralized Management 6.0.0 and Microsoft Hyper-V: Setup
    VMware
    F5 BIG-IQ Centralized Management 6.0.0 and VMware ESXi: Setup
    Xen Project
    F5 BIG-IQ Centralized Management 6.0.0 and Linux Xen Project: Setup
  • Deploy and configure the number of BIG-IQ systems dictated by whether your architecture requires HA or multiple data centers.
  • License and configure the BIG-IQ system.

How do I license and do the basic setup to start using BIG-IQ?

After you download the software image from the F5 Downloads site and start BIG-IQ in your virtual environment, you can license the system using the base registration key provided by F5. The
base registration key
 is a character string the F5 license server uses to provide BIG-IQ a license to access the subscription licensing feature.
You license BIG-IQ in one of the following ways:
  • If the system has access to the Internet, you can have the BIG-IQ system contact the F5 license server and automatically activate the base registration key to get a license.
  • If the system is not connected to the Internet, you can manually license the BIG-IQ using the F5 license server web portal.
  • If the system is in a closed-circuit network (CCN) that does not allow you to export any encrypted information, you must open a case with F5 support at: support.f5.com/csp/my-support/home.
When licensing BIG-IQ, you:
  1. Activate the license.
  2. Accept the EULA.
  3. Specify the system personality as BIG-IQ Centralized Management.
  4. Specify a host name, and IP addresses for the management port, DNS server, and network time protocol (NTP) servers.
  5. Specify the master key pass phrase.
  6. Change the default admin and root passwords.

Automatic license and initial setup for BIG-IQ systems

You must have a base registration key before you can license the BIG-IQ system. If you do not have a base registration key, contact the F5 Networks sales group (
f5.com
).
If the BIG-IQ system is connected to the public internet, you can follow these steps to automatically perform the license activation and perform the initial setup.
  1. Use a browser to log in to BIG-IQ by typing
    https://
    <management_IP_address>
    , where
    <management_IP_address>
     is the address you specified for device management.
  2. In the
    Base Registration Key
     field, type or paste the BIG-IQ registration key.
    If you are setting up a data collection device, you have to use a registration key that supports a data collection device license.
  3. In the
    Add-On Keys
     field, paste any additional license key you have.
  4. To add another additional add-on key, click the
    +
     sign and paste the additional key in the new
    Add-On Keys
     field.
  5. For the
    Activation Method
     setting, select
    Automatic
    , and click the
    Activate
    button.
  6. Click
    Next
    .
    If you are setting up this device for the first time, the Accept User Legal Agreement screen opens.
  7. To accept the license agreement, click the
    Agree
     button.
  8. Click the
    Next
     button at the bottom of the screen.
    If your license supports both BIG-IQ Data Collection Device and BIG-IQ Central Management Console, the System Personality screen displays. Otherwise the Management Address screen opens.
  9. If you are prompted with the System Personality screen, select the option you're licensed for, and then click
    OK
    . If you are not prompted, proceed to the next step.
    You cannot undo this choice. Once you license a device as a BIG-IQ Management Console, you can't change your mind and license it as a Data Collection Device.
    The Management Address screen opens.
  10. In the
    Hostname
     field, type a fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) for the system.
    The FQDN can consist of letters and numbers, as well as the characters underscore ( _ ), dash ( - ), or period ( . ).
  11. In the
    Management Port IP Address
     and
    Management Port Route
     fields, type the IP address for the management port IP address and route.
    The management port IP address must be in Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) format. For example:
    10.10.10.10/24
    .
  12. Specify what you want the BIG-IQ to use for the
    Discovery Address
    .
    BIG-IQ advertises this address to other devices that want to communicate with it. For example BIG-IQ HA peers and DCD nodes communicate using their respective discovery addresses.
    When choosing whether to use the management port or a self IP address, consider the long term ramifications. The BIG-IQ uses the address you choose for all traffic to and from the devices it manages and the DCDs that support it. Changing the discovery address involves a lengthy process that includes rediscovering all of the devices and DCDs associated with this BIG-IQ.
    • To use the management port, select
      Use Management Address
      .
    • To use the internal self IP address, select
      Self IP Address
      , and type the IP address.
      If you are configuring a BIG-IQ to manage applications in a service scaling group, use the internal self IP address. The management port or self IP address has to be routable to all BIG-IP devices you plan to manage.
      If you plan to manage both IPv4 and IPv6 devices, you must configure an additional interface. BIG-IQ does not manage both protocols on the same interface. You can use a self IP address for this. So if your deployment includes DCDs, your discovery address will use one internal self IP address and you will need to add a second self IP to facilitate discovery of both protocol types.
      The self IP address must be in Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) format. For example:
      10.10.10.10/24
      .
  13. Click the
    Next
    button at the bottom of the screen.
    The Services screen opens.
  14. In the
    DNS Lookup Servers
     field, type the IP address of your DNS server.
    You can click the
    Test Connection
     button to verify that BIG-IQ can reach that IP address.
  15. In the
    DNS Search Domains
     field, type the name of your search domain.
    The DNS search domain list allows the BIG-IQ system to search for local domain lookups to resolve local host names.
  16. In the
    Time Servers
     field, type the IP addresses of your Network Time Protocol (NTP) server.
    You can click the
    Test Connection
     button to verify that BIG-IQ can reach the IP address.
  17. From the
    Time Zone
     list, select your local time zone.
  18. Click the
    Next
     button at the bottom of the screen.
    The Master Key screen opens.
  19. For the
    Passphrase
    , type a phrase that satisfies the requirements specified on screen, and then type the same phrase for
    Confirm Passphrase
    .
    The DCD uses the pass phrase to generate a Master Key. This pass phrase must be the same on all of the devices in the DCD cluster. Make sure you keep track of the pass phrase, because it cannot be recovered if you lose it
  20. Click the
    Next
     button at the bottom of the screen.
    The Password screen opens.
    If you are setting up a Microsoft Azure VE, and you type an entry in any of the fields, you will not be able to continue successfully. The only way to proceed is to leave all of the fields empty and click the
    Next
     button at the bottom of the screen. This allows the system to use the first-time access credentials you specified previously.
  21. In the
    Old Password
     fields, type the default admin and root passwords, and then type a new password in the
    Password
     and
    Confirm Password
     fields.
  22. Click the
    Next
     button at the bottom of the screen.
    The screen Summary displays the details you just specified for this device configuration.
  23. If the details are as you intended, click
    Launch
     to continue; if you want to make corrections, use the
    Previous
     button to navigate back to the screen you want to change.

Manual license and initial setup for BIG-IQ systems

You must have a base registration key before you can license the BIG-IQ system. If you do not have a base registration key, contact the F5 Networks sales group (
f5.com
).
If the BIG-IQ system is not connected to the public internet, you can follow these steps to contact the F5 license web portal then perform the initial setup.
  1. Use a browser to log in to BIG-IQ by typing
    https://
    <management_IP_address>
    , where
    <management_IP_address>
     is the address you specified for device management.
  2. In the
    Base Registration Key
     field, type or paste the BIG-IQ registration key.
    If you are setting up a data collection device, you have to use a registration key that supports a data collection device license.
  3. In the
    Add-On Keys
     field, paste any additional license key you have.
  4. For the
    Activation Method
     setting, select
    Manual
     and click the
    Generate Dossier
     button.
    The BIG-IQ system refreshes and displays the dossier in the
    Device Dossier
     field.
  5. Select and copy the text displayed in the
    Device Dossier
     field.
  6. Click the
    Access F5 manual activation web portal
     link.
    The Activate F5 Product site opens.
  7. Into the
    Enter your dossier
     field, paste the dossier.
    Alternatively, if you saved the file, click the
    Choose File
     button and navigate to it.
    After a pause, the screen displays the license key text.
  8. Click
    Next
    .
    If you are setting up this device for the first time, the Accept User Legal Agreement screen opens.
  9. To accept the license agreement, select
    I have read and agree to the terms of this license
    , and click
    Next
    . button.
    The licensing server creates the license key text.
  10. Copy the license key.
  11. In the
    License Text
     field on BIG-IQ, paste the license text.
  12. Click the
    Activate License
     button.
  13. Click the
    Next
     button at the bottom of the screen.
    If your license supports both BIG-IQ Data Collection Device and BIG-IQ Central Management Console, the System Personality screen displays. Otherwise the Management Address screen opens.
  14. If you are prompted with the System Personality screen, select the option you're licensed for, and then click
    OK
    . If you are not prompted, proceed to the next step.
    You cannot undo this choice. Once you license a device as a BIG-IQ Management Console, you can't change your mind and license it as a Data Collection Device.
    The Management Address screen opens.
  15. In the
    Hostname
     field, type a fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) for the system.
    The FQDN can consist of letters and numbers, as well as the characters underscore ( _ ), dash ( - ), or period ( . ).
  16. In the
    Management Port IP Address
     and
    Management Port Route
     fields, type the IP address for the management port IP address and route.
    The management port IP address must be in Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) format. For example:
    10.10.10.10/24
    .
  17. Specify what you want the BIG-IQ to use for the
    Discovery Address
    .
    BIG-IQ advertises this address to other devices that want to communicate with it. For example BIG-IQ HA peers and DCD nodes communicate using their respective discovery addresses.
    When choosing whether to use the management port or a self IP address, consider the long term ramifications. The BIG-IQ uses the address you choose for all traffic to and from the devices it manages and the DCDs that support it. Changing the discovery address involves a lengthy process that includes rediscovering all of the devices and DCDs associated with this BIG-IQ.
    • To use the management port, select
      Use Management Address
      .
    • To use the internal self IP address, select
      Self IP Address
      , and type the IP address.
      If you are configuring a BIG-IQ to manage applications in a service scaling group, use the internal self IP address. The management port or self IP address has to be routable to all BIG-IP devices you plan to manage.
      If you plan to manage both IPv4 and IPv6 devices, you must configure an additional interface. BIG-IQ does not manage both protocols on the same interface. You can use a self IP address for this. So if your deployment includes DCDs, your discovery address will use one internal self IP address and you will need to add a second self IP to facilitate discovery of both protocol types.
      The self IP address must be in Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) format. For example:
      10.10.10.10/24
      .
  18. Click the
    Next
    button at the bottom of the screen.
    The Services screen opens.
  19. In the
    DNS Lookup Servers
     field, type the IP address of your DNS server.
    You can click the
    Test Connection
     button to verify that BIG-IQ can reach that IP address.
  20. In the
    DNS Search Domains
     field, type the name of your search domain.
    The DNS search domain list allows the BIG-IQ system to search for local domain lookups to resolve local host names.
  21. In the
    Time Servers
     field, type the IP addresses of your Network Time Protocol (NTP) server.
    You can click the
    Test Connection
     button to verify that BIG-IQ can reach the IP address.
  22. From the
    Time Zone
     list, select your local time zone.
  23. Click the
    Next
     button at the bottom of the screen.
    The Master Key screen opens.
  24. For the
    Passphrase
    , type a phrase that satisfies the requirements specified on screen, and then type the same phrase for
    Confirm Passphrase
    .
    BIG-IQ uses the pass phrase to generate a Master Key. For High Availability and data collection device cluster configurations, this pass phrase must be the same on all related BIG-IQ systems.
    • If this BIG-IQ is not part of an HA or DCD configuration, you can change the Master Key any time from the
      System
      THIS DEVICE
      General Properties
       screen.
    • If this BIG-IQ is part of an HA or DCD configuration, make sure you keep track of the pass phrase, because it cannot be recovered if you lose it.
  25. Click the
    Next
     button at the bottom of the screen.
    The Password screen opens.
    If you are setting up a Microsoft Azure VE, and you type an entry in any of the fields, you will not be able to continue successfully. The only way to proceed is to leave all of the fields empty and click the
    Next
     button at the bottom of the screen. This allows the system to use the first-time access credentials you specified previously.
  26. In the
    Old Password
     fields, type the default admin and root passwords, and then type a new password in the
    Password
     and
    Confirm Password
     fields.
  27. Click the
    Next
     button at the bottom of the screen.
    The screen Summary displays the details you just specified for this device configuration.
  28. If the details are as you intended, click
    Launch
     to continue; if you want to make corrections, use the
    Previous
     button to navigate back to the screen you want to change.

Monitoring BIG-IP statistics in BIG-IQ

Visibility of statistics in BIG-IQ depends on the version of your managed BIG-IP devices. Devices running versions 13.1.X, or earlier, have limited statistics visibility support within BIG-IQ. Below outlines the compatibility and what to expect when accessing Analytics (AVR) data within BIG-IQ. For more information, see the supporting documentation found in the
BIG-IQ Centralized Management: Monitoring and Reports
 guide.

Statistics visibility of managed BIG-IP devices

The format in which statistics are presented in the BIG-IQ environment, depends on the managed version of BIG-IP and the service presented. Refer to the table to access statistics visibility, based on the managed device version. Ensure that the managed device configuration meets the requirements outlined below.

Minimum configuration requirements:

BIG-IP Version 13.1.x or earlier
  • Ports 22 and 443 on each BIG-IP device must be open for the BIG-IQ DCD to retrieve data.
  • There must be a Data Collection Device (DCD) configured to your BIG-IQ.
BIG-IP Version 13.1.0.5 or later
  • You must have AVR provisioned for each BIG-IP device.
  • BIG-IQ needs to provide access on Port 443 to receive BIG-IP AVR data.
  • There must be a Data Collection Device (DCD) configured to your BIG-IQ.
    To view statistics, ensure that the licenses for your managed BIG-IP devices include root access. A BIG-IP license running in Appliance Mode, will not allow for statistics visibility in the BIG-IQ environment.

Where to view statistics

Location of service statistics per managed BIG-IP version
BIG-IP v12.1
BIG-IP v13.0
BIG-IP v13.1
BIG-IP v13.1.0.5
BIG-IP v14.0
BIG-IP v14.1
BIG-IP v15.0 or later
Device Traffic
Monitoring
DASHBOARDS
Device
Local Traffic (General)
Monitoring
DASHBOARDS
Local Traffic
Local Traffic (HTTP)
Not available to this version
Monitoring
DASHBOARDS
Local Traffic
HTTP
DNS (General)*
Monitoring
DASHBOARDS
DNS
Network Firewall (General)
Monitoring
REPORTS
Security
Network Firewall
Reporting
Network Firewall information is provided by ACL, IP Reputation, and IPS.
Network Firewall (ACL)
Not applicable to this version
Monitoring
DASHBOARDS
AFM
Network Security (IP Reputation)
Not applicable to this version
Monitoring
DASHBOARDS
AFM
Network Firewall (IPS)
Not applicable to this version
Monitoring
DASHBOARDS
IPS
Web Application Security (General)
Monitoring
REPORTS
Security
Web Application Security
Reporting
Monitoring
DASHBOARDS
Web Application Security
Web Application Security (Bot)
Not available to this version
Monitoring
DASHBOARDS
Bot Traffic
DDoS (Shared Security)
Not available to this version
Monitoring
DASHBOARDS
DDoS
Application Summary
Applications
APPLICATIONS
(limited statistics visibility)
Applications
APPLICATIONS
Secure Web Gateway
Not available to this version
Monitoring
DASHBOARDS
SWG
SSLO**
Not available to this version
Monitoring
DASHBOARDS
SSLO
Access
Monitoring
DASHBOARDS
Access
Not available to this version
*Top Charts are only available to BIG-IP version 13.1.0.5 or later.
**SSLO support is available to versions 5.4 to 5.9.
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