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Manual Chapter : QKView overview

Applies To:

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F5OS-A

  • 1.7.0, 1.5.2, 1.5.1, 1.5.0, 1.4.0, 1.3.2, 1.3.1, 1.3.0
Manual Chapter

QKView overview

If you have any concerns about your system operation, you can use the QKView utility to generate a system report to collect configuration and diagnostic information from the system.
The QKView file contains machine-readable (JSON) diagnostic data and combines the data into a single compressed tar.gz format file. You can upload the QKView file to F5 iHealth at ihealth.f5.com, where you can get help from F5 Support verifying proper operation of the system, understanding and troubleshooting any issues you might be having, and ensuring that the system is operating at its maximum efficiency.

Work with QKView files from the CLI

You can work with QKView files from
the CLI
.

Configure iHealth web proxy from the CLI

The iHealth upload feature uploads QKView reports, by default, directly to F5 iHealth at ihealth.f5.com.You can configure iHealth credentials from the CLI. If the host does not have internet access to reach f5.com, you can configure the system to upload QKView files to iHealth using a web proxy.
  1. Connect using SSH to the management IP address.
  2. Log in to the command line interface (CLI) of the system using an account with admin access.
    When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.
  3. Change to config mode.
    config
    The CLI prompt changes to include
    (config)
    .
  4. Configure the proxy server.
    system diagnostics proxy config proxy-server <
    ip-address:port
    >
    In this example, you configure a proxy server using the IP address 192.0.2.20 and port 3128: 
    appliance-1-active(config)# system diagnostics proxy config 
  proxy-server http://192.0.2.20:3128
appliance-1-active(config)# commit
  5. Configure the proxy server credentials, if needed.
    system diagnostics proxy config proxy-username <
    username
    > proxy-password <
    password
    >
    The proxy username and password configuration elements contain the credentials for the proxy server. If the proxy server does not require authentication, these values are ignored.
    In this example, you configure the username "myname" and a password:
    appliance-1-active(config)# system diagnostics proxy config 
  proxy-username myname
appliance-1-active(config)# system diagnostics proxy config proxy-password
(<AES encrypted string>): ******
  6. Commit the configuration changes.
    commit
Now you can generate QKView files and either upload them to F5 iHealth or manage the files locally.

Generate a QKView file from the CLI

You can generate a QKView file from the CLI. The report contains diagnostic information, such as configuration data, log files, and platform information.
  1. Connect using SSH to the management IP address.
  2. Log in to the command line interface (CLI) of the system using an account with admin access.
    When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.
  3. Change to config mode.
    config
    The CLI prompt changes to include
    (config)
    .
  4. Generate a QKView file.
    system diagnostics qkview capture exclude-cores [ false | true ] filename <
    filename
    > maxcoresize <
    size
    > maxfilesize <
    size
    > timeout <
    time
    >
    These options are available:
    Option
    Description
    exclude-cores
    Specify whether core files should be excluded from the QKView file. The default is to include core files.
    filename
    Specify a name for the file to which QKView file data is written. The default filename is
    <
    system-name
    >.tar
    .
    maxcoresize
    Exclude core files greater than this size (in MB). The range is from 2 MB to 1000 MB. The default value for maximum core size is 25 MB.
    maxfilesize
    Exclude all files greater than the specified size (in MB). The range is from 2 MB to 1000 MB. The default value for maximum file size is 500 MB.
    timeout
    Specify the time in seconds after which to stop QKView file data collection. The default value is 0, which indicates no timeout.
    In this example, you generate a QKView file named
    client-qkview.tar
     that excludes core files, sets the maximum core size to 500 MB, sets the maximum file size to 500 MB, and sets a timeout value of 0 (zero), which indicates no timeout: 
    appliance-1-active(config)# system diagnostics qkview capture filename client-qkview 
  exclude-cores true maxcoresize 500 maxfilesize 500 timeout 0
result  Qkview file client-qkview is being collected
return code 200
  5. Check the status of the QKView file generation process.
    system diagnostics qkview status
    This example indicates that the QKView file generation is complete:
    appliance-1-active(config)# system diagnostics qkview status
result  {"Busy":false,"Percent":100,"Status":"complete","Message":"Completed collection.","Filename":"qkview.tar"}

resultint 0
Next, you upload the QKView file to the iHealth server.

Upload a QKView file to F5 iHealth from the CLI

Before you can upload QKView files to F5 iHealth, you must already have configured the system with iHealth credentials.
You can upload a QKView file from the CLI. The report contains diagnostic information, such as configuration data, log files, and platform information.
  1. Connect using SSH to the management IP address.
  2. Log in to the command line interface (CLI) of the system using an account with admin access.
    When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.
  3. Change to config mode.
    config
    The CLI prompt changes to include
    (config)
    .
  4. Upload a QKView file to iHealth.
    system diagnostics ihealth upload qkview-file <
    filename
    > description <
    qkview-file-description
    > service-request-number <
    sr-number
    >
    In this example, you upload a QKView file named
    client-qkview.tar
     to iHealth using configured iHealth credentials: 
    appliance-1-active(config)# system diagnostics ihealth upload qkview-file 
  diags/shared/qkview/client-qkview.tar description testing service-request-number C523232
message HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted
Location: /support/ihealth/status/iuw53AYW
Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2022 12:09:08 GMT
Content-Length: 00
Finally, you view the uploaded report on F5 iHealth at ihealth.f5.com.

Manage QKView files locally from the CLI

If you want to manage QKView files locally, you can view or export the files from the CLI.
  1. Connect using SSH to the management IP address.
  2. Log in to the command line interface (CLI) of the system using an account with admin access.
    When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.
  3. Change to config mode.
    config
    The CLI prompt changes to include
    (config)
    .
  4. View a list of QKView files on the system.
    file list path diags/shared/qkview/
    A summary similar to this example displays:
    appliance-1-active# file list path diags/shared/qkview/
entries {
    name client-2.qkview
    date Tue Jun 28 05:20:33 UTC 2022
    size 909MB
}
entries {
    name client-qkview.tar
    date Wed Jul 13 17:46:50 UTC 2022
    size 781MB
}
  5. Export a QKView file to an external server.
    file export insecure local-file <
    local-file-path
    > protocol [ https | scp | sftp ] remote-file <
    remote-file-path
    > remote-host <
    ip-address-or-fqdn
    > remote-port <
    port-number
    > ] remote-url <
    ip-address-or-fqdn
    > username <
    user
    > web-token <
    remote-system-token
    >
    This example exports a file named client-qkview.tar to a specified server:
    appliance-1-active# file export local-file diags/shared/qkview/client-qkview.tar remote-host 
  files.company.com remote-file home/jdoe/client-qkview.tar username jdoe
Value for 'password' (<string>): *********
result File transfer is initiated.(diags/shared/qkview/client-qkview.tar)
  6. Check the file transfer status.
    file transfer-status
    This example shows the status of all recent file transfers:
    appliance-1-active# file transfer-status
file transfer-status
result
S.No.|Operation  |Protocol|Local File Path                |Remote Host       |Remote File Path |Status     |Time
1    |Export file|HTTPS   |diags/shared/qkview/qkview.tar |files.company.com |/home/jdoe       | Completed |Wed Jul 11 11:02:24 2022

Work with QKView files from the webUI

You can work with QKView files from
the webUI
.

Configure iHealth credentials and web proxy from the webUI

The iHealth upload feature uploads QKView reports, by default, directly to F5 iHealth at ihealth.f5.com. You can configure iHealth credentials from the webUI. If the host does not have internet access to reach f5.com, you can configure the system to upload QKView files to iHealth using a web proxy server.
  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.
  2. On the left, click
    DIAGNOSTICS
    iHealth Configuration
    .
    The iHealth Configuration screen displays.
  3. In the Credentials area, for
    Username
    , enter your user name.
  4. For
    Password
    , enter the password associated with the user name.
  5. Configure a proxy server, if needed.
    If you are not using a web proxy server, leave these fields blank.
    1. Under Proxy Server, for
      Server URL
      , enter the web proxy server URL, including the port number.
    2. For
      Username
       and
      Password
      , if the web proxy server requires credentials, enter the user name and password.
      If the web proxy server does not require credentials, leave these fields blank.
  6. Click
    Save & Close
    .
  7. Click
    OK
     when the Update iHealth Configuration popup displays.
Now you can generate QKView files and upload them to F5 iHealth.

Generate and upload a QKView file from the webUI

If you want to upload a QKView file to the F5 iHealth server, your
rSeries
 system must have iHealth credentials and DNS configured. The system must have Internet access to these services using the HTTPS/443 remote service/port:
  • api.f5.com
  • ihealth-api.f5.com
For information on uploading the report using a web proxy, see "Configure iHealth uploads and web proxy from the webUI".
You can generate a QKView file from the webUI. Both reports contain diagnostic information, such as configuration data, log files, time series statistics, and platform information.
  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.
  2. On the left, click
    DIAGNOSTICS
    System Reports
    .
    The System Reports screen displays. A list of QKView files that were previously generated are shown with any reports that were uploaded to iHealth.
  3. To generate a system report, click
    Generate QKView
     in the upper right corner of the screen.
    The Generate QKView box displays these additional options:
    Option
    Description
    Filename
    Specify a name for the file to which QKView file data is written. The default filename is <
    system-name
    >.tar.
    Timeout Value
    Specify the time in seconds after which to stop QKView file data collection. The default value is 0, which indicates no timeout.
    Max File Size
    Exclude all files greater than the specified size (in MB). The range is from 2 MB to 1000 MB. The default value is 500 MB.
    Max Core Size
    Exclude core files greater than this size (in MB). The range is from 2 MB to 1000 MB. The default value for maximum core size is 25 MB.
    Exclude Cores
    Specify whether core files should be excluded from the QKView file. The default is to include core files.
    The system runs many commands to collect the diagnostic information, so generating the report might affect its performance.
    It takes a few minutes for the system to finish creating the report and list it on the screen. The QKView Status changes to
    File generated successfully
     when it is done.
  4. To upload the report to the F5 iHealth server, select the check box next to the QKView name and click
    Upload to iHealth
    .
    For information on uploading the report using a web proxy, see "Configure iHealth uploads and web proxy from the webUI".
    The QKView file uploads to F5 iHealth, where you can get help to diagnose the health and proper operation of the system. You can view the report at ihealth.f5.com

Manage QKView files locally from the webUI

If you want to manage QKView files locally, you can export or download the files from the webUI.
  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.
  2. On the left, click
    SYSTEM SETTINGS
    File Utilities
    .
  3. From the
    Base Directory
     list, select
    diags/shared/
    .
  4. Under
    diags/shared
    , select
    qkview
    .
  5. If you want to export a QKView file to an external server:
    1. Select the QKView file and click
      Export
      .
    2. In the popup, enter the
      Server URL
       for where to export the file.
    3. Provide the
      Username
       and
      Password
       only if required by the remote host.
    4. Select
      Ignore Certificate Warnings
       if you want to skip warnings when importing files.
    5. Click
      Export File
       to begin the export.
  6. If you want to download the QKView file to your local workstation:
    1. Select the QKView file and click
      Download
      .
      The selected file will be downloaded.
In the File Transfer Status area, you can view the status of a file transfer operation to see its progress and if it was successful. If an operation fails, hover over the warning icon to see the error that occurred.
A runtime error displays in the File Transfer Status area if an invalid operation is performed.
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