Forum Discussion

Azim_IIPL's avatar
Azim_IIPL
Icon for Altocumulus rankAltocumulus
Nov 15, 2023
Solved

F5 BIG-IP Sizing Requirement

Hi Expert

There is ongoing  requirement for putting all internet facing applications behind web application firewall, and WAF TPS consume F5 CPU and memory and other parameters as well. Fear is that we may fall into any issue in future due to ongoing increase in services shifting on BIG IP F5 boxes.

Could you gyz please add your comment how we can procced with our boxes sizing customer need is that to check if we going to exceed our resources in future however there is any negative impact. 

 

There is any method.

 

application delivery
F5 boxes sizing
ssl
throughput
tps
  • zamroni777's avatar
    zamroni777
    Nov 17, 2023

    for raw estimation:
    (your_targeted_tps at 5th year / 80% ) x 4  = required F5 datasheet tps

    5th year: because usually company's asset depreciation is calculated for 5 years.
    80% ==> so you have 20% buffer
    x 4 ==> because usually f5 datasheet spec is cut by 75% for heavy processing (WAF, complex irules, etc.)

6 Replies

Sort By
  • Paulius's avatar
    Paulius
    Icon for MVP rankMVP
    Nov 15, 2023

    Azim_IIPL Sadly this is not a straightforward answer without knowing the requirement. You really need to know from a business standpoint how many features the plan to use on the F5 and then purchase the appropriate devices if they are physical F5s or ensure you have a hypervisor that can support a large enough F5 VE.

    • Azim_IIPL's avatar
      Azim_IIPL
      Icon for Altocumulus rankAltocumulus
      Nov 16, 2023

      PauliusYuP, I think you are not goted my point, Already we have 14 Boxes installed in our environment,

      the thing is that we are going to check and perform Current ongoing throughput  and total threshold.

       

      The client's requirement is to determine the maximum load capacity for these boxes if they wish to load them in the future. In other words, they want to know how much weight the boxes can tolerate.

       

      F5

  • zamroni777's avatar
    zamroni777
    Icon for Cumulonimbus rankCumulonimbus
    Nov 17, 2023

    for raw estimation:
    (your_targeted_tps at 5th year / 80% ) x 4  = required F5 datasheet tps

    5th year: because usually company's asset depreciation is calculated for 5 years.
    80% ==> so you have 20% buffer
    x 4 ==> because usually f5 datasheet spec is cut by 75% for heavy processing (WAF, complex irules, etc.)

    • Azim_IIPL's avatar
      Azim_IIPL
      Icon for Altocumulus rankAltocumulus
      Nov 17, 2023

      @zamroni i am not sure fully throughup  could you please a few comments again in simple way. 

      Thank you 

       

      The following is brief your comments

      1. Your Targeted TPS at 5th Year: This is the level of transactions per second (TPS) you aim to achieve after five years of operation.

      2. /80%/80%: We include an 80% factor to provide a buffer or safety margin. This accounts for any unforeseen challenges or fluctuations, ensuring a more reliable estimate.

      3. ×4×4: To accommodate heavy processing tasks like Web Application Firewall (WAF), complex iRules, and other demanding operations, we multiply by 4. This factor assumes that the F5 datasheet specifications are typically reduced by 75% to ensure realistic performance under heavy workloads.

      In simpler terms, the formula helps estimate the required Transaction Per Second (TPS) capacity of an F5 device by considering your projected TPS at the 5th year, providing a safety buffer of 20%, and adjusting for the heavy processing demands by multiplying by 4. This ensures that the F5 device can handle the expected workload even under challenging conditions and future growth.

      • zamroni777's avatar
        zamroni777
        Icon for Cumulonimbus rankCumulonimbus
        Nov 17, 2023

        from you reply, i guess you understood my raw formula.
        surely, the TPS is maximum TPS.
        adjust the asset depreciation year duration and fluctuation buffer accordingly.