How to: Integrate BIG-IP Next Instances with Distributed Cloud Using BIG-IP Next Central Manager (EA)

Note: This is a early access release for this feature, for evaluation purposes only.

The integration of BIG-IP Next Instances with Distributed Cloud through BIG-IP Next Central Manager helps you manage the BIG-IP Next Instances on F5 Distributed Cloud.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to both BIG-IP Next Central Manager and F5 Distributed Cloud.

  • The BIG-IP Next Instance site has been created on the F5 Distributed Cloud Tenant.

  • The Site Token is generated on the F5 Distributed Cloud Tenant.

  • The Instance site has been associated with a BIG-IP Next Central Manager.

Procedure

Onboarding BIG-IP Next Instance with Distributed Cloud

To integrate the BIG-IP Next Instance with F5 Distributed Cloud, follow these steps:

  1. Log in to BIG-IP Next Central Manager as admin.

  2. Click the Workspace icon next to the F5 icon, click Infrastructure, and then click My Instances.

  3. Select the instance you want to integrate with the Distributed Cloud. Click Actions > Onboard to Distributed Cloud. The Onboard to Distributed Cloud page opens.

  4. In the F5 Distributed Cloud section, enter the following details:

    • BIG-IP Next Instance Site Name: Enter the site name that was created on the F5 Distributed Cloud during Site Token generation.

      • Important: The Site Name should match with the name created in F5 Distributed Cloud.

    • Site Token: Paste the Site Token generated on the F5 Distributed Cloud for the BIG-IP Next Instance Site. If you do not have a Site Token, generate one from Multi-Cloud Network service in the F5 Distributed Cloud Console. The site token is valid for 24 hours.

  5. In the BIG-IP Next Instance section, enter the following details:

    • Longitude: Enter the geographic coordinates of the location where the Central Manager is deployed. Example: 19.0760.

    • Latitude: Enter the geographic coordinates of the location where the Central Manager is deployed. Example: 72.8777.

    • Site Local Outside: Enter the interface on the BIG-IP Next Instance that will connect to the F5 Distributed Cloud.

    • Site Local Inside: Enter the interface on the BIG-IP Next Instance that will connect to the Local Network.

  6. Click Onboard. You will be redirected to the My Instances page. The newly integrated instance will have an F5XC tag in front of the instance name.

    • Note: The F5XC tag indicates that this instance is managed by F5 Distributed Cloud and cannot be modified in BIG-IP Next Central Manager.

Result

The BIG-IP Next Instance is integrated with F5 Distributed Cloud using BIG-IP Next Central Manager.

Un-Registering BIG-IP Next Instance from Distributed Cloud

To un-register or delete the BIG-IP Next Instance from Distributed Cloud, follow these steps:

  1. Log in to BIG-IP Next Central Manager as admin.

  2. Click the Workspace icon next to the F5 icon, click Infrastructure, and then click My Instances.

  3. Select the instance with the F5XC tag that you want to un-register from the Distributed Cloud. Click Actions > Unregister from Distributed Cloud.

  4. Click Yes, Unregister to un-register the instance from Distributed Cloud.

Result

The BIG-IP Next Instance is unregistered from F5 Distributed Cloud using BIG-IP Next Central Manager.