6. License Activation and Initial Setup Wizard || F5 Big-IP LTM

Summary

This tutorial guides viewers on configuring the management IP address of an F5 Big-IP appliance using the CLI and accessing it via GUI. It covers initial setup, changing the default IP, and resetting admin passwords. The video also demonstrates activating licenses manually due to lack of internet access on the appliance and completing the setup wizard, including configuring internal and external network interfaces.

Takeaways

• 💻 The tutorial covers configuring the management IP address of an F5 BIG-IP appliance using the CLI.
• 📝 The default management IP address can be checked using the command `tmsh list sys management-ip`.
• 🛠️ The traffic management shell (tmsh) is a command-line interface for managing the BIG-IP system.
• 🔄 To change the IP address, use the `config` utility and specify the new IP, netmask, and route as per the lab topology.
• 🔐 The default credentials for the appliance are 'admin' for both username and password.
• 🔒 If the admin password is forgotten, it can be reset using the `modify auth user admin prompt-for-password` command in the CLI.
• 🌐 Issues with accessing the appliance through the GUI can be resolved by running specific commands in the CLI.
• 📧 Licenses can be activated manually if the appliance does not have internet access by using a base registration key.
• 💾 The tutorial explains resource provisioning, including CPU and memory allocation for management and TMM (traffic management microkernel).
• 🌐 The initial setup wizard is used to configure network settings, hostname, time zone, and user administration.
• 🔄 The tutorial also covers the configuration of internal and external network interfaces with their respective IP addresses and VLAN settings.

Q & A

What is the default management IP address for the F5 big-ip Appliance?

The default management IP address for the F5 big-ip Appliance is 192.168.1.245.

What does 'tmsh' stand for and what is its purpose?

'tmsh' stands for Traffic Management Shell, which is a command-line interface for managing the big-IP system.

How can you check the management IP address using the CLI?

To check the management IP address using the CLI, you would type 'tmsh', then 'list sys management-ip' and hit enter.

What is the command to change the management IP address in the F5 big-ip Appliance?

The command to change the management IP address is 'config CU and fij' followed by entering the new IP address and net mask.

What should you do if you forget the admin password for the F5 big-ip Appliance?

If you forget the admin password, you can reset it using the CLI with the command 'modify auth user admin prompt-for-password'.

How do you access the F5 big-ip Appliance through the GUI after changing the management IP?

After changing the management IP, you can access the appliance through the GUI by opening a web browser and typing 'https://<new-ip-address>' followed by logging in with the default credentials.

What is the significance of the TMM in the context of the F5 big-ip Appliance?

TMM stands for Traffic Management Micro Kernel, which processes all load balanced traffic on the big-ip system and runs as a real-time user process within the big-IP operating system called tmos.

What is the purpose of the initial setup wizard in the F5 big-ip Appliance?

The initial setup wizard is used to configure the basic settings of the appliance such as management IP, hostname, time zone, and network configurations.

How can you activate the license on the F5 big-ip Appliance if it doesn't have internet access?

If the F5 big-ip Appliance doesn't have internet access, you can activate the license manually by copying the base registration key and license key from the F5 website after manually entering the key on the appliance.

What is the role of the internal and external network configuration in the F5 big-ip Appliance setup?

The internal network configuration is used to set up the network interface for internal traffic, while the external network configuration is for external traffic. They are essential for defining how the appliance will handle traffic for different networks.

Why is it necessary to configure the DNS settings on the F5 big-ip Appliance?

Configuring DNS settings is necessary for the appliance to resolve domain names to IP addresses, which is required for accessing external resources over the internet.

Outlines

00:00

💻 Configuring Management IP and Initial Access

The tutorial begins with an introduction to configuring the management IP address on an F5 Big-IP appliance using the CLI. The presenter explains the significance of the Traffic Management Shell (tmsh) for managing the system and demonstrates how to check the default management IP address with the 'list sys management-ip' command. The default IP is shown as 192.168.1.245. The presenter guides through changing the IP address using the 'config' utility, specifying a new IP as per the lab topology, which is 192.168.0.100/24. The process includes setting a net mask and deciding not to create a default route at this stage. The video also mentions the absence of a license and the appliance being in standalone mode, not configured for high availability.

05:01

🌐 Testing New IP and GUI Access

After changing the management IP, the presenter tests the new IP address by pinging it from the physical host. They then proceed to access the appliance through a web browser using the new IP address with HTTPS, navigating through security warnings to log in with default credentials (admin/admin). An additional note is provided on how to reset the admin password if forgotten, using the 'modify auth user admin prompt-for-password' command in the CLI. The presenter also addresses potential issues with accessing the appliance through the GUI, offering a workaround involving two specific CLI commands to resolve common login problems.

10:01

🔑 Activating Licenses and Completing Setup Utility

The presenter discusses the process of activating licenses on the F5 Big-IP appliance. Initially, an automatic activation method is attempted, but due to the lack of internet access on the appliance, a manual activation method is used instead. The presenter guides through the steps of manual activation, including entering a base registration key and manually inputting a license key obtained from the F5 licensing server. Once the licenses are activated, the change is reflected in the CLI, moving from 'no licenses' to 'inoperative, Standalone'. The presenter also touches on resource provisioning, explaining the allocation of CPU and memory resources between management and TMM (Traffic Management Micro Kernel), and the default selection of LTM (Local Traffic Manager) in the licensing modules.

15:02

🛠️ Resource Allocation and Initial Setup Wizard

This section delves into resource allocation, detailing the division of CPU and memory resources between management and TMM processes. The presenter provides an overview of the current resource allocation and explains the roles of TMM and LTM. They then guide through the initial setup wizard, discussing the selection and deselection of various modules, and the importance of memory allocation for different modules. The setup process includes configuring the management IP, IPv6 settings, time zone, hostname, and user administration settings. The presenter also covers the network configuration, including setting up internal and external network interfaces with specific IP addresses and VLAN configurations.

20:04

🔄 Network Configuration and Completing the Wizard

The tutorial continues with the configuration of internal and external network interfaces. The presenter specifies IP addresses, net masks, and VLAN settings for both interfaces, emphasizing the importance of correct tagging in network design. They demonstrate adding the internal network interface with an IP of 10.1.1.100 and the external network interface with an IP of 172.16.1.100. The presenter also discusses the 'put lockdown' option and the tagging of interfaces. After configuring the network settings, the presenter completes the initial setup wizard, resulting in the appliance being ready for use with options for LTM, iApps, DNS, and local traffic management now available.

25:06

🏁 Recap and Future Tutorials

In the concluding part of the tutorial, the presenter recaps the steps covered, including the initial configuration of the management IP, accessing the appliance, activating licenses, and completing the initial setup wizard. They also mention the upcoming tutorials that will delve into important terms and concepts related to server load balancing and other aspects of F5 technology. The presenter encourages viewers to subscribe to the YouTube channel for further learning.

Keywords

💡CLI

CLI stands for Command Line Interface, which is a text-based interface used to interact with computers and other devices. In the context of the video, CLI is used to configure the management IP address of the F5 Big-IP appliance through the Traffic Management Shell (tmsh). The script demonstrates how to access the CLI by typing 'tmsh' and using it to display and change the default management IP address.

💡GUI

GUI stands for Graphical User Interface, which is a visual interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through icons, menus, and other visual indicators. In the video, after configuring the management IP through the CLI, the presenter accesses the F5 Big-IP appliance through a GUI by typing the IP address into a web browser, highlighting the transition from command-line to graphical operations.

💡Management IP Address

A management IP address is the network address assigned to a device for the purpose of managing and configuring that device over a network. In the video script, the default management IP address of the F5 Big-IP appliance is checked and changed to fit the lab topology using the CLI, which is a crucial step for remote management and configuration of the device.

💡Traffic Management Shell (tmsh)

Traffic Management Shell, abbreviated as tmsh, is a command-line interface specifically designed for managing the F5 Big-IP system. The video script details the process of logging into the F5 Big-IP console and using tmsh to configure the management IP address, emphasizing its importance in the system administration workflow.

💡IPv4

IPv4 stands for Internet Protocol version 4, which is the fourth version of the Internet Protocol and the most widely used networking protocol for internet communications. In the script, the presenter chooses IPv4 when prompted for the Management IP family type while configuring the management IP address, reflecting its continued prevalence in networking configurations.

💡Default Route

A default route is a network route that is used when the destination IP address does not match any other routes in a router's routing table. In the video, the presenter is asked if they want to create a default route for the Management Port, which is a decision that affects the ability to connect to the Management Port from another subnet.

💡License Activation

License activation is the process of validating and enabling the use of software through a unique key or code. In the video script, the presenter guides viewers through the steps of activating the F5 Big-IP appliance's license, either automatically or manually, which is essential for unlocking the full functionality of the device.

💡Resource Provisioning

Resource provisioning refers to the allocation of hardware or software resources to a system or application. In the video, resource provisioning is discussed in the context of the F5 Big-IP LTM appliance, where CPU and memory resources are allocated between the management OS and the Traffic Management Micro Kernel (TMM), highlighting the importance of resource allocation for optimal performance.

💡Traffic Management Micro Kernel (TMM)

TMM, or Traffic Management Micro Kernel, is a component of the F5 Big-IP system that processes all load-balanced traffic. The script mentions TMM in the context of resource provisioning, where a significant portion of CPU and memory is allocated to TMM for handling traffic management tasks, indicating its critical role in the system's operation.

💡Initial Setup Wizard

The Initial Setup Wizard is a guided process that helps users configure the basic settings of a device or software application. In the video, the presenter uses the Initial Setup Wizard to configure the F5 Big-IP appliance, including network interfaces and general properties, providing a streamlined approach to the initial configuration of the system.

Highlights

Introduction to configuring management IP address through CLI

Accessing the appliance through GUI and initial setup wizard

Default IP address for F5 big-ip Appliance is 192.168.1.245

Using 'tmsh' (Traffic Management Shell) to manage the big-ip system

Command to display the management IP address: 'list sys management-ip'

Changing the management IP address according to lab topology

CLI command 'config CU' to configure the management IP address

Setting a new static management IP address of 192.168.0.100/24

Ability to ping the new management IP address from the host

Accessing the appliance through a web browser using the new IP

Default credentials for F5 big-ip Appliance are admin/admin

How to reset the admin password through the command line

CLI commands to resolve connection issues with the appliance

Activation of the F5 license using a base registration key

Manual activation of the license when automatic fails due to no internet access

Resource provisioning and understanding CPU and memory allocation

Explanation of TMM (traffic management micro kernel) and its role

Initial setup wizard steps including hostname and time zone configuration

Internal and external network configuration as part of the setup wizard

Completion of the initial setup wizard and availability of LTM statistics

Summary of the tutorial's key learnings and预告 of upcoming content

Transcripts

hello everyone welcome to my YouTube

channel neural networks

in this tutorial we are going to

configure management IP address through

a CLI and moving on we will be accessing

the appliance through a GUI

and completing the initial setup wizard

so guys let's begin with the

configuration

we will go to our VMware Workstation

over here we will be going to the F5

big-ip console we will log into the

appliance

and the very first thing what we are

going to see is what is the default IP

address for the F5 big-ip Appliance so

guys for doing so the very first thing

what you have to do is you have to type

tmsh

tmsh

stands for traffic Management Shell

what is traffic management this all

things we will be

going in detail in the coming time but

for now just understand that

traffic Management Shell it is a command

line interface for managing the big IP

system

we will be using the TA message to

configure and manage the big-ip system

in conjunction with the Configuration

utility

which is the browser-based big-ip system

and network management tool

so going to the command line you will

type tmsh and hit enter

to check the

management IPA does the default

management IP address of the appliance

the command is

list

sys

management hyphen IP

it is giving you the default IP address

which is 192.168.1.245

I will note down the command for you

over here so that you can have a better

understanding so

the very first thing on the CLA after

taking the login you type e msh

hit enter and then you have given a

command list

sys for system

management hyphen IP this was the

command to display the IP address on the

management interface and we have seen

that the default a management IP is

192.168.1.245

now we are going to

change this IP address as per our lab

topology

just quit from this prompt and hit enter

and one more thing I would like to show

you that if you are seeing that the name

on the command line root at the red

localhost further it is saying no

license since we haven't activated the

license till yet that is the reason it

is giving you no licenses and of course

it is a standalone machine not in

configured in ha that's why it is saying

standalone so to configure the

management IP address you will type

config CU and fij and hit enter

it will open a

prompt for you and it is saying that

using this utility uses utility to add

an IP address net mask and default route

for the management port on this system

hit enter

now it is saying Select Management IP

family type

so in our case we are using ipv4 so we

will hit enter on itv4

configure IP address use automatic

configuration of IP address no we will

configure our own IP address as per our

laptopology so just using the arrow key

you can move to no right arrow key and

move to no and hit enter

here you can put the IP address so as

per our lab topology the Management Port

IP address will be

192.168.0.00 24.

so let's put that IP address over here

192.168.0.00.

192.168 0.00

use the Tab Key and hit enter on OK

this will be our net mask

okay do you want to create a default

route for Management Port this is

required if you want to connect to the

Management Port from another subnet so

you will say no for now

and proceed further

it is giving you the details which you

have configured the IP address and the

net mask hit enter on yes

you will be again prompted to the CLI

over here

so guys now we have changed the IP

address of our

big IP Appliance on the management port

so from the physical host we are going

to

just try to the IP address and it should

be able to Ping 192.168.0.100

it is pinging now let's open the web

browser and we will be

accessing the appliance through the GUI

just type the IP address with https

colon double slash

192.168.0 Dot 100 enter

Advanced and then accept this can

continue

over here the default credentials will

be

admin

admin

and click on login

uh guys over here I would like to add

one more thing now let's say for example

if in case you have forgot the admin

username and password

I did this purposely over here so that I

can add one more command for you the

default username and password will be

admin and admin only but if in case

let's say you forgot the admin password

so what you are going to do we will

learn over here that how you will reset

the password for the admin through the

command line

so guys let's go to the command line of

our F5 big IP over here you will be

going to

PA message and I believe that now you

know what is TMS TMS stands for traffic

Management Shell

to enter

over here you are going to give the

command this will be you this command

you are using to

reset the admin password if in case you

forgot

modify

authentic auth

user

the username which will be admin

and prompt for

password

I will just write this

command over here

command is modify

a u t h

user

admin

if you have resetting the password for

admin it will be admin or if you are

resetting it for some other user instead

of admin that in this place it will be

that particular user and

prompt

for

password

so as soon as you will hit enter over

here

it will ask you to configure your new

password for admin user so let's

configure the new password

and now your password is saved

foreign

the command to save the configuration

saves this config

the configuration is saved now let me

note down this command as well for you

save

this Ys

on freak sorry

so this command will help you to save

the password

now if in case you want to just quit

from this uh tmos then you will

type quit and

hit enter

now we will try to log in to our new

password

and we are now login to the Appliance

through the GUI

foreign

to the Appliance through a GUI

I would like to add a note over here

maybe if in case you face a issue like

when you are able to when you are trying

to access the appliance uh let's say for

example you have entered the credentials

the admin user name and password uh you

there is a possibility in some of your

like for some of you

you may get a prompt like

um

unable to contact big IP device or it

may say something like you know please

wait by the Configuration utility

utility start so if in case you face

such issue over here and you are not

able to login I am giving a solution

guys just in the go to

this what we say command line going to

command line uh in the VMware

Workstation through a command line you

have to add these two commands uh just

go to

a message okay

command line going to the traffic

Management Shell these two commands you

have to add

the command and then hit enter this

second command you have to hit and you

can hit and once you do this uh that

particular error which you are getting

on the browser that will be wipe out

what you have to do after giving this

command in the command line uh you have

to just close the browser and again open

and you will be able to access the

appliance it won't be for everyone but

if in some cases you face the issue I am

adding this note this is a workaround

for that particular issue okay

so guys the very first thing what we are

going to do over here is we will

activate the license and after

activating the licenses we will complete

the setup utility so you would have

received an email this way okay this is

basically a license which is sent by FY

uh when it was sent in the tutorial when

we have downloaded the file from F5 you

remember we have received a notification

on the website saying that the licenses

will be sent to you within 30 minutes

and I told you over there that yes uh

zero license is completed we will be

proceeding with the

another downloading of the file and the

installation so this is the email which

you have received right so this

particular license key uh we will be

using for our activation purpose Okay so

just going to licenses over here from

the left side you can see the license

over here right click on activate

over here uh base registration key is

the thing which you require right so we

will be using this one

you can see this one so I have copied

the

is over here we will just copy this and

paste it over there

once you have you have done with this

so after copying this you will see like

activation method over here activation

method is automatic which requires

outbound connectivity which means you

will require internet access and the

second option you can find is manual we

have entered access on our machine okay

so we will say automatic and click on

next button over here

it will take some time so you have to

wait

guys we just we miss out one thing that

we haven't what we say

we haven't

figured that DNS setting in all so this

device won't be able to reach to the

internet right the F5 Appliance won't be

able to restore the internet we will do

that configuration later but for now we

don't need that what we are going to do

is we will go with the manual

activation method for now okay so the

base registration key is the one which

we have received from F5 this one w a t

d l okay this you will put over here and

then the activation method let's select

manual over here and selecting this

option next button

okay once you are done with this

then

you will get this page over here

and then over here what you have to do

is

here to access F5 licensing server over

here and it will take you to the F5 site

okay if you will see over here it is

asking you to enter your dose here so

this is the one which you have to copy

press Ctrl a select all

Ctrl C to copy

and simply you have to paste it over

here

once you have pasted this over here

click on next button

the end user agreement so just check

this box I have read and agree to

the terms of this license click on next

over here you will see cut and paste

your license key from the below from the

form below so what you do

either you can download it or you can

simply select all copy it

and step a is the license paste it over

here

and click on next button

okay so guys what you have learned over

here since we were not having internet

access on our F5 box uh I'm in the F5

virtual Appliance so we were not able to

go with the automatic process okay so we

have changed the method and we opted for

the manual method uh using the manual

method we have seen that we were asked

to put the Dozier first of all it has

taken to the FY side where we have

copied the Dozier and then we got a

license and we have copied that over

here now

our

F5 Appliance must be

activated the licenses are activated on

our Appliance

so guys click on continue over here

so we have activated the licenses now

and if you will go to the CLI you would

be able to see that now over here

as you can see over here earlier it was

no licenses but now uh it is saying

inoperative

Standalone okay

the next thing what we are going to do

is we will proceed with the initial

setup wizard

but before we proceed with the initial

setup wizard let me explain you about

the resource provisioning

as you can see over here uh the current

resource allocation in CPU it is divided

into two OS 1 is management and another

is TMM

so guys TMM stands for traffic

management micro kernel

TMM processes all load balanced traffic

on the big-ip system

TMM runs as a real-time user process

within the big IP operating system

which is called tmos

so over here you can see CPU and memory

the third one you can see the first is

CPU the third one is memory CPU and

memory resources are explicitly present

in the big-ip configuration

so when we talk about the CPU 10 percent

is allocated to management that is about

89 is allocated to TMM

just remember that mm stands for traffic

management micro kernel

and LTM is one percent the disk is fully

allocated to management

and the memory the memory is you can say

like around 1594 MB is allocated to the

management and

26 MB is allocated to TMM

so what is TMM memory

the amount of memory in use by the TMM

process

TMM processes the traffic management

this was all about the current resource

allocation in your F5 big-ip LTM

Appliance

coming down you will see like the

provisioning of management local traffic

LTM you can see the LTM is by default

selected right and it is on the nominal

value

apart from that you have other licensing

modules like Asm

and Global traffic

access policy manager APM and so on so

if you want to like let's say in future

time if you want to enable any one of

those

module simply you have to check this box

and this particular model will be

enabled at the same time you can see

over here like the memory allocation is

also given to Asm

but for now in this lab we only require

LTM so we will simply uncheck this box

this was all about the resource

provisioning

we will click on next

you can see the details over here the

certificate details the certificate

properties are being shown over here

then you can simply click on

next over here if you want to

import something some certificate you

can do it from here but for now we will

say click on next we will give the

default settings

over here in the general properties you

have to be bit careful when you are

configuring the things

see the management IP will be the one

which we have already configured and it

will be the manual which is

192.168.0.100 this we have initially

configured in the command line

IPv6 we are not using in our lab

topology that we will rule out

time zone

we will be offering the time zone for

our time zone

so I will be selecting my time zone over

here

after selecting the time zone

one more thing hostname we have to give

so

I will give like

five big IP Dot

local domain this is what I will choose

the host name will be F5 big IP dot a

local domain

host IP address use the Management Port

IP address only

we will keep the setting as it is and we

have selected the time zone now user

Administration you can disable the login

for the root account from here or if you

want to reset the password that also you

can do through a GUI from here exercise

access is enabled so like using a third

party tool like a putty or something you

can do a SSH if you want to disable that

just uncheck this box

from where you want to allow the SSH

access then also you can Define from all

address or you can specify a range that

from specify address only I want to

allow the SSH access

that's that's all in this particular

page let's click on next

it is saying that

some field below certain errors correct

before continuing okay

foreign

account okay we will just set the

password over here for the root account

before we proceed further you know the

password which we have like in the

initial configuration through a CLI we

have

taken the login and it enforce us to

change the password that password will

put over here for the root account and

then we will click on next

now it is asking for some standard

network configuration okay

click on next

configuration sync High availability we

don't need for now we'll just uncheck

both the boxes just what you have to do

and check first it will uncheck the

second one also click on next

internal network configuration

so guys when I talk about internal

network configuration the very first

thing I will take you to the uh our lab

topology

so this is our lab topology and internal

Network it will be 10.1.1.100.

internal one

let's put the IP address uh 10.1.1 Dot

100

the net mask will be 255.255.255.0

over here in the Pod lockdown keep it as

allow default

foreign

tag ID will be Auto villain interface

will be one dot in our let's take the

lab topology it is supposed to be one

dot right so we will say the internal

line where an interface will be 1.2

again option over here in the tagging

option you have to

say unpack

add it over here

see this we can change later also I will

show you but we are doing the initial

set of wizard so the initial

configuration we will complete over here

itself we are going to do the internal

network configuration I mean uh we are

doing this particular configuration so

we have for the IP address 10.1.1.100 we

have said that the interface will be

will will end tagging one dot then

interface will be one dot over here for

the internal IP select so we have

selected that one dot over here and

taking we have set and tag after doing

this we have added this okay so 1.2 is

tagged as per our Network design click

on next button over here

foreign

external network configuration it is

asking

so we will put the external interface IP

which will be 172.16.1.00

172.16.1.100 and the net mask will be

255.255.255 Dot zero

in the put

lock down option over here it is the

external interface right so say allow

none

and default gateway we will not be

putting over here for now

VLAN name is external with an ID Auto

and the VLAN interface will be 1.1

band and click on ADD button so now we

have added we have configured the

external interface IP address and with

an interface

as one dot one over here and untagged

and click on finish buttons

let me show you before I click finish

let's let me show you why we have added

1.2 AC in our Network design on the

external

site

1.1 we have tag right so in the

design is 1.1 for internal it was 1.2

that we have done now for the external

it is 1.1 we have added over here and

click on finish button

so guys basically now what we have done

is we have completed with our setup

initial setup Wizard and you can see now

you're getting the options for your fi

LTM Appliance statistics

I apps DNS local traffic and all the

options now they are available with you

over here

so guys uh let's quickly recall what we

have done in this lab

basically we have done the

initial configuration wizard but before

that we have activated the licenses okay

at the beginning of this tutorial we

have configured the management IP we

have seen the commands how to

set up the management IP like starting

from here we are going to the DMS TM

shell we have seen how you will check

the management IP address then we have

seen that how if required how you will

change the admin password if you have

forgot from the CLI and uh we have taken

the login to the Appliance through the

newly configured management IP address

but yes before that I would like to add

that

I have shown you if in case uh you are

facing a difficulty in login uh through

a GUI so this command you have to use I

didn't phase in in our lab when I was

showing I didn't face but if it in case

you faced very rarely these two commands

you have to run into tmsh in the CLI

then thereafter taking the log into the

appliance very first we have activated

the licenses yes we were uh on the wrong

track where I have said you that we will

go with the automatic licensing

activation but the appliance doesn't

have the internet access so we're not

able to do so then what we did we have

tried to activate through a manual and

yes we were able to do it by copying the

Dozier than copying the license Keys

through going to the F5 website then

thereafter we have completed the initial

setup wizard for the appliances where we

have added the internal interface

external interface and many things over

there so that's all guys in this

tutorial so in the coming tutorial we

will be learning about some important

terms and terminologies we will see what

is server load balancing this all terms

and terminologies which will be we will

be learning in the coming tutorial will

be very much helpful to for you to go

through the entire series of this F5 so

that's all guys in this tutorial thanks

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see you in the next tutorial