BIG-IP Upgrades Part 1 - Preparation
Note: Most information contained in this article series has also been published on AskF5.com:
K84554955: Overview of BIG-IP system software upgrades - https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K84554955
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.
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. To review Big-IP upgrade behavior in more detail, please review the other Parts.
- BIG-IP Upgrades Part 1 - Preparation
- BIG-IP Upgrades Part 2 - Upgrade Behavior
- BIG-IP Upgrades Part 3 - Versions, Misconceptions and a Back-Out Plan
- BIG-IP Upgrades Part 4 - Performing the Software Installation
Prerequisites
- License reactivation is required prior to installing a newer Big-IP version. For more information, refer to K7727: License activation may be required prior to a software upgrade for the BIG-IP or Enterprise Manager system.
- 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).
ACTIVE '/dev/vg-db-sda/dat.share.1' [30.00 GB] normal ACTIVE '/dev/vg-db-sda/dat.log.1' [7.00 GB] normal ACTIVE '/dev/vg-db-sda/set.1.root' [256.00 MB] normal ACTIVE '/dev/vg-db-sda/set.1._usr' [1.34 GB] normal
- 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 to K167: Downloading software and firmware from F5.
- Verify base and hotfix software image file integrity. For more information, refer to K8337: 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 K7754: Renewing self-signed device certificates.
- Verify all Big-IP systems in the device group are in sync. For more information, refer to K13920: Performing a ConfigSync using the Configuration utility.
Recommendations Prior to Installation
- From the F5 BIG-IP TMOS: Operations Guide; 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. For more information, refer to K7683: Connecting a serial terminal to a BIG-IP system.
- 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 K16022: Opening a proactive service request with F5 Technical Support.
- 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.
- BIG-IP 10Mbps Virtual Edition Lab License (11.4.1 - 13.X)
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 - K15643: BIG-IP VE license offerings
- F5 Product Trials
- BIG-IP 10Mbps Virtual Edition Lab License (11.4.1 - 13.X)
- 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 more information, refer to:
- 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. For more information, refer to: