Manual Chapter : iApps Application Template Customization

Applies To:

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BIG-IQ Cloud

  • 4.5.0
Manual Chapter

About customizing iApp application templates

An iApp is an application template located on F5 devices running TMOS 11.5.0 and later. When you discover an F5 device, all iAppstemplates installed on that device are imported to the BIG-IQ system.

Note: There are actually two types of iApp application templates.
  • BIG-IP iApp templates are imported from your manged devices. They are created by F5 developers or third party deveolopers using TCL and APL code. For details on how to create these, refer to the BIG-IP iApps Developer's Guide on AskF5, or iApp Template Development Tips and Techniques on DevCentral.
  • Once imported to the BIG-IQ device, we refer to these templates as BIG-IQ application templates. You provide customized versions of these to your tenants.

As a cloud administrator, you can modify imported application templates to offer specific configurations and cloud resource access for tenants. You do this by creating a catalog entry, specifying tenant-specific details such as as persistence prole settings, virtual server port numbers, pool server port numbers, or connection limits. Once saved, these catalog entries are available to tenants for self-deployment from the application panel. This saves tenants time, because it does not require that they perform complex network tasks, and it also makes it possible for you to easily duplicate a configuration for several users simultaneously. You also have the option to allow tenants to further customize the applications as required, and deploy them as needed.

Optional load balancing methods for f5.http, f5.microsoft_sharpoint_2010, and f5.microsoft_iss catalog templates

For f5.http, f5.microsoft_sharepoint_2010, or f5.microsoft_iss catalog templates (only), you can specify a load balancing method other than the default, least connection member, by typing a value for the Which load balancing method do you want to use? setting.

Load Balancing Method Value
Dynamic ratio member dynamic-ratio-member
Dynamic ratio node dynamic-ratio-node
Fastest application response fastest-app-response
Fastest node fastest-node
Least connections node least-connections-node
Least sessions least-sessions
Observed member observed-member
Observed node observed-node
Round robin round-robin
Ratio member ratio-member
Ratio node ratio-node
Ratio session ratio-session
Ratio least connections member ratio-least-connections-member
Ratio least connections node ratio-least-connections-node
Weighted least connections member weighted-least-connections-member

Creating a customized application template

Before you can customize an application template for a tenant, you must discover at least one F5 device that contains iApps templates.
As a cloud provider, you modify iApps templates to customize network settings, levels of services, and so forth, for tenants. You can create variations of the same application, offering different types of access (LAN or WAN), or providing a specific limit of connections.
Note: Once you customize and save an application as a catalog entry, you cannot modify it.
  1. Hover over the Catalog header, click the + icon when it appears. The panel expands to display the application template properties.
  2. In the Name field, type a name for this new application.
  3. Unless you want to restrict this application template to a specific cloud connector, leave the Cloud Connector setting as Tenant Selectable so tenants are allowed to select the appropriate cloud connector when they deploy this application.
  4. From the Application Type list, select an application.
  5. If the Application Tiers settings are displayed (expanded), select the options that match the properties for this application; otherwise, keep the default settings.
    Important: If you must specify the options for these settings, select the Tenant Editable check box for the virtual server and pool members.
  6. To allow cloud tenants to specify certificates with SSL encryption when self-deploying applications, select options from the SSL Cert and SSL Key lists. BIG-IQ Cloud uses these options to provide the appropriate certificate and key when the tenant self-deploys this application to a BIG-IP device. These options are not available for all application templates.
  7. Finish making modifications by specifying the Application Properties and Customize Application Template variables. To allow a tenant to modify a particular setting, select the Tenant Editable check box for that setting. For further details about template variables and settings, refer to the BIG-IP iApps Developer's Guide.
  8. If you selected f5.http, f5.microsoft_sharepoint_2010, or f5.microsoft_iss and you want to specify a load balancing option other than the default, Least Connection Member, perform the following steps:
    1. Click the arrow next to Advanced Properties.
    2. In the Which load balancing method do you want to use? field, type the value for the option you want to use.
  9. Click the Save button. You can now send the cloud IP addresses to the tenant and use this IP address range in configuring server tiers and pool members, within certain application services. The tenant can self-deploy the application from the catalog.
The customized application displays as an entry in the catalog.