Manual Chapter : Install/Upgrade Software

Applies To:

  • F5OS-C

    1.1.4, 1.1.3, 1.1.2, 1.1.1, 1.1.0

Updated Date: 07/07/2026

Install/Upgrade Software

There are two types of installation/upgrade options for F5OS software:

  • System upgrade installation
  • Clean (or bare metal) installation

A system upgrade preserves old image and configuration data and includes these three sub-types:

ISO upgrade
Upgrades both the operating system (os) and services for the system controller or chassis partitions.
Partial upgrade
Upgrades os or services for system controllers or partitions only. The partial update os file has a .os extension and service file has a .img extension. You import partial upgrade files by using either the system import command or by using SCP to copy files to the active system controller at the /var/export/chassis/import/os or /var/export/chassis/import/services directories respectively.
Patch upgrade
Upgrades or patches a subset of system controller or partition services. The patch file has a .patch extension. You import patch upgrade files by using either the system import command or by using SCP to copy files to the active system controller at the /var/export/chassis/import/services directory.

A clean installation reformats the disk of specific components (system controller or blade) and restores the system to factory defaults.

Warning: Formatting erases all data on your system.

For information on configuring your VELOS system after you complete a software installation or upgrade, see VELOS Systems: Administration and Configuration at support.f5.com.

You perform a system upgrade of F5OS software when you want to upgrade your system controller or chassis partition software with a point release or engineering hot fix. This installation method reboots the blade automatically when installation completes.

Verify that you have downloaded and imported the F5OS image files from F5 before you attempt to upgrade.

You can upgrade F5OS software on a system controller using the command-line interface (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 controller using an account with admin access.

    When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.

  3. Verify that the image you want to install is listed, and the status is ready.

    show image

    This verifies that the ISO is imported properly to the image server on the system controllers, and the system controllers can access these images when the blade reboots.

    A summary similar to this excerpt displays:

                                                                VERSION
        VERSION OS                                   IN     SERVICE
NUMBER  CONTROLLER   CONTROLLER  STATUS  DATE        USE    CONTROLLER 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1       1.0.0-11948  1           ready   2020-10-20  true
        1.0.0-11810  1           ready   2020-10-16  false  1.0.0-11948

  4. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  5. Set the ISO version to the new version.

    system image set-version iso-version <*version*>

    This example shows upgrading the ISO version:

    syscon-1-active(config)# system image set-version iso-version 1.2.0-1800 
response Controller image(s) versions have been set

    These examples show upgrading the os-version and service-version:

    This example shows upgrading the OS version:

    syscon-1-active(config)# system image set-version os-version 1.2.0-1800 
response Controller image(s) versions have been set

    This example shows upgrading the service version:

    syscon-1-active(config)# system image set-version service-version 1.2.0-1800 
response Controller image(s) versions have been set

Both system controllers install the upgrade and reboot to the new version. This might result in a temporary service outage.

Verify that you have downloaded and imported the F5OS image files from F5 before you attempt to upgrade.

You can upgrade F5OS software on a chassis partition using the command-line interface (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 controller using an account with admin access.

    When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.

  3. Verify that the image you want to install is listed, and the status is ready.

    show image partition state

    This verifies that the ISO is imported properly to the image server on the system controllers, and the system controllers can access these images when the reboots. The imported file replicates automatically to the standby controller.

    A summary similar to this excerpt displays:

            VERSION OS                                   IN               
NUMBER  PARTITION    CONTROLLER  STATUS  DATE        USE    NAME    ID
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1       1.0.0-11948  1           ready   2020-10-20  false
        1.0.0-11810  1           ready   2020-10-16  true   second  2
                                                            third   3

  4. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  5. Set the ISO version for the chassis partition so that its member blades are upgraded.

    partitions partition <*name*> set-version iso-version <*version*>

    This example shows upgrading the ISO version on a chassis partition named PartitionA:

    syscon-1-active(config)# partitions partition PartitionA set-version iso-version 1.2.0-2934
result Version update successful.

    These examples show upgrading the os-version and service-version:

    This example shows upgrading the OS version on a chassis partition named PartitionB:

    syscon-1-active(config)# partitions partition PartitionB set-version os-version 1.2.0-2934
result Version update successful.

    This example shows upgrading the service version on a chassis partition named PartitionC:

    syscon-1-active(config)# partitions partition PartitionC set-version service-version 1.2.0-2934
result Version update successful.

    These commands upgrade the chassis partition to the specified version.

The upgraded components activate on the chassis partition. The blades might reboot, depending on the changes in the install. This might result in a service outage.

You perform a clean installation of F5OS software when you want to start from scratch or when the system is not recoverable. This installation method requires you to use either the built-in VELOS PXE server or a USB flash drive.

Warning: Performing a clean installation destroys all information on your system.

Before performing a clean installation of F5OS software on your VELOS system, you must meet these prerequisites:

  • Be able to access the system controller console
  • Have root account access

When you perform a clean installation of F5OS software on your system, the installation uses an built-in PXE server on the system controllers.

Important: This method requires that at least one system controller in your chassis is fully functioning.

Before you install using the built-in PXE server on the system controllers, be sure to use the file import command to import the F5OS software image files to the /var/import/staging/ directory on your system controllers.

You can use the built-in PXE server on the system controllers to perform a clean installation of F5OS software onto the system controllers using the command-line interface (CLI). For PXE installs of system controllers, you can boot one system controller off the peer controller for recovery purposes.

  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 as the root user.

    Note: The default login credentials are root/default. When logging in as root for the first time, the system prompts you to change the password.

  3. Reboot the system controller.

    reboot

  4. Intercept the boot by typing b at the BIOS setup screen.

  5. Select a PXE server and press Enter.

    The installation proceeds automatically.

When the installation completes, the system restarts automatically and synchronizes the standby system controller with the active one.

Before you install using the built-in PXE server on the system controllers, be sure to use the file import command to import the F5OS software image files to the /var/import/staging/ directory on your system controllers.

You use the built-in PXE server on the system controllers to perform a clean installation of F5OS software onto a blade using the command-line interface (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 chassis partition using an account with admin access.

    When you log in to the system, you are in user (operational) mode.

  3. Verify that the default partition is running.

    show partitions partition default

  4. Reboot the blade.

    reboot

  5. Connect to the blade console.

    In this example, x is the blade number from 1-8: ssh admin@localhost -p 700*x*

  6. Intercept the boot by typing b at the BIOS setup screen, and then select one of the listed PXE servers (there is one each system controller.

    The installation proceeds automatically.

When the installation completes, the system restarts automatically.

After you have completed the installation, you can change which image version is running on your partitions. For more information, see the Change the image version running on a chassis partition using the CLI section.

When you perform a clean installation of F5OS software on your system using a USB flash drive, you must first enable the front panel USB port on your system controller.

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, see Platform Guide: VELOS CX Series at support.f5.com.

Before you create a bootable USB flash drive, be sure that you have copied the ISO images to /var/import/staging/ on your system controller and enabled the front-panel USB port on your system controller using Always-On Management (AOM). For more information, see Platform Guide: VELOS CX Series at support.f5.com.

You can create a bootable USB flash drive that contains a VELOS software ISO image using an existing VELOS system.

Important: The USB port on the system controller is disabled by default, so if you want to use this USB flash drive method, you must first enable the USB port.

  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 as the root user.

    Note: The default login credentials are root/default. When logging in as root for the first time, the system prompts you to change the password.

  3. Create a bootable drive.

    dd if=<*iso-image*> of=/dev/sda bs=1M oflag=sync status=progress

    This example writes a specified software ISO to the flash drive:

    [root@controller-1 ~]# dd if=/var/import/staging/F5OS-C-1.0.0 of=/dev/sda bs=1M
  oflag=sync status=progress

    This command sequence writes the ISO image to the flash drive. The flash drive creation process might take several minutes.

You can now use this USB flash drive to boot VELOS systems, as needed.

You can use a USB flash drive to perform a clean installation of F5OS software onto the system controllers using the command-line interface (CLI).

  1. Plug the USB flash drive into the USB port for the system controller that you are installing onto.

  2. 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.

  3. Log in as the root user.

    Note: The default login credentials are root/default. When logging in as root for the first time, the system prompts you to change the password.

  4. Reboot the system controller.

    reboot

  5. Intercept the boot by typing b at the BIOS setup screen, and then select the USB flash drive that you created.

  6. From the Installer menu, select Install Velocity.

    The installation proceeds automatically.

When the installation completes, you can remove the USB flash drive and reboot into the Host OS.

You can use a USB flash drive to perform a clean installation of F5OS software onto a blade using the command-line interface (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 blade using an account with root access.

    Note: When logging in as root for the first time, the system prompts you to change the password.

  3. Reboot the blade.

    reboot

  4. Intercept the boot by typing b at the BIOS setup screen, and then select the USB flash drive that you created.

  5. From the Installer menu, select Install Velocity.

    The installation proceeds automatically. When the installation completes, you are prompted to confirm a reboot of the system.

After you have completed the installation, you can change which image version is running on your partitions. For more information, see the Change the image version running on a chassis partition using the CLI section.

To upgrade tenant software, you must log into the tenant using the web-based management interface or command line interface (CLI), upload the updated software version, and then perform the upgrade inside the tenant.

VELOS Series systems support running these tenants, for which the installation files are available as .bundle images:

  • BIG-IP version 14.1.4

For more information about BIG-IP software, see the BIG-IP LTM Knowledge Center.

These BIG-IP tenant images are available to deploy in VELOS partitions:

  • ALL-VELOS: BIGIP-bigip1x.x.x-miro-1x.x.x.x-x.x.xxx.ALL-VELOS.qcow2.zip.bundle
  • T4-VELOS: BIGIP-bigip1x.x.x-miro-1x.x.x.x-x.x.xxx.T4-VELOS.qcow2.zip.bundle
  • T2-VELOS: BIGIP-bigip1x.x.x-miro-1x.x.x.x-x.x.xxx.T1-VELOS.qcow2.zip.bundle
  • T1-VELOS: BIGIP-bigip1x.x.x-miro-1x.x.x.x-x.x.xxx.T2-VELOS.qcow2.zip.bundle

Each image type has different uses so you need to be sure to use the correct type for tenant needs. Here are the general use cases. Note that T1-VELOS has limitations so using the other images is recommended. Other images must be downloaded from the downloads site.

Tenant image

Description of Use

ALL-VELOS
  • Use case: Need multi-tenancy, multi-module, and service chaining
  • Supports provisioning all VELOS-supported modules * (also called all-instance image)
  • Requires minimum 2 slots
  • Live-upgradable

*****Refer to the VELOS Datasheet for all currently supported features.

T4-VELOS
  • Use case: Super-VIP scenario (virtual IP that spans multiple blades), single tenant with multiple modules
  • Supports provisioning all modules with increased capacity
  • Requires minimum 2 slots
  • Live-upgradable

T2-VELOS
  • Use case: Need maximum tenant density, maximum tenants per blade
  • Supports provisioning LTM or DNS only
  • Requires 2 slots
  • Live-upgradable

T1-VELOS
  • Use case: Need maximum tenant density, maximum tenants per blade
  • Supports lightweight LTM or DNS only (also called micro-instance)
  • Requires 1 slot
  • You cannot upgrade or apply a hotfix to the system

Each image has different sizing requirements. You will need to understand the size of the chassis partition and the tenant requirements to determine the number and type of tenants you can deploy. The amount of memory and disk space that a tenant actually needs is dependent on the number of modules provisioned and its use.

Tenant image Disk size Minimum memory Minimum # vCPUs Max tenants per blade
T1-VELOS 22GB 4GB 1 22
T2-VELOS 45GB 8GB 2 11
ALL-VELOS 76GB 8GB 2 9
T4-VELOS 142GB 8GB 2 4

Before you get started, import the tenant images you want to use for the tenant deployments. You need to know into which partition you want to deploy the tenant. VLANs need to have been previously created in the chassis partition. Before you can create and deploy tenants, you also need to estimate resource requirements so you know how many vCPUs, memory, and so on to assign to the tenant.

You can create and deploy tenants in a chassis partition.

  1. Log in to the command line interface (CLI) of the chassis partition 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 and deploy the tenant.

    Note: The first character in the name cannot be a number. After that, only lowercase alphanumeric characters and hyphens are allowed; name length 1-49 characters.

    tenants tenant <*name*> config <*options*>

    where <options> can be any of the following:

    Possible completions:
  appliance-mode      Enable or disable root and bash access for the tenant.
  cryptos             Enable or disable crypto device support for the tenant.
  gateway             User-specified gateway for the tenant mgmt-ip.
  image               User-specified image for tenant.
  memory              User-specified memory in MBs for the tenant.
  mgmt-ip             User-specified mgmt-ip for tenant management access.
  name                User-specified name for the tenant.
  nodes               User-specified node-numbers in the chassis partition to schedule the tenant.
  prefix-length       User-specified prefix-length for the tenant mgmt-ip.
  running-state       User-specified state for the tenant: 
                      configured, provisioned, or deployed.
  type                Tenant type. BIG-IP is the default value.
  vcpu-cores-per-node User-specified number of logical CPU cores for the tenant.
  vlans               User-specified vlan-id from partition VLAN table for the tenant.

    This example creates a Classic BIG-IP tenant called mercury-vm that spans 4 nodes, and will be put into the configured running state, by default:

    tenants tenant mercury-vm config type BIG-IP image BIGIP-bigip14.1.x-miro-14.1.2.8-0.0.455.ALL-VELOS.qcow2.zip.bundle mgmt-ip 10.255.0.205 prefix-length 24 gateway 10.255.0.1 nodes [ 1 2 3 4 ]

  4. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

  5. You can monitor the operational state of the tenant and move the tenant into the provisioned state, which causes the system to assign the tenant to nodes, and create virtual disks for the tenant on those nodes.

    tenants tenant mercury-vm config running-state provisioned

    When the system is creating the virtual disk and installing the image on disk, the operational state of the tenant shows this information:

    • PHASE – Allocating resources to the tenant is in progress
    • status – Provisioning
    partition1# show tenants tenant mercury-vm
tenants tenant mercury-vm
 state name          mercury-vm
 state type          BIG-IP
 state mgmt-ip       10.255.0.205
 state prefix-length 24
 state gateway       10.255.0.1
 state cryptos       disabled
 state vcpu-cores-per-node 2
 state memory        7680
 state running-state deployed
 state mac-data mgmt-mac 00:0a:49:ff:20:0c
 state mac-data base-mac 00:0a:49:ff:20:0d
 state mac-data mac-pool-size 1
 state appliance-mode disabled
 state status        Provisioning
      INSTANCE                                                    
NODE  ID        PHASE                                          
1     1         Allocating resources to tenant is in progress ...                        
2     2         Allocating resources to tenant is in progress ...                   
3     3         Allocating resources to tenant is in progress ... 
4     4         Allocating resources to tenant is in progress ...

    When the system completes the virtual disk creation, the operational state displays:

    • PHASE – Ready to deploy
    • status – Provisioned
    partition1# show tenants tenant mercury-vm 
tenants tenant mercury-vm
 state name          mercury-vm
 state type          BIG-IP
 state mgmt-ip       10.255.0.205
 state prefix-length 24
 state gateway       10.255.0.1
 state cryptos       disabled
 state vcpu-cores-per-node 2
 state memory        7680
 state running-state deployed
 state mac-data mgmt-mac 00:0a:49:ff:20:0c
 state mac-data base-mac 00:0a:49:ff:20:0d
 state mac-data mac-pool-size 1
 state appliance-mode disabled
 state status        Provisioned

      INSTANCE               
NODE  ID        PHASE             
---------------------------------
1     1         Ready to deploy  ...
2     2         Ready to deploy  ...
3     3         Ready to deploy  ...
4     4         Ready to deploy  ...

  6. You can then deploy the tenant.

    tenants tenant mercury-vm config running-state deployed

    This example moves the tenant into the deployed state, which causes the system to start and maintain VMs on each node that the tenant is assigned to.

  7. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

  8. You can check the status of the tenant.

    show tenants tenant mercury-vm state instances

          INSTANCE 
NODE  ID        PHASE    IMAGE NAME      ... STATUS 
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1     1         Running  BIGIP-bigip14.1.... Started tenant instance
2     2         Running  BIGIP-bigip14.1.... Started tenant instance

  9. Return to user mode.

    end

Once you configure and deploy the tenant, and the Status is updated to Running, then you can use the management IP address to access the BIG-IP system using SSH, webUI, or TMOS Shell (tmsh).