Getting Started

This guide contains information about how to install and use F5 BIG-IP Application Services Templates.

About F5 BIG-IP Application Services Templates (BIG-IP FAST)

The F5 BIG-IP Application Services Templates extension, or BIG-IP FAST, provides a way to streamline deployment of applications on BIG-IP using templatized AS3 declarations.

AS3 applications deployed through BIG-IP FAST can be managed using BIG-IP FAST. BIG-IP FAST auto-generates web forms custom to your templates for creating and modifying applications, and provides visibility into what BIG-IP FAST applications are configured on your BIG-IP.

The extension comes with a base set of templates for common use cases such as TCP or HTTPS. New templates can be created to satisfy specific needs of any infrastructure.

Installation

See Install / Uninstall for installation instructions.

Note

On BIG-IP versions prior to 14.0, the iApps LX framework must be enabled before the Configuration utility is visible. To do this, run the following command on the BIG-IP: touch /var/config/rest/iapps/enable. This command only needs to be run once (per BIG-IP system). This is not necessary with BIG-IP 14.0 and later.

Usage Quick Start

  1. The extension’s UI can be found by navigating to iApps > Application Services > Applications LX

  2. Click F5 Application Services Templates to start using BIG-IP FAST. There is a navigation menu at the top, and the initial tab displays a list of BIG-IP FAST applications on the BIG-IP, which will likely be empty on a fresh installation.

  3. To create an application, first click the FAST Templates tab to display a list of available templates that are ready to deploy.

  4. Click one of the template names, fill out the required fields, and then click Deploy.

  5. Upon submission, the page will redirect to the History tab, where there current status of the deploy action can be seen.

  6. After the deployment is successful, select to the Applications tab to see the deployed application. From here the application can be modified or deleted.

Warning

We strongly recommend not using both BIG-IP FAST AND iApp templates together as these templating solutions are incompatible with each other. Using both BIG-IP FAST and iApps is likely to create configuration and source-of-truth conflicts, resulting in an undesirable end-state.

Note

Modifying BIG-IP FAST applications outside of BIG-IP FAST (e.g., via TMSH or with AS3 declarations) can result in those changes getting overwritten the next time BIG-IP FAST modifies the application. See Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for more information.

Next Steps

Continue with GUI Overview for information on using the interface, or use the left navigation to go to a specific page.