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  5. Licensing Initial Configuration and Upgrades
Manual Chapter : Licensing Initial Configuration and Upgrades

Applies To:

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BIG-IQ Cloud

  • 4.2.0

BIG-IQ Device

  • 4.2.0

BIG-IQ Security

  • 4.2.0
Manual Chapter
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About licensing, initial configuration, and upgrades

BIG-IQ system runs as a virtual machine in specifically-supported hypervisors. After you set up your virtual environment, you can license or upgrade the BIG-IQ system. You initiate the license activation process with the base registration key.

The base registration key is a character string that the license server uses to verify the functionality that you are entitled to license. If the system has access to the internet, you select an option to automatically contact the F5 license server and activate the license. If the system is not connected to the internet, you can manually retrieve the activation key from a system that is connected to the internet, and transfer it to the BIG-IQ system.

License activation and initial configuration

You must have a base registration key to license the BIG-IQ system. If you do not have a base registration key, contact the F5 Networks sales group (http://www.f5.com).
If the BIG-IQ system is connected to the public internet, use this procedure to activate its license.
  1. Using a browser on which you have configured the management interface, type the following URL syntax where <management_IP_address> is the address you specified for device management: https://<management_IP_address> This is the IP address that the BIG-IQ system uses to communicate with its managed devices.
  2. Log in to the BIG-IQ system with the default user name admin and password admin.
  3. At the top of the screen, click System and Overview.
  4. In the Setup panel, click the IP address of the BIG-IQ system. The panel expands to display additional properties.
  5. In the Base Registration Key field, type or paste the BIG-IQ registration key.
  6. In the Add-on Keys field, paste any additional license key you have.
  7. For the Activation Method setting, select Automatic, and click the Activate button. The BIG-IQ system contacts the F5 Networks licensing server and displays the End User License Agreement (EULA).
  8. To accept the EULA, click the Accept button. The screen refreshes and displays the license details.
  9. Click Properties.
  10. In the Host Name field, type a fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) for the system. The FQDN can consist of letters, numbers, as well as the characters underscore ( _ ), dash ( - ), or period ( . ).
  11. In the Self IP Address field, type the self IP address of your internal VLAN. The self IP address must be in Classless InterDomain Routing (CIDR) format. For example: 10.10.10.10/24. This is the self IP address that managed devices use to communicate with the BIG-IQ system. This address is also referred to as the discovery address.
  12. To add an additional self IP address, click the + sign, and in the new Self IP Address field that the system creates, edit the duplicated self IP address to reflect the additional self IP address that you want to add. Once you save this self IP address, you cannot change it.
  13. Click Services.
  14. In the DNS Lookup Servers field, type the IP address of your DNS server.
  15. In the DNS Search Domain field, type the name of your search domain. The DNS search domain list allows the BIG-IQ system to search for local domain lookups to resolve local host names.
  16. In the Time Servers fields, type the IP addresses of your Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers.
  17. Click the Save button to save your configuration.

Defining DNS and NTP servers for the BIG-IQ system

After you license the BIG-IQ system, you can specify the DNS and NTP servers.
Setting your DNS server and domain allows the BIG-IQ system to properly parse IP addresses. Defining the NTP server ensures the BIG-IQ system’s clock is synchronized with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
  1. Log in to the BIG-IQ system with the administrator user name and password.
  2. Click Services.
  3. In the DNS Lookup Servers field, type the IP address of your DNS server.
  4. In the DNS Search Domain field, type the name of your search domain. The DNS search domain list allows the BIG-IQ system to search for local domain lookups to resolve local host names.
  5. In the Time Servers fields, type the IP addresses of your Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers.
  6. Click the Save button to save your configuration.

Manual license activation and initial configuration

You must have a base registration key to license the BIG-IQ system. If you do not have a base registration key, contact the F5 Networks sales group (http://www.f5.com).
If the BIG-IQ system is not connected to the public internet, use this procedure to activate its license.
  1. Using a browser on which you have configured the management interface, type the following URL syntax where <management_IP_address> is the address you specified for device management: https://<management_IP_address> This is the IP address that the BIG-IQ system uses to communicate with its managed devices.
  2. Log in to the BIG-IQ system with the default user name admin and password admin.
  3. At the top of the screen, click System and Overview.
  4. In the Setup panel, click the IP address of the BIG-IQ system. The panel expands to display additional properties.
  5. In the Base Registration Key field, type or paste the BIG-IQ registration key.
  6. In the Add-on Keys field, paste any additional license key you have.
  7. For the Activation method setting, select Manual and click the Activate button. The BIG-IQ system refreshes and displays the dossier in the Dossier field.
  8. Copy the displayed dossier and transfer it to a system connected to the internet and navigate to the F5 Licensing Server at https://activate.f5.com/license/ .
  9. Copy the displayed dossier and transfer it to a system connected to the internet and navigate to the F5 Licensing Server at https://activate.f5.com/license/ .
  10. Paste the dossier into the Enter your dossier text box, or click the Browse button to locate it on the system, and click the Next button.
  11. Copy or save the activation key and transfer it to the BIG-IQ system.
  12. The End User License Agreement (EULA) displays. When you click Accept, the screen refreshes to display the license details.
  13. Click Properties.
  14. In the Host Name field, type a fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) for the system. The FQDN can consist of letters, numbers, as well as the characters underscore ( _ ), dash ( - ), or period ( . ).
  15. In the Self IP Address field, type the self IP address of your internal VLAN. The self IP address must be in Classless InterDomain Routing (CIDR) format. For example: 10.10.10.10/24. This is the self IP address that managed devices use to communicate with the BIG-IQ system. This address is also referred to as the discovery address.
  16. To add an additional self IP address, click the + sign, and in the new Self IP Address field that the system creates, edit the duplicated self IP address to reflect the additional self IP address that you want to add. Once you save this self IP address, you cannot change it.
  17. Click Services.
  18. In the DNS Lookup Servers field, type the IP address of your DNS server.
  19. In the DNS Search Domain field, type the name of your search domain. The DNS search domain list allows the BIG-IQ system to search for local domain lookups to resolve local host names.
  20. In the Time Servers fields, type the IP addresses of your Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers.
  21. Click the Save button to save your configuration.

Changing the time zone for the BIG-IQ system

You must have licensed the BIG-IQ system before you can modify the default time zone, if required.
The default time zone for the BIG-IQ system is Pacific Standard Time (PST). If you are in a time zone other than PST, you can change the time zone of the BIG-IQ system so that everything presented with a time stamp, including reports, displays with your local time.
  1. Log in to the BIG-IQ command line as the root user.
  2. View the time zone files by typing: ls -laR /usr/share/zoneinfo
  3. Set the time zone using the following command syntax: tmsh modify sys ntp timezone <timezone_filename> For example, tmsh modify sys ntp timezone america/new_york
  4. To save the change, type tmsh save / sys config
Now everything displayed with a time stamp will reflect your local time.

Upgrading a BIG-IQ system license

Before you can upgrade the BIG-IQ system license, you must perform the following tasks:

  • Reactivate your current license to ensure that you have a valid service check date.
  • Download the .iso file for the upgrade from F5 Downloads to /shared/images on the BIG-IQ system. If you need to create this directory, use the exact name /shared/images.
  • Using the management port, log in to the system and boot into an installation location other than the target for the installation.
  • Locate the user configuration set (UCS) in the /var/local/ucs directory on the source installation location, and copy the UCS file to another system for safe keeping.
Use this procedure to upgrade a BIG-IQ license.
  1. Log in to the BIG-IQ system with the administrator user name and password.
  2. At the top of the screen, click System > Overview.
  3. Select License screen and click the Re-Activate button. The screen refreshes to display the activation keys.
  4. Click the Activate button. The BIG-IQ system license reactivates and the screen refreshes to display license details.
  5. Log in to the command line with your root user name and password.
  6. Type the following command where <image name> is the name of the .iso file you downloaded and <volume name> is the volume to which you want to install the file on the BIG-IQ system. tmsh install sys software image <image name> volume <volume name> reboot
  7. To transfer your current configuration (for all stored configuration data including self IP addresses, host names, devices discovered, and so forth) to the new license type: # getdb liveinstall.saveConfig. If the setting is disabled, enable it by typing: setdb liveinstall.saveConfig enable
  8. Log in to the BIG-IQ system with the administrator user name and password.
  9. Navigate to the Devices panel. Managed BIG-IP devices display a Discovery Failed Message.
  10. Click the properties icon for each device and:
    1. Type the device's administrator user name and password.
    2. Click the Save button.
    The BIG-IQ system rediscovers the device.
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