Software image management¶
Overview¶
Software image management in F5 Insight lets you upload, store, and organize software images and their associated validation files for TMOS platforms. These images are used by Software Distribution and Software Installation jobs to deploy and activate software across your fleet.
Benefits and key features¶
- Centralized image store — Upload and manage TMOS images in one place, ready for distribution and installation.
- Authenticity and integrity checks — Each image is validated against its signing certificate and signature (described in K24341140).
- Bulk, background uploads — Upload multiple files at once; uploads continue in the F5 Insight background while you work elsewhere in the UI.
Prerequisites¶
- Access to the F5 Insight platform (v1.2 or later).
- Appropriate role permissions for software file management.
- Software image files downloaded from my.f5.com/manage/s/downloads.
- The corresponding validation files for each image (see Required validation files).
Supported software¶
For this release, F5 Insight supports uploading the following software types:
| Software type | Image format | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| TMOS | .iso |
Base TMOS software images for BIG-IP. |
Required validation files¶
To ensure the software images you upload are authentic and uncorrupted, F5 Insight validates each .iso image against its accompanying validation files. For the initial release, you must upload both of the following files alongside each .iso image:
| File | Extension | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | .pem |
Provides the public certificate used to validate the image signature. |
| Signature | .sig |
Cryptographic signature used to verify the image is authentic and from F5. |
Important
Both validation files (.pem and .sig) must be uploaded with each .iso image. F5 Insight uses these files to validate the image. In the 1.2 release, F5 Insight does not block distribution if verification is missing or fails; the BIG-IP verifies the image locally before installation begins.
Upload software images¶
- Go to the Manage section in the left toolbar.
- Select Software.
- Select Images.
- Select Upload to open the upload drawer.
- Select Upload File to open the file selection dialog.
- Select one or more software image files and their corresponding validation files (
.pem,.sig) from your local system. You can select and upload multiple files at the same time. - After confirming the file selection, the files will begin uploading immediately.
Upload multiple files¶
You can select and upload multiple files at once. F5 Insight queues each file and uploads them together, so you do not need to upload images and their validation files one at a time.
Background uploads¶
Uploads continue in the background even if you leave the upload screen. You do not need to keep the upload drawer open for uploads to complete.
- When you leave the upload drawer while an upload is still in progress, F5 Insight displays a banner indicating that one or more file uploads are in progress.
- Select the banner to return to the upload details and view per-file progress.
Cancel an upload¶
If you selected the wrong file or started an upload by mistake, you can cancel an individual file upload while it is in progress.
- Open the upload details (from the upload drawer or by selecting the in-progress banner).
- Locate the file you want to cancel.
- Select the trash can icon next to that file. The remaining files in the upload continue unaffected.
Manage uploaded software¶
Delete software files¶
You can delete software files that you previously uploaded to F5 Insight. Deletion supports bulk delete, so you can remove multiple files in a single action.
- Go to the Manage section in the left toolbar.
- Select Software.
- Select Images.
- Select one or more uploaded software files using the checkboxes.
- Select Delete on the right-hand side of the table. A confirmation dialog appears.
- Confirm the deletion.
Note
Important: Deleting software from F5 Insight removes it from the platform’s image store. It does not remove any software already distributed to or installed on managed instances.
Scale limits¶
- Support for up to 10 GB total file size in one software upload.
- Support for up to 10 files in one software upload.
- Limit of a total of 50 GB for all uploaded software files in F5 Insight.
Out of scope for this release¶
The following capabilities are not included in this release:
- Programmatic or automated download from my.f5.com — The ability to download software directly from my.f5.com/manage/s/downloads.
- Deleting software on managed instances — The ability to delete software stored on the BIG-IP instances themselves (as opposed to in the F5 Insight image store).
- Additional software types and image formats — Support for more software types and image formats beyond TMOS (for example, F5OS).
- Image lifecycle management — Automated expiration, archival, and cleanup of stored software images.
- Image tagging and categorization — Tagging and categorizing images for easier organization and management.