How to: Create a BIG-IP Next Central Manager on KVM

This document describes how to install the BIG-IP Next Central Manager on OpenStack KVM.

Prerequisites

Before you can install a BIG-IP Next Central Manager image in a KVM environment, you need to configure the following in your KVM:

  • KVM QEMU 6.2 on Ubuntu 22.04 (machine type i440fx)

  • CPU that supports AVX x86 instruction set

  • CLI utilities to work with KVM images: virtinst, virt-inst, virt-viewer, virsh, cloud-localds

  • Hypervisor Resources:

    • BIG-IP Next Central Manager is available in two image options: Standard and Large.

Image vCPUs RAM Disk space
Standard 8 16 GB 350 GB
Large 16 64 GB 1 TB

If you are unfamiliar with these prerequisites, refer to the OpenStack documentation for details.

Procedures

Upload a BIG-IP Next Central Manager image to your OpenStack environment

Download a KVM Cloud Image (qcow2)

To install the BIG-IP Next Central Manager in OpenStack, the software image must be in the OpenStack environment.

  1. Log in to MyF5 Downloads.

  2. Accept the EULA and click Next.

  3. Under Group, select BIG-IP_Next.

  4. Under Product Line, select Central Manager.

  5. Under Select a product container, choose the appropriate version.

  6. Under Select a download file select the qcow2 image file.

  7. Under Download locations, select the appropriate location.

  8. Click Download.

  9. Repeat these steps to also download the appropriate checksum file.

  10. Save the qcow2 file temporarily to your workstation’s local storage.

  11. Copy the qcow file to your KVM host

Create a new disk volume

Use the image to create a new disk image for your instance.

  1. Start a terminal and navigate to the path where you placed the image on your KVM host.

  2. Copy the default cloud image to a new image: cp <extracted filename> /var/lib/libvirt/images/my-central-manager.qcow2.

Create a virtual machine.

This example will create an instance that has 8 vCPU / 16 GB of RAM.

It will create a single network interfaces. Adjust to match your environment.

   virt-install \
  --name my-central-manager \
  --virt-type kvm \
  --machine pc \
  --cpu host-model \
  --vcpus 8 \
  --memory 16384 \
  --network type=direct,source=[physical interface to bridge i.e. ens1f0],source_mode=bridge,model=virtio
  --disk path=/var/lib/libvirt/images/my-central-mamager.qcow2,device=disk \
  --os-variant ubuntu22.04 \
  --noautoconsole \
  --import
  1. After the VM is deployed, verify it is running.

    virsh list --all
    

Change the BIG-IP Next Central Manager default password

After the system completes the initialization process, a built-in admin account is enabled that provides you with the access you need to complete initial configuration and setup.

The admin account provides initial user access.
The initial admin account password is admin.

You should change the password for the admin account before bringing a system into production.

  1. From the virsh utility connect to your instance via console my-central-manager

  2. At the login prompt, type admin.

  3. At the password prompt, type admin.
    You are prompted to change the default password the first time you log in.

  4. Follow the prompts and set a new password.
    After setting the new password, the BIG-IP Next Central Manager Console will open.

  5. When you log in as admin with the new password the system displays a “welcome” banner along with information unique to your new BIG-IP Next Central Manager, similar to the following:

    ->  Pre-authentication banner message from server:
    |    ________   ___  _________    _______    _  __        __
        / __/ __/  / _ )/  _/ ___/___/  _/ _ \  / |/ /____ __/ /_
      / _//__ \  / _  |/ // (_ /___// // ___/ /    / -_) \ / __/
      /_/ /____/ /____/___/\___/   /___/_/    /_/|_/\__/_\_\__/
        _____         __           __  __  ___
      / ___/__ ___  / /________ _/ / /  |/  /__ ____  ___ ____ ____ ____
      / /__/ -_) _ \/ __/ __/ _ `/ / / /|_/ / _ `/ _ \/ _ `/ _ `/ -_) __/
      \___/\__/_//_/\__/_/  \_,_/_/ /_/  /_/\_,_/_//_/\_,_/\_, /\__/_/
    
    
      --- Welcome to the F5 BIG-IP Next Central Manager Console ---
    
    +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
    | * To set up networking and install the software bundle, use the following command:|
    | -> setup                                                                          |
    +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
    
    ->Platform Details
      Hostname:..........central-manager
      Release:...........20.1.0
      Platform Version:..0.8.109
      App Version:.......0.178.14
      BuildDate:.........2024.01.23    
      Flavor:............Small
      K8s Platform:......v1.27.7+k3s1
    

Install BIG-IP Next Central Manager

Run the setup script (This is optional)

Note: This is required if the user wants to configure a static IP address for the VM instance or the DNS server configuration is available only during the initial setup. After the CM services are started, adding these conifiguration settings are not available. Follow the instructions below.

  1. While still on the CM console, at the $ prompt, type setup
    Welcome… and instructions display.

    Note: Message if BIG-IP Next Central Manager is already installed:

    BIG-IP Next Central Manager has already been installed.
    Running setup again will destroy all current configuration and data.
    Please run /opt/cm-bundle/cm uninstall -c prior to running setup if you wish to continue.

  2. Type inputs

    Example values are shown within parentheses. If there is a default value, it will be shown within square brackets and will automatically be used if no value is entered.

    Network with DHCP

    Hostname (example.com):<br>
    ['10.145.77.192'] found on the management interface.<br>
    Do you want to configure a static IP address (N/y) [N]:  
    Primary NTP server address (0.pool.ntp.org) (optional):
    Alternate NTP server address (1.pool.ntp.org (optional):<br>
    

    Network with a management IP address (No DHCP)

    Hostname (e.g. example.com): central-manager-server-1
    IP address(es) ['10.192.10.136'] found on the management interface.
    Do you want to configure a static IP address (N/y) [N]: 10.192.10.139/24
    Management IP Address & Network Mask [192.168.1.245/24]: 10.192.10.139/24
    Management Network Default Gateway [192.168.1.1]: 10.192.10.1
    Primary DNS nameserver (e.g. 192.168.1.2): 10.196.1.1
    Alternate DNS nameserver (e.g. 192.168.1.3) (optional): 10.196.1.1
    Primary NTP server address (i.e 0.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org) (optional):
    Alternate NTP server address (e.g. 1.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org) (optional):
    IPv4 network CIDR to use for service IPs [100.75.0.0/16]:
    IPv4 network CIDR to use for pod IPs [100.76.0.0/14]:
    

    Note: About the two inputs for service and pod IPs: the system uses the two internal IP addresses for communication between invidual containers. Make sure the defaults listed do not conflict with the existing IP address space on your network. If they do, choose a different IP range for the service and pod IPs to resolve the conflict.

    Summary and Installation

    Summary
    -------
    
     Hostname: central-manager-server-1
     Management Network Already Configured: False
     Management IP Address: 10.192.10.139/24
     Management Gateway: 10.192.10.1
     DNS Servers: 10.196.1.1, 10.196.1.1
     IPv4 network CIDR to use for service IPs: 100.75.0.0/16
     IPv4 network CIDR to use for pod IPs: 100.76.0.0/14
     
    
  • Would you like to complete configuration with these parameters (Y/n) [N]:

    Type Y to complete.

Configure the BIG-IP Next Central Manager

The BIG-IP Next Central Manager has been successfully created. You can configure it using BIG-IP Next Central Manager GUI or API. See Configure the Standalone or High Availability using BIG-IP Next Central Manager GUI.

Troubleshooting

This section describes some known issues related to the deployment of the BIG-IP Next Central Manager application and the possible remedies.

BIG-IP Next Central Manager installation times out

The BIG-IP Next Central Manager installation script (/opt/cm-bundle/cm install) can take up to 20 minutes to complete. If the application deployment times out instead of displaying Installation Complete, the system displays the following error:

Error: timed out waiting for the condition

In this case, a simple system reboot can sometimes address the issue. Run the following command on the BIG-IP Next Central Manager’s command-line terminal:

sudo systemctl reboot

After the system reboots, log in to the BIG-IP Next Central Manager terminal and make sure the BIG-IP Next Central Manager application Pods are all in a running state. Use the following command:

kubectl get pods

Additional Kubernetes deployment issues

If you run kubectl get pods and all Pods are running normally, your output should look similar to this:

13:29 $ kubectl get pods
NAME                                               READY   STATUS      RESTARTS   AGE
mbiq-vault-0                                       2/2     Running     0          25h
mbiq-db-postgresql-0                               2/2     Running     0          25h
mbiq-db-postgres-flyway-init-job-xm4ck             0/2     Completed   0          25h
mbiq-db-pgadmin4-78cb4c5bc7-vj55p                  2/2     Running     1          25h
mbiq-ado-feature-8b7579847-24jfp                   2/2     Running     0          25h
svclb-mbiq-ingress-nginx-controller-qgxq4          2/2     Running     0          25h
mbiq-nats-0                                        2/2     Running     0          25h
mbiq-kube-state-metrics-695f868d9-wm42v            1/1     Running     0          25h
mbiq-system-feature-5d9f6774df-fcvft               2/2     Running     0          25h
mbiq-ingress-nginx-controller-b4486c9d7-cklsj      1/1     Running     0          25h
alertmanager-mbiq-kube-prometheus-alertmanager-0   2/2     Running     0          25h
as3-workflow-feature-flyway-init-job-7znsl         0/2     Completed   0          25h
mbiq-node-exporter-59wc4                           1/1     Running     0          25h
mbiq-ui-667849dd97-ptk59                           1/1     Running     0          25h
as3-feature-flyway-init-job-ld5gk                  0/2     Error       0          25h
mbiq-app-deploy-utils-service-5569d44688-z2cwn     2/2     Running     0          25h
mbiq-license-feature-58fdb86c49-8k527              2/2     Running     0          25h
mbiq-ado-query-feature-68bfb68d69-5rbvq            2/2     Running     0          25h
mbiq-device-feature-6f994bfd5f-9xc42               2/2     Running     0          25h
mbiq-proxy-service-56557c5986-ckkb7                2/2     Running     1          25h
mbiq-kube-prometheus-operator-6c85cd89f9-cjf56     1/1     Running     0          25h
device-feature-flyway-init-job-zjgvt               0/2     Completed   0          25h
mbiq-apm-feature-85476b6654-h4x8m                  2/2     Running     0          25h
mbiq-as3-feature-84dc5fb498-gtgks                  2/2     Running     0          25h
mbiq-alert-feature-66c896bd4f-pcm6k                2/2     Running     1          25h
apm-feature-flyway-init-job-jqt2k                  0/2     Completed   0          25h
sslo-feature-flyway-init-job-pw55p                 0/2     Completed   0          25h
alert-feature-flyway-init-job-ck4tf                0/2     Completed   0          25h
mbiq-fast-feature-6b78b98689-hb7gx                 2/2     Running     0          25h
prometheus-mbiq-kube-prometheus-prometheus-0       2/2     Running     1          25h
mbiq-as3-workflow-feature-99674f76d-wcbcw          2/2     Running     1          25h
license-feature-flyway-init-job-zdgq5              0/2     Completed   0          25h
ado-query-feature-flyway-init-job-9pht9            0/2     Completed   0          25h
mbiq-certificate-feature-588ff78dd-97tw6           2/2     Running     0          25h
system-feature-flyway-init-job-47qn5               0/2     Completed   0          25h
mbiq-sslo-feature-bf9c466bc-khgpc                  2/2     Running     1          25h
certificate-feature-flyway-init-job-xqzzd          0/2     Completed   0          25h
fast-feature-flyway-init-job-lswrk                 0/2     Completed   0          25h
as3-feature-flyway-init-job-hvm8z                  0/2     Completed   0          25h
mbiq-waf-feature-666698bf57-6x4cd                  2/2     Running     1          25h
waf-feature-flyway-init-job-xd6sf                  0/2     Completed   0          25h
mbiq-fluentd-0                                     2/2     Running     0          25h
mbiq-gateway-feature-f9fd9b4d9-jmw99               2/2     Running     0          24h
mbiq-loki-0                                        2/2     Running     0          20h
mbiq-fast-service-85d97bcd6d-tzgm5                 2/2     Running     10         25h

If there is an issue with a specific Pod/container, you can check the logs for additional information on that container.
Note: When a Pod fails to start successfully, Kubernetes automatically attempts to start that Pod again. For troubleshooting purposes, you only need to be concerned with Pods that aren’t either Running or Completed after repeated attempts.

To check the log for a specific container, use the following command:

kubectl logs <pod name> -c <container name>

The following example provides a list of log entries for the container named mbiq-system-feature in the Pod named mbiq-system-feature-76ccf87577-nsdlc.

kubectl logs mbiq-system-feature-76ccf87577-nsdlc -c mbiq-system-feature

You can use a similar command syntax to investigate issues with other Pods.

You can also get information about the Kubernetes node that runs the BIG-IP Next Central Manager. Use the following command to get resource allocation details for the Kubernetes node:

kubectl describe node central-manager

The following is an excerpt from a typical response you can expect from this command:

Allocated resources:
  (Total limits may be over 100 percent, i.e., overcommitted.)
  Resource           Requests      Limits
  --------           --------      ------
  cpu                3840m (48%)   8800m (110%)
  memory             3856Mi (12%)  7508Mi (23%)
  ephemeral-storage  0 (0%)        0 (0%)
  hugepages-1Gi      0 (0%)        0 (0%)
  hugepages-2Mi      0 (0%)        0 (0%)

For a list of current, known issues, please refer to the release notes: (BIG-IP Next Fixes and Known Issues).