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Manual Chapter : Optimizing Configuration Management with Templates

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Optimizing Configuration Management with Templates

About configuration templates

BIG-IQ® can manage multiple devices simultaneously. These devices can be located in several data centers that may be located in many different locations. To help you easily manage required configuration changes to DNS, NTP, SMTP, and Syslog for a large number of devices, you can use configuration templates.

To start, you create a configuration template, then deploy that template to certain devices. This can save a significant amount of time because you are not required to log in to each device individually to make configuration changes.

Create a device template for auto-scaled BIG-IP VE devices



You create a new device template to specify a base configuration to create devices in a service scaling group (SSG). When you deploy the SSG, BIG-IQ uses the device template settings to create new virtual devices in your cloud environment.

  1. At the top of the screen, click Devices then, on the left, click DEVICE TEMPLATES.
  2. Click the Create button.
  3. After you name this template, click the Add/Remove button. Select the objects you want to add, and click OK.

    The system adds the objects to the template. A yellow circle displays next to each object to let you know that you need to provide an initial value.

    Object This is where you specify: Notes
    Configuration

    The text for a hostname prefix and/or suffix to help you identify new BIG-IP VE devices in the you cloud environment.

    The default route and management port used to communicate between BIG-IQ and the BIG-IP VE devices in the SSG.

    You must configure a hostname so that you can identify issues revealed through device specific analytics.

    You can use any port except for 8443.
    License Specific license pool you want to use to license new BIG-IP VE devices. You must specify a license pool for the devices in an SSG.
    Provisioning Components you want installed on new BIG-IP VE devices. You must at least select Local Traffic Manager (LTM). You also need Application Visibility and Reporting (AVR) so that analytic data from your devices can trigger scaling events.
    DNS & NTP

    Details about the lookup and NTP server settings and time zone.

    		 You must specify an NTP server so all of the devices in the SSG have the same time reference. This must be a server that has the same time as the managing BIG-IQ system.
    VLANs

    Interface for the virtual or physical port to connect BIG-IQ to your managed devices.

    Optional tag you want to use in the packet header of this VLAN and Optional frame size (MTU).

    You must specify a VLAN for the devices in an SSG.

    By default, BIG-IP devices use the standard Ethernet frame size of 1518 bytes (1522 bytes if VLAN tagging is used) with the corresponding MTU of 1500 bytes. For BIG-IP devices that support Jumbo Frames, you can specify another MTU value.
    Self-IPs

    IP address and VLAN details, including port lockdown options.

    You must specify self IP addresses for the devices in an SSG.

    You must specify self IP addresses for the devices in an SSG.

    Important: Do not remove or rename the external self IP or application deployments to this SSG will fail.

    For an IPv4 address, you must specify a /32 IP address per RFC 3021. You must type the full netmask. Specifying the prefix length in bits is not supported.

    If you use an IP pool for your self IP addresses, the pool name you specify in the template must match the name you specify when you configure the VMware environment.
    Routes Static route settings for new BIG-IP VE devices. For destination, you can use the self IP address for this route. It displays in the destination column of the routing table
    Root account Root user account for new BIG-IP VE devices. It is good practice to provide root access so that you can access the devices for troubleshooting.
    User accounts

    Select the role and specify a user name and password for users you want to provide access to new BIG-IP VE devices.

    In addition to alphanumeric input, you can use all punctuation characters for the password.

    Or, if you are using local authentication and have created a

    password enforcement policy, the password must meet the criteria specified in the password enforcement policy.

When you finish defining your new template, you can use it to create a new application that deploys to your BIG-IP devices.

Deploying a configuration template to managed devices

You must create a configuration template before you can deploy it to a managed device.
Deploying a configuration template saves time when you want to make a similar change to several managed BIG-IP devices.
  1. At the top of the screen, click Devices.
  2. On the left, click CONFIG TEMPLATES > Deployments.
  3. Near the top of the screen, click the Create button.
  4. From the Config Template list, select the template you want to deploy.
  5. In the Deployment Name field, specify the name for this configuration template deployment.
  6. From the Available list, click the devices you want to deploy the configuration template to, and then click -> to move it to the Included list.
  7. Click the Next button at the bottom of the screen, navigating to the components required for this template, and specifying the configuration.
  8. Click the Deploy button.
BIG-IQ applies this configuration to the specified BIG-IP devices.
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