Manual Chapter : Prerequisites

Applies To:

  • F5OS-A

    1.5.4, 1.5.3

back-action F5 rSeries Systems: Installation and Upgrade

Updated Date: 04/27/2026

Prerequisites

Before you install or upgrade the F5OS software on your system:

  • Ensure that you complete or verify the listed prerequisites for installation/upgrade tasks.
  • Verify that your network settings are configured.
  • Back up your system controller, chassis partition, and tenant configurations.
  • Back up your system and tenant configurations.
  • Export your backups to a safe, off-unit location.
  • Upload system controller and chassis partition image files to each chassis before the scheduled maintenance window to minimize the time needed to upgrade.
  • Upload system image files to the system before the scheduled maintenance window to minimize the time needed to upgrade.
  • Upload tenant image files to all tenants before the scheduled maintenance window to minimize the time needed to upgrade.
  • Check the health and availability of virtual servers and pool members to determine their status before the upgrade.
  • See the “Migrate system configuration from one system to another from the CLI” section of the F5 rSeries Systems: Administration and Configuration guide in the Documentation - F5OS-A and F5 rSeries

This lists a high-level overview of tasks that you should complete before you install or upgrade the F5OS software on your rSeries system.

Task

Action

Configure the front-panel management port on the system.

For more information, see the platform guide for your rSeries platform at Documentation - F5OS-A and F5 rSeries.

Connect the system controller to a serial console server.

Use these default serial port settings:- Baud rate: 19200

  • Data bits: 8

  • Stop bits: 1

  • Parity: None

  • Flow control: None

Connect the system to a serial console server.

Use these default serial port settings:- Baud rate: 19200

  • Data bits: 8

  • Stop bits: 1

  • Parity: None

  • Flow control: None

Configure basic management settings.

For more information, see the Network settings reference section.

Verify that an rsync server is reachable from the system for import of installation images onto the systemcontroller.

For more information, see the rsync documentation (rsync.samba.org).

Update/reactivate your system license, if needed, to ensure that you have a valid service check date.

For more information, see K7727: License activation may be required before a software upgrade for BIG-IP. Additional information about BIG-IP Next licensing may be available on the F5 Beta portal.

Get a USB flash drive (minimum 8GB); only needed if using the USB method for performing a clean installation.

Verify that the drive is fully seated and flush in the USB port.Note: For security purposes, the USB port on the system controller is disabled by default. You can use Always-On Management (AOM) to enable the front panel USB port. For more information about AOM, see the platform guide for your rSeries platform at Documentation - F5OS-A and F5 rSeries.

Verify that an external PXE server is reachable from the system; this is only needed if you are using the PXE server method for performing a clean installation.

The external PXE server must provide TFTP, DHCP, and HTTP services. The PXE server must be on the same network segment as the F5 rSeries system’s management port.

Before you perform a software installation/upgrade, verify that you have configured network settings by logging in to the system from a management console using an admin account and running these commands on the CLI. When you log in to the system, you are in user mode. Before you can complete configuration tasks, you must first change to config mode by typing config. You can type a question mark (?) or press the Tab key to see possible command completions in the CLI.

Important: Be sure to commit all changes.

Task

Configuration example

Verify configuration

Enable DHCP
Important: If you do not enable DHCP, you must manually configure the system IP address, prefix, gateway, and DNS.

system mgmt-ip config dhcp-enabled true

show running-config system mgmt-ip config dhcp-enabled

Configure a static IPv4 management address for controller-1

system mgmt-ip config ipv4 controller-1 address 192.0.2.10

show running-config system mgmt-ip

Configure a static IPv4 management address for controller-2

system mgmt-ip config ipv4 controller-2 address 192.0.2.11

Configure a static floating IPv4 management address

system mgmt-ip config ipv4 floating address 192.0.2.15

Configure a prefix length for a static floating IPv4 address

system mgmt-ip config ipv4 prefix-length 24

Configure a gateway for a static floating IPv4 address

system mgmt-ip config ipv4 gateway 192.0.2.254

Configure a static IPv6 management address for controller-1

system mgmt-ip config ipv6 controller-1 address 2001:db8:ffff:100::1

show running-config system mgmt-ip

Configure a static IPv6 management address for controller-2

system mgmt-ip config ipv6 controller-2 address 2001:db8:ffff:101::1

Configure a static floating IPv6 management address

system mgmt-ip config ipv6 floating address 2001:db8:ffff:103::1

Configure a prefix length for a static floating IPv6 address

system mgmt-ip config ipv6 prefix-length 64

Configure a gateway for a static floating IPv6 address

system mgmt-ip config ipv6 gateway 2001:db8:ffff:100::fffe

Configure a static IPv4 management address

system mgmt-ip config ipv4 system address 192.0.2.10

show running-config system mgmt-ip

Configure a prefix length for a static IPv4 management address

system mgmt-ip config ipv4 prefix-length 24

Configure a gateway for a static IPv4 address

system mgmt-ip config ipv4 gateway 192.0.2.254

Configure a static IPv6 management address

system mgmt-ip config ipv6 system address 2001:db8:ffff:100::1

show running-config system mgmt-ip

Configure a prefix length for a static IPv6 management address

system mgmt-ip config ipv6 prefix-length 64

Configure a gateway for a static IPv6 address

system mgmt-ip config ipv6 gateway 2001:db8:ffff:100::fffe

Configure an IPv4 DNS server

system dns servers server 192.0.2.1 config address 192.0.2.1

show running-config system dns

Configure an IPv4 DNS server

system dns servers server 192.0.2.1

show running-config system dns

Configure an NTP server

system ntp servers server pool.ntp.org config address pool.ntp.org

show running-config system ntp

Creating a backup of your rSeries system is highly recommended, as it helps ensure that your active configuration files are retained, and you can restore from a known, stable environment if your upgrade is unsuccessful.

For more information, see K50135154: Back up and restore the F5OS-C configuration on a VELOS system.

Before you perform an upgrade, it is a good idea to save and export a backup of the tenant configuration using that tenant’s backup mechanism.

Before you perform an upgrade, it is a good idea to save and export a backup of the system configuration 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 backup of the system configuration.

    system database config-backup name <*filename*>

    In this example, you create a backup file of the system configuration named system-backup1.xml:

    system database config-backup name system-backup1.xml

    System configuration backup files are located in configs.

  4. Verify that the backup file was created successfully.

    file list path configs/

  5. Export the configuration backup file to a safe location, such as an HTTPS server.

    file export local-file configs/<*filename*> protocol [ https | scp | sftp ] remote-file /tmp/<*filename*>.xml remote-host <*ip-address*> username <*username*>

    In this example, you connect as the root user to IP address 192.0.2.75 and export a backup file named system-backup1.xml using the SCP protocol to the /tmp directory:

    file export local-file configs/system-backup1.xml protocol scp remote-file /tmp/system-backup1.xml remote-host 192.0.2.75 username root

    The system requests the password for the remote root account.

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

  6. Check the status of the file transfer.

    file transfer-status

    When the file transfer completes, the Status displays Complete.

You now have a backup of the system configuration that you can restore on the system if needed.

Before you perform an upgrade, it is a good idea to save and export a backup of the tenant configuration using that tenant’s backup mechanism.

Tenant

Summary

Additional References

BIG-IP

For BIG-IP tenants: Create a backup for each running tenant:

tmsh save sys ucs <*filename*>

Move these backup files to a safe location off of the tenant:

  • /config/bigip.conf
  • /config/bigip_base.conf
  • /config/bigip_user.conf (optional)

If you perform a clean installation, the tenant will be formatted.Note: Consider naming the files to associate them with the appropriate tenants.

Archives section of BIG-IP Systems: Essentials at my.f5.com K13132: Backing up and restoring BIG-IP configuration files with a UCS archive

BIG-IP Next

For BIG-IP Next tenants: Information is available on the F5 beta portal.

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. 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. 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.

  5. 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 system is licensed. The license and any add-on keys apply to the system and all installed BIG-IP tenants.