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xtoh_99605's avatar
xtoh_99605
Icon for Nimbostratus rankNimbostratus
Sep 20, 2016
Solved

good way to document

Hi gurus!

 

Does anyone know a good way to document configuration in LTM? We have a really large environment and it's quite tedious to manually document every VS, iRule, Pool and so on so I'm looking for a better solution.

 

The "Network Map" tab is good sometimes but doesn't show every relation etc. The iApp "components" show a really good overview but we barley use that so I'm looking for other options.

 

I hope you understand what I'm asking.

 

application delivery
documentation
LTM
  • Hannes_Rapp_162's avatar
    Hannes_Rapp_162
    Sep 20, 2016

    For basic requirements, you can create a bash script which invokes 

    tmsh list
    commands and parses the output according to your preference. Every now and then, execute the script manually, and also manually update the documentation in your corporate Sharepoint (or w/e you have). This is a low-cost solution.

    In case of complex requirements where real-time visibility of current config and/or system metrics are required 24/7, no manual solution will work. This is where companies turn to API (REST). Also a front-end component other than F5 must be used (this can be any NIX/Apache server). A Typical F5 visibility automation project from start to finish will cost a company anywhere from 50k-200k USD, regardless if internal employees or external contractors are used for the job.

    Also note there are a few iApps and other visibility tools F5 offers for free. One example being the F5 and Splunk Analytics collaboration (https://splunkbase.splunk.com/app/3161/). Before building a custom tool, it's advised to check whether any of the freely available tools cover your needs.

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  • IainThomson85_1's avatar
    IainThomson85_1
    Icon for Cumulonimbus rankCumulonimbus
    Sep 20, 2016

    Depends what you're wanting to document.

     

    I've worked in organisations that simple document Layer 3 Topology - Depicted by Vlans/Subnets etc.

     

    Going to individual configuration items - Good luck! I believe Netbrain is F5 compatible, so might be worth exploring.

     

    If not, its going to be a custom CMDB with customisable fields which needs to be kept up to date...

     

  • Hannes_Rapp_162's avatar
    Hannes_Rapp_162
    Icon for Nacreous rankNacreous
    Sep 20, 2016

    For basic requirements, you can create a bash script which invokes 

    tmsh list
    commands and parses the output according to your preference. Every now and then, execute the script manually, and also manually update the documentation in your corporate Sharepoint (or w/e you have). This is a low-cost solution.

    In case of complex requirements where real-time visibility of current config and/or system metrics are required 24/7, no manual solution will work. This is where companies turn to API (REST). Also a front-end component other than F5 must be used (this can be any NIX/Apache server). A Typical F5 visibility automation project from start to finish will cost a company anywhere from 50k-200k USD, regardless if internal employees or external contractors are used for the job.

    Also note there are a few iApps and other visibility tools F5 offers for free. One example being the F5 and Splunk Analytics collaboration (https://splunkbase.splunk.com/app/3161/). Before building a custom tool, it's advised to check whether any of the freely available tools cover your needs.

    • xtoh_99605's avatar
      xtoh_99605
      Icon for Nimbostratus rankNimbostratus
      Sep 23, 2016

      Hi, I don't think I will script it but will definitely check out the free tools! Thanks!

       

  • Hannes_Rapp's avatar
    Hannes_Rapp
    Icon for Nimbostratus rankNimbostratus
    Sep 20, 2016

    For basic requirements, you can create a bash script which invokes 

    tmsh list
    commands and parses the output according to your preference. Every now and then, execute the script manually, and also manually update the documentation in your corporate Sharepoint (or w/e you have). This is a low-cost solution.

    In case of complex requirements where real-time visibility of current config and/or system metrics are required 24/7, no manual solution will work. This is where companies turn to API (REST). Also a front-end component other than F5 must be used (this can be any NIX/Apache server). A Typical F5 visibility automation project from start to finish will cost a company anywhere from 50k-200k USD, regardless if internal employees or external contractors are used for the job.

    Also note there are a few iApps and other visibility tools F5 offers for free. One example being the F5 and Splunk Analytics collaboration (https://splunkbase.splunk.com/app/3161/). Before building a custom tool, it's advised to check whether any of the freely available tools cover your needs.

    • xtoh_99605's avatar
      xtoh_99605
      Icon for Nimbostratus rankNimbostratus
      Sep 23, 2016

      Hi, I don't think I will script it but will definitely check out the free tools! Thanks!

       

  • xtoh_99605's avatar
    xtoh_99605
    Icon for Nimbostratus rankNimbostratus
    Sep 23, 2016

    Hi, Thanks for the answer. Will look into Netbrain or we need to come up with another solution.