Manual Chapter : Diagnostics

Applies To:

  • F5OS-C

    1.8.3, 1.8.2, 1.8.1

Updated Date: 10/27/2026

Diagnostics

If you have configured your system with F5 iHealth credentials, the iHealth upload feature uploads QKView files, by default, directly to F5 iHealth at ihealth2.f5.com. If the host does not have internet access to reach f5.com, you can configure the system to use a web proxy to upload the QKView file to F5 iHealth.

Before you can log in to the new iHealth system, you must first generate API token credentials at ihealth2.f5.com/qkview-analyzer/settings.

The iHealth upload feature uploads QKView reports, by default, directly to F5 iHealth at ihealth2.f5.com. You can configure iHealth credentials from either the system controller or chassis partition webUI. If the host does not have internet access to reach f5.com, you can configure the system to upload QKView files to iHealth using a web proxy server.

  1. Log in to the VELOS system controller webUI or the chassis partition webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click DIAGNOSTICS > iHealth Configuration.

    The iHealth Configuration screen displays.

  3. In the Credentials area, for Client ID, enter your client identifier.

  4. For Client Secret, enter the secret associated with the client identifier.

  5. Configure a proxy server, if needed.

    Note: If you are not using a web proxy server, leave these fields blank.

    1. In the Proxy Server area, for Server URL, enter the web proxy server URL, including the port number.

    2. For Username and Password, if the web proxy server requires credentials, enter the user name and password.

  6. Click Save & Close.

  7. Click OK when the Update iHealth Configuration popup displays.

Now you can generate QKView files and upload them to F5 iHealth.

The iHealth upload feature uploads QKView files, by default, directly to F5 iHealth at ihealth2.f5.com.You can configure iHealth credentials and upload QKView files from the CLI. If the host does not have internet access to reach f5.com, you can configure the system to upload QKView files to iHealth using a web proxy.

  1. Connect using SSH to the system controller floating management IP address or chassis partition management IP address.

  2. Log in to the command line interface (CLI) of the system controller or chassis partition 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 iHealth server address.

    system diagnostics ihealth config server <*ihealth-url*>

    In this example, you configure the default iHealth server address:

    syscon-1-active(config)# system diagnostics ihealth config server
(<string>) (https://ihealth-api.f5.com/qkview-analyzer/api/qkviews?visible_in_gui=True): 
  https://ihealth-api.f5networks.net/qkview-analyzer/api/qkviews?visible_in_gui=True

  5. Configure the iHealth authentication server address.

    system diagnostics ihealth config authserver <*auth-server-url*>

    In this example, you configure the default iHealth authentication server:

    syscon-1-active(config)# system diagnostics ihealth config 
  authserver https://api.f5.com/auth/pub/sso/login/ihealth-api

  6. Configure your iHealth server credentials.

    system diagnostics ihealth config username <*username*> password

    In this example, you configure the username jdoe and a password:

    syscon-1-active(config)# system diagnostics ihealth config username jdoe password
(<AES encrypted string>): *************

  7. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

The iHealth upload feature uploads QKView reports, by default, directly to F5 iHealth at ihealth2.f5.com.You can configure iHealth credentials from either the system controller or chassis partition CLI. If the host does not have internet access to reach f5.com, you can configure the system to upload QKView files to iHealth using a web proxy.

  1. Connect using SSH to the system controller floating management IP address or chassis partition management IP address.

  2. Log in to the command line interface (CLI) of the system controller or chassis partition using an account with admin access.

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

  3. Change to config mode.

    config

    The CLI prompt changes to include (config).

  4. Configure the proxy server.

    system diagnostics proxy config proxy-server <*ip-address:port*>

    In this example, you configure a proxy server using the IP address 192.0.2.20 and port 3128:

    syscon-1-active(config)# system diagnostics proxy config 
  proxy-server http://192.0.2.20:3128
syscon-1-active(config)# commit

  5. Configure the proxy server credentials, if needed.

    system diagnostics proxy config proxy-username <*username*> proxy-password <*password*>

    The proxy username and password configuration elements contain the credentials for the proxy server. If the proxy server does not require authentication, these values are ignored.

    In this example, you configure the username “myname” and a password:

    syscon-1-active(config)# system diagnostics proxy config 
  proxy-username myname
syscon-1-active(config)# system diagnostics proxy config proxy-password
(<AES encrypted string>): ******

  6. Commit the configuration changes.

    commit

Now you can generate QKView files and either upload them to F5 iHealth or manage the files locally.

If you have any concerns about your system operation, you can use the QKView utility to generate a system report to collect configuration and diagnostic information from the system.

The QKView file contains machine-readable (JSON) diagnostic data and combines the data into a single compressed tar.gz format file. You can upload the QKView file to F5 iHealth at ihealth2.f5.com, where you can get help verifying proper operation of the system, understanding and troubleshooting any issues you might be having, and ensuring that the system is operating at its maximum efficiency.

When generating a QKView from the CLI, you use the same command to generate a QKView file at both the system/chassis and the chassis partition levels. To generate a QKView from a remote system, the commands differ slightly.

For information about generating a QKView for BIG-IP Next or other tenants, see the documentation on my.f5.com and clouddocs.f5.com.

If you want to upload a QKView file to the F5 iHealth server, your VELOS system must have DNS configured and have internet access to these services using the HTTPS/443 remote service/port:

  • api.f5.com
  • ihealth-api.f5.com

You can generate a QKView file from either the system controller or chassis partition webUI. Both reports contain diagnostic information, such as configuration data, log files, time series statistics, and platform information.

  1. Log in to the VELOS system controller webUI or the chassis partition webUI using an account with admin access.

  2. On the left, click DIAGNOSTICS > System Reports.

    The System Reports screen displays. A list of QKView files that were previously generated are shown with any reports that were uploaded to iHealth.

  3. To generate a system report, click Generate QKView in the upper right corner of the screen.

    The Generate QKView box displays these additional options:

    Option

    Description

    Filename

    Specify a name for the file to which QKView file data is written. The default filename is <system-name>.tar.

    Timeout Value

    Specify the time in seconds after which to stop QKView file data collection. The default value is 0, which indicates no timeout.

    Max File Size

    Exclude all files greater than the specified size (in MB). The range is from 2 MB to 1000 MB. The default value is 500 MB.

    Max Core Size

    Exclude core files greater than this size (in MB). The range is from 2 MB to 1000 MB. The default value for maximum core size is 25 MB.

    Exclude Cores

    Specify whether core files should be excluded from the QKView file. The default is to include core files.

    Note: The system runs many commands to collect the diagnostic information, so generating the report might affect its performance.

    It takes a few minutes for the system to finish creating the report and list it on the screen. The QKView Status changes to File generated successfully when it is done.

  4. To upload the report to the F5 iHealth server, select the check box next to the QKView name and click Upload to iHealth.

    Note: For information on uploading the report using a web proxy, see “Configure iHealth uploads and web proxy from the webUI”.

    The QKView tar file uploads to iHealth, where you can get help to diagnose the health and proper operation of the system. You can view the report at ihealth2.f5.com.

  5. To delete a QKView file, select it and click Delete.

You can generate a QKView file from either the system controller or chassis partition CLI. The report contains diagnostic information, such as configuration data, log files, and platform information.

  1. Log in to the command line interface (CLI) of the system controller or chassis partition using an account with admin access.

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

  2. List existing QKView files.

    show system diagnostics qkview

  3. Generate a QKView file.

    system diagnostics qkview capture exclude-cores [ false | true ] filename <*filename*> maxcoresize <*size*> maxfilesize <*size*> timeout <*time*>

    These options are available:

    Option

    Description

    exclude-cores

    Specify whether core files should be excluded from the QKView file. The default is to include core files.

    filename

    Specify a name for the file to which QKView file data is written. The default filename is <*system-name*>.qkview.

    maxcoresize

    Exclude core files greater than this size (in MB). The range is from 2 MB to 1000 MB. The default value for maximum core size is 25 MB.

    maxfilesize

    Exclude all files greater than the specified size (in MB). The range is from 2 MB to 1000 MB. The default value for maximum file size is 500 MB.

    timeout

    Specify the time in seconds after which to stop QKView file data collection. The default value is 0, which indicates no timeout.

    In this example, you generate a QKView file named client-qkview.tar that excludes core files and sets a timeout value of 0 (zero), which indicates no timeout:

    syscon-1-active# system diagnostics qkview capture filename 
client-qkview exclude-cores true timeout 0
result  Qkview file client-qkview is being collected
return code 200

  4. Check the status of the QKView generation process.

    system diagnostics qkview status

    A summary similar to this example displays:

    syscon-1-active# system diagnostics qkview status
result  {"Busy":true,"Percent":12,"Status":"collecting","Message":"Collecting Data","Filename":"client-qkview"}

resultint 0

  5. Delete a QKView file.

    system diagnostics qkview delete filename [<*hostname*>:]<*filename*>

    In this example, you delete a QKView file named “c3-test.tar.canceled” on the local system:

    syscon-1-active # system diagnostics qkview delete filename c3-test.tar.canceled

    In this example, you delete a QKView file named “c3-test.tar.canceled” on a remote system with the hostname “controller-2”:

    syscon-1-active # system diagnostics qkview delete filename controller-2:c3-test.tar.canceled

    When deleting a file from a remote system, append the hostname before the file name, using a colon (:) to indicate where the QKView file is stored.

Next, you upload the report to the iHealth server.

F5OS v1.8.3 introduces a system-level QKView capability that collects diagnostic data from all system controllers and chassis partitions in a single operation, triggered from the controller level. This ensures complete, consistent system-wide data collection and simplifies the diagnostic workflow for customers and F5 Support teams.

  • QKView runs only one collection at a time. When you start a chassis-wide capture, the system checks for any active QKView collection on the requested partitions. If a collection is already running, the command fails and returns an error.
  • Only enabled partitions are included.
  • The system starts QKView collection on the controller, sends HTTP requests to all specified or enabled partitions, and collects diagnostic data from controllers, partitions, and blades in a single workflow.
  • The operation generates one QKView file for the controller and one QKView file per partition.
  • A chassis QKView capture fails if a requested partition is unreachable or already running a QKView collection.
  • If you provide a filename, the system uses it as a prefix: -controller.qkview and -<partition_name>.qkview. If you do not provide a filename, the system uses the hostname: -controller.qkview and -<partition_name>.qkview.
  • The system stores all output files in /var/shared/qkview/.

Limitations

  • System QKView collection generates a separate tar file for each component: one for the controller and one per partition. All tar files are available for download from the controller interfaces.
  • To upload QKView files to F5 iHealth, you must download and upload each tar file individually.

You can generate a Unified System reports (QKView) file from either the system controller or chassis partition CLI. The report contains diagnostic information, such as configuration data, log files, and platform information.

  1. Log in to the command line interface (CLI) of the system controller or chassis partition using an account with admin access.

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

  2. List existing QKView files.

    show system diagnostics qkview

  3. Run a single-step, chassis-wide QKView collection.

    system diagnostics qkview capture-chassis

    These options are available:

    Option Description
    exclude-cores Specify whether core files should be excluded from the QKView file. The default is to include core files.
    filename Specify a name for the file to which QKView file data is written. The default filename is <system-name>.qkview.
    maxcoresize Exclude core files greater than this size (in MB). The range is from 2 MB to 1000 MB. The default value for maximum core size is 25 MB.
    maxfilesize Exclude all files greater than the specified size (in MB). The range is from 2 MB to 1000 MB. The default value for maximum file size is 500 MB.
    partitions List of enabled partitions for QKView collection.
    timeout Specify the time in seconds after which to stop QKView file data collection. The default value is 0, which indicates no timeout.

    In this example, you generate a QKView from the controller and all enabled partitions on the system. A tar file is created for the controller, and a separate tar file is created for each partition. All files are saved in /var/shared/qkview/.

    syscon-1-active# system diagnostics qkview capture-chassis filename test1
result  Warning: Qkview may contain sensitive data such as secrets, passwords and core files. Handle with care. Please send these files to F5 support.
Chassis qkview capture initiated for all enabled partitions. Multiple tar files will be generated, one for controller and per partition, using "test1" as the filename prefix.

    In this example, you generate a QKView from the controller and only the specified partitions. A tar file is created for the controller, and a separate tar file is created for each partition. All files are saved in /var/shared/qkview/.

    syscon-1-active# system diagnostics qkview capture-chassis filename test2 partitions [ second ]
result  Warning: Qkview may contain sensitive data such as secrets, passwords and core files. Handle with care. Please send these files to F5 support.
Chassis qkview capture initiated for specified partitions. Multiple tar files will be generated, one for controller and per partition, using "test2" as the filename prefix.

    In this example, you generate a QKView for the controller only when no partitions are enabled on the system.

    syscon-1-active# system diagnostics qkview capture-chassis partitions [
Possible completions:
<partition-name>  ]
syscon-1-active# system diagnostics qkview capture-chassis
result  Warning: Qkview may contain sensitive data such as secrets, passwords and core files. Handle with care. Please send these files to F5 support.
Chassis qkview capture initiated for all enabled partitions. Multiple tar files will be generated, one for controller and per partition, using "controller-1" as the filename prefix.
return code 200

  4. Check the status of the QKView generation process.

    system diagnostics qkview status

    A summary similar to this example displays:

    syscon-1-active# system diagnostics qkview status
result  {"Busy":true,"Percent":12,"Status":"collecting","Message":"Collecting Data","Filename":"client-qkview"}
resultint 0

  5. Cancel a QKView generation process.

    When you cancel the capture-chassis operation, QKView collection stops for all controllers and partitions that are being collected.

    system diagnostics qkview cancel

    In this example, QKView collection for all controllers and partitions with file names “test4-controller.qkview” and “test4-second.qkview” is canceled.

    syscon-1-active# system diagnostics qkview capture-chassis filename test4 partitions [ second ]
result  Warning: Qkview may contain sensitive data such as secrets, passwords and core files. Handle with care. Please send these files to F5 support.
Chassis qkview capture initiated for partitions: second. Multiple tar files will be generated, one for controller and per partition, using "test4" as the filename prefix.
return code 200

resultint 0
syscon-1-active# system diagnostics qkview status
result  {"Busy":true,"Percent":0,"Status":"collecting","Message":"Collecting Data","Filename":"test4-controller.qkview, test4-second.qkview"}

resultint 0
syscon-1-active#

syscon-1-active# system diagnostics qkview cancel
result Qkview with filename test4-controller.qkview, test4-second.qkview was canceled
return code 200

resultint 0
syscon-1-active# system diagnostics qkview status
result {"Busy":false,"Percent":100,"Status":"canceled","Message":"Collection canceled by user. Partial qkview saved.","Filename":"test4-controller.qkview.canceled"}

Next, you upload the report to the iHealth server.

Before you can upload QKView files to F5 iHealth, you must already have configured the system with iHealth credentials.

You can upload a QKView file from either the system controller or chassis partition CLI. The report contains diagnostic information, such as configuration data, log files, and platform information.

  1. Connect using SSH to the system controller floating management IP address or chassis partition management IP address.

  2. Log in to the command line interface (CLI) of the system controller or chassis partition using an account with admin access.

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

  3. Upload a QKView file to iHealth.

    system diagnostics ihealth upload qkview-file [<*hostname*>:]<*filename*> description <*qkview-file-description*> service-request-number <*sr-number*>

    In this example, you upload a QKView file named client-qkview.tar to iHealth using configured iHealth credentials:

    syscon-1-active# system diagnostics ihealth upload qkview-file 
  client-qkview.tar description testing service-request-number C523232
message HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted
Location: /support/ihealth/status/iuw53AYW
Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2022 12:09:08 GMT
Content-Length: 00

    In this example, you upload a QKView file named client-qkview.tar to iHealth using configured iHealth credentials on a remote system with the hostname “controller-2”:

    syscon-1-active# system diagnostics ihealth upload qkview-file 
  controller-2:client-qkview.tar description testing service-request-number C523232
message HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted
Location: /support/ihealth/status/iuw53AYW
Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2022 12:09:08 GMT
Content-Length: 00

Finally, you view the uploaded report on F5 iHealth at ihealth2.f5.com.