4. Install F5 Big-IP LTM in VMware || How to get free F5 load balancer licences || F5 Big-IP LTM

Summary

This tutorial guides viewers on downloading the F5 LTM Appliance image file and deploying it in VMware Workstation. It begins with a recap of previous steps, including setting up web servers and adjusting the network topology. The presenter then demonstrates how to create an F5 account, download the image file, and import it into VMware. The video concludes with the successful login to the F5 appliance using default credentials, setting the stage for future tutorials on network configuration and license activation.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The tutorial is focused on downloading and deploying an F5 LTM Appliance image file in VMware Workstation.
• 🔄 In the previous tutorial, prerequisites were set up including deploying a web server with IP address 10.1.1.10 and two additional web servers.
• 💻 The presenter added a management station to the Network topology, which is the user's laptop or desktop.
• 📍 The management station has three network ports: one connected to VM Network, one connected to the BIG-IP's external interface, and one connected to three web servers over vmnet3.
• 🌐 The BIG-IP's external interface is connected to a client machine with a network address of 172.16.1.0.
• 📝 The presenter guides viewers to download the image file from the F5 website by registering for a free trial and following the steps to obtain a license key.
• 🔗 The tutorial covers how to navigate the F5 website to find and download the appropriate image file for VMware Workstation.
• 📧 The presenter explains that after registering, users will receive an email to activate their account and reset their password.
• 🚫 The video script mentions potential issues with downloading due to location restrictions and provides a solution to contact F5 support.
• 🔑 After downloading, the user is guided through the process of importing the image file into VMware Workstation and powering on the virtual machine.
• 🔄 The tutorial concludes with the user logging into the BIG-IP appliance and changing the default credentials.

Q & A

What is the main topic of this YouTube tutorial?

The main topic of this YouTube tutorial is downloading the image file for an F5 LTM Appliance and deploying it in VMware Workstation.

What was one of the major prerequisites mentioned in the previous tutorial?

One of the major prerequisites mentioned in the previous tutorial was deploying a web server.

What IP address was assigned to the web server created in the previous tutorial?

The IP address assigned to the web server created in the previous tutorial was 10.1.1.10.

What is the purpose of the management station in the lab setup?

The management station in the lab setup is a laptop or desktop used to perform the lab, and it has three network ports for connecting to different parts of the lab network.

What is the IP address of the big IP's external interface mentioned in the script?

The IP address of the big IP's external interface mentioned in the script is 192.168.0.100.

What is the network address that will be connected to the internal interface of the big IP?

The network address that will be connected to the internal interface of the big IP is 172.16.1.0.

How can one obtain a free trial of the F5 LTM Appliance?

One can obtain a free trial of the F5 LTM Appliance by visiting the F5 website, registering an account, and following the steps to request a trial key and download the software.

What happens if the download of the F5 LTM Appliance image file is blocked?

If the download is blocked, one should email [email protected] from the registered email address, providing details such as user ID, company name, contact phone number, and public IP address.

What are the default login credentials for the F5 LTM Appliance after importing it into VMware Workstation?

The default login credentials for the F5 LTM Appliance after importing it into VMware Workstation are 'root' as the user and 'default' as the password.

What is the first task the user is prompted to do after logging into the F5 LTM Appliance for the first time?

The first task the user is prompted to do after logging into the F5 LTM Appliance for the first time is to change the default credentials.

What will be covered in the next tutorial according to the script?

In the next tutorial, the focus will be on configuring VMware networks, assigning VM networks to network adapters, and proceeding with basic installation, including checking and configuring the management IP address, and activating licenses.

Outlines

00:00

📘 Tutorial Introduction and Prerequisites

The video begins with a welcome to the YouTube channel 'No Networks' and introduces the tutorial's goal: downloading an image file for an F5 LTM Appliance and deploying it in VMware Workstation. The host recalls the previous tutorial's activities, which included deploying a web server on a Windows 10 machine with IP address 10.1.1.10 and two additional web servers. These servers will be used to test the output of the big IP Appliance. The presenter also discusses changes made to the network topology, including the addition of a management station, which could be a laptop or desktop. The management station has three network ports, one connected to the VM Network, one connected to the big IP's external interface at 192.168.0.100, and another connected to a client machine with a network address of 172.16.1.0. The internal interface of the big IP is connected to three web servers over vmnet3. The tutorial then proceeds to guide viewers on how to download the image file from the F5 website, detailing the steps to register for a free trial, receive a download key, and initiate the download process.

05:08

🔑 Account Registration and Software Download

This paragraph details the process of setting a password for the newly created F5 account, logging in, and navigating the F5 website to request a trial license key for Big IP VE and Big IQ. After providing evaluation information and selecting the desired trial options, the presenter encounters a potential download block due to location issues and provides a solution involving contacting F5 via email with specific details. The video then demonstrates how to download the Big IP virtual edition image file for VMware Workstation, emphasizing the importance of selecting the correct file and understanding the description to ensure the right version is downloaded. The presenter also explains the steps to download the file, including selecting a download location and method, and addresses potential issues that might arise during the download process.

10:10

🖥️ Importing and Configuring the Big IP Appliance

The final paragraph of the script covers the process of importing the downloaded Big IP image file into VMware Workstation. It includes steps such as opening the virtual machine file, accepting the license agreement, naming the virtual machine, and importing it with specified CPU and RAM configurations. After importing, the presenter powers on the virtual machine and logs in using the default credentials. The video then guides viewers through the process of changing the default password for the root user via CLI access. The tutorial concludes with a recap of the steps taken and a teaser for the next tutorial, which will focus on configuring VMware networks and basic installation, including managing the IP address and activating licenses.

Keywords

💡YouTube

YouTube is a video-sharing platform where users can upload, share, view, rate, comment on videos, and subscribe to other users. In the context of the video, the speaker is hosting a tutorial series on their YouTube channel, which is a common practice for educators and content creators to disseminate knowledge and skills.

💡F5 LTM Appliance

F5 LTM Appliance refers to the Local Traffic Manager (LTM) hardware or virtual appliance provided by F5 Networks. It is a network device that manages traffic between clients and servers. In the script, the tutorial is focused on downloading the image file for this appliance, which is a crucial step for setting up a lab environment to test and learn about network traffic management.

💡VMware Workstation

VMware Workstation is a hosted hypervisor that allows users to run multiple operating systems on a single physical machine. It is used for software development, testing, and system demonstrations. In the video, VMware Workstation is used to deploy the F5 LTM Appliance in a virtual environment, which is a common practice for creating isolated, reproducible test environments.

💡Web Server

A web server is a computer system that processes requests via HTTP, the protocol used for transmitting web pages. In the script, the speaker mentions setting up web servers on a Windows 10 machine, which will be used to check the output of the F5 Appliance. This is an example of how web servers are integral to network testing and management scenarios.

💡IP Address

An IP address is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. In the video script, specific IP addresses are mentioned for different components of the lab setup, such as the web server (10.1.1.10) and the management station (192.168.0.100), which are essential for configuring and accessing the network devices.

💡Network Topology

Network topology refers to the arrangement of the network elements (like nodes, links, and protocols) and the way they are connected. In the script, the speaker discusses modifying the network topology for the lab, which includes adding a management station and connecting various network interfaces to simulate a real-world network environment.

💡F5 Website

The F5 website is the official online presence of F5 Networks, where users can access product information, support, and free trials. In the video, the speaker guides viewers on how to navigate the F5 website to download the image file for the F5 LTM Appliance, which is a step in setting up the lab environment.

💡Free Trial

A free trial is a period during which users can use software or services without charge to evaluate their usefulness. In the context of the video, the speaker explains how to register for a free trial of the F5 LTM Appliance, which allows users to test the product's capabilities before making a purchase decision.

💡Virtual Edition

Virtual Edition refers to the software version of a hardware appliance that can be run in a virtualized environment. In the script, the speaker instructs viewers on downloading the Virtual Edition image file of the F5 LTM Appliance for deployment in VMware Workstation, showcasing how virtualization enables the use of network appliances without dedicated hardware.

💡VMware Networking

VMware Networking refers to the suite of network virtualization products provided by VMware that allows for the creation and management of virtual networks. In the video, the speaker mentions configuring VMware networking to connect the virtual machines, which is a critical step in setting up a functional virtual lab environment.

💡CLI Access

CLI Access stands for Command Line Interface access, which is a method of interacting with a computer program where the user issues commands to the program in the form of successive lines of text (command lines). In the video script, the speaker logs into the F5 LTM Appliance using CLI access and changes the default password, demonstrating a common task performed in network management.

Highlights

Introduction to the tutorial on downloading and deploying an F5 LTM Appliance image file in VMware Workstation.

Recap of previous tutorial where a web server was set up with IP address 10.1.1.10.

Mention of additional web servers created for testing the output of the big IP Appliance.

Explanation of changes made to the Network to Apologia lab topology, including the addition of a management station.

Description of the IP addresses and network ports involved in the lab setup.

Instructions on how to download the image file from the F5 website.

Details on creating an account on F5 for downloading the image file.

Process of resetting the password for the newly created F5 account.

Steps to request a trial license key for the F5 product.

Information on potential issues with downloading due to location restrictions and how to resolve them.

Guidance on selecting the appropriate hypervisor and environment for the virtual edition.

Instructions for accepting the end-user software license agreement.

Selection of the correct image file for VMware Workstation.

Process of importing the downloaded image file into VMware Workstation.

Powering on the virtual machine and logging in with default credentials.

Enforcement of changing the default credentials upon first login.

Summary of the tutorial's achievements, including account creation, image file download, and machine import.

Preview of the next tutorial's content, focusing on configuring VMware networks and basic installation.

Call to action for viewers to subscribe to the YouTube channel and share the tutorial.

Transcripts

hello everyone welcome to my YouTube

channel no Networks

in this tutorial we are going to

download

image file for

F5 LTM Appliance and deploy it in our

VMware Workstation

before we proceed let's recall shortly

what we did in our previous tutorial

so guys in our previous tutorial we are

we made the prerequisites ready like one

of the major prerequisite was deploying

the web server

so we have created a web server in

Windows 10 machine with IP address

10.1.1.10

similarly we created two more web

servers

this web servers will be useful to check

the output of the big IP Appliance

then as I told you that we will be doing

a small changes in our Network to

apologia lab topology

so guys what I did I have added a

management station this is nothing but

your laptop or a desktop on which you

are performing your lab

so this IP will be having three Network

ports

one of the Management Port will be

connected to VM Network one with the

four IP address of the big IP is

192.168.0.100 the external interface of

the big IP will be having a machine

connected to it that will be a client

machine

and the network address will be

172.16.1.0 and the internal interface of

the big IP we will be connecting three

of our web servers and that will be

connected over a vmnet3

the VMware Networking when we will be

doing a lab at that time you will have a

clear idea if you didn't understood over

here

quickly what we are going to do is we

will open our browser and going to F5

website we will download the page file I

will show you the steps to proceed

let's go on f5.com www.fy.com

over here click on get F5 and click on

free product files

yeah scroll down over here and

and a big IP and big iqve can't get the

free trials

over here scroll down a little and

you'll see that your 30 days free trial

started the four steps login or register

request your key download the software

launch it if you have accounts related

on F5 you will click on login since we

don't have a account we'll click on

register

create account

over here click on create one create a

new account

put the email address

on next

just provide your details over your

first name

last name job title

foreign

company or organization details

and once you fill up all these details

then click on register now it is saying

that registration confirmed thank you

for registering login instructions have

been sent to your registered email

address

so quickly open the mail address

and we will just wait for our

email to be received from F5

so guys you can see we have received an

email from F5 Networks and it is asking

you to reset the password see activate

your account back to you on the below

link

it will be prompted to change your

password click on this link

is asking to set your password let's set

our password for this account

and click on submit button

seems like some

Apple error okay

the password didn't match maybe so let's

try again

password match click on submit

okay fine one second

okay so once you have set your password

it is saying your password has been set

has been reset you may login click on

login button over here

now we will login to our account

using our registered email address in

the password which we have set now

click on login button over here

so guys as we log in it is asking you

the evaluation information

so let's provide the evaluation

information what is the purpose of this

trial

let's say current evaluating security

products what is your job function

selected accordingly then

over here which trial would you like

click on ipv and big IQ option

licenses just skip it one licenses and

when you will scroll down after the

contact information you will find the

captcha

just enter the three black text from

this which is 6 5

0 click on request license key

so as you can see over here it is saying

that thank you for your interest

in big ipve your trial registration keys

and activation instructions will be

emailed within next 30 minutes

uh meanwhile what we are going to do is

from this link over here we will be

trying to download our software just

click over here

scroll down

uh oh one more thing I want to show yeah

you will see over here like when you

scroll along select the hypervisor and

or environment where you want to run ve

we are going to run in our VMware

Workstation so this is the option which

is suitable for us

VMware KVM openstack just click on

download Big ipv Image click over here

guys over here you will find multiple

options and we are going with the

virtual Edition just add a note over

here guys like

due to the location issue or some XYZ

reason there is a possibility your

download will be blocked by the F5 and

you will get this error

so if in case you get this kind of error

saying that when you click on Virtual

edition if you get this other export

compliance check failure you don't need

to worry what you have to do is you have

to write an email to this email address

CSP fy.com from the same registered

email address

and you have to provide in the email

body with your user ID name company name

company name you can give your name it

is not necessary that it should be a

registered company

it is not mandatory it should be your

registered company you can give your

company name XYZ contact phone number

and the IP address IP address over here

means your public IP address you have to

go to google.com and simply type my IP

address you will get your public IP

address this details you have to provide

to F5 and then F5 will allow you to

download they will give your

confirmation and then when again you

come on this particular virtual Edition

link you will be able to download this

is just for your information if you face

any issue moreover you won't face but in

some location you might face this issue

so let me click on the virtual Edition

link and I will be redirected further I

will show you so guys uh as soon as you

click the virtual Edition over there it

will take you to this page

you have to accept the end user software

license click on I accept

now over here

is providing you the multiple options as

you can see over here the file name and

the description the description is quite

more important because using this

description we will identify what

exactly we require

foreign

option the big IP the file name with the

extension or and you will see that the

image file set for VMware esxi server so

this is what exactly we need we need a

image file for VMware

similarly you will find this file in the

bottom also but it is md5 we don't need

this md5 file right what we need is we

need an image file and if we will just

go through the image files over here

this is the one which will definitely

suit our requirement

so let's take this big IP

17.0.0 vmware.org we will click on this

now it is asking you that for which

location from which location you want to

download so whichever is nearby to you

you can just use that option and you can

download it easily so you have option

Australia island Japan Singapore

and so on and additionally saying that

if you are experiencing difficulties

with the link above just select an

alternative download method below so you

have FTP HTTP https and all so let's

select one of them and then we will

let's select Japan

from here we will start to download and

you can see the download has started

required file is being downloaded over

here now

so guys till the time

this is downloaded I will just pause the

video

so our image file is downloaded over

here now we are going to open this file

in our VMware Workstation let's open the

VMware Workstation

and you will click on open a virtual

machine

over here you will find the downloaded

file what you have to do is you have to

locate this file and

simply open it

just check this box I I accept the terms

of the license agreement

click on next

name of the new virtual machine you have

to give the name over here

will give the name F5 big-ip LTM

if you want to keep it as a default

location where you want to store this

virtual machine you can keep as it is or

else you can locate as per your minions

click on next over here

we will go with one CPU 048 MB RAM that

would be enough for doing our lab click

on import button

and you can see the importing of the

machine has started now

so guys the machine is successfully

imported in our VMware Workstation now

what we are going to do is we will just

power on this virtual machine click on

this or on virtual machine

to enter on the option big IP

machine will boot

you can see now you are prompted to the

login

so guys over here in the CLI the login

credentials which you will be using the

default credentials I would say will be

the root as a user and default will be

the password let me note down it for you

so guys as you can see this is going to

be your default credentials access

through a CLI a root and the password is

default let's login

and as soon as you log in with this

credentials I think some typing error

once again

okay it is enforcing you to change the

default credentials now it is asking

that just put the current password of

the big IP which is going to be default

now you have to set your password for

the CL uh for the root user through a

CLI access

you have to retype the password

and you can see over here now the

password for the root user is changed

guys we have successfully login to the

machine over here

through sdli

so just uh let's

recall what all things we have done so

guys in this tutorial we have

created the account in F5 from where we

have downloaded the image file for big

IP and then thereafter we have imported

this machine into VMware Workstation

so guys this is all about in this

tutorial in the next tutorial what we

are going to do is we will be

configuring our VMware networks VM

networks we are going to configure we

will be assigning the VM Network to the

network adapters as per our laptop 4G

and then we will proceed with basic

installation where we will be seeing how

to check the management IP address how

you can configure the management IP

address I mean you can change the

management IP address through a CLI we

will be taking a GI access we will be

activating the licenses and so on guys

in this way we will proceed thanks for

watching guys if you haven't subscribed

to my YouTube channel yet please

subscribe it now and do share with your

friends

see you in the next tutorial