Lab 2: Software Distribution Jobs - Staging Images to Fleet Instances

Overview

In this lab, you will create and execute a Software Distribution Job in F5 Insight. Software distribution jobs copy software images from the F5 Insight repository onto target BIG-IP instances prior to an active maintenance window. Staging large ISO files ahead of time significantly reduces maintenance window duration and risk.

Objectives

  • Create a new Software Distribution Job in F5 Insight.
  • Target specific fleet instances and select software images.
  • Perform pre-distribution disk space validation checks.
  • Configure execution parameters (Serial vs. Parallel Batch execution).
  • Execute the job with Change Request tracking and monitor progress.

Prerequisites

  • Completion of Lab 1: Software Image Management.
  • Valid TMOS ISO image (BIGIP-17.1.1-0.0.6.iso) uploaded to F5 Insight.
  • Managed target instances (bigip-01.lab.local and bigip-02.lab.local) registered and online.

Task 1: Creating a Software Distribution Job

  1. Log into the F5 Insight console.
  2. Navigate to Manage > Automation > Jobs.
  3. Click Add Job in the top action bar.
  4. From the job type selector, select Software Distribution.

Task 2: Configuring Job Parameters and Target Selection

  1. In the Job Name field, enter a descriptive name:

    Stage_TMOS_17.1.1_Prod_Fleet

  2. In the Description field (optional), enter:

    Pre-staging TMOS 17.1.1 ISO to production standalone BIG-IP instances prior to maintenance window.

  3. Under Select Instances, search for and select your target instances: * Select bigip-01.lab.local * Select bigip-02.lab.local

  4. Under Select Images, check the box for BIGIP-17.1.1-0.0.6.iso.

Task 3: Performing Pre-Distribution Space Checks

F5 Insight automatically evaluates disk space on target instances before transferring large installation files.

  1. Click Check Instances.
  2. Observe the disk space evaluation results table: * Instances with sufficient disk space in /shared/images/ are marked as Ready. * Instances with insufficient disk space display an alert indicating the required vs. available storage.
  3. If an instance indicates low disk space, clean up old images on the target BIG-IP or select Re-check Instances after freeing space.

Task 4: Configuring Distribution Execution Parameters

Choose between Serial or Parallel distribution depending on network bandwidth and target volume:

  1. Under Execution Type, review the available options: * Serial (Rolling Execution): Transfers software to one BIG-IP instance at a time. * Parallel (Batch Execution): Transfers software to multiple instances concurrently.
  2. Select Parallel (Batch Execution).
  3. Set the Batch Size to 2 (allowing both test instances to receive the image simultaneously).

Note

F5 Insight scale limits support up to 100 instances per distribution job, with a maximum parallel batch size of 20 instances.

Task 5: Executing and Monitoring the Distribution Job

  1. To run the distribution immediately, click Execute Job.
  2. In the confirmation modal: * Enter a Change Request # (e.g., CR-98421-TMOS) for audit compliance. * Click Execute Job.
  3. To monitor job progress: * Locate the job in the Jobs list under Manage > Automation > Jobs. * Click on the value in the Executing or Executions column. * Review per-instance transfer status, transfer speed, and completion progress.

Troubleshooting Tip

For detailed distribution transfer logs, SSH to the F5 Insight host CLI and inspect:

tail -f /opt/f5insight/logs/provisioning.log

Verification Checkpoint

  • Verify the distribution job status updates to Completed.
  • Log into bigip-01.lab.local TMOS CLI or Web utility and confirm BIGIP-17.1.1-0.0.6.iso is present in the software image list.

Go to Ticket 03 - Determine Last Application Outage

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