Release Notes : BIG-IP 11.5.9 New and Installation

Applies To:

Show Versions Show Versions

BIG-IP AAM

  • 11.5.9

BIG-IP APM

  • 11.5.9

BIG-IP GTM

  • 11.5.9

BIG-IP Link Controller

  • 11.5.9

BIG-IP Analytics

  • 11.5.9

BIG-IP LTM

  • 11.5.9

BIG-IP PEM

  • 11.5.9

BIG-IP AFM

  • 11.5.9

BIG-IP ASM

  • 11.5.9
Release Notes
Original Publication Date: 03/11/2019 Updated Date: 04/18/2019

Summary:

These release notes document the BIG-IP version 11.5.9 release. You can apply the software upgrade to systems running software versions 10.1.0 (or later).

BIG-IP Virtual Edition (VE) is a version of the BIG-IP system that runs as a virtual machine. Supported modules include Local Traffic Manager, Global Traffic Manager, Application Security Manager, Access Policy Manager, Application Acceleration Manager, Policy Enforcement Manager, Application Firewall Manager, and Analytics. BIG-IP VE includes all features of device-based BIG-IP modules running on standard BIG-IP TMOS, except as noted in release notes and product documentation.

Note: The BIG-IP VE product license determines the maximum allowed throughput rate. To view this rate limit, you can display the licensing page within the BIG-IP Configuration utility.

Contents:

Platform support

For comprehensive information about supported platforms, see:

Module combination and memory considerations

BIG-IP platform considerations

These platforms support various licensable combinations of product modules. This section provides general guidelines for module support.

Most of the support guidelines relate to memory. The following list applies for all memory levels:

  • vCMP supported platforms
    • VIPRION B2100, B2150, B2250
    • VIPRION B4300 blade in the C4480(J102) and C4800(S100)
    • VIPRION B4450 blade in the C4480(J102) and C4800(S100)
    • BIG-IP 5200v, 5250v, 7200v, 7250v, 10200v, 10250v, 10350v, 12250v
    • BIG-IP i5800, i7800, i10800, i11800, i15800
  • PEM and CGNAT supported platforms
    • VIPRION B2100, B2150, B2250, B4300, B4340N, B4450N
    • BIG-IP 5x00v(s), 7x00v(s), 10x00v(s)
    • PEM for BIG-IP iSeries: i5800, i7800, i10800, i11800, i15800
    • CGNAT for BIG-IP iSeries: i2x00, i4x00, i5x00,i7x00,i10x00,i11x00,i15x00
    • BIG-IP Virtual Edition (VE) (Not including Amazon Web Service Virtual Edition) (3 GB, 10 GB production and combination lab models)
    • PEM may be provisioned on the VIPRION B2100, but it is not recommended for production, only for evaluation. Use the B4300/B4340N or another blade instead.
    • PEM is not supported on vCMP guests.
    • PEM is not supported on 8 GB platforms.
  • BIG-IP 800 and i850 platform support
    • The BIG-IP 800 and i850 platforms support Local Traffic Manager (LTM) only, and no other modules.

Memory: 12 GB or more

All licensable module-combinations may be run on platforms with 12 GB or more of memory, and on VE and vCMP guests provisioned with 12 GB or more of memory. Note that this does not mean that all modules may be simultaneously provisioned on all platforms with 12 GB or more of memory. The BIG-IP license for the platform determines which combination of modules are available for provisioning.

Memory: 8 GB

The following guidelines apply to the BIG-IP 2000s, 2200s, 6900 platforms and to VE guests configured with 8 GB of memory. (A vCMP guest provisioned with 8 GB of memory has less than 8 GB of memory actually available and thus does not fit in this category.)

  • No more than three modules should be provisioned together.
  • On the 2000s and 2200s, Application Acceleration Manager (AAM) can be provisioned with only one other module.
  • To use Access Policy Manager (APM) and Secure Web Gateway (SWG) modules together on platforms with exactly 8 GB of memory, Local Traffic Manager (LTM) provisioning must be set to None.

Memory: Less than 8 GB and more than 4 GB

The following guidelines apply to platforms, and to VE and vCMP guests provisioned with less than 8 GB and more than 4 GB of memory. (A vCMP guest provisioned with 8 GB of memory has less than 8 GB of memory actually available and thus fits in this category.)

  • No more than three modules (not including AAM) should be provisioned together.
  • Application Acceleration Manager (AAM) cannot be provisioned with any other module; AAM can only be provisioned standalone.
  • Analytics (AVR) counts towards the two module-combination limit (for platforms with less than 6.25 GB of memory).

Memory: 4 GB or less (VE and vCMP only)

The following guidelines apply to VE and vCMP guests provisioned with 4 GB or less of memory.

  • No more than two modules may be configured together.
  • AAM should not be provisioned, except as Dedicated.
  • ASM should not be provisioned, except as Dedicated

VIPRION and vCMP caching and deduplication requirements

Application Acceleration Manager (AAM) supports the following functionality when configuring vCMP and VIPRION platforms.

  • AAM does not support disk-based caching functionality on vCMP platforms. AAM requires memory-based caching when configuring it to run on vCMP platforms.
  • AAM supports disk-based caching functionality on VIPRION chassis or blades.
  • AAM does not support deduplication functionality on vCMP platforms, or VIPRION chassis or blades.

vCMP memory provisioning calculations

The amount of memory provisioned to a vCMP guest is calculated using the following formula: (platform_memory- 3 GB) x (cpus_assigned_to_guest / total_cpus).

As an example, for the B2100 with two guests, provisioned memory calculates as: (16-3) x (2/4) ~= 6.5 GB.

For certain platforms, the vCMP host can allocate a single core to a vCMP guest. However, because a single-core guest has relatively small amounts of CPU resources and allocated memory, F5 supports only the following products or product combinations for a single-core guest:
  • BIG-IP LTM standalone only
  • BIG-IP GTM standalone only
  • BIG-IP LTM and GTM combination only

 

VE considerations

This version of the software is supported in the following configurations. For a list of VE hypervisor support, see the Virtual Edition and Supported Hypervisors Matrix.

Memory: 12 GB or more

All licensable module-combinations may be run on BIG-IP Virtual Edition (VE) guests provisioned with 12 GB or more of memory.

Memory: 8 GB

The following guidelines apply to VE guests configured with 8 GB of memory.

  • No more than three modules should be provisioned together.

Memory: Less than 8 GB and more than 4 GB

The following guidelines apply to VE guests provisioned with less than 8 GB and more than 4 GB of memory.

  • No more than three modules (not including AAM) should be provisioned together.
  • Application Acceleration Manager (AAM) cannot be provisioned with any other module; AAM can only be provisioned standalone.

Memory: 4 GB or less

The following guidelines apply to VE guests provisioned with 4 GB or less of memory.

  • No more than two modules may be configured together.
  • AAM should not be provisioned, except as Dedicated.
  • ASM should not be provisioned, except as Dedicated

User documentation for this release

For a comprehensive list of documentation that is relevant to this release, refer to the documentation page specific to the product you are using:

For a list of Virtual Edition (VE) hypervisor support, see the Virtual Edition and Supported Hypervisors Matrix.

Configuration utility browser support

The BIG-IP Configuration Utility supports these browsers and versions:

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11.x, or later
  • Mozilla Firefox v62.0, or later
  • Google Chrome v69.0.3497, or later

Compatibility of BIG-IQ products with BIG-IP releases

K34133507: BIG-IQ Centralized Management compatibility matrix provides a summary of version compatibility between the BIG-IQ Centralized Management and BIG-IP releases.

Release fixes, behavior changes, and known issues

For a comprehensive list of fixes, behavior changes, and known issues for this release, see:

New in 11.5.9

There is no release-specific new functionality for this release.

Installation overview

This document covers very basic steps for installing the software. You can find complete, step-by-step installation and upgrade instructions in BIG-IP Systems: Upgrading Software, and we strongly recommend that you reference this information to ensure successful completion of the installation process.

Installation checklist

Before you begin:

  • Ensure you have saved the BIG-IP system configuration.
  • Use BIG-IP iHealth to verify your configuration file. For more information, see K12878: Generating diagnostic data using the qkview utility.
  • Update/reactivate your system or vCMP host 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 the BIG-IP or Enterprise Manager system.
  • Download the .iso file from F5 Downloads to /shared/images on the source for the operation. (If you need to create this directory, use the exact name /shared/images.)
  • Configure a management port.
  • Set the console and system baud rate to 19200, if it is not already.
  • Log on as an administrator using the management port of the system you want to upgrade.
  • Check all DNSSEC Key generation's 'expiration' and 'rollover' date:time fields before performing a GTM sync group upgrade. If any of the DNSSEC Key generations are set to rollover or expire during the planned upgrade window, modify the date:time of the 'expiration' and/or 'rollover' fields to extend past the anticipated upgrade window, to a date:time when all units in the sync group will again have GTM config sync enabled.
  • Boot into an installation location other than the target for the installation.
  • Save the user configuration set (UCS) in the /var/local/ucs directory on the source installation location, and copy the UCS file to a safe place on another device.
  • Log on to the standby unit, and only upgrade the active unit after the standby upgrade is satisfactory.
  • Turn off mirroring.
  • If you are running Policy Enforcement Manager, set provisioning to Nominal.
  • If you are running Advanced Firewall Manager, set provisioning to Nominal.

Installing the software

You can install the software at the command line using the Traffic Management shell, tmsh, or in the browser-based Configuration utility using the Software Management screens, available in the System menu. Choose the installation method that best suits your environment.
Installation method Command
Install to existing volume, migrate source configuration to destination tmsh install sys software image [image name] volume [volume name]
Install from the browser-based Configuration utility Use the Software Management screens in a web browser.

Sample installation command

The following command installs version 13.0.0 to volume 3 of the main hard drive.

tmsh install sys software image BIGIP-13.0.0.0.0.1645.iso volume HD1.3

Post-installation tasks

This document covers very basic steps for installing the software. You can find complete, step-by-step installation and upgrade instructions in BIG-IP Systems: Upgrading Software, and we strongly recommend that you reference this information to ensure successful completion of the installation process.

After the installation finishes, you must complete the following steps before the system can pass traffic.
  1. Ensure the system rebooted to the new installation location.
  2. Use BIG-IP iHealth to verify your configuration file. For more information, see K12878: Generating diagnostic data using the qkview utility.
  3. Log on to the browser-based Configuration utility.
  4. Run the Setup utility.
  5. Provision the modules.
Note: You can find information about running the Setup utility and provisioning the modules in BIG-IP TMOS implementations Creating an Active-Standby Configuration Using the Setup Utility and Creating an Active-Active Configuration Using the Setup Utility.

Installation tips

  • The upgrade process installs the software on the inactive installation location that you specify. This process usually takes between three minutes and seven minutes. During the upgrade process, you see messages posted on the screen. For example, you might see a prompt asking whether to upgrade the End User Diagnostics (EUD), depending on the version you have installed. To upgrade the EUD, type yes, otherwise, type no.
  • You can check the status of an active installation operation by running the command watch tmsh show sys software, which runs the show sys software command every two seconds. Pressing Ctrl + C stops the watch feature.
  • If installation fails, you can view the log file. The system stores the installation log file as /var/log/liveinstall.log.

Upgrading from earlier versions

Your upgrade process differs depending on the version of software you are currently running.

Upgrading from version 11.x or later

When you upgrade from version 11.x or later, you use the Software Management screens in the Configuration utility to complete these steps. To open the Software Management screens, in the navigation pane of the Configuration utility, expand System, and click Software Management. For information about using the Software Management screens, see the online help.

Upgrading from versions earlier than 11.x

You cannot roll forward a configuration directly to this version from BIG-IP version 10.x or earlier. You must be running version 11.x (or later) software. For details about upgrading from earlier versions, see the release notes for the associated release.

Upgrading to 4th element versions from versions earlier than 11.5.0

You cannot directly update from pre-11.5.0 versions (e.g., v11.4.x, v11.2.x, etc.) to any 4th element version (e.g., v12.1.3.1, v13.1.0.1, etc.). Direct upgrade to 4th element versions is supported only from v11.5.0 and later. For pre-11.5.0 versions, you must first upgrade to v11.5.0 or later. The recommended upgrade path is from v11.4.1 to v12.1.3, and then to v12.1.3.1. For details about upgrading to those versions, see the release notes for the associated release.

Automatic firmware upgrades

If this version includes new firmware for your specific hardware platform, after you install and activate this version, the system might reboot additional times to perform all necessary firmware upgrades.

Upgrading earlier configurations

When you upgrade from an earlier versions of the software, you might need to know about or take care of these configuration-specific issues.

ID Number Description
394873 Upgrade process does not update Tcl scripts Upgrading Tcl scripts (such as iRules). This might cause issues when iRule syntax changes between releases. After upgrading, you might need to modify iRules to reflect any changes in iRule syntax. The upgrade process does not update Tcl scripts (such as iRules) in the configuration.

Workaround: None.

601180-3 Link Controller base license does not allow DNS namespace iRule commands. A Link Controller license without an add-on that allows Layer 7 iRule commands. An administrator cannot add DNS namespace commands to an iRule. Cannot upgrade from a pre-11.5 configuration, where the commands were working, to 11.5.4 through 12.1.2. The Link Controller base license improperly prevents DNS namespace iRule commands.

Workaround: To enable upgrade, remove DNS namespace commands from the configuration prior to upgrade.

609402 When upgrading from v10.2.4 to v11.5.x or v11.6.x, with fallback set to null in a wideip pool, the new pool will have fallback-ipv4 set to any6. "-- Upgrading from v10.2.4 to v11.5.x or v11.6.x. -- Fallback set to null in a wideip pool." The fallback-ipv4 is incorrectly set to an IPv6 address rather than an IPv4 address. When upgrading from v10.2.4 to v11.5.x or v11.6.x, with fallback set to null in a wideip pool, the new pool will have fallback-ipv4 set to any6.

Workaround: The only workaround is to set Fallback to a different value before upgrading, and then set back after upgrade is complete.

623265-1 UCS upgrade from v10.x to v11.4.x or later incorrectly retains v10.x ca-bundle.crt A system is upgraded from v10.x to v11.x/v12.x, or a v10.x UCS is restored onto a v11.x/v12.x system. "Inconsistent ca-bundle.crt upgrade/UCS load handling can lead to odd / non-deterministic behavior between devices, even an HA pair / cluster of devices. Non-determinism increases because ca-bundle.crt does not ConfigSync (and appears not to sync across blades in a chassis).

For example, on one device, the BIG-IP system might construct and send a full certificate chain in an SSL Server Hello, when ca-bundle.crt is specified as a Client SSL profile's 'chain', but on its peer, if the peer is using an older/inconsistent ca-bundle, the peer might be unable to construct a full certificate chain." Inconsistent CA certificate chain creation, or certificate validation/verification when verification occurs against /config/ssl/ssl.crt/ca-bundle.crt.

Workaround: "On every device affected by this, or on every blade in a VIPRION system affected by this:

  1. Update /config/ssl/ssl.crt/ca-bundle.crt with the version that ships with this software version: cp /usr/share/defaults/fs/config/ssl/ssl.crt/ca-bundle.crt.rpmbackup /config/ssl/ssl.crt/ca-bundle.crt
  2. Reboot the system and clear the MCPD binary database. Refer to AskF5 article K13030: Forcing the mcpd process to reload the BIG-IP configuration (https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K13030), but essentially: touch /service/mcpd/forceload && reboot
  3. After reboot, verify that the two files match (they should have the same checksum): md5sum /usr/share/defaults/fs/config/ssl/ssl.crt/ca-bundle.crt.rpmbackup /config/ssl/ssl.crt/ca-bundle.crt"
499694-3 LTM v10.2.x to v11.x upgrade misses partition name on node specific monitor Upgrade from v10.2.x to v11.x. "For nodes that have a specific monitor of ""none"", if the node is forced down and then re-enabled via tmsh or the node list in the GUI, the node will be marked down by the monitor. If the node is re-enabled from the node properties page in the GUI, this issue does not occur. For other monitor types or pool and pool member monitors, the issue is cosmetic." "When upgrading from v10.2.x to v11.x, the node monitor name does not acquire full path or partition information. Similarly, creating a node with a monitor via TMSH, the node monitor name does not show partition information; however, configuring a node via GUI does add partition information. If a node with a specific none monitor is later forced down and then re-enabled, the node will remain in a marked down by monitor state."

Workaround: Load sys config base, then load sys config. Then in both the GUI and TMSH add partition info to the node monitor.

523797-4 Upgrade: file path failure for process name attribute in snmp. Upgrade from 10.x. to 11.5.1 or later. The upgrade operation does not remove the parent path name from process-monitors, which might cause a validation error. The upgrade operation might fail to update the file path name for snmp.process_name, causing a validation error.

Workaround: Edit the process name path in /config/BIG-IP_sys.conf to reflect the location. For more information, see K13540: The BIG-IP system may return inaccurate results for the prTable SNMP object at https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K13540.

673018-1 Parsed text violates expected format error encountered while upgrading or loading UCS "This can occur under the following conditions: -- When loading a configuration that contains iFiles. -- During an upgrade process, when the source-path for an iFile contain a URL with a space or other invalid URL character in it, for example: http://myfiles.com/get this file.txt." Configuration fails to load, and the system reports the following error: Parsed text violates expected format. "During a configuration roll-forward on an upgrade, the UCS load fails and reports the following error: Parsed text violates expected format."

Workaround: "You can use either of the following workarounds:

-- Modify the URL to the iFile to remove any spaces, and then reload the configuration.

-- Use the HTTP specification for specifying spaces (and other characters) in URLs. For example, represent a space using the string %20 in the URL: http://myfiles.com/get%20this%20file.txt."

Issues when upgrading from earlier ASM versions

If you upgrade from an earlier version of ASM, note the following issues.

Upgrade warnings and notes

The Application Security Manager supports .ucs files from versions 10.1.0 and later of the Application Security Manager. Additionally, you may import policies exported from versions 10.1.0 and later of the Application Security Manager.

Warning: With the introduction of the Local Traffic Policies feature in BIG-IP version 11.4.0, HTTP Class iRule events and commands are no longer available. If you plan to upgrade to 11.4.0 or later, and your configuration contains an iRule that uses an HTTP class iRule event or command, please read K14409: The HTTP Class profile is no longer available in BIG-IP 11.4.0 and later.

Warning: Local Traffic Policies do not support regular expressions for matching. While the upgrade process is able to migrate simple glob expressions, manual administrator intervention is required in order to ensure that the policies are properly configured. If you plan to upgrade to 11.4.0 or later, and your configuration contains regular expressions or glob expressions, please read K14409: The HTTP Class profile is no longer available in BIG-IP 11.4.0 and later.

Important: The system creates its internal cookie in versions 10.2.4 and later (including all versions of 11.x) differently than in versions prior to 10.2.4. As a result, while upgrading your system from a version prior to 10.2.4 to version 10.2.4 or later, the system will produce the Modified ASM Cookie violation for existing browser sessions. If the security policy has the Modified ASM Cookie violation enabled and set to block traffic when this violation occurs, after upgrading to version 10.2.4 or later, the system will block traffic to the web application. However, since the TS cookie is a session cookie, the system will block traffic only until the browser session ends (the end-user restarts the browser). To prevent the security policy from blocking traffic until the end-user’s browser is restarted, before upgrading to version 10.2.4 or later, we recommend you disable the security policy from blocking the Modified ASM Cookie violation, upgrade, and wait long enough to allow all users to restart their browsers (two weeks are expected to be enough). After enabling the violation, we recommend you monitor the logs. If the Modified ASM Cookie violation appears, consider disabling the violation again for a longer period of time, or communicate to the users to restart their browsers.

HTTP protocol compliance failed sub-violations

If you upgrade or import a security policy from a version prior to 11.6.0, the system automatically enables the following HTTP protocol compliance-failed sub-violations, even if they were previously disabled:

  • Bad HTTP version
  • Null in request
  • Unparsable request content

You can manually disable these violations after the upgrade or import.

Layer 7

In version 11.4.0, local traffic policies replace HTTP Classes. When you create an ASM security policy, the system automatically creates a default Layer 7 local traffic policy. Note the following changes that occur to your system after upgrading from a version prior to 11.4.0:

  • A Layer 7 local traffic policy is created and the HTTP class is removed. If the HTTP Class name is different than the name of the security policy, upon upgrade, the system changes the name of the security policy to the name of the HTTP Class.
  • Security policies are now in folders (partitioned) like pools and virtual servers. Upon upgrade, the system places security policies in the folder to which the HTTP Class belonged. The system places security policies that were inactive in the /Common folder.
  • iRules that use HTTP Class do not work here. Users must manually change the HTTP Class part of the iRule to Policy after the upgrade.

ASM cookie security

As a result of changes made to the signing of ASM cookies, performing a clean upgrade may result in cookie violations and blocked traffic. To prevent these, F5 recommends that you perform the following actions before upgrading:

  • Disable the modified domain cookie violation, and re-enable it only after at least 24 hours have passed.
  • If you do not have a wildcard cookie, before the upgrade add an ASM allowed cookie to the security policy, with the name TS*.
  • Have all clients restart their browsers.

After upgrading, users must synchronize their Cookie Protection settings in the following cases:

  • Systems that share traffic but are NOT in the same device group
  • Systems from different versions that share traffic, even if they are in the same device group

Cookie signature validation

After upgrading, the system performs the following:

  • Turns on staging for all Allowed cookies
  • Applies signature checks on existing Allowed cookies
  • Adds a * wildcard Allowed cookie even if the user did not have on previously Upgrading to version 11.3.0 or later

Web scraping

There was a check box for enabling web scraping that was removed in version 11.3.0.

  • When you upgrade from versions 11.0.0 through 11.2.x, if the check box is enabled, the new Bot Detection setting has the option Alarm and Block enabled. If the check box is not enabled, the value is Off.
  • When you upgrade from versions prior to 11.0.0 (where there was no enable flag), the Bot Detection setting is based on the blocking check boxes for web scraping:
    • If the global Block check box is enabled, the value is Alarm and Block.
    • If the global Block check box is disabled, and the global Alarm check box is enabled, the value is Alarm.
    • If both Alarm and Block check boxes are disabled, the value is Off.

Brute Force

In versions prior to 11.3.0, if the Dynamic Brute Force Protection Operation Mode was Blocking, and the security policy’s Enforcement Mode was Transparent, the system blocked brute force attacks. In order to keep functionality after upgrading, the system continues to block brute force attacks if you upgrade to versions 11.3.0 or later, under these circumstances. However, in versions 11.3.0 and later, the functionality changed so that if the security policy’s Enforcement Mode is Transparent, so the system does not block brute force attacks even if the Dynamic Brute Force Protection Operation Mode setting is Alarm and Block (previously Blocking).

DoS profiles

In versions 11.3.0 and later, DoS profiles are assigned to virtual servers. Previously, they were assigned to security policies.

  • Upon upgrading DoS Profiles from versions prior to 11.3.0, all active security policies have their DoS settings migrated and assigned to the virtual server associated with the HTTP Class. If a virtual server had more than one HTTP Class assigned to it, it inherits the settings of the last in the list.
  • If you have a disabled DoS profile in a version prior to 11.3.0, and upgrade, after the upgrade the system automatically assigns the DoS profile to a virtual server. As a result, even though the system does not perform DoS protection, it still collects statistics, which impacts the system’s performance. To work around this issue, if you have a disabled DoS profile assigned to a virtual server, to improve system performance you should remove its association from the virtual server. (ID 405211)
  • We do not support exporting and importing DoS profiles.

Logging Profiles

In versions 11.3.0 and later, logging profiles are assigned to virtual servers. Previously, they were assigned to security policies. Upon upgrading logging profiles from versions prior to 11.3.0, all active security policies have their logging profile settings migrated and assigned to the virtual server associated with the HTTP Class. If a virtual server had more than one HTTP Class assigned to it, it inherits the settings of the last in the list.

XFF configuration (ID 405312)

In versions prior to 11.3.0, DoS profiles used the Trust XFF setting that was a security policy setting. The Trust XFF setting was renamed Accept XFF, and moved from a security policy property to a property of the HTTP profile. If you upgrade a DoS profile and a security policy with the Trust XFF setting enabled, after the upgrade, the new XFF configuration setting is disabled. If you want the DoS profile to continue trusting XFF, navigate to Local Traffic > Profiles > Services > HTTP > Properties screen, and enable the Accept XFF setting.

IP address whitelist

In version 11.2 we unified various whitelists for Policy Builder trusted IP addresses, and anomaly whitelists (DoS Attack Prevention, Brute Force Attack Prevention, and Web Scraping Detection) into a single list. When you upgrade, these separate lists are unified to a single whitelist (called the IP Address Exceptions List).

Security policy status after UCS installation

After you install a .ucs (user configuration set) file that was exported from version 10.1.0 or later, the system does not automatically apply changes that you made, but did not apply, to the security policies. The system enforces the web application according to the settings of the last set active security policy. However, the system preserves any changes to the current edited security policy, and marks the security policy as modified [M] if the changes have not been applied.

Running Application Security Manager on a vCMP system

If you are running Application Security Manager on a vCMP system: For best performance, F5 recommends configuring remote logging to store ASM logs remotely on Syslog servers rather than locally.

Installation checklist

Before you begin:

  • Ensure you have saved the BIG-IP system configuration.
  • Use BIG-IP iHealth to verify your configuration file. For more information, see K12878: Generating diagnostic data using the qkview utility.
  • Update/reactivate your system or vCMP host 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 the BIG-IP or Enterprise Manager system.
  • Download the .iso file from F5 Downloads to /shared/images on the source for the operation. (If you need to create this directory, use the exact name /shared/images.)
  • Configure a management port.
  • Set the console and system baud rate to 19200, if it is not already.
  • Log on as an administrator using the management port of the system you want to upgrade.
  • Check all DNSSEC Key generation's 'expiration' and 'rollover' date:time fields before performing a GTM sync group upgrade. If any of the DNSSEC Key generations are set to rollover or expire during the planned upgrade window, modify the date:time of the 'expiration' and/or 'rollover' fields to extend past the anticipated upgrade window, to a date:time when all units in the sync group will again have GTM config sync enabled.
  • Boot into an installation location other than the target for the installation.
  • Save the user configuration set (UCS) in the /var/local/ucs directory on the source installation location, and copy the UCS file to a safe place on another device.
  • Log on to the standby unit, and only upgrade the active unit after the standby upgrade is satisfactory.
  • Turn off mirroring.
  • If you are running Policy Enforcement Manager, set provisioning to Nominal.
  • If you are running Advanced Firewall Manager, set provisioning to Nominal.

About changing the resource provisioning level of the Application Security Manager

After upgrading or installing a new version, before you can use the Application Security Manager, you must set the Application Security Manager resource provisioning level to Nominal. You can do this from the command line, or using the Configuration utility.

Important: Wait 5 minutes after you set the resource provisioning level before making any configuration changes to the Application Security Manager. The system overrides all configuration changes that were made before this process is completed. When the process is not complete, the system informs you by displaying, in the Configuration utility, the following message: ASM is not ready. The system informs you when the process is completed by indicating in the log (/var/log/asm) the following message: ASM started successfully.

Setting the Application Security Manager resource provisioning level to Nominal from the command line

You can set the Application Security Manager resource provisioning level to Nominal from the command line.
  1. Open the command-line interface utility.
  2. Type the command: tmsh modify sys provision asm level nominal
  3. Type the command: tmsh save sys config.
The screen refreshes, and the resource provisioning level of the Application Security Manager is set to Nominal.

Setting the Application Security Manager resource provisioning level to Nominal using the Configuration utility

You can set the Application Security Manager resource provisioning level to Nominal using the Configuration utility.
  1. On the Main tab, click System > Resource Provisioning . The Resource Provisioning screen opens.
  2. Set the Application Security (ASM) option to Nominal.
  3. Click Submit.
The screen refreshes, and the resource provisioning level of the Application Security Manager is set to Nominal.

To prevent traffic from bypassing the Application Security Manager

Please read Solution 8018 (SOL8018) and Solution 12268 (SOL12268) on the AskF5 web site. These solutions contain important configuration information needed to prevent traffic from bypassing the Application Security Manager.

About working with device groups

Note: This section is relevant only if you are working with device groups.

When Application Security Manager (ASM) is provisioned, the datasync-global-dg device-group is automatically created (even if there are no device-groups on the unit) in any of the following scenarios:

  • First provisioning of ASM on a device that has version 11.6.0, or later, installed.
  • Adding a device (with version 11.6.0 or later) to a trust-domain that has another device which already has the datasync-global-dg device-group.
  • Upgrading to version 11.6.0, or later, when ASM is already provisioned.
  • Upgrading to version 11.6.0, or later, when the device is joined in a trust-domain that has another device which already has the datasync-global-dg device-group.

This device group is used to synchronize client-side scripts and cryptographic keys across all of the devices in the trust-domain.

Note the following:

  • The synchronization is performed across the entire trust-domain, regardless of the configured device groups.
  • The datasync-global-dg device group must not be removed; it is essential for consistency of client-side scripts and keys across the devices.
  • This device group is created upon provisioning, even if the BIG-IP system is working as a standalone.
  • All of the devices in the trust-domain are automatically added to this device group.
  • This device group is manually synchronized. Therefore, when working with device groups (multiple devices in a trust-domain), customers must choose which device will hold the master scripts and keys. The rest of the devices receive these scripts and keys from the chosen device.
  • This device group is also created on units that do not have ASM provisioned, but are in a trust-domain with other units which do have ASM provisioned.

Synchronizing the device group

When adding a device to the trust-domain, or upgrading from a release prior to version 11.6.0, you must manually synchronize this device group.
  1. In the Configuration utility, navigate to Device Management > Overview .
  2. In the Device Groups area, click datasync-global-dg.
  3. In the Devices area, click the device which is chosen to have the master scripts and keys. These scripts and keys will be sent to the rest of the devices.
  4. Under Sync Options, select Sync Device to Group.
  5. Check Overwrite Configuration.
  6. Click Sync.
  7. When the warning message appears, click OK.
The device that you selected continues to work seamlessly. The rest of the devices go OFFLINE, and will not receive traffic for approximately 3 minutes. During this time, the new client-side scripts and keys are synchronized and prepared. After about 3 minutes, all units should return to the ONLINE (Active) state, and the units should be in sync.

Supported ICAP servers

For BIG-IP version 11.6.0, F5 Networks tested the anti-virus feature on the following ICAP servers: McAfee®, Trend Micro™, Symantec™, and Kaspersky. The following table displays which version of each anti-virus vendor was tested, and the value of the virus_header_name variable that needs to be adjusted in ASM for each tool. (You can set the virus_header_name variable: Security > Options > Application Security > Advanced Configuration > System Variables .)

Anti-Virus Vendor Anti-Virus Version Value of virus_header_name
McAfee® VirusScan Enterprise 7.0 X-Infection-Found, X-Virus-Name
Trend Micro™ InterScan™ Web Security 5.0.1013 X-Virus-ID
Symantec™ Protection Engine 7.0.2.4 X-Violations-Found
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 5.5 X-Virus-ID

Contacting F5

North America 1-888-882-7535 or (206) 272-6500
Outside North America, Universal Toll-Free +800 11 ASK 4 F5 or (800 11275 435)
Additional phone numbers Regional Offices
Web http://www.f5.com
Email support@f5.com

Additional resources

You can find additional support resources and technical documentation through a variety of sources.

F5 Support

https://f5.com/support :: Self-solve Options

Free self-service tools give you 24x7 access to a wealth of knowledge and technical support. Whether it is providing quick answers to questions, training your staff, or handling entire implementations from design to deployment, F5 services teams are ready to ensure that you get the most from your F5 technology.

AskF5 Knowledge Base

https://support.f5.com/csp/home

The storehouse for thousands of knowledgebase articles that help you manage your F5 products more effectively. Whether you want to browse periodically to research a solution, or you need the most recent news about your F5 products, AskF5 is your source.

BIG-IP iHealth Diagnostics and BIG-IP iHealth Viewer

https://f5.com/support/tools/ihealth

BIG-IP iHealth Diagnostics identifies issues, including common configuration problems and known software issues. It also provides solutions and links to more information. With BIG-IP iHealth Viewer, you can see the status of your system at-a-glance, drill down for details, and view your network configuration.

F5 DevCentral

https://devcentral.f5.com/

Collaborate and share innovations including code samples, new techniques, and other tips, with more than 300,000 F5 users worldwide. DevCentral is the place to ask questions, find solutions, learn to harness the power of F5’s powerful scripting language, iRules, and much more.

Communications Preference Center

https://interact.f5.com/F5-Preference-Center.html

Here, you can subscribe to a number of communications from F5. For information about the types of notifications F5 provides, see K9970: Subscribing to email notifications regarding F5 products.

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