The information is this series is meant to help a Big-IP administrator complete a software upgrade. I have assisted with hundreds of Big-IP upgrades and hope to help you complete the task as smoothly as possible.
For more information related to a specific Big-IP release, there are additional details in the release notes for each version. For more information, refer to the Release Notes page.
For more information related to a specific Big-IP release, there are additional details in the release notes for each version. For more information, refer to the Release Notes page.
The information in this series applies to:
- F5 platforms which support Big-IP version 10.x - 13.x
- Big-IP Virtual Edition
- vCMP Big-IP Host platforms
- vCMP Big-IP Guest instances
For information regarding upgrading from Big-IP 9.x to 10.x, refer to the following guide:
Manual Chapter: Upgrading from Versions 93x and 94x.
Procedures
Note: If you are familiar with Big-IP upgrade behavior and only need to review the actual steps, use the Performing the Software Installation section
Prerequisites
- License reactivation is required prior to installing a newer Big-IP version. For more information, refer to
Generate a qkview diagnostics file and review iHealth for any triggered upgrade-related heuristics in the Diagnostics and Upgrade Advisor tabs. Each Big-IP product has its own set of requirements pertaining to software upgrades and iHealth is the best utility to find up to date heuristics governing successful Big-IP product migrations.
- For more information, refer to:
- Create a UCS archive of the Big-IP's configuration and save it remotely in case it is needed for recovery purposes. For more information, refer to K4423: Overview of UCS archives.
- Verify your Big-IP system is running version 10.x, 11.x, 12.x or 13.x and is using the volumes formatting scheme (the command lvscan should not be blank).
The command output should appear similar to the following example (the sizes may differ):
- Check running configuration integrity by running one of the following commands. No errors should be returned (warnings may not hinder a software upgrade but should be corrected if possible).
- In Big-IP version 10.x
bigpipe verify load
- In Big-IP version 11.x and 12.x
tmsh load sys config verify
- In Big-IP version 10.x
- Navigate to https://downloads.f5.com and download the desired software:
- Big-IP Base image ISO file (I.E. BIGIP-11.5.4.0.0.256.iso)
- Latest Hotfix ISO file (if available) (I.E. BIGIP-11.5.4.4.0.313-HF4.iso)
- For more information, refer toK167: Downloading software and firmware from F5
- Verify base and hotfix software image file integrity. For more information, refer toK8337: Verifying the MD5 checksum for the downloaded F5 software file
- Verify the device certificates of your Big-IP is not expired. For more information, refer to K6353: Updating a self-signed SSL device certificate on a BIG-IP system
- Verify all Big-IP systems in the device group are in sync. For more information, refer toK13920: Performing a ConfigSync using the Configuration utility
Recommendations Prior to Installation
- before you upgrade the BIG-IP software, review the release notes on AskF5 (support.f5.com) in the Documentation section for your product and version. Pay close attention to the following items:
- Review the Known issues list.
- Review the Behavior change section(s).
- Review the Upgrading from earlier versions section.
- Review the Upgrading from earlier configurations section.
- Review the installation checklist.
- Verify a connection to the serial console port is working. This not required but will allow monitoring of installation progress and provides additional recovery options. .
- When you have a date for the upgrade, we recommend starting a proactive Service Request with your plan in case there are complications during your change window. For more information, refer to
- Testing the upgrade procedure on a lab environment using Big-IP Virtual Edition can be helpful to find potential issues before they are encountered in a production environment.
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Features:
- Inexpensive compared to higher throughput Big-IP VE licenses.
- LTM, GTM, DNS, AFM, ASM, AAM, CGN, APM Lite (10 users).
- In Big-IP v11.4.1 - 11.6.x, you can import Big-IP 10.x - 11.x UCS archives. In Big-IP v12.x, you can import Big-IP 11.x - 12.x UCS archives. Copy the UCS file to /var/tmp and use the following command: tmsh load sys ucs /var/tmp/.ucs no-license no-platform-check
Limitations:
- May not be available in all countries
- Total system throughput limited to 10Mbps
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- Retain a UCS archive from every Big-IP in your network on a remote filestore to aid disaster recovery. Even if the archive has aged and does not contain all configuration objects, it will provide faster recovery time than completely reconfiguring the Big-IP.
- For full planning and assistance during an upgrade, F5 Professional Services is a good resource. Support will answer specific questions regarding the upgrade but can't be used start to finish to perform upgrades
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