The workflows for creating a new object, or for changing the settings for objects that already reside on a managed device, are very similar. In each case, there are four tasks to perform.

This figure illustrates the workflow to manage the objects on BIG-IP devices. Changing the settings or creating the object is the second step in this process.

What LTM monitor management tasks can I perform?

With HTTP and HTTPS monitors, you can track the availability of these services on the nodes, pools, or pool members to which you attach them. To add or edit monitors, you need to log in as an Administrator or ADC Editor.

You cannot make revisions to the root (or parent) monitors that ship with the product; you can only revise the child monitors that you (or another user) have created.

Create an LTM monitor

You add a new LTM monitor so that you can track the availability of these services on the nodes, pools, or pool members to which you attach that monitor.

This is a shared object. Shared objects do not deploy to a device unless they are attached to a device-specific object. The table lists device-specific and shared objects. When you create a shared object, remember that you must associate it with a device-specific object before you can deploy it to a device.

Device Specific Objects	Shared Objects
Node	Certificates and Keys
Pool	Eviction Policies
SNAT Pool	iRules
Virtual Server	Monitors
	Profiles

At the top of the screen, click

Configuration

, then, on the left, click

LOCAL TRAFFIC

Monitors

The screen displays the list of monitors defined on this device.

If you select the check box for a monitor, you can delete it. You can also view details about other configuration objects to which this monitor relates.

Click

Create

The New Monitor screen opens.

In the

Name

field, type in a name for the monitor you are creating.

If the device for which you are creating this monitor is in a silo as part of a conflict resolution work flow, select that

Silo

here; otherwise, leave the default setting.

For detailed work flows explaining how you can use a silo to resolve configuration object conflicts, refer to

BIG-IQ: Resolving Device Object Conflicts

support.f5.com

For

Partition

, type the name of the BIG-IP device partition on which you want to create the monitor.

In the AS3 user interface, the BIG-IP device partition to which services deploy is referred to as the

tenant

. Do not deploy any objects to a partition that has been used to deploy AS3 application services using the Configuration tab. For additional detail about partitions and tenants, refer to

AS3 tenant name details

in the

Managing BIG-IQ AS3 templates

article on

support.f5.com

Type a brief

Description

for the monitor you are creating.

Select the type

Type

of monitor you want to create.

The

Monitor Template

setting displays.

From

Monitor Template

, select the parent monitor from which you want your monitor to inherit settings.

Name

Type

, and

Monitor Template

are the only required parameters when you create a virtual server. The remaining parameters on this screen are optional and perform the same function as they do when you configure a virtual server on a BIG-IP device.

A number of additional fields display. The fields that display depend on which monitor template you choose.

Select the remaining settings needed to suit the requirements of this traffic monitor.

For details about a particular setting, refer to the

BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager: Monitors Reference

support.f5.com

When you finish specifying the settings for the new monitor, you next need to evaluate and then deploy your changes to the target device. Until you deploy these changes, objects on the managed device are not changed.

Edit an LTM monitor

You revise HTTP or HTTPS LTM monitors when you want to change the details of how the monitor determines when a service is operational.

You cannot edit root monitors.

At the top of the screen, click

Configuration

, then, on the left, click

LOCAL TRAFFIC

Monitors

The screen displays the list of monitors defined on this device.

If you select the check box for a monitor, you can delete it. You can also view details about other configuration objects to which this monitor relates.

Select the monitor you want to edit.

The Monitor Properties screen opens to display the current settings for the selected monitor.

If you have imported multiple versions of this object, select the

Version

you want to edit.

The screen displays parameter values for the version you selected. Changes you make to these values impact only that version of the object.

If this BIG-IQ is no longer managing devices for the selected version of an object, you can remove that version of the object by clicking

Delete Version

If this BIG-IQ is managing devices with the selected version, the delete fails.

If this is not an imported profile, you can add or revise a brief

Description

for the monitor you are editing.

For

Interval

, specify, in seconds, the frequency at which the system issues the monitor check when either the resource is down, or the status of the resource is unknown.

The default is 5 seconds.

For

Up Interval

, specify which interval the system uses to perform the health check when a resource is up.

Disabled	Specifies that the system uses the interval specified in Interval to check the health of the resource.
Enabled	Enables specification of a different interval to use when checking the health of a resource that is up.

For

Time Until Up

, specify the number of seconds to wait after a resource first responds correctly to the monitor before setting the resource to up.

During the interval, all responses from the resource must be correct. When the interval expires, the resource is marked up. The default is 0, meaning that the resource is marked up immediately when the first correct response is received.

From

Timeout

, specify the number of seconds the target has in which to respond to the monitor request.

The default is 16 seconds. If the target responds within the set time period, it is considered up. If the target does not respond within the set time period, it is considered down. Note that

Timeout

and

Time Until Up

combine to control when a resource is set to up.

For

Manual Resume

, specify whether the system automatically changes the status of a resource to

Enabled

at the next successful monitor check.

If you set this option to

Yes

, you must manually re-enable the resource before the system can use it for load balancing connections. The default is

For

Send String

, specify the text string that the monitor sends to the target object.

You must include

\r\n

at the end of a non-empty

Send String

. The default setting is

GET /\r\n

, which retrieves a default HTML file for a web site. To retrieve a specific page from a web site, specify a fully-qualified path name, for example:

GET /www/siterequest/index.html\r\n

For

Receive String

, specify a regular expression to represent the text string that the monitor looks for in the returned resource.

The most common receive expressions contain a text string that is included in an HTML file on your site. The text string can be regular text, HTML tags, or image names.

If you do not specify both a

Send String

and a

Receive String

, the monitor performs a simple service check and connect only.

For

Receive Disable String

, specify a regular expression to represent the text string that the monitor looks for in the returned resource.

This setting works like

Receive String

, except that the system marks the node or pool member disabled when its response matches

Receive Disable String

To use this setting, you must specify both

Receive String

and

Receive Disable String

If you selected

HTTPS

, for

Cipher List

, specify the list of ciphers for this monitor.

The default list is

DEFAULT:+SHA:+3DES:+kEDH

If the monitored target requires authentication, specify the

User Name

If the monitored target requires authentication, specify the

Password

For imported monitors that use passwords:

If the monitor was imported from a version 12.0.0 or later device, you do not need to re-enter the password.

If the monitor was imported from a device earlier than version 12.0.0 and you plan to make changes to the monitor (or if you associate the monitor with an LTM object or child monitor), then you must supply the password for the imported monitor.

If you do not change any of the parameters for the monitor or associate the monitor with an LTM object or child monitor, then you do not need to re-enter the password.

If you selected

HTTPS

, for

Compatibility

specify the SSL option setting.

If you select

Enabled

, the SSL option (in OpenSSL) is set to

ALL

If you selected

HTTPS

, for

Client Certificate

, select the client certificate that the monitor sends to the target SSL server.

The default is

None

If you selected

HTTPS

, for

Client Key

, select the key for the client certificate that the monitor sends to the target SSL server.

The default is

None

For

Reverse

, specify whether the system marks the target resource down when the test is successful.

This setting is useful, for example, if the content on your web site home page is dynamic and changes frequently. You might want to set up a reverse ECV service check that looks for the string Error. A match for this string means that the web server was down. To use this option, you must specify values for

Send String

and

Receive String

For

Transparent

, specify whether the system operates in transparent mode.

A monitor in transparent mode directs traffic through the associated pool members or nodes (usually a router or firewall) to the aliased destination (that is, it probes the Alias Address-Alias Service Port combination specified in the monitor). If the monitor cannot successfully reach the aliased destination, the pool member or node through which the monitor traffic was sent is marked down.

For

Alias Address

, specify an alias IP address for the monitor to check, on behalf of the pools or pool members with which the monitor is associated.

The default setting is

*All Addresses

. If the health check for the alias address is successful, the system marks all associated objects up. If the health check for the alias address is not successful, then the system marks all associated objects down.

For

Alias Service Port

, specify an alias port or service for the monitor to check, on behalf of the pools or pool members with which the monitor is associated.

The default setting is

*All Ports

. If the health check for the alias port or service is successful, the system marks all associated objects up. If the health check for the alias port or service is not successful, then the system marks all associated objects down.

For

IP DSCP

, specify the differentiated services code point (DSCP).

DSCP is a 6-bit value in the Differentiated Services (DS) field of the IP header. It can be used to specify the quality of service desired for the packet. The valid range for this value is 0 to 63 (hex 0x0 to 0x3f). The default is 0 (zero).

For

Adaptive

, specify whether adaptive response time monitoring is enabled for this monitor.

Enabled	The monitor determines the state of a service based on how divergent from the mean latency a monitor probe for that service is allowed to be. When enabled, you can set values for the Allowed Divergence , Adaptive Limit , and Sampling Timespan monitor settings.
Disabled	The monitor determines the state of a service based on the Interval , Up Interval , Time Until Up , and Timeout monitor settings.

If you select

Enabled

for this control, three additional controls are displayed.

If you enabled

Adaptive

, for

Allowed Divergence

, specify the type of divergence used for adaptive response time monitoring.

Absolute	The number of milliseconds the latency of a monitor probe can exceed the mean latency of a monitor probe for the service being probed. Tip: In typical cases, if the monitor detects three probes in a row that miss the latency value you set, the pool member or node is marked down.
Relative	The percentage of deviation the latency of a monitor probe can exceed the mean latency of a monitor probe for the service being probed.

If you enabled

Adaptive

, for

Allowed Divergence

, specify the absolute number of milliseconds that may not be exceeded by a monitor probe, regardless of

Allowed Divergence

For a probe to be considered successful, this value applies regardless of the value of the

Allowed Divergence

setting.

If you enabled

Adaptive

, for

Sampling Timespan

, length, in seconds, of the probe history window that the system uses to calculate the mean latency and standard deviation of a monitor probe.

Click

Save & Close

Changes that you make are made only to the pending version. The

pending version

serves as a repository for changes you stage before deploying them to the managed device. Object settings for the pending version are not the same as the object settings on the actual BIG-IP device until they are deployed or discarded.

When you finish revising the settings for this monitor, you need to evaluate and then deploy your changes to the target device. Until you deploy these changes, objects on the managed device are not changed.

Copy an LTM monitor from one device to existing objects on another

Before you can copy a monitor from one device to another, there must be objects on the target device that use the monitor. If these objects do not exist on the target device, you can create them as part of the workflow. Refer to

Copy an LTM monitor from one device to new objects on another

, on

support.f5.com

for that workflow.

Copying monitors between devices helps insure a consistent setup and keeps you from having to repeat the same task over and over again. To copy a monitor from one device to another, you import the monitor from the source device, associate the monitor to selected objects on the target device, and then deploy your changes to the target device.

Identify your source and target BIG-IP devices, as well as the name of the monitor you want to copy, and the objects that you want to attach the monitor to.

Identify the source BIG-IP device (the device that has the monitor you want to copy).

Identify the name of the monitor that you want to copy.

Identify the target BIG-IP device (the device to which you want to copy the monitor).

Identify the objects on the target device that you want to attach the monitor to.

If you have not already discovered and imported services for both the source and target device, do that now.

For details on how to discover a device and import services, refer to

Device Discovery and Basic Device Management

support.f5.com

When discovery and import is complete, both devices will be under management, the BIG-IQ will have all of the monitors from the source device, and the BIG-IQ will have all of the objects from the target device that you want to use the monitor with.

At the top of the screen, click

Configuration

, then, on the left, click

LOCAL TRAFFIC

Click the name of a local traffic object that you want to associate the monitor with when you copy it to the target BIG-IP device.

For example, if you plan to associate the monitor with a pool, click

Pools

The screen displays the list of objects of the type you selected (pools in this case) that reside on the devices managed by this BIG-IQ.

Click the name of the object that you want to associate with the copied monitor.

The properties screen for the selected object opens.

The steps for identifying which monitor you want to copy depend on the type of object you are going to associate the monitor with.

To copy a monitor to a pool	For Health Monitors, select the specific monitor you want to copy to the selected device. To specify an additional monitor to copy to this device, click (+) and then repeat the previous step. To remove a monitor you have specified to copy to this device, click (X).
To copy a monitor to a pool member	For Health Monitors, select Member Specific . From Select Monitors , select the specific monitors you want to copy to the selected device. To specify an additional monitor to copy to this device, click (+) and then repeat the previous step. To remove a monitor you have specified to copy to this device, click (X).
To copy a monitor to a node	For Health Monitors, select Node Specific . From Select Monitors, select the specific monitors you want to copy to the selected device. T o specify an additional monitor to copy to this device, click (+) and then repeat the previous step. To remove a monitor you have specified to copy to this device, click (X).

When you are finished assigning monitors to this object, click

Save & Close

Repeat the preceding three steps for the other object types that you want to use to copy monitors to the target device.

For example, you might specify pools first and then define monitors for pool members and nodes.

When you have specified all of the objects and monitors that you want to copy, deploy these changes to the target device.

For details on deploying changes to a managed device, refer to

Deploying Changes

support.f5.com

Copy an LTM monitor from one device to new objects on another

Identify your source and target BIG-IP devices, as well as the name of the monitor you want to copy, and the objects that you want to attach the monitor to.

Identify the source BIG-IP device (the device that has the monitor you want to copy).

Identify the name of the monitor that you want to copy.

Identify the target BIG-IP device (the device to which you want to copy the monitor).

Identify the objects on the target device that you want to attach the monitor to.

If you have not already discovered and imported services for both the source and target device, do that now.

For details on how to discover a device and import services, refer to

Device Discovery and Basic Device Management

support.f5.com

When discovery and import is complete, both devices will be under management, and the BIG-IQ will have all of the monitors from the source device.

At the top of the screen, click

Configuration

, then, on the left, click

LOCAL TRAFFIC

Click the name of a local traffic object type that you want to associate the monitor with when you copy it to the target BIG-IP device.

To add a monitor to a new pool member, these two steps are a little different. You don't add a new pool member from the Pool Members screen; instead, you add new pool members by editing an existing pool or adding a new pool and then creating a new member from the pools screen.

For example, if you plan to associate the monitor with a pool, click

Pools

The screen displays a list of objects of the type you selected (pools in this case) that reside on the devices managed by this BIG-IQ displays.

Click

Create

The create screen for the selected object opens.

Type a

Name

for the object you are creating.

Select the

Device

on which to create the new object.

If you are adding a new node, type the IP address for the node in the

Address

field.

The steps for identifying which monitor you want to copy depends on the type of object you are going to associate the monitor with.

To copy a monitor to a pool	For Health Monitors, select the specific monitor you want to copy to the selected device. To specify an additional monitor to copy to this device, click (+) and then repeat the previous step. To remove a monitor you have specified to copy to this device, click (X).
To copy a monitor to a pool member	Remember, to access the New Pool Member properties screen, you need to add a new member by either editing an existing pool or creating a new pool, and then clicking New Member . For Health Monitors, select Member Specific . From Select Monitors, select the specific monitors you want to copy to the selected device. To specify an additional monitor to copy to this device, click (+) and then repeat the previous step. To remove a monitor you have specified to copy to this device, click (X).
To copy a monitor to a node	For Health Monitors, select Node Specific . From Select Monitors, select the specific monitors you want to copy to the selected device. To specify an additional monitor to copy to this device, click (+) and then repeat the previous step. To remove a monitor you have specified to copy to this device, click (X).

Specify any additional settings needed to suit the requirements for this object.

For details about the purpose or function of a particular setting, refer to the BIG-IP reference information on

support.f5.com

When you are finished assigning monitors to this object, click

Save & Close

Repeat the preceding six steps for the other object types that you want to use to copy monitors to the target device.

For example, you might specify pools first and then define monitors for pool members and nodes.

When you have specified all of the objects and monitors that you want to copy, deploy these changes to the target device.

For details on deploying changes to a managed device, refer to

Deploying Changes

support.f5.com

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Applies To:

BIG-IQ Centralized Management

Managing Local Traffic Monitors

How do I manage the objects that reside on managed devices?

What LTM monitor management tasks can I perform?

Create an LTM monitor

Edit an LTM monitor

Copy an LTM monitor from one device to existing objects on another

Copy an LTM monitor from one device to new objects on another

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Product Usage

Trials

Registration Keys

Downloads

Applies To:

BIG-IQ Centralized Management

Managing Local Traffic Monitors

How do I manage the objects that reside on managed devices?

What LTM monitor management tasks can I perform?

Create an LTM monitor

Edit an LTM monitor

Copy an LTM monitor from one device to existing objects on another

Copy an LTM monitor from one device to new objects on another

Have a Question?

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