Manual Chapter : Troubleshooting using iHealth

Applies To:

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BIG-IQ Centralized Management

  • 7.0.0, 6.1.0
Manual Chapter

Troubleshooting using iHealth

What is iHealth?

The F5 iHealth® server is a tool that helps you troubleshoot potential issues. It does this by analyzing configuration, logs, command output, password security, license compliance, and so on.
From F5 BIG-IQ® Centralized Management, you can create a snapshot of a configuration in the form of a QKView file and then upload it to the F5 iHealth server. The file is compared to the iHealth database, which contains known issues, common configuration errors, and F5 published best practices. F5 returns an iHealth report you can use to identify any potential issues that you need to attend to.

How do I get access to send QKView files for my managed devices to the F5 iHealth diagnostics server?

You'll need a single sign on (SSO) to the F5 Support site to access the F5 iHealth diagnostics server. If you don't have one yet, register at https://login.f5.com/resource/login.jsp
With access to the F5 iHealth diagnostics server you can upload QKView files and download iHealth reports for your managed devices.
  1. At the top of the screen, click
    Monitoring
    .
  2. On the left, click
    REPORTS
    Device
    iHealth
    Configuration
    .
  3. Click the
    Add
    button.
  4. In the
    Name
    field, type a name to identify this user.
  5. In the
    Username
    and
    Password
    fields, type this user's F5 Support SSO user name and password.
  6. In the
    Description
    field, type an optional description for this user.
  7. Click the
    Test
    button to verify you can reach the iHealth diagnostics site.
  8. Click the
    Save & Close
    button.
You can now upload QKView files to the F5 iHealth server to get iHealth reports for your managed devices.

Limit the number of simultaneous iHealth-related file transfers to and from BIG-IQ for my managed devices

If you want to limit how much traffic is dedicated to file activity related to iHealth for your managed devices, you can specify the of simultaneous QKView file transfers to and from F5 BIG-IQ Centralized Management.
  1. At the top of the screen, click
    Monitoring
    .
  2. On the left, click
    REPORTS
    Device
    iHealth
    Configuration
    .
  3. For the
    QKView Transfer Limit
    setting, click the
    Edit
    button.
  4. In the
    QKView Transfer Limit
    field, type the greatest number of QKView files you want transferred to and from BIG-IQ at one time, per upload task.
  5. Click the
    Save & Close
    button.

Upload a QKView file to the F5 iHealth server to troubleshoot potential issues

To upload a QKView file, you must have access to the F5 iHealth server configured on BIG-IQ Centralized Management.
You upload a QKView file to F5 Networks to create an iHealth diagnostics report. You can use that report to troubleshoot potential issues with a managed device.
  1. At the top of the screen, click
    Monitoring
    .
  2. On the left, click
    REPORTS
    Device
    iHealth
    Tasks
    .
  3. Click the
    QKView Upload
    button.
  4. In the
    Name
    field, type a name to identify this report, and type an optional identifier in the
    Description
    field.
  5. If you have (and want to associate) a support case number with this QKView file, type that into the
    F5 Support Case Number
    field.
    This step is not required.
  6. From the
    Credential
    list, select the credentials to log in to the iHealth diagnostic site.
  7. From the
    Available
    list, click the device you want to upload a QKView file for.
  8. Click the
    Save & Close
    button.
When BIG-IQ finishes uploading the QKView file(s) to F5, it displays a status icon next to it on the Tasks screen.
If the upload fails, click the report's
Name
link and view the error message for more information. After F5 successfully receives the QKView file it creates an iHealth report. To view this report, go to the Device Reports screen.

Troubleshoot potential issues by viewing an iHealth device report

After you upload a QKView file for one or more BIG-IP devices, the F5 iHealth server returns a device report.
Review the device report so you can address any potential issues or vulnerabilities. From the report, you can access and sort heuristics associated with a device.
  1. At the top of the screen, click
    Monitoring
    .
  2. On the left, click
    REPORTS
    Device
    iHealth
    Device Reports
    .
  3. Click the
    Open
    link next to the report you want to view.
  4. To sort the heuristics for a report you've opened, select an option from the
    All Importance
    and/or the
    All Flags
    list.
  5. You can add a flag to a specific heuristic by selecting the check box next to it, and selecting a flag from the
    All Flags
    list.
  6. To view more details about a specific heuristic, click on its link.
  7. To view an article on the AskF5 Knowledge Center database to get more information about this heuristic, click the solution link.

Create a schedule to upload QKView files to the iHealth server

After you specify the credentials for a user to access the F5 iHealth diagnostic server, you can create a QKView upload schedule.
Configuring BIG-IQ Centralized Management to upload QKView files to the F5 iHealth diagnostic server on a regular basis means you'll get iHealth device diagnostics reports sent automatically to BIG-IQ for your BIG-IP devices. This information makes it easy for you to troubleshoot potential issues, and keeps you up-to-date about vulnerabilities that could cause security issues for your devices.
  1. At the top of the screen, click
    Monitoring
    .
  2. On the left, click
    REPORTS
    Device
    iHealth
    QKView Uploads Schedules
    .
  3. Near the top of the screen, click the
    Create
    button.
  4. In the
    Name
    field, type a name to identify this report, and type an optional identifier in the
    Description
    field.
  5. From the
    Credential
    list, select the credentials to log in to the iHealth diagnostic site.
  6. From the
    Upload Frequency
    list, select how frequently you want to upload QKView files to the F5 iHealth server, and then select the day of the week or month.
  7. Select a start date and time for this schedule.
  8. Select an end date for this schedule, or select the
    No End Date
    check box.
  9. From the
    Available
    list, select the device(s) you want to add to this schedule.
  10. Click the
    Save & Close
    button.
Now BIG-IQ will upload QKView files for the selected device on the schedule you specified.
Go to the Device Reports screen to view reports sent from the F5 iHealth server.

Create an upgrade advisor report before you upgrade BIG-IP system

Before you create an upgrade advisor report for a BIG-IP system, you must specify the credentials for a user to access the F5 iHealth diagnostic server, and upload the QKView file for that device to the F5 iHealth server.
Before upgrading, you create an upgrade advisor report so that you can prepare for any potential issues you might need to address.
  1. At the top of the screen, click
    Monitoring
    .
  2. On the left, click
    REPORTS
    Device
    iHealth
    Upgrade Advisor Report
    .
  3. Near the top of the screen, click the
    Create
    button.
  4. From the
    Device
    list, select the device you want to run a report for.
  5. From the
    Target Version
    list, select the version to which you are going to be upgrading this device.
  6. In the
    Name
    and
    Description
    fields, type a name and an optional description for this task.
  7. Click the
    Save & Close
    button.
View the report on the Upgrade Advisor Reports screen and address any potential issues before you upgrade this BIG-IP device.