Manual Chapter : Setting up an AWS Cloud Environment

Applies To:

  • BIG-IQ Centralized Management

    8.4.0, 8.3.0, 8.2.0, 8.1.0, 8.0.0, 7.1.0

Updated Date: 07/07/2026

Setting up an AWS Cloud Environment

BIG-IQ needs the credentials and parameters for your AWS cloud provider and cloud environment so that it can communicate with the BIG-IP devices it manages in your service scaling group. Also, if you choose to bring your own license (BYOL) for the devices in this SSG, you need to activate a pool of BYOL licenses, and then provide details about the license server when you configure the cloud environment.

You create a new AWS cloud provider to tell BIG-IQ how to connect to your AWS cloud environment.

  1. At the top of the screen, click Applications then, on the left, click ENVIRONMENTS > Cloud Providers.

  2. Click Create.

    The New Provider screen opens.

  3. Type a Name for the provider you are creating.

  4. To help identify this provider when you want to use it later, type a brief Description.

  5. From the Provider Type list, select AWS.

    Under Provider Details, the screen display s settings that you use to specify your AWS credentials.

  6. Type your Access Key ID and Secret Access Key, and then click Test to confirm your connection.

  7. Click Save & Close.

The system creates the new AWS provider account, which is now ready to be used in a cloud environment.

Before you can use this provider to create a BIG-IP VE device in, you need to create the AWS cloud environment.

Before you can activate a BYOL license, you need to purchase it from F5 Networks. Once you complete your purchase, you get your base registration key, typically in the form of an email.

Important: If you use the AWS marketplace licensing option, skip this task.

When you choose the BYOL license option, you need to activate a pool of licenses that the BIG-IQ can use for the new BIG-IP VE devices that the service scaling group (SSG) creates in the cloud. You can use this procedure to automatically contact the F5 license server for activation.

Note: You can use this BIG-IQ as your license server, or you can use another BIG-IQ as your license server, as long as it is running BIG-IQ version 5.4.0 or later.

  1. At the top of the screen, click Devices.

  2. On the left, click LICENSE MANAGEMENT > Licenses.

  3. Click the Add License button.

  4. In the License Name field, type a name to identify this license.

  5. In the Base Registration Key field, type or paste the registration key, and into the Add-on Keys field, type or paste any associated add-on keys.

  6. For the Activation Method setting, select Automatic.

  7. Click the Activate button at the bottom of the screen.

  8. Review the user legal agreement and if you agree, select the I have read and agree to the terms of this license check box.

When the activation status displays as Active, you can use this pool of licenses in the cloud environment.

When you create an AWS cloud environment, you specify the parameters BIG-IQ uses to create BIG-IP VE devices in that environment.

  1. At the top of the screen, click Applications then, on the left, click ENVIRONMENTS > Cloud Environments.

  2. Click Create.

  3. For Cloud Provider, select your AWS cloud provider and then select the region that it’s in from the Region list.

    Under AWS Properties, the screen fields displays settings that you use to specify details about the AWS environment.

  4. Type your Access Key ID and Secret Access Key, and then click Test to confirm your connection.

  5. Click Save & Close.

This AWS cloud environment is available for you to create BIG-IP VE devices in it from BIG-IQ.