F5 Logo MyF5
Search
  1. MyF5 Home
  2. Setting up and Configuring a BIG-IQ Centralized Management Solution
  3. Install BIG-IQ Data Collection Devices
Manual Chapter : Install BIG-IQ Data Collection Devices

Applies To:

Show Versions Show Versions

BIG-IQ Centralized Management

  • 8.2.0, 8.1.0
Manual Chapter

Install BIG-IQ Data Collection Devices

Prepare to install a data collection device cluster

To manage the data generated by BIG-IP devices from BIG-IQ, you deploy a network of BIG-IQ systems called a
Data Collection Device (DCD) cluster
 to collect that data.
When you set up a data collection device, you:
  1. Prepare your network environment and architecture (refer to
    Before you deploy a BIG-IQ solution
     in
    Planning a BIG-IQ Centralized Management & Visibility Deployment
     on
    support.f5.com
     for details).
  2. Install and configure the platform you plan to install your software on. 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 use. Supported platforms for this release are listed below. Use the guide appropriate for your platform to complete the installation. 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 and Amazon Web Services: Setup
    Citrix XenServer:
    F5 BIG-IQ Centralized Management and Citrix XenServer: Setup
    KVM
    F5 BIG-IQ Centralized Management and Linux KVM: Setup
    Microsoft Azure
    F5 BIG-IQ Centralized Management and Microsoft Azure: Setup
    Microsoft Hyper-V
    F5 BIG-IQ Centralized Management and Microsoft Hyper-V: Setup
    VMware NSX-V
    F5 BIG-IQ Centralized Management and VMware ESXi: Setup
    Xen Project
    F5 BIG-IQ Centralized Management and Linux Xen Project: Setup
  3. Deploy and configure the number of DCDs you need to manage the data generated by your BIG-IQ solution. For requirements. For help determining the optimal number of DCD devices for your solution, refer to the
    BIG-IQ Centralized Management DCD Sizing Guide
     on
    support.askf5.com
    .

Install a Data Collection Device

Before you can deploy a Data Collection Device (DCD), you must have installed the BIG-IQ VE or 7000 Series platform on which you plan to deploy the DCD.
Configure a Data Collection Device (DCD) to get it ready to start collecting data from your managed BIG-IP devices.
The DCD initial setup process guides you through a series of screens. When you set up a data collection device, you:
  • Change the administrator’s default admin and root passwords.
  • Specify a passphrase to generate a Master Key.
  • Specify a host name and management port address for the system.
  • Specify your DNS server and the name of the DNS search domain.
  • Specify your Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers and select a time zone.
  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.
    The first time you log in to the BIG-IQ, you use
    admin
     for the
    Username
     and
    Password
    ; but then you must change the admin password.
  2. Change the default admin password.
    1. For
      Current Password
      , type
      admin
      .
    2. Type a new password in the
      New Password
       and
      Re-type New Password
       fields.
    3. Click
      Save
      . BIG-IQ changes the admin password and then displays the initial log in page.
    4. Login to the BIG-IQ user interface using your new password.
    When you change the admin password as part of an initial login, BIG-IQ also resets the root password to match it. During initial setup, you can change them both again.
  3. Select
    Skip License
     and click the
    Next
     button.
  4. Type a
    Passphrase
     that satisfies the requirements specified on screen, and then type the same phrase for
    Confirm Passphrase
    .
    The DCD uses the passphrase to generate a master key. This passphrase must be the same on all of the devices in the DCD cluster or they won't be able to communicate with each other. Make sure you keep track of the passphrase, because it cannot be recovered if you lose it.
    • Make sure you keep track of the passphrase, because it cannot be recovered if you lose it. To protect the security of this device, you must have the passphrase used to generate the master key before you can change the master key.
    • To add a BIG-IQ to an HA or DCD configuration, its master key must match the key for the other devices in the BIG-IQ HA or DCD configuration. So if the passphrase is different and you do not know what it is, the only way to add that BIG-IQ to a cluster is to reset it to its factory defaults; However, that reset destroys any data on that BIG-IQ.
    • Finally, when you backup and restore a BIG-IQ, the master key is backed up with the rest of the data, and you cannot restore that data onto a BIG-IQ that has a different master key, so without that key you will be unable to have this BIG-IQ and it's data in an HA or DCD configuration.
    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.
  5. Specify an (optional) admin and root password and click the
    Next
     button.
  6. For System Personality, select
    BIG-IQ Data Collection Device
     and click the
    Next
     button.
    You cannot undo this choice. Once you license a device as a BIG-IQ Data Collection, you can't change your mind and license it as a BIG-IQ Data Collection Device.
  7. In the
    Hostname
     box, 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 ( . ).
  8. Type the
    Management Port Route
    .
    The management port IP address must be in Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) format. For example:
    10.10.10.10/24
    .
  9. Specify what you want the DCD to use for the
    Discovery Address
    .
    The DCD uses this address to communicate with the BIG-IQ. Best practice is to use the same option (management or self-ip) for all of the BIG-IQ systems and DCDs you set up.
    When choosing whether to use the management port or a self IP address, consider the long-term ramifications. Changing the discovery address is a lengthy process that includes resetting and rebuilding the entire cluster to change the discovery address for this DCD.
    • To use the management IP address, select
      Use Management Address
      .
    • To use the internal self IP address, select
      Self IP Address
      , and type the IP address.
      The self IP address must be in Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) format. For example:
      10.10.10.10/24
      .
  10. If you want to create a self IP address, click the
    Create
     button in the
    Self IPs
     section.
  11. If you want to associate a VLAN with the new self IP address, click
    Create
     button in the
    VLANs
     section.
  12. Click the
    Next
     button at the bottom of the screen.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. From the
    Time Zone
     list, select your local time zone, then click
    Next
    .
  17. Click the
    Next
     button at the bottom of the screen.
  18. After you review the details, click
    Launch
     and then click
    Restart
     to confirm.
Repeat this task for the remaining DCDs needed for your solution.
Contact Support Contact Support

Have a Question?

Support and Sales >

About F5

Education

F5 Sites

Support Tasks




©2023 F5, Inc. All rights reserved.


Trademarks Policies Privacy California Privacy Do Not Sell My Personal Information