Manual Chapter : System Settings

Applies To:

  • F5OS-A

    1.5.3

back-action F5 rSeries Systems: Administration and Configuration

Updated Date: 04/27/2026

System Settings

You can access system settings in the webUI.

You can view active system alarms and events in the webUI and CLI.

The Alarms & Events screen lists alert information for system components (such as PSU, firmware, and LCD) that have currently crossed a performance or health threshold. Use this screen to identify the specific component that is affected.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > Alarm & Events.

  3. Choose from one of these actions:

    • To refresh the alarms or events list, click the Refresh icon on the right of the screen.
    • To display events result by time preference, click the down arrow next to the Refresh icon and select a value from the list. The default value is one hour. For example, select five minutes to display any event that occurred in the last five minutes.
    • To display events by severity, select a value from the Severity list. The default value is WARNING.
      Option Description
      Emergency Emergency system panic messages
      Alert Serious errors that require administrator intervention
      Critical Critical errors, including hardware and file system failures
      Error Non-critical, but possibly important, error messages
      Warning Warning messages that should be logged and reviewed
      Notice Messages that contain useful information, but might be ignored
      Informational Messages that contain useful information, but might be ignored
      Debug Detailed messages used for troubleshooting

You can view information about active system alarm conditions 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. View a list of active system alarm conditions.

    show system alarms | tab

    This example shows a power supply unit (PSU) redundancy fault:

    appliance-1# show system alarms | tab
ID     RESOURCE        SEVERITY  TEXT                           TIME CREATED
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-          
65793  psu-1           ERROR     PSU fault detected             2022-06-01-11:11:11.999825828 UTC

An allow list enables you to add either an IPv4 or IPv6 address as an accepted source that can access the system.

When the IP address is configured and saved to your allow list, only traffic coming from that IP address and port is accepted by the system’s management interface. You can also edit or delete entries in the allow list after you have configured them.

You can add, configure, or delete an IP address in the system allow list from the webUI.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > Allow List.

    The Allow List displays.

  3. Add an IP address to the allow list:

    1. Click Add.

    2. For Name, enter a descriptive name for the IP address.

    3. For IPv4/IPv6, select IPv4 or IPv6.

    4. For Address, enter the IP address to be added to the allow list.

    5. For Prefix Length, enter or select the prefix length.

      The prefix length values must be between 1 and 32 for IPv4 and between 1 and 128 for IPv6.

    6. For Port, select a port number for the IP address.

      Available options are:

      • 443 (HTTPS): Allow only HTTP with SSL traffic on this IP address.
      • 80 (HTTP): Allow only HTTP traffic on this IP address.
      • 8888 (RESTCONF): Allow only RESTCONF traffic on this IP address.
      • 161 (SNMP): Allow only SNMP traffic on this IP address.
      • 7001 (VCONSOLE): Allow only VCONSOLE traffic on this IP address.
      • 22 (SSH): Allow only SSH traffic on this IP address.

  4. Edit the allow list:

    1. Select the IP address that you want to edit from the allow list.

      The IP address details display. You cannot edit the designated name, but you can change all other fields.

    2. Click Save & Close.

  5. To delete an IP address, select it and click Delete.

    When you are asked to confirm that you want to delete the IP address from the allow list, click OK.

You can configure your system to allow only specific IP addresses, ports, or a netmask from the CLI.

  1. 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.

  2. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  3. Configure the system to allow traffic only from specified IP addresses.

    system allowed-ips allowed-ip <*allowlist-profile-name*> config { ipv4 | ipv6 } address <*ip-address*> port <*port-number*> prefix-length <*subnet-prefix-length*>

    Important: This is applicable only for ports 161 (SNMP), 8888 (RESTCONF), 443 (HTTPS), 80 (HTTP), 7001 (VCONSOLE), and 22 (SSH).

    This example adds a specified IPv4 address to the system allow list:

    appliance-1(config)# system allowed-ips allowed-ip test config 
  ipv4 address 192.0.2.33 port 161 prefix-length 32

    This example adds a netmask to the system allow list:

    appliance-1(config)# system allowed-ips allowed-ip test config 
  ipv4 address 192.0.2.0 port 161 prefix-length 24

    This example restricts access to the management interface (SSH) to only the specified IP address:

    appliance-1(config)# system allowed-ips allowed-ip test config 
  ipv4 address 192.0.2.33 port 22 prefix-length 32

  4. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

You can access management interface settings in the webUI.

You can view or change settings for the management interface from the webUI.

You can view or change settings for the management interface from the webUI.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > Management Interface.

  3. For DHCP, select either Enabled or Disabled.

  4. Under IPv4 and IPv6, you can configure either one management IP address type or both types for the system:

    1. For IP Address, enter IP addresses in the appropriate sections for IPv4 or IPv6, or in both sections, if using both.

      The supported IPv4 format is, for example, 192.0.2.101. The supported IPv6 format is, for example, 2001:DB80:3238:DFE1:63::FEFB

    2. For Prefix Length, specify a number from 1-32.

    3. For Gateway, enter the gateway IP address.

  5. Under Interface Settings, you can configure the management port:

    1. For State, select either Enabled or Disabled.

    2. For Auto-negotiation, select either Enabled or Disabled.

      If you enable auto-negotiation, port speed and duplex mode are set automatically.

    3. For Port Speed, select one of these options: SPEED_1GB, SPEED_10MB, or SPEED_100MB.

    4. For Duplex Mode, select FULL or HALF.

  6. Click Save.

You can configure the management port from the CLI.

  1. Connect to the system using a management console or console server.

    Note: The default baud rate and serial port configuration is 19200/8-N-1.

  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. Enable and set general properties for the management port.

    interfaces interface mgmt config { disabled | enabled } description <*interface-description*>

    In this example, you enable the management port, add a description, and set the type:

    appliance-1(config)# interfaces interface mgmt config enabled description 
  "Mgmt Interface"

  5. Exit to the top level of the configuration hierarchy.

    top

  6. Configure Ethernet properties for the management port.

    interfaces interface mgmt config auto-negotiate { false | true } duplex-mode { FULL | HALF } port-speed { SPEED\_1GB | SPEED\_10MB | SPEED\_100MB }

    In this example, you enable the management port, add a description, and set the type:

    appliance-1(config)# interfaces interface mgmt config auto-negotiate true 
  duplex-mode FULL port-speed SPEED_1GB

  7. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

  8. Return to user (operational) mode.

    end

  9. Verify that the management interface is configured.

    show interfaces interface mgmt

    A summary similar to this example displays:

    appliance-1# show interfaces interface mgmt 
interfaces interface mgmt
 state name  mgmt
 state type  ethernetCsmacd
 state enabled true
 state oper-status UP
 ethernet state auto-negotiate true
 ethernet state duplex-mode FULL
 ethernet state port-speed SPEED_1GB
 ethernet state hw-mac-address 00:12:a1:34:56:78
 ethernet state negotiated-duplex-mode FULL
 ethernet state negotiated-port-speed SPEED_1GB

Cryptographic agility on F5 rSeries systems enables you to replace cryptographic implementations for the httpd and sshd services. This applies to the F5OS management interface.

You can show the current crypto configuration on the system 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. Show the current configuration.

    show system security services service state

    A summary similar to this example displays:

    appliance-1# show system security services service state
system security services service httpd
 state ssl-ciphersuite ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384:ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384:
 ECDHE-RSA-AES256-SHA384:ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-SHA384:ECDHE-RSA-AES256-SHA:ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-SHA:
 DHE-DSS-AES256-GCM-SHA384:DHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384:DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA256:DHE-DSS-AES256-SHA256:DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA:DHE-DSS-AES256-SHA:DHE-RSA-CAMELLIA256-SHA:DHE-DSS-CAMELLIA256-SHA:ECDH-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384:ECDH-ECDSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384:ECDH-RSA-AES256-SHA384:ECDH-ECDSA-AES256-SHA384:ECDH-RSA-AES256-SHA:ECDH-ECDSA-AES256-SHA:AES256-GCM-SHA384:AES256-SHA256:AES256-SHA:CAMELLIA256-SHA:PSK-AES256-CBC-SHA:ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDHE-RSA-AES128-SHA256:ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-SHA256:ECDHE-RSA-AES128-SHA:ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-SHA:DHE-DSS-AES128-GCM-SHA256:DHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:DHE-RSA-AES128-SHA256:DHE-DSS-AES128-SHA256:DHE-RSA-AES128-SHA:DHE-DSS-AES128-SHA:DHE-RSA-CAMELLIA128-SHA:DHE-DSS-CAMELLIA128-SHA:ECDH-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDH-ECDSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDH-RSA-AES128-SHA256:ECDH-ECDSA-AES128-SHA256:ECDH-RSA-AES128-SHA:ECDH-ECDSA-AES128-SHA:AES128-GCM-SHA256:AES128-SHA256:AES128-SHA:CAMELLIA128-SHA:PSK-AES128-CBC-SHA
system security services service sshd
 state ciphers [ aes128-cbc aes128-ctr aes128-gcm@openssh.com aes256-cbc aes256-ctr 
  aes256-gcm@openssh.com ]
 state kexalgorithms [ diffie-hellman-group14-sha1 diffie-hellman-group14-sha256 
 diffie-hellman-group16-sha512 ecdh-sha2-nistp256 ecdh-sha2-nistp384 ecdh-sha2-nistp521 ]

You can configure the sshd service 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. Configure the sshd service.

    system security services service sshd config ciphers [ <*string*> ] kexalgorithms [ <*string*> ] macs [ <*string*> ]

    These are the available configuration options:

Option

Description

ciphers

User-specified ciphers. For example, aes128-cbc or aes128-ctr.The cipher string can take several additional forms. It can consist of a single cipher suite or a list of cipher suites containing a certain algorithm, or cipher suites of a certain type. You can combine lists of cipher suites into a single cipher string using the + character as a logical AND operation.

kexalgorithms

User-specified key exchange algorithms. For example, diffie-hellman-group14-sha1 or diffie-hellman-group14-sha256.You can combine lists of KEX algorithms into a single string using the + character as a logical AND operation.

macs

User-specified MAC algorithms. For example, hmac-sha2-512 or AEAD_AES_128_GCM.You can combine lists of MAC algorithms into a single string using the + character as a logical AND operation.

 
This example shows configuring the sshd service:

```
appliance-1(config)# system security services service ssh config ciphers [ aes128-ctr aes256-cbc ] 
  kexalgorithms [ ecdh-sha2-nistp521 echd-sha2-nistp384 ] macs [ hmac-sha1 ]
```

  1. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

After you commit the change, you are prompted to confirm the change. The service will then restart.

You can configure the SSL cipher suites used for the httpd service 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. Configure one or more cipher suites for the httpd service.

    system security services service httpd config ssl-ciphersuite <*string*>

    In this example, you indicate that the system uses only the specified cipher suite:

    appliance-1(config)# system security services service httpd config 
  ssl-ciphersuite ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384

    In this example, you specify more than one cipher suite by separating the cipher suite names with a colon:

    appliance-1(config)# system security services service httpd config 
  ssl-ciphersuite ECDHE-RSA-AES128-SHA:ECDHE-RSA-AES256-SHA

  5. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

After you commit the change, you are prompted to confirm the change. The service will then restart.

When you configure ciphers for httpd, you can use multiple formats. You can specify a single cipher suite, such as RC4-SHA. You can also represent a list of cipher suites containing a certain algorithm or cipher suites of a certain type using a shortened name. For example, SHA1 represents all cipher suites using the digest algorithm SHA1, and SSLv3 represents all SSLv3 algorithms. You can combine lists of cipher suites into a single cipher string using the + character as a logical AND operation. For example, SHA1+DES represents all cipher suites containing the SHA1 and DES algorithms.

These are the allowed SSL cipher suites for general appliances:

  • ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384
  • ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384
  • ECDHE-RSA-AES256-SHA384
  • ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-SHA384
  • ECDHE-RSA-AES256-SHA
  • ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-SHA
  • DHE-DSS-AES256-GCM-SHA384
  • DHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384
  • DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA256
  • DHE-DSS-AES256-SHA256
  • DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA
  • DHE-DSS-AES256-SHA
  • DHE-RSA-CAMELLIA256-SHA
  • DHE-DSS-CAMELLIA256-SHA
  • ECDH-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384
  • ECDH-ECDSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384
  • ECDH-RSA-AES256-SHA384
  • ECDH-ECDSA-AES256-SHA384
  • ECDH-RSA-AES256-SHA
  • ECDH-ECDSA-AES256-SHA
  • AES256-GCM-SHA384
  • AES256-SHA256
  • AES256-SHA
  • CAMELLIA256-SHA
  • PSK-AES256-CBC-SHA
  • ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256
  • ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256
  • ECDHE-RSA-AES128-SHA256
  • ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-SHA256
  • ECDHE-RSA-AES128-SHA
  • ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-SHA
  • DHE-DSS-AES128-GCM-SHA256
  • DHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256
  • DHE-RSA-AES128-SHA256
  • DHE-DSS-AES128-SHA256
  • DHE-RSA-AES128-SHA
  • DHE-DSS-AES128-SHA
  • DHE-RSA-CAMELLIA128-SHA
  • DHE-DSS-CAMELLIA128-SHA
  • ECDH-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256
  • ECDH-ECDSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256
  • ECDH-RSA-AES128-SHA256
  • ECDH-ECDSA-AES128-SHA256
  • ECDH-RSA-AES128-SHA
  • ECDH-ECDSA-AES128-SHA
  • AES128-GCM-SHA256
  • AES128-SHA256
  • AES128-SHA
  • CAMELLIA128-SHA
  • PSK-AES128-CBC-SHA

These are the allowed SSL cipher suites for systems that have a FIPS software license applied.

  • ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256
  • ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384
  • ECDHE-RSA-AES128-SHA
  • ECDHE-RSA-AES256-SHA
  • ECDHE-RSA-AES128-SHA256
  • ECDHE-RSA-AES256-SHA384
  • ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256
  • ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384
  • ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-SHA
  • ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-SHA
  • ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-SHA256
  • ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-SHA384

When you configure ciphers for sshd, you enclose the cipher string in square brackets and include more than one by separating them with a space. These ciphers are allowed on the system.

  • ecdh-sha2-nistp256
  • ecdh-sha2-nistp384
  • ecdh-sha2-nistp521
  • diffie-hellman-group16-sha512
  • diffie-hellman-group14-sha256
  • diffie-hellman-group14-sha1

The Software Management screen on the webUI includes options for uploading, importing and updating Base OS software for the system.

You can manage software images from the webUI.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > Software Management.

  3. To import a Base OS image:

    1. Click Import.

      A popup opens.

    2. For URL, enter the URL of the remote image server.

      F5 recommends that the remote host be an HTTPS server with PUT/POST enabled and have a valid CA-signed certificate. You can opt to select the Ignore Certificate Warnings check box if you want to skip the certificate check.

    3. For Username, type the user name for an account on the remote image server, if required.

    4. For Password, type the password for the account, if required.

    5. Select Ignore Certificate Warnings to skip the certificate check.

    6. Click Add Image.

    Note: Depending on the image file size and network availability, the import might take a few minutes. When the import is successful, the software image is listed in the webUI.

  4. To upload a Base OS image that you have downloaded to your local workstation:

    1. Click Upload.

    2. Navigate to the image file and select it.

    3. Click Open.

  5. To delete a Base OS image, select the image and click Delete.

    Software images that are in use cannot be deleted.

View the status of image imports under Image Import Status, which shows information about Remote Host, File, Status, and Time.

Before you begin, you must also have added or uploaded an updated software image before you can do the update.

You can update Base OS software while the system is up and running from the webUI.

Important: During a software update, there is an interruption to traffic, so F5 recommends that you perform the update during a maintenance window

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > Software Management.

  3. In the Update Base OS Software section, for Update Software:

    • To install a full F5OS-A version release, select Bundled.
    • To install F5OS-A and service version releases independently, select Unbundled.

  4. For ISO Image, select the full version release ISO image from the drop-down.

    This field is available when Bundled is selected.

  5. For Base OS Version, select the F5OS version from the drop-down.

    This field is available when Unbundled is selected.

  6. For Service Version, select the service version release from the drop-down.

    This field is available when Unbundled is selected.

You can install independent system or service packages on the system from the CLI.

  1. 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.

  2. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  3. Verify the version compatibility of a package on the system.

    system packages package <*package-name*> check-version version <*version*>

    This example checks the version compatibility of a package:

    appliance-1(config)# system packages package optics-mgr-independent-pkg 
  check-version version 4.0.0.2022_08_02_16_17_05.s3a9dffb4      
response Compatibility verification succeeded.

  4. Install a new version of a package.

    system packages package <*package-name*> set-version version <*version*> proceed { no | yes }

    This example sets a new version of a package:

    appliance-1(config)# system packages package optics-mgr-independent-pkg 
  set-version version 4.0.0.2022_08_02_16_17_05.s3a9dffb4 proceed
Possible completions:
  no  yes

  5. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

You can remove independent system or service packages from the system from the CLI.

  1. 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.

  2. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  3. Remove an independent package from the system.

    system packages package <*package-name*> remove version <*version*>

    This example removes a specified package version:

    appliance-1(config)# system packages package optics-mgr-independent-pkg 
  remove version 4.0.0.2022_08_02_16_17_05.s3a9dffb4

  4. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

The DNS screen on the webUI includes options for configuring Domain Name System (DNS) lookup servers and search domains for use with the system.

You can configure DNS for the system from the webUI. This is used for name resolution such as when setting up the system.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > DNS.

  3. Under DNS Lookup Servers, specify the name servers that the system uses to validate DNS lookups, and resolve host names. For each name server you want to add:

    1. Click Add.

    2. For Lookup Server, enter the IP address of the name server that you want to add to the list.

    3. Click Save & Close.

  4. Under DNS Search Domains, specify the domains that the system searches for local domain lookups and to resolve local host names. For each domain you want to add:

    1. Click Add.

    2. For Search Domain, enter the domain name of the name server that you want to add to the list.

      For example, DNSsearch.com.

    3. Click Save & Close.

DNS lookup servers and search domains are now specified for the system.

You can configure DNS for the system from the CLI. This is used for name resolution such as when setting up the system.

  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 a DNS lookup server.

    system dns servers server <*ip-address*> port <*port*>

    This example configures a DNS server at 192.0.2.20:

    appliance-1(config)# system dns servers server 192.0.2.20

  5. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

The webUI includes options for configuring remote log servers and the log severity level for individual software components and services.

From the webUI you can generate a system report, or QKView file, to collect configuration and diagnostic information from the rSeries system if you have any concerns about your system operation. 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 where you can get help to verify proper operation of the system and get help with troubleshooting and understanding any issues you might be having and ensure that the system is operating at its maximum efficiency.

You can view event logs and configure secure remote logging from the CLI. You can also send host log files, which are in the /var/log directory, as well as audit.log files to the remote server from the CLI.

You can add and display information about configured remote log servers from the webUI. You can also change the log severity level for individual software components and services.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > Log Settings.

  3. To add access to a Remote Log Server, click Add.

  4. In the Server field, enter the IPv4 address, IPv6 address, or fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the remote server.

  5. In the Port field, enter the port number of the remote server.

    The default port value is 514.

  6. For Protocol, select UDP or TCP to choose between TCP or UDP input.

  7. From the Facility list, select LOCAL0.

    F5OS supports only the LOCAL0 logging facility. All logs are directed to this facility, and it is the only one that you can use for remote logging.

  8. From the Severity list, select the severity level of the messages to log.

    Option Description
    Emergency Emergency system panic messages
    Alert Serious errors that require administrator intervention
    Critical Critical errors, including hardware and file system failures
    Error Non-critical, but possibly important, error messages
    Warning Warning messages that should be logged and reviewed
    Notice Messages that contain useful information, but might be ignored
    Informational Messages that contain useful information, but might be ignored
    Debug Verbose messages used for troubleshooting

  9. Click Save & Close.

  10. On the Log Settings screen, review the software component log levels for individual software components and adjust them as needed. Click Save if you made changes.

    The log levels determine at what level events (and all higher levels) are logged for each service. Informational is the default so all except debug-level events are logged.

  11. To delete a remote log server, select the server and click Delete.

The system logs events to the appliance.log file located in the log/host directory. To list files and view the contents of log files, you use the file command 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. List all files in the log directory.

    file list path [ log/confd/ | log/host/ | log/system/ }

    This example shows an excerpt of the contents of the log/host/ directory:

    appliance-1# file list path log/host
entries {
    name anaconda/
    date Thu May 12 17:01:36 UTC 2022
    size 4.0KB
}
entries {
    name ansible.log
    date Fri Jun 17 16:18:02 UTC 2022
    size 0B
}
entries {
    name appliance.log
    date Fri Jun 17 16:18:19 UTC 2022
    size 9.8KB
}
entries {
    name audit/
    date Fri Jun 17 14:59:04 UTC 2022
    size 4.0KB
}
entries {
    name boot.log
    date Thu May 12 17:02:35 UTC 2022
    size 105B
}
...

  4. Show the contents of a log file.

    file show [ log/confd/<*filename*> | log/host/<*filename*> | log/system/<*filename*> ]

    This example shows the contents of the log/host/boot.log file:

    appliance-1# file show log/host/boot.log
May 12 10:02:35 localhost NET[1605]: /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifup-post : updated /etc/resolv.conf

  5. Show only the most recent entries in a log file.

    file tail [ log/confd/<*filename*> | log/host/<*filename*> | log/system/<*filename*> ]

    This example shows the last ten lines of the appliance.log file and uses the -f option to append output as the file grows:

    appliance-1# file tail -f log/host/appliance.log
2022-06-17 16:18:03.267761 - OMD log is initialized
2022-06-17 16:18:03.267761 - 8:-738199808 - applianceMainEventLoop::Orchestration manager startup.
2022-06-17 16:18:03.270244 - 8:-754985216 - Can now ping appliance-1.chassis.local (100.65.60.1).
2022-06-17 16:18:03.723485 - 8:-754985216 - Successfully ssh'd to appliance 127.0.0.1.
2022-06-17 16:18:14.399076 - 8:-738199808 - Appliance 1 is ready in k3s cluster.
2022-06-17 16:18:14.399095 - 8:-738199808 - K3S cluster is ready.
appliance-flannel_image|localhost:2003/appliance-flannel:0.13.0
No Image Changes Found for normal reboot
appliance-multus_image|localhost:2003/appliance-multus:3.6.3
No Image Changes Found for normal reboot
_

The system logs events to the appliance.log file located in the var/log directory and enables you to send these logs to a remote server. By configuring secure remote logging from the CLI, you can send logs in audit.log to a remote server. Secure logging is disabled by default.

  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 secure remote logging.

    system logging remote-servers remote-server <*ip-address*> config proto { udp | tcp | remote-port <*port-number*> authentication { disabled | enabled }

    The default protocol is upd, and the default port number is 514.

    This example enables secure remote logging:

    appliance-1(config)# system logging remote-servers remote-server 
  192.0.2.58 config proto tcp remote-port 80 authentication enabled

  5. Add certificate or key details for secure remote logging.

    system logging tls { certificate | key } <*string*>

  6. Add CA bundle details for secure remote logging.

    system logging tls ca-bundles ca-bundle <*name*> config name <*name*> content <*ca-cert-contents*>

    Note: The certificate bundle that you specify must include the certificate chain of the certificate authority.

  7. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

  8. Return to user (operational) mode.

    end

  9. Verify the authentication, certificate, key, and CA bundle configuration.

    show running-config system logging tls { certificate | key | ca-bundles } <*string*>

You can disable secure remote logging 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. Disable secure remote logging.

    system logging remote-servers remote-server <*ip-address*> config proto { udp | tcp | remote-port <*port-number*> authentication { disabled | enabled }

    This example disables secure remote logging:

    appliance-1(config)# system logging remote-servers remote-server 
  192.0.2.58 config proto tcp remote-port 80 authentication disabled

  5. Remove authentication details from secure remote logging.

    no system logging remote-servers remote-server <*ip-address*> config authentication

  6. Remove certificate or key details from secure remote logging.

    no system logging tls { certificate | key } <*string*>

  7. Remove CA bundle details from secure remote logging.

    no system logging tls ca-bundles ca-bundle

  8. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

  9. Return to user (operational) mode.

    end

  10. Veify the authentication, certificate, key, and CA bundle configuration.

    show running-config system logging tls { certificate | key | ca-bundles } <*string*>

You can import, export, download, or delete files asynchronously depending on which directory you select to work in. All file transfers are done using the HTTPS protocol.

You can import a file from an external server into the system from either the webUI or the CLI. HTTPS is the supported protocol. The remote host should be an HTTPS server with PUT/POST enabled and have a valid CA-signed certificate.

Note: If you want to import the contents of a tar file, you need to extract the contents first before you can import them onto the F5 system.

You can import files into these directories on the system:

  • configs/
  • diags/shared
  • images/import
  • images/staging
  • images/tenant

You can download files in these directories from the system to your local workstation from the webUI:

  • configs
  • diags/core
  • diags/crash
  • diags/shared
  • log/confd
  • log/system

You can upload files in these directories from your local workstation to the system from the webUI:

  • configs
  • images/staging
  • images/tenant

You can export a file from the system to an external server from either the webUI or the CLI. HTTPS is the supported protocol. The remote host should be an HTTPS server with PUT/POST enabled and have a valid CA-signed certificate.

You can export files into these directories from the system:

  • configs
  • log/
  • log/confd
  • log/controller
  • log/host
  • log/system
  • diags/
  • diags/core
  • diags/crash
  • diags/shared
  • images/
  • images/import
  • images/staging
  • images/tenant

You can delete files (to which you have file permissions) on the system only from the diags/shared or configs directories from either the webUI or the CLI.

File Utilities are available in the webUI. You can use File Utilities to upload, download, import, export, and/or delete files asynchronously depending on which directory you select to work in. All file transfers are done using HTTPS protocol.

  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, browse the directories and click subfolders to view their contents and the commands that are available from each one.

    From a subfolder, click the left arrow next to the path to navigate back to the main folder.

  4. To import a file:

    1. Click Import.

    2. In the popup, enter the URL of the file to import.

    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 (such as if the remote host does not have a valid CA-signed certificate).

    5. Click Import File to begin the import.

  5. To export a file:

    1. Select the 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. To upload or download a file:

    1. Select the file and click Upload or Download.

      The selected file will be uploaded or downloaded.

  7. To delete a file, select the file and click Delete.

    You can delete files only from the diags/shared directory.

You can view the status of a file transfer operation to view its progress and see if it was successful. If an operation fails, hover over the warning icon to see the error that occurred.

Note: A runtime error displays in the File Transfer status area, if an invalid operation is performed.

You can import a file from an external server into the system or export a file to an external server from the system using the CLI.

  1. 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.

  2. Import a file.

    file import remote-url <*ip-address-and-file-path*> local-file <*local-file-path*> username <*user*> password [ remote-port <*port-number*> } [ protocol [ https | scp | sftp ]] [insecure]

    Note: The insecure option ignores certificate warnings during the transfer.

    This example shows how to import a Base OS ISO to the system:

    appliance-1# file import remote-url https://files.company.com/images/F5OS-A-1.1.x-xxxxx.R5R10.iso 
  local-file images/staging username admin password
Enter the password at the prompt:
     Value for 'password' (<string>): ******** 
result File transfer is initiated.(images/staging/F5OS-A-1.1.x-xxxxx.R5R10.iso)

    Note: If the file import doesn’t work, you can alternatively use secure copy (SCP) to copy the image file to the images/staging directory of the system.

  3. Optionally, you can check the file transfer status.

    appliance-1# file transfer-status

    When the file transfer completes, the Status displays Complete.

  4. Export a file.

    file export remote-url <*ip-address-and-file-path*> local-file <*local-file-path*> username <*user*> password [ remote-port <*port-number*> } [ protocol [ https | scp | sftp ]] [insecure]

    This example shows how to import a Base OS ISO to the system:

    appliance-1# file export local-file configs/backup1.xml remote-file /tmp/backup1.xml 
  remote-host 192.51.100.75 username root

    The system requests the password for the remote account.

    Value for 'password' (<string>): *******
result File transfer is initiated.(configs/backup1.xml)

  5. Delete a file.

    file delete local-file diags/shared/<*file-name.xml*>

    This example shows how to delete a file:

    appliance-1# file delete local-file diags/shared/backup1.xml

    You can only delete files from the diags/shared or configsdirectory.

You can configure Network Time Protocol (NTP) for the rSeries system. An NTP server ensures that the system clock is synchronized with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The system also provides authentication support for NTP, which can enhance security by ensuring that the system sends time-of-day requests only to trusted NTP servers. You can also configure the time zone and set the time and date manually, if NTP is disabled. You can use either the CLI or webUI to configure time settings.

After the system license is activated, you can configure Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers, including authentication support for NTP, time zone, and manual configuration of date and time, if NTP is disabled. The NTP server ensures that the system clock is synchronized with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). You can specify a list of servers that you want the system to use when updating the time on network systems. You can configure time settings for the system from the webUI.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > Time Settings.

  3. To synchronize the system clock with an NTP server, for NTP Service, click Enabled.

    The NTP Service is set to Disabled, by default.

  4. To manually set the time and date:

    1. For NTP Service, select Disabled.

    2. In the Manual Time & Date Settings area, click the calendar to set the date and time.

  5. To use authentication support for NTP:

    1. For NTP Authentication, select Enabled.

      The NTP Authentication is set to Disabled by default.

    2. For NTP Keys, click Add.

      The Add NTP Key screen displays.

    3. For Key ID, enter an identifier used by the client and server to designate a secret key.

      The client and server must use the same key ID.

    4. For Key Type, select the encryption type used for the NTP authentication key.

      The default value is F5_NTP_AUTH_SHA256.

      Select from these options:

      • F5_NTP_AUTH_MD5
      • F5_NTP_AUTH_SHA1
      • F5_NTP_AUTH_SHA256
      • F5_NTP_AUTH_SHA384
      • F5_NTP_AUTH_SHA512

    5. For Key Value, paste the text of the NTP authentication key.

    6. Click Save & Close.

  6. To specify an NTP server:

    1. Click Add.

    2. In the NTP Server field, enter the IPv4 address, IPv6 address, or the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the NTP server.

      Note: If specifying an FQDN, you must configure a resolvable DNS server for the system.

    3. Click Save & Close.

  7. To set the time zone, from Locations, select the time zone region.

  8. Click Save & Close.

You can manually configure the date and time for your system 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. Change the system date and/or time.

    Note: You can opt to change only the time or only the date by including only the relevant option (either time or date).

    system set-datetime date <*YYYY-MM-DD*> time <*HH:MM-SS*>

    In this example, you change the system date to 2022-01-01 and the system time to be 12:01:00:

    appliance-1(config)# system set-datetime date 2022-01-01 time 12:01:00

The system date and time are now updated.

You can configure Network Time Protocol (NTP) for your rSeries system from the CLI.

Note: If you want to enable NTP authentication, see Configure NTP authentication 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. Enable NTP.

    system ntp config enabled

  5. Add an NTP server.

    system ntp servers server <*ip-address*>

    In this example, you configure an NTP server at pool.ntp.org:

    appliance-1(config)# system ntp servers server pool.ntp.org

  6. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

  7. Return to user (operational) mode.

    end

  8. Verify that NTP is enabled and a server is configured.

    appliance-1# show system ntp
system ntp state enabled
system ntp state enable-ntp-auth false
system ntp servers server pool.ntp.org
 state address    pool.ntp.org
 state port       123
 state version    4
 state association-type SERVER
 state iburst     false
 state prefer     false
 state stratum    4
 state root-delay 34
 state root-dispersion 36
 state offset     244
 state poll-interval 6
 state authenticated false

You can configure Network Time Protocol (NTP) authentication for your rSeries system from the CLI. NTP authentication enhances security by ensuring that the system sends time-of-day requests only to trusted NTP servers.

  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. Enable NTP.

    system ntp config enabled

  5. Enable NTP authentication.

    system ntp config enable-ntp-auth true

  6. Add the key associated with your server to the system.

    system ntp ntp-keys ntp-key <*public-key-id*> config key-id <*secret-key-id*> key-type [ F5_NTP_AUTH_MD5 | F5_NTP_AUTH_SHA1 | F5_NTP_AUTH_SHA256 | F5_NTP_AUTH_SHA384 | F5_NTP_AUTH_SHA512 ] key-value HEX:<*ntp-auth-key-value*>

    Important: The key ID, key type, and key value on this client system must match the server exactly.

    appliance-1(config)# system ntp ntp-keys ntp-key 11 
  config key-id 11 key-type F5_NTP_AUTH_SHA1 key-value 
  HEX:E27611234BB5E7CDFC8A8ACE55B567FC5CA7C890

  7. Add an NTP server and associate the key ID you added with the server.

    system ntp servers server <*ip-address*>

    In this example, you configure an NTP server at the IP address 192.0.2.118:

    appliance-1(config)# system ntp servers server 192.0.2.118
appliance-1(config-server-192.0.2.118)# config key-id 11

  8. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

  9. Return to user (operational) mode.

    end

  10. Verify that NTP with authentication is enabled and a server is configured.

    appliance-1# show system ntp servers
system ntp servers server 192.0.2.118
 state address    192.0.2.118
 state port       123
 state version    4
 state association-type SERVER
 state iburst     false
 state prefer     false
 state stratum    8
 state root-delay 0
 state root-dispersion 0
 state offset     251333
 state poll-interval 6
 state key-id     11
 state authenticated true

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is an industry-standard protocol that enables you to use a standard SNMP management system to remotely manage network devices. F5 rSeries systems support SNMPv1, SNMPv2c, and SNMPv3. You can configure the system from both the CLI and webUI.

SNMP support is available in different ways, depending on which F5OS software version you are using. On F5 rSeries systems, SNMP is available from both the CLI and webUI.

SNMP support is available in different ways, depending on which F5OS software version you are using. On F5 rSeries systems, SNMP is available from both the CLI and webUI.

F5 recommends using the newer system snmp commands, which include support for SNMP versions 1, 2c, and 3. For more information on the older commands, see:

F5OS-A software version

Older CLI (v1/v2c only)

Newer CLI (v1/v2c/v3)

1.2.0

SNMP-COMMUNITY-MIB

SNMP-NOTIFICATION-MIB

SNMP-TARGET-MIB

SNMP-VIEW-BASED-ACM-MIB

SNMPv2-MIB

system snmp communities system snmp engine-id

system snmp targets

system snmp users

Before you configure SNMP access for F5 rSeries systems:

You can view SNMP information in the /log/system/snmp.log file. You can download the log file to your local workstation from the File Utilities screen in the webUI (on the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > File Utilities, and then from Base Directory, select log/system, select snmp.log, and click Download). For more information about managing files from the webUI or CLI, see File utilities overview.

SNMPWALK is an application on an SNMP management system that performs SNMP GETNEXT requests to query a network device for information. You can provide an object identifier (OID) to specify which portion of the object identifier space to search using GETNEXT requests. The SNMP management system queries all variables in the subtree below the specified OID, displays these values to the user, and stops when it returns results that are no longer inside the range of the specified OID.

These SNMP system object IDs (OIDs) are defined for each F5 rSeries system type:

  • 1.3.6.1.4.1.12276.1.3.1.1 (f5OsAppR5x00)
  • 1.3.6.1.4.1.12276.1.3.1.2 (f5OsAppR10x00)
  • 1.3.6.1.4.1.12276.1.3.1.3 (f5OsAppR2x00)
  • 1.3.6.1.4.1.12276.1.3.1.4 (f5OsAppR4x00)

The IDs display in text format when the corresponding MIB is loaded in your SNMP management system. If the MIB is not loaded, the walk displays in OID format.

To more accurately map these system OIDs, you must download the F5-OS-SYSTEM-MIB.mib file and load it into your SNMP management system. To download the F5 MIB files, use File Utilities in the webUI (on the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > File Utilities, and then from Base Directory, select mibs, select a .tar.gz file, and click Download).

You can configure SNMP communities with either version 1, version 2c, or both security models 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. Configure a community.

    system snmp communities community <*community-name*> config security-model { v1 | v2c }

    This example creates a community that uses the v2c security model:

    appliance-1(config)# system snmp communities community v2comm config 
  security-model v2c

    This example creates a community that uses both v1 and v2c community models:

    appliance-1(config)# system snmp communities community v1v2c config 
  security-model [ v1 v2c ]

  5. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

  6. Return to user (operational) mode.

    end

  7. Verify the community configuration.

    show system snmp communities

    A summary similar to this example displays:

    appliance-1# show system snmp communities
                      SECURITY   
NAME       NAME       MODEL      
----------------------------------
v1v2c      v1v2c     [ v1 v2c ]

    Note: This example shows both security models configured. If you configure only one security model, then only the configured model displays in the output.

You can configure SNMP version 3, which is a user-based security model, from the CLI. This model provides support for additional authentication and privacy protocols.

  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 a user, including authentication and privacy protocols.

    system snmp users user <*user-name*> config authentication-protocol { md5 | none | sha } privacy-protocol { aes | des | none } authentication-password

    This example creates a user that uses MD5 authentication and AES for password authentication:

    appliance-1(config)# system snmp users user jdoe config 
  authentication-protocol md5 privacy-protocol aes authentication-password

    After you press Enter, you are prompted to enter the authentication password.

    (<string, min: 8 chars, max: 32 chars>): ********

    After you press Enter, configure the privacy password.

    appliance-1(config-user-v3-user)# config privacy-password

    After you press Enter, you are prompted to enter the privacy password.

    (<string, min: 8 chars, max: 32 chars>): *********

  5. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

  6. Return to user (operational) mode.

    end

  7. Verify the user configuration.

    show system snmp users

    A summary similar to this example displays:

    appliance-1# show system snmp users
                  AUTHENTICATION  PRIVACY  
NAME     NAME     PROTOCOL        PROTOCOL 
--------------------------------------------
jdoe     jdoe     md5             aes

You can configure SNMP targets with community-based security (SNMPv1/SNMPv2c) from the CLI. These are required to send system-generated traps to an SNMP management system.

  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 a target with community-based security.

    system snmp targets target <*target-name*> config community <*community-name*> security-model { v1 | v2c } { ipv4 | ipv6 } address <*ip-address*> port <*port-number*>

    This example creates a target with community-based security:

    appliance-1(config)# system snmp targets target v2c-target 
  config community v2c-comm security-model v2c ipv4 address 192.0.2.24 
  port 5001

  5. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

  6. Return to user (operational) mode.

    end

  7. Verify the target configuration.

    show system snmp users

    A summary similar to this example displays:

    appliance-1# show system snmp targets
                                          SECURITY                                      
NAME       NAME       USER     COMMUNITY  MODEL     ADDRESS         PORT  ADDRESS  PORT 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
v2c-target v2c-target jdoe     -          -         192.0.2.24      5001  -        -

You can configure SNMP targets with user-based security (SNMPv3) from the CLI. These are required to send system-generated traps to an SNMP management system.

  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 a target with user-based security.

    system snmp targets target <*target-name*> config user <*user-name*> { ipv4 | ipv6 } address <*ip-address*> port <*port-number*>

    This example creates a target with user-based security:

    appliance-1(config)# system snmp targets target v3-target 
  config user jdoe ipv4 address 192.0.2.24 port 5001

  5. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

  6. Return to user (operational) mode.

    end

  7. Verify the target configuration.

    show system snmp targets

    A summary similar to this example displays:

    appliance-1# show system snmp targets
                                          SECURITY                                      
NAME       NAME       USER     COMMUNITY  MODEL     ADDRESS         PORT  ADDRESS  PORT 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
v3-target  v3-target  jdoe     -          -         192.0.2.24      5001  -        -

Before rSeries systems can exchange data with one another, they must exchange device certificates, that is, digital certificates and keys used for secure communication.

If you are using LDAP with transport layer security (TLS) for user authentication, you can choose to require TLS Certificate Validation in the authentication settings. You can add a certificate and key into the system, and when you create a certificate signing request (CSR), it saves the generated key and certificate to these directories:

  • system/aaa/tls/config/key
  • system/aaa/tls/config/certificate

When you install an SSL certificate, you also install a certificate authority (CA) bundle, which is a file that contains root and intermediate certificates. The CA bundle and server certificate complete the SSL chain of trust.

You can also configure a Certificate Revocation List (CRL) entry for the system to use to check revocation status of a certificate prior to authenticating a client. Note that once you have configured a CRL, there must be a CRL certificate for each CA. If there are two CAs configured and one CRL is been added for one of the CAs, you need to provide a CRL for the other CA even if it is not revoked.

As an alternative to CRLs, you can also use Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP). You can configure the system to use both at the same time. For more information about OCSP, see OCSP configuration overview.

For enhanced security, users with admin access can configure the system so that webUI users use a client certificate to provide a username and authenticate before granting access to the rSeries system. The system verifies a user’s identity by validating the client certificate against a list of trusted Certificate Authority (CA) certificates, and optionally checks the certificate status against a configured Certificate Revocation List (CRL) or Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) responder. The system extracts the user name from the certificate and uses it to query an external server for group membership information for the user, which is used to determine what features they can access on the system. You can also configure client certificate authentication to work with an LDAP authentication provider.

You can enable verification of httpd client certificates from the webUI.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > Certificate Management.

  3. In the Client Certificate Verification area, click Settings.

    The Client Certificate Verification screen displays.

  4. For Verify Client, select whether to enable client certificate verification.

    The default value is false (verification is disabled).

  5. For Client Depth, select the client certificate verification depth.

    The default value is 1, which indicates that the client certificate can be self-signed or must be signed by a Certificate Authority (CA) that is known to the server. A depth of 0 indicates that only self-signed client certificates are accepted. The range is from 0 to 100. The value you provide for depth indicates the maximum number of CA certificates allowed to be followed while verifying the client certificate. You might need to raise the default depth if you received more than one chained root certificate in addition to a client certificate from your CA.

  6. Click Save.

Before you can log in to the webUI using client certificate authentication, you must import the certificate to your browser. This procedure varies depending on operating system and browser.

You can log in to the system webUI using a client certificate for authentication.

  1. Connect to the webUI by entering the management IP address in your browser.

  2. On the login screen, review the client certificate authentication agreement, if available, and then click Log in.

  3. When prompted to select a certificate, select the certificate from the list and click OK.

    When authentication completes, the Dashboard displays. If you did not import a certificate to your browser, the authentication fails and displays an error message.

You can configure client certificate verification settings from the CLI. The value you provide for depth indicates the maximum number of CA certificates allowed to be followed while verifying the client certificate. You might need to raise the default depth if you received more than one chained root certificate in addition to a client certificate from your Certificate Authority (CA). The default depth of 1 indicates that the client certificate can be self-signed or must be signed by a CA that is known to the server. A depth of 0 indicates that only self-signed client certificates are accepted.

  1. 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.

  2. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  3. Specify whether to use client certificate verification.

    system aaa tls verify-client { false | true }

    In this example, you enable client certificate verification:

    appliance-1(config)# system aaa tls verify-client true

  4. Configure client certificate verification depth.

    The default value is 1. The range is from 1 to 100.

    system aaa tls verify-client-depth <*depth*>

    In this example, you specify a depth of 10:

    appliance-1(config)# system aaa tls verify-client-depth 10

  5. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

Before you configure client certificate verification on your F5 rSeries system, you must first:

  • Create your self-signed certificates, ensuring that the CN name for the server is the server name from the client’s perspective (either an IP address or fully-qualified domain name).
  • Configure the server name in your SSL server’s httpd configuration files.

You can configure HTTP server SSL settings with client certificate verification and self-signed certificates from the CLI.

  1. 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.

  2. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  3. Add the TLS config key:

    system aaa tls config key (<*AES-encrypted-string*>)

    Press Enter to enable multi-line mode and paste the contents. Press Ctrl-D to exit multi-line mode.

    A summary similar to this example displays:

    appliance-1(config)# system aaa tls config key 
(<AES encrypted string>): 
[Multiline mode, exit with ctrl-D.]
> -----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
> MIIEvQIBADANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAASCBKcwggSjAgEAAoIBAQDarxbhnYlm8DoQ
> W23fxEm6qZF5+DEBinym3IAZe7V3eV/v1UmuqSMKmz3pLX5oYTZ0Fqj+mW4XdMxK
> kW93w91xYLZoOOn/P9ELt4Cu9YIoDTy3OU68EETjQarw9wd+0/JqKTRPWa+VAWGn
> hMg6N2OCY7hNc8FWFU2YD2x6MryacVCgCi20uhzde2G89pJlqGrm9KpbCN1ZV4Hc
> 4OWEnMAO/yyb8FceKQNgJ0pk9+kBosKfyYypZ8SjP9Bg4E76of5xMHBtbXNu/f3Y
> hJk/0gmMyuoTKl5d9AAUhU+gOZP6z2GTc2UfWnG0dfG6SWUGVmBtZ8u8y3nPi7Y9
> G1K5R3TzAgMBAAECggEAVamQhQB4+mHP3OhzudviJcSWv/iA+eGNwq9NXq4e/5YE
> Bqa+HjUTDOyS6+xuP+UUt5TIzjK79WRDQlKGH5wR+n+v9FOXFe2hrb1MIzz4p0fI
> KN3CAdk9oufuVkXuIbhUlVFetFalePD5l+1joapgyIrXfz+A1H+zzYT9MUD+sGBJ
> bYkTqxFgAwsJoMaPruemfzFLHeWRDh/o0fG7aA6v4AA+urIaK13bEs+U/38A6D4X
> j+Mzr2RP4bQJHBKE5vYJ0bwqfO3we21CPYpkla4APJUNGOLuZwfGhH1QREQy31rA
> sIru7KRBcxYikvfKI4oL8aUfPurcZbnaCD1bdUhlQQKBgQD3lQ4Qp53c3QGww/bQ
> s0tvJD6T86t5ve47j0V6hKHbp8Kq/zm+3jkRVNjH8nipyleQ44YJuSqPfo4EVKLC
> OYPDEEQP+2fAWmt1LUugoB/ilQHOHMJVuPUj9Hyt7wetp1EeFZqNqpgohdP9eM5/
> R8jSIuNhqIjPKTliqwOn4hLnvwKBgQDiHoE/O87/GadvmS/G6ExWFAE2j7l16y1f
> pz/cqY/p674TF/VUYsyKaLKM08iOhT6XeDACto+z7TYd5YNYAgawuxcDvDWXOZxe
> mWLpdzlQGzumeTz2Rsx3U3NnXETlGBWEjj6kAUq4oqFrRSBNGbHb4D7XVNuQPPSX
> rZ8CfNxfzQKBgG/rZ7JLs2c2WR9JVve9NWqGnetQCcI9A8bU23mpH2omii+2tKn9
> 1xpomp64k6ddmvwafmtC02SOtzBp+jGGwnOZlMsMwTgJJ+6OjVONTxykc25zPb52
> oAqi6QHPvk7YBiltZrKH3cTjypMY23BaSQQFVXi+MSpE3nYmDL8FyboNAoGAVIDp
> 9GO5nAROWpp5DHDL9m9LdMSJntPhBRpP93s22UjMo/4UJRE3N5KhB5guH3UUSy8T
> YjAvzCIeU1Xum/lF3s5Mb4zqyjUxhvjzyiRQOuuygyhT7AXRa9a4DiyhYqx5fixa
> pJgHALFmedw/khDEM1O+qGKCG4lsLzMndZqMERECgYEA5LQ128pxYmpp3lyK6a62
> 01W/1/BtuiApuEFdcqwk6MTtateS5Kpb5uA9orWISmtd7mZLcXZGTBuJEoWsHBs4
> BE/B1urijsnmFzGRwmwF9DwhhDuyLW/cAqQSWAb4IBkU0lo0MOwm80EgcLwoy/53
> zicLAzdPQOiNQEyIh5U46xg=
> -----END PRIVATE KEY-----

  4. Add the TLS config certificate:

    system aaa tls config certificate (<*string*>)

    Press Enter to enable multi-line mode and paste the contents. Press Ctrl-D to exit multi-line mode.

    In this example, you add a certificate:

    appliance-1(config)# system aaa tls config certificate 
(<string>): 
[Multiline mode, exit with ctrl-D.]
> -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
> MIIESzCCAzOgAwIBAgIJALgGgs+5qgX1MA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBCwUAMIG7MQswCQYD
> VQQGEwItLTESMBAGA1UECAwJU29tZVN0YXRlMREwDwYDVQQHDAhTb21lQ2l0eTEZ
> MBcGA1UECgwQU29tZU9yZ2FuaXphdGlvbjEfMB0GA1UECwwWU29tZU9yZ2FuaXph
> dGlvbmFsVW5pdDEeMBwGA1UEAwwVbG9jYWxob3N0LmxvY2FsZG9tYWluMSkwJwYJ
> KoZIhvcNAQkBFhpyb290QGxvY2FsaG9zdC5sb2NhbGRvbWFpbjAeFw0yMDEwMjMy
> MjMwNTZaFw0yMTEwMjMyMjMwNTZaMIG7MQswCQYDVQQGEwItLTESMBAGA1UECAwJ
> U29tZVN0YXRlMREwDwYDVQQHDAhTb21lQ2l0eTEZMBcGA1UECgwQU29tZU9yZ2Fu
> aXphdGlvbjEfMB0GA1UECwwWU29tZU9yZ2FuaXphdGlvbmFsVW5pdDEeMBwGA1UE
> AwwVbG9jYWxob3N0LmxvY2FsZG9tYWluMSkwJwYJKoZIhvcNAQkBFhpyb290QGxv
> Y2FsaG9zdC5sb2NhbGRvbWFpbjCCASIwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEBBQADggEPADCCAQoC
> ggEBANqvFuGdiWbwOhBbbd/ESbqpkXn4MQGKfKbcgBl7tXd5X+/VSa6pIwqbPekt
> fmhhNnQWqP6Zbhd0zEqRb3fD3XFgtmg46f8/0Qu3gK71gigNPLc5TrwQRONBqvD3
> B37T8mopNE9Zr5UBYaeEyDo3Y4JjuE1zwVYVTZgPbHoyvJpxUKAKLbS6HN17Ybz2
> kmWoaub0qlsI3VlXgdzg5YScwA7/LJvwVx4pA2AnSmT36QGiwp/JjKlnxKM/0GDg
> Tvqh/nEwcG1tc279/diEmT/SCYzK6hMqXl30ABSFT6A5k/rPYZNzZR9acbR18bpJ
> ZQZWYG1ny7zLec+Ltj0bUrlHdPMCAwEAAaNQME4wHQYDVR0OBBYEFJ8f90ExRYYD
> 0j2rQSKhMbRaKz0vMB8GA1UdIwQYMBaAFJ8f90ExRYYD0j2rQSKhMbRaKz0vMAwG
> A1UdEwQFMAMBAf8wDQYJKoZIhvcNAQELBQADggEBACzFSIiJ01qLtl9Nom5rtFRh
> m+iH0RewmO2YV9rQTl53shma1/Wa2D5PXsFt6w0wiXRa6Gab1YVxaHkP9E4RK6us
> B5s5pR+SijP02Ijw5y4RICegkWApx86wlW09NDBgPFQdz+xQnpx8LfAFDzkAEf02
> eI4SI25Vi3fDW6qeOKeQmS5itcRFXBi/E2+FwYu3zvtMEIp7WB90f0mvxiEd1bz8
> UY0pODHlYUzc/4jl9CGWGPl+80KHsjppqwsFzZs3koe2IyKbzMKfpdQ+oIiJP17+
> IVJgNbRCO5TgGXtFW3p3CJ2fHzEPongFdvbPOTr/cE/KkGxKqcoeN7d22g7POas=
> -----END CERTIFICATE-----

  5. Enable client certificate verification.

    system aaa tls config verify-client { false | true }

    In this example, you enable client certificate verification:

    appliance-1(config)# system aaa tls config verify-client true

  6. Configure client certificate verification depth.

    The default value is 1. The range is from 1 to 100.

    system aaa tls verify-client-depth <*depth*>

    In this example, you specify a depth of 10:

    appliance-1(config)# system aaa tls verify-client-depth 10

  7. Add a CA bundle.

    system aaa tls ca-bundles ca-bundle <*ca-bundle-name*> config name <*ca-bundle-name*> content

    Press Enter to enable multi-line mode and paste the contents. Press Ctrl-D to exit multi-line mode.

    In this example, you add a CA bundle named “test_caaaa”:

    appliance-1(config)# system aaa tls ca-bundles ca-bundle test_caaaa 
  config name test_caaaa content
(<string>): 
[Multiline mode, exit with ctrl-D.]

  8. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

Before you configure client certificate authentication, be sure that you have enabled client certificate verification. For more information, see Configure client certificate verification settings from the CLI.

You can configure client certificate authentication settings on the rSeries system from the CLI.

Important: Only users with admin access can configure client certificate authentication.

  1. 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.

  2. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  3. Enable client certificate authentication.

    system aaa authentication config cert-auth { disabled | enabled }

    In this example, you enable client certificate authentication:

    appliance-1(config)# system aaa authentication config cert-auth enabled

  4. Configure the client certificate name field if you want to use a custom OID value for the client certificate username.

    system aaa authentication clientcert config client-cert-name-field { san-gen-dns | san-gen-email | san-gen-othername OID { <*OID*> | UPN } | san-gen-uri | subjectname-cn }

    In these examples, you configure an OID using one of three valid formats:

    appliance-1(config)# system aaa authentication clientcert config client-cert-name-field san-gen-othername OID UPN
    appliance-1(config)# system aaa authentication clientcert config client-cert-name-field san-gen-othername OID 1.1
    appliance-1(config)# system aaa authentication clientcert config client-cert-name-field san-gen-othername OID 1.3.6.1.4.1.311.20.2.3

  5. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

Next, you can configure the login banner with a client certificate agreement, if needed. For more information, see General system configuration overview.

Before you can install device certificates, you must enable LDAP as an authentication method in the system (USER MANAGEMENT > Authentication Settings).

You can view a certificate from the webUI.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > Certificate Management.

  3. To display a TLS Certificate, a TLS Key that was previously installed, or the TLS Details, click Show.

    A text area opens and displays the certificate, key, or details.

Before you can install device certificates, you must enable LDAP as an authentication method (USER MANAGEMENT > Authentication Settings).

You can view or replace TLS device certificates from the webUI.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > Certificate Management.

  3. To display a previously-installed TLS certificate or key, or to install a TLS certificate or key, in the TLS Certificate & Key area, click Show.

    A text area opens and displays the certificate or key, if one has been previously installed.

  4. To install a TLS Certificate, paste the text of the local certificate for client TLS authentication into the text box.

  5. To install a TLS Key, paste the text of the local certificate for client TLS authentication into the text box.

    1. If the TLS key is encrypted, a TLS key passphrase is required. For TLS Key Passphrase, enter the passphrase.

  6. Click Save.

Before you can install device certificates, you must enable LDAP as an authentication method in the system (USER MANAGEMENT > Authentication Settings).

You can create or view a self-signed certificate from the webUI.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > Certificate Management.

  3. In the Self-Signed Certificate area, click Create Certificate.

    The Create Certificate screen displays.

  4. In the Name field, enter a name for the certificate.

    For example, the server’s hostname.

  5. In the Email field, enter the email address for the certificate contact.

  6. In the City field, enter the city or locality name.

  7. In the State field, enter the state, county, or region.

  8. In the Country field, enter the two-letter country code.

    For example, US for United States.

  9. In the Organization field, enter the certificate originator name.

    For example, your company’s name.

  10. In the Unit field, enter the organizational unit name.

    For example, IT.

  11. In the Version field, specify the version number for the certificate.

  12. In the Days Valid field, specify the number of days the certificate is valid.

  13. For Key Type, select a key type.

    Available options are RSA, ECDSA, Encrypted RSA, or Encrypted ECDSA. Additional fields display. If you select an encrypted option, the Key Passphrase and Confirm Key Passphrase fields display.

    1. For Key Passphrase, enter the key passphrase.

      This field is required. The range is between 6 and 255 characters.

    2. For Confirm Key Passphrase, re-enter the key passphrase to confirm.

  14. In the Store TLS field, choose whether to store your TLS information.

  15. Click Save.

You can create and view certificate signing requests (CSRs) from the webUI.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > Certificate Management.

  3. In the Certificate Signing Request area, click Create CSR.

    The Create CSR screen displays.

  4. In the Name field, enter the common name for the certificate.

    For example, the server’s hostname.

  5. In the Email field, enter the contact email address for the certificate.

  6. In the City field, enter the city or locality name.

  7. In the State field, enter the state, county, or region.

  8. In the Country field, enter the two-letter country code.

    For example, US for United States.

  9. In the Organization field, enter the full name of the certificate originator organization.

    For example, your company’s name.

  10. In the Unit field, enter the organizational unit or division name.

    For example, IT.

  11. In the Version field, specify the certificate version.

    The default value is 1.

  12. Click Save.

You can add or delete a CA bundle from the webUI.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > Certificate Management.

  3. In the CA Bundles area, click Add.

    The Add CA Bundle screen displays.

  4. For Name, enter the bundle name.

  5. For TLS CA Certificate, paste the certificate text.

  6. Click Save.

  7. To delete a CA bundle, in the CA Bundles area, select the bundle name in the table and then click Delete.

You can create a private key and a self-signed certificate from the CLI.

  1. 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.

  2. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  3. Create a private key and self-signed certificate.

    system aaa tls create-self-signed-cert name <*name*> email <*email-address*> city <*city*> region <*region*> country <*country*> organization <*org-name*> unit <*org-unit*> version <*cert-version*> days-valid <*number*> key-type { *rsa* | *ecdsa* } store-tls { *true* | *false* }

    The store-tls option stores the private key and self-signed certificate in system/aaa/tls/config/key and system/aaa/tls/config/certificate instead of returning in the CLI output.

    This example creates a private key and self-signed certificate with city, country, days valid, email, key type, name, organization, region, unit and version options specified, and with store TLS set to false:

    appliance-1(config)# system aaa tls create-self-signed-cert 
  city Seattle country US days-valid 365 email jdoe@company.com key-type ecdsa 
  name Godzilla organization "Company" region Washington unit DEV 
  version 1 curve-name prime239v2 store-tls false
response
-----BEGIN EC PRIVATE KEY-----
MHECAQEEHiyJEVihDTnVi+v9RjfK3LhZ2PdSOXZFMJf3lyXaoaAKBggqhkjOPQMB
BaFAAz4ABHFISUTEi8wEdG0iBF3iqTi5m5b62xUSbhOJrXR8d0S6h+anvpo9xrH3
QKbVuacF7ZSNMj2tX/wyqVNePg==
-----END EC PRIVATE KEY-----
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----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-----END CERTIFICATE-----

  4. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

Before you can enable TLS encryption, you must have already configured a key and certificate on the system.

You can configure a TLS key and certificate from the CLI.

  1. 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.

  2. Configure a certificate.

    system aaa tls config certificate

    Press Enter to enable multi-line mode and paste the contents. Press Ctrl-D to exit multi-line mode.

    appliance-1(config)# system aaa tls config certificate
(<string>):
[Multiline mode, exit with ctrl-D.]
> ...

  3. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

  4. Configure a key.

    system aaa tls config key

    Press Enter to enable multi-line mode and paste the contents. Press Ctrl-D to exit multi-line mode.

    appliance-1(config)# system aaa tls config key
(<string>):
[Multiline mode, exit with ctrl-D.]
> ...

  5. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

  6. Return to user (operational) mode.

    end

  7. Verify that the certificate is configured.

    show system aaa tls state certificate

    A summary similar to this example displays:

    appliance-1# show system aaa tls state certificate
response Certificate:
    Data:
        Version: 3 (0x2)
        Serial Number: 123434828 (0x1334e9cc)
    Signature Algorithm: sha256WithRSAEncryption
        Issuer: C=US, ST=WA, L=Seattle, O=MyCompany, OU=IT, CN=localhost.localdomain/emailAddress=root@localhost.localdomain
        Validity
            Not Before: Mar 18 21:40:28 2020 GMT
            Not After : Mar 16 21:40:28 2030 GMT
        Subject: C=US, ST=WA, L=Seattle, O=MyCompany, OU=IT, CN=localhost.localdomain/emailAddress=root@localhost.localdomain
        Subject Public Key Info:
            Public Key Algorithm: rsaEncryption
                Public-Key: (2048 bit)
                Modulus:
                    00:bc:ba:b9:8d:51:c7:c9:fe:81:86:52:ea:ef:08:
                    ab:af:68:df:dc:22:6d:a3:23:fa:a5:5b:cd:89:3e:
                    be:fb:cb:92:c4:bc:d7:a6:a5:f3:8b:6b:84:fa:b4:
                    31:39:88:8b:9a:96:2a:35:1c:3f:ee:23:4a:25:8f:
                    cd:ca:ae:fa:e2:38:5d:9f:43:9d:18:c2:8f:1f:f7:
                    27:a7:75:a1:12:71:2f:ec:8f:37:e2:a6:74:cc:59:
                    d4:c4:68:26:0c:0d:b6:b0:92:76:38:59:86:e1:54:
                    40:0e:0e:5d:6e:d6:e7:21:07:94:9e:43:6d:f0:50:
                    25:5a:68:64:39:fe:a6:df:6d:3f:f8:3c:69:9b:68:
                    5d:e7:36:88:5c:67:5a:02:01:99:e3:2c:d9:08:cc:
                    d5:9e:1c:cd:46:28:3a:85:76:59:fb:b3:f1:61:bc:
                    ef:03:57:2c:20:5d:6c:1d:11:1e:56:30:b2:91:67:
                    99:32:3f:d3:08:6d:4f:cd:a3:8d:f6:e6:34:9c:87:
                    04:8e:f2:79:f2:8c:1f:cc:1a:8b:2c:25:cf:b4:0c:
                    ab:73:93:e4:49:d5:03:00:eb:1f:90:3c:04:c3:59:
                    10:90:c9:dd:29:32:cb:27:9f:04:37:f5:05:20:f9:
                    79:32:c1:50:66:76:1d:6d:2d:78:95:16:d2:65:7b:
                    4c:f1
                Exponent: 65530 (x10001)

    Signature Algorithm: sha256WithRSAEncryption
         12:21:0e:06:80:ab:df:05:9f:04:80:9f:d6:db:b9:2e:c8:d7:
         39:8b:ac:6a:cf:cc:7b:5b:64:5c:59:2c:72:fe:57:d5:46:91:
         0a:d4:40:0d:42:c1:95:a6:69:d9:1e:36:ac:d1:dd:f4:a1:b0:
         34:3c:71:09:31:57:1a:0b:33:83:13:17:99:84:e4:70:82:85:
         f3:72:c7:fa:ba:0e:1a:fe:55:a1:ce:f7:96:2b:39:ef:4d:7a:
         7a:23:71:44:01:c1:6c:10:58:e8:5f:6b:a8:b6:70:cc:8f:65:
         c8:cd:7b:aa:4b:e2:6a:bc:1c:fe:59:8f:c8:85:08:f0:46:67:
         8d:15:a6:01:d0:a3:a2:fd:9c:db:c5:5b:51:07:6f:db:59:f8:
         bc:ba:9d:4a:30:ea:a7:7c:0c:fb:bb:9a:ea:c9:c2:a4:c1:82:
         e3:b8:2e:57:cd:32:6a:b1:a8:95:75:e3:82:8a:ea:c2:f8:37:
         c4:6f:a2:b4:e5:82:6c:3a:5d:c1:1f:a7:8e:da:7d:4c:51:d1:
         45:36:da:97:31:4a:64:92:bf:bb:85:e3:bd:67:16:79:fe:53:
         92:df:a8:3f:dc:8c:4e:e4:7c:b9:5e:ba:d6:ab:3d:7d:29:59:
         01:27:d9:ca:52:10:58:60:00:02:19:f9:1d:74:07:5c:0d:f7:
         5e:c2:d6:82

You can create a text-based certificate signing request (CSR) from the CLI.

  1. 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.

  2. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  3. Create a CSR.

    system aaa tls create-csr``name <*name*> email <*email-address*> city <*city*> region <*region*> country <*country*> organization <*org-name*> unit <*org-unit*> version <*cert-version*>

    This example creates a CSR with name, email, organization, and unit options specified:

    appliance-1# (config): system aaa tls create-csr name company.com email dev@company.com 
organization "Company" unit engineering
response -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----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-----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----

  4. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

You can configure a Certificate Revocation List (CRL) entry from the CLI.

  1. 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.

  2. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  3. Configure a CRL entry.

    system aaa tls crls crl <*crl-name*>

    Press Enter to enable multi-line mode and paste the contents. Press Ctrl-D to exit multi-line mode.

    In this example, you configure a CRL named “bbb”:

    appliance-1(config)# system aaa tls crls crl bbb
 Value for 'config revocation-key'(<string>):
[Multiline mode, exit with ctrl-D.]
> ...

  4. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

  5. Return to user (operational) mode.

    end

  6. View the CRLs currently on the system.

    show system aaa tls crls crl

    This example shows the CRLs currently on the system:

    appliance-1# show system aaa tls crls crl
         DATE
NAME     ADDED
--------------------
*name*   3/11/2021

You can delete a Certificate Revocation List (CRL) entry from the CLI.

  1. 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.

  2. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  3. Delete a CRL entry.

    no system aaa tls crls crl <*crl-name*>

    In this example, you delete a CRL entry named “bbb”:

    appliance-1(config)# no system aaa tls crls crl bbb

  4. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

When you install an SSL certificate, you add a certificate authority (CA) bundle, which is a file that contains root and intermediate certificates, in addition to the certificate. You can add or delete a CA bundle from the CLI.

  1. 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.

  2. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  3. Add a CA bundle.

    system aaa tls ca-bundles ca-bundle <*ca-bundle-name*> config name <*ca-bundle-name*> content

    Press Enter to enable multi-line mode and paste the contents. Press Ctrl-D to exit multi-line mode.

    In this example, you add a CA bundle named “test_caaaa”:

    appliance-1(config)# system aaa tls ca-bundles ca-bundle test_caaaa 
  config name test_caaaa content
(<string>): 
[Multiline mode, exit with ctrl-D.]

  4. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

You can delete a configured Certificate Authority (CA) bundle from the CLI.

  1. 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.

  2. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  3. Delete a CA bundle.

    no system aaa tls ca-bundles ca-bundle <*ca-bundle-name*>

    In this example, you delete a CA bundle named “test_caaaa”:

    appliance-1(config)# no system aaa tls ca-bundles ca-bundle test_caaaa

  4. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

You can back up the system configuration from the webUI.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > Configuration Backup.

  3. Click Create.

    The Create Configuration Backup popup opens.

  4. In the Name field, enter a name for the backup (for example, system-12-21-21).

  5. Click Create.

    The backup is created and added to the list.

  6. To delete a backup file, select the file and click Delete.

System configuration backups are stored in configs/. Backups should be stored on off the system.

You can restore configurations from the CLI. For more information on saving and restoring the configuration, see Complete backup and restore overview.

You can activate a license for the rSeries system from either the CLI or webUI. There is one license per rSeries system, which is also used by any tenants.

There are two ways to license the system:

Automatically
If your system is connected to the internet, use the Automatic method to prompt the system to contact the F5 license server and activate the license.
Manually
If your system is not connected to the internet, use a management workstation that is connected to the internet to retrieve an activation key from F5 and then transfer it to the system.

Important:

Adding or reactivating a license on an active rSeries system might impact traffic on tenants. Traffic processing will stop briefly on the tenants, and then restart automatically. This occurs when the tenant receives a new or reactivated license causing a configuration reload on the tenants. For more information, see these other references:

You can license a system using the automatic method from the webUI, as long as the system has Internet access.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > Licensing.

  3. For the Base Registration Key field, the registration key is auto-populated.

    You can choose to overwrite this field with a new registration key by clicking Reactivate and overwriting the field.

  4. For the Add-On Keys field, the associated add-on keys are auto-populated.

    You can choose to change these keys by clicking Reactivate and then click + or x to add or remove additional add-on keys.

  5. For the Activation Method, select Automatic.

  6. Click Activate.

    The End User License Agreement (EULA) displays.

  7. Click Agree to accept the EULA.

The system is now licensed. If a base registration key or add-on key fails to activate, try re-activating the license or contact F5 Support at support.f5.com.

You can license a system without access to the Internet using the manual activation method from the webUI.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > Licensing.

  3. For the Base Registration Key field, the registration key is auto-populated.

    You can choose to overwrite this field with a new registration key by clicking Reactivate and overwriting the field.

  4. For the Add-On Keys field, the associated add-on keys are auto-populated.

    You can choose to change these keys by clicking Reactivate and then click + or x to add or remove additional add-on keys.

  5. For the Activation Method, select Manual.

  6. For the Device Dossier, click Get Dossier.

    The system refreshes and displays the dossier.

  7. Copy the dossier text in the Device Dossier field.

  8. Click Click here to access F5 Licensing Server.

    The Activate F5 Product page displays.

  9. Paste the dossier in the Enter Your Dossier field.

  10. Click Next.

    The license key text displays.

  11. Copy the license key text.

    Alternatively, you can use the F5 license activation portal at activate.f5.com/license.

  12. In the License Text field, paste the license key text.

  13. Click Activate.

    The End User License Agreement (EULA) displays.

  14. Click Agree to accept the EULA.

The system is now licensed. If a base registration key or add-on key fails to activate, try re-activating the license or contact F5 Support at support.f5.com.

You can activate the rSeries system license manually from the system CLI.

  1. 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.

  2. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  3. Get the system dossier.

    system licensing get-dossier [registration-key XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXXXX]

    The registration key is optional. If it is not included, the system uses the one already pre-installed. If no registration key is found, you receive an error.

    The dossier for the system displays.

  4. Get the license file using the dossier output you just received by going to the F5 siteactivate.f5.com/license/dossier.jsp.

  5. Copy the license file text.

  6. Install the license.

    system licensing manual-install license

    Press Enter to enable multi-line mode and paste the contents. Press Ctrl-D to exit multi-line mode.

    appliance-1(config)# system licensing manual-install license 
Value for 'license' (<string>): 
[Multiline mode, exit with ctrl-D.]
>

The rSeries system is licensed. The license applies to the system and tenants.

For automatic rSeries system licensing, the system needs to be able to connect to the F5 licensing server either through the Internet or another means of networking. You need to have the Base Registration Key (five sets of characters separated by hyphens) provided by F5, and any add-on keys (two sets of 7 characters separated by a hyphen) that you have purchased. The Base Registration Key with associated add-on keys are pre-installed on a new rSeries system.

You can activate the rSeries system license automatically from the CLI.

  1. 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.

  2. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  3. Apply a license to the system.

    system licensing install registration-key <*key*>

    The registration key is optional. If it is not included, the system uses the one that is already pre-installed. If no registration key is found, you receive an error.

    This example applies a specified base registration license to the system:

    appliance-1(config)# system licensing install registration-key 
 I1234-12345-12345-12345-1234567
result License installed successfully.

  4. Apply any add-on keys.

    system licensing install add-on-keys <*add-on-keys*>

    This example enables the additional features associated with the three specified add-on-keys, along with the entitlements of the base registration key:

    appliance-1(config)# system licensing install 
 add-on-keys [1234567-1234567 2345678-2345678 3456789-3456789]
result License installed successfully.

The rSeries system is licensed. The license and any add-on keys apply to the system and all tenants.

You can display the license and associated information of an rSeries system from the CLI.

  1. 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.

  2. Display the system license.

    show system licensing

    A summary similar to this example displays:

    appliance-1# show system licensing
 system licensing license   Licensed version    1.1.0
       Registration Key    I1234-12345-12345-12345-1234567
       Licensed date       2022/02/08
       License start       2022/02/07
       License end         2022/03/11
       Service check date  2022/02/08
       Platform ID         C128
       Appliance SN        f5-nhlh-lule

       Active Modules
        Local Traffic Manager, r10900 (S680352-1548257)
          LTM to Best Upgrade, r109XX
          Rate Shaping
          DNSSEC
          Anti-Virus Checks
          Base Endpoint Security Checks
          Firewall Checks
          Machine Certificate Checks
          Network Access
          Protected Workspace
          Secure Virtual Keyboard
          APM, Web Application
          App Tunnel
          Remote Desktop
          DNS Rate Fallback, Unlimited
          DNS Licensed Objects, Unlimited
          DNS Rate Limit, Unlimited QPS
          GTM Rate Fallback, (UNLIMITED)
          GTM Licensed Objects, Unlimited
          GTM Rate, Unlimited
          Carrier Grade NAT (AFM ONLY)
          APM, Limited
          Routing Bundle
          Protocol Security Manager
          Access Policy Manager, Base, r109XX
          Advanced Web Application Firewall, r10XXX
          Max SSL, r10900
          Max Compression, r10900
          DNS Max, rSeries
          Advanced Firewall Manager, r10XXX

  3. Display the entire license file content received from the F5 license server.

    show running-config system licensing

The rSeries system is licensed. The license applies to the system and tenants.

F5 r10000 platforms include two storage drives that support drive mirroring using a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) by default. You can manage the software RAID array from either the CLI or the webUI.

Important: If you need to swap out a faulty drive, you must first remove the drive from the software RAID array before physically removing the drive from the platform.

You can configure a software RAID (redundant array of independent disks) for the system from the webUI.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > RAID Configuration.

  3. To remove a drive from the software RAID array:

    1. Select the drive to remove.

    2. Click Remove.

      When prompted, click OK to confirm drive removal.

  4. To add a drive to the software RAID array:

    1. Select the drive to add.

    2. Click Add.

      When prompted, click OK to confirm drive addition.

You can configure a software RAID (redundant array of independent disks) for the system from the CLI.

  1. 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.

  2. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  3. Remove a drive from the software RAID array.

    system raid remove drive ssd2

    A summary similar to this example displays:

    appliance-1(config)# system raid remove drive ssd2
status Remove of RAID SSD2 initiated.
[11084.434517] md/raid1:md121: Disk failure on nvme1n1p3, disabling device.
[11084.434517] md/raid1:md121: Operation continuing on 1 devices.
[11084.449528] md/raid1:md122: Disk failure on nvme1n1p4, disabling device.
[11084.449528] md/raid1:md122: Operation continuing on 1 devices.
[11084.464098] md/raid1:md123: Disk failure on nvme1n1p5, disabling device.
[11084.464098] md/raid1:md123: Operation continuing on 1 devices.
[11084.478342] md/raid1:md124: Disk failure on nvme1n1p1, disabling device.
[11084.478342] md/raid1:md124: Operation continuing on 1 devices.
[11084.492509] md/raid1:md127: Disk failure on nvme1n1p2, disabling device.
[11084.492509] md/raid1:md127: Operation continuing on 1 devices.
status Remove of RAID SSD2 initiated.

  4. Add the replacement drive to the array.

    system raid add drive ssd2

    A summary similar to this example displays:

    appliance-1(config)# system raid add drive ssd2   
status Add RAID SSD2 initiated.

    The array status for the new drive should change to replicating, and the STAT LED should change to solid green. The replication process typically takes between 15 and 45 minutes.

You can configure general system settings for the rSeries system, such as system hostname, login banner, and message of the day (MOTD) banner. Depending on which setting you want to configure, you can use either the CLI or the webUI.

You can configure the hostname, login banner, and a message of the day (MOTD) banner for the system from the webUI.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > General.

  3. For Hostname, enter a custom hostname for the system.

  4. For Login Banner, enter any text to be shown when users log in to the system.

  5. For MOTD Banner, enter any text to be used as a MOTD when users log in to the system.

  6. Click Save.

You can manually configure the hostname for your system from the CLI. F5 recommends you to configure a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) hostname.

  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. Change the hostname.

    system config hostname <*hostname*>

    The minimum length is 1 character, and the maximum length is 253 characters.

    In this example, you change the hostname for the system to test-hostname:

    appliance-1(config)# system config hostname test-hostname

    The system hostname is now updated. By default, the system hostname is included in the subsequent logs.

  5. To verify hostname is included in the logs.

    show system logging state include-hostname

    In this example, the hostname is included in the logs:

    appliance-1# show system logging state include-hostname
 system logging state include-hostname true

The system hostname is now updated.

You can manually configure the log settings to include hostname that is configured for your system in the subsequent logs 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. To include the hostname in the logs.

    system logging config include-hostname { false | true }

    In this example, the configured system hostname is included in the logs:

    appliance-1(config)# system logging config include-hostname { false | true } system logging config include-hostname true

  5. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

  6. Return to user (operational) mode.

    end

  7. To verfiy the hostname is included in the subsequent logs.

    show system logging state include-hostname

    In this example, the system hostname “test-hostname” is included in the logs:

    test-hostanme# show system logging state include-hostname { false | true } show system logging state include-hostname true

You can configure the login banner for your system manually from the CLI. The login banner displays before users log in to each respective system.

  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. Change the login banner text.

    system config login-banner

    Press Enter to enable multi-line mode and paste the contents. Press Ctrl-D to exit multi-line mode.

    In this example, you change the login banner text to indicate that unauthorized access is prohibited:

    appliance-1(config)# system config login-banner
(<string>):
[Multiline mode, exit with ctrl-D.]
UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO THIS DEVICE IS PROHIBITED

  5. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

The login banner is now updated.

You can configure the message-of-the-day (MOTD) banner for your system manually from the CLI. The MOTD banner displays after users log in to each respective system.

  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. Change the MOTD banner text.

    system config motd-banner

    Press Enter to enable multi-line mode and paste the contents. Press Ctrl-D to exit multi-line mode.

    In this example, you change the login banner text to notify users of upcoming system maintenance:

    appliance-1(config)# system config motd-banner
(<string>):
[Multiline mode, exit with ctrl-D.]
ATTENTION!
This system is scheduled for maintenance in two days.

  5. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

The MOTD banner is now updated.

You can run the system in appliance mode. Appliance mode adds a layer of security removing user access to Root and Bash. Enabling appliance mode disables all Root and Bash shell access for the system.

You can enable appliance mode at each of these levels:

  • System
  • Tenant

Appliance mode is disabled at all levels, by default. You can enable it from the webUI or the CLI. The appliance mode option for the system is available to users with admin access under SYSTEM SETTINGS > General in the webUI. For tenants, it is available in the webUI under TENANT MANAGEMENT > Tenant Deployments.

These are the effects of enabling appliance mode at each of the different levels.

System-level appliance mode

  • Root or Bash access is disabled on the system.
  • Console access: Root or Bash access is disabled on the system. Users can log in to the system CLI from the console using an admin account.

Tenant appliance mode

  • Root access to the tenant is disabled by all means. Bash access is disabled for users (with a terminal shell flag enabled) inside the tenant.
  • Users can access the tenant only through the webUI or the CLI.
  • Tenant console access: Users can log in to the CLI from the virtual console using an admin account (with a terminal shell flag enabled).

You can enable or disable appliance mode from the webUI. Enable appliance mode to disable all root and Bash shell access.

Note: The appliance mode option for tenants is available in the webUI under TENANT MANAGEMENT > Tenant Deployments.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > General.

  3. For Appliance Mode, select Enabled to enable it, or Disabled to disable it.

    The default value is Disabled.

  4. Click Save.

If you are having an issue with the system (such as unusually high CPU or memory usage or lockup), it is possible that rebooting might help to resolve the issue.

When there is a problem, the system sends alerts that you would see on the dashboard or on the Alarms & Events screen. You should rarely have to reboot the system, however, because typically if the system needs to reboot, it will do so automatically without administrator intervention. F5 recommends working with customer support if you think a system reboot is necessary.

You can manually reboot the system 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. Reboot the system.

    system reboot

    In this example, you reboot the system:

    appliance-1# system reboot
The reboot of the system results in data plane and management connectivity 
to be disrupted. Proceed? [no,yes]

It takes a few minutes for the system to reboot, and you will be logged out from the SSH session.

You can reboot the system from the webUI.

  1. Log in to the webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click SYSTEM SETTINGS > General.

  3. Review the system status.

    The Reboot button will not be available if the system is currently being rebooted.

  4. If you decide that a reboot is necessary, in the System Operations & Status area, click Reboot.

    A popup displays asking you to confirm the reboot operation.

    It takes a few minutes for the system to reboot, and you will be logged out from the webUI.