F5 Logo MyF5
Search
  1. MyF5 Home
  2. Knowledge Centers
  3. F5 iWorkflow
  4. F5 iWorkflow: Administration
  5. Device Discovery
Manual Chapter : Device Discovery

Applies To:

Show Versions Show Versions

F5 iWorkflow

  • 2.3.0
Manual Chapter
Table of Contents | << Previous Chapter | Next Chapter >>

About device discovery and management

It takes a lot of time to manage multiple BIG-IP® devices. With F5® iWorkflow™, you save time by managing everything at once. This also helps reduce mistakes.

To manage BIG-IP devices, iWorkflow needs to be able to communicate with them. The discovery process creates the communication channel for device management.

After you discover devices, you can modify device configurations without having to log in to each device individually.

Adding BIG-IP devices to the iWorkflow inventory

After you license and perform the initial configuration for the iWorkflow™ system, you can discover BIG-IP® devices running supported versions.
Note: For the most current list of compatible versions, refer to the F5 iWorkflow compatibility matrix (K11198324) on support.f5.com.
For discovery to succeed, you must configure the iWorkflow system with a route to each F5 device that you want to manage. If you do not specify the required network communication route between the devices, then device discovery fails.
Important: The iWorkflow will attempt discovery of BIG-IP devices running versions other than those noted (above) as fully supported. Discovering unsupported devices is not recommended.

The first step to managing BIG-IP devices is to add them to the iWorkflow system inventory.

Important: When you add a device, iWorkflow software installs packages on the device. This installation process can cause the traffic management interface (TMM) on the BIG-IP device to restart. Therefore, before adding a device, verify that no critical network traffic is targeted to the BIG-IP device.
  1. Log in to iWorkflow with your administrator user name and password.
  2. Select either the Clouds and Services or BIG-IP Connectivity component.
  3. On the Devices header, click the + icon, and then select Discover Device.
    The Devices panel expands to show the Discover Device screen.
  4. For the IP Address, specify the device's internal self-IP address.
  5. In the User Name and Password fields, type the administrator user name and password for the managed device.
    Important: To add a device successfully, you must use the admin account; not the root account. If root access is needed, the system prompts you for it.
    Important: A vCMP® host cannot be discovered using the Device panel. To manage a vCMP host, you must create a vCMP Cloud connector.
  6. Click Save to start the task.
  7. If you are prompted to update the device framework, type the password for the root user in the Root Password field.
    During the discovery process iWorkflow checks the version number of the software stack on the BIG-IP device—that is, the version number of the files necessary to support iWorkflow (such as iControl REST), not the BIG-IP device software version. iWorkflow automatically updates the software stack version when needed. For iWorkflow to discover and add BIG-IP devices, you need to enter an administrator user name and password for those BIG-IP devices. In rare cases the root password is also required to upgrade the REST management framework using SSH.
The iWorkflow system populates the properties of the device that you added, and displays the device in the Devices panel.
For devices located in a third-party cloud, you must associate the device with a cloud connector.
Table of Contents | << Previous Chapter | Next Chapter >>
Contact Support Contact Support

Have a Question?

Support and Sales >

About F5

Education

F5 Sites

Support Tasks




©2023 F5 Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.


Trademarks Policies Privacy California Privacy Do Not Sell My Personal Information