Automation, Orchestration & DevOps > Class 3: Deploy apps with AS3, FAST, and ACC Source | Edit on

Lab 4 - Creating FAST Template for future app deployments¶

Install FAST template on BIG-IP¶

Connect to admin@10.1.1.6 by clicking the device in the F5 HOSTS view
You should see that FAST is already installed.
If you do not see FAST installed you can do the following:
Navigate to FAST under the BIG-IP menu by choosing BIG-IP >> ATC >> FAST
Under the FAST dropdown, you should see a list of version options for the FAST extension. Select the Latest version. This will automatically install the rpm file to the connected BIG-IP. After a minute or so, you should see messages in your output indicating that it is installed:
```
[INFO]: installing atc rpm job complete, waiting for services to restart (~30 seconds)
```
After seeing the above message, please wait another a minute for your connected device to update in VSCode. If it has not refreshed automatically after a minute, try clicking on the 10.1.1.6 host again to refresh manually.

Render Simple FAST YML template to AS3¶

This lab will focus on rendering a FAST yml template using VScode template HTML Preview and generating AS3 declaration which can posted to BIG-IP in VScode istself.

Copy the below YML file into the VScode browser. The below yml shows the values already populated for tenant name, virtual address, virtual port, server addresses and server port. The template portion has those variables already templatize with double curly braces.

title: Simple HTTP Application
description: Simple HTTP load balancer using the same port on client and server side.
parameters:
  tenant_name: tophttp
  application_name: defaultsHTTP_8080
  virtual_address: 10.0.0.200
  virtual_port: 8080
  server_addresses:
    - 10.1.20.10
    - 10.1.20.11
  service_port: 80
template: |
  {
    "class": "ADC",
    "schemaVersion": "3.20.0",
    "{{tenant_name}}": {
      "class": "Tenant",
      "{{application_name}}": {
        "class": "Application",
        "template": "http",
        "serviceMain": {
          "class": "Service_HTTP",
          "virtualAddresses": [
            "{{virtual_address}}"
          ],
          "virtualPort": {{virtual_port}},
          "pool": "{{application_name}}_Pool1"
        },
        "{{application_name}}_Pool1": {
          "class": "Pool",
          "monitors": [
            "icmp"
          ],
          "members": [
            {
              "serverAddresses": {{server_addresses::array}},
              "servicePort": {{service_port}}
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  }

Remaining on the VScode, select Render FAST template HTML Preview.
Review the Simple HTTP Application details.
Click on the Render button at the bottom of screen to see the generated AS3 declaration.
Review the generated AS3 declaration.
Remaining on VScode right click to POST as AS3 Declaration.
Remaining on VScode click on the AS3 tab --> Tenant, and you can see your tophttp application.
Go to UDF bigip1 Access, and click on TMUI to access bigip1.
Access bigip1 by logging into the GUI to review the configuration, Select partition as tophttp to see the details.
Clean up the tenant after use. In VScode window, right click on the tophttp tenant and select Delete Tenant.

Use VScode for Posting FAST Template Set¶

This lab will focus on converting an AS3 declaration into FAST YML and then packaging into FAST Template Set. The template set can be pushed to the BIG-IP. The FAST App can be deployed using the recently pushed template set.

Go to VScode and select the explorer icon (files). Right click on fast >> templates folder and click on New Folder as shown below
Type name of the folder as Agility and hit return
Ensure that you have the 10.1.1.6 host selected in the F5 Extension.

Create a new file in VSCode and copy/paste the AS3 declaration below

{
  "$schema": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/F5Networks/f5-appsvcs-extension/master/schema/latest/as3-schema.json",
  "class": "AS3",
  "action": "deploy",
  "persist": true,
  "declaration": {
    "class": "ADC",
    "schemaVersion": "3.0.0",
    "id": "urn:uuid:33045210-3ab8-4636-9b2a-c98d22ab915d",
    "label": "Sample 1",
    "remark": "Simple HTTP application with RR pool",
    "Sample_01": {
      "class": "Tenant",
      "A1": {
        "class": "Application",
        "template": "http",
        "serviceMain": {
          "class": "Service_HTTP",
          "virtualAddresses": [
            "10.0.1.10"
          ],
          "pool": "web_pool"
        },
        "web_pool": {
          "class": "Pool",
          "monitors": [
            "http"
          ],
          "members": [
            {
              "servicePort": 80,
              "serverAddresses": [
                "192.0.1.10",
                "192.0.1.11"
              ]
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

We need to convert from AS3 JSON to YML FAST template
While in the VScode right click to see the AS3-->FAST YAML option
Review the converted YML file.
Replace the Virtual Server IP address "10.0.1.10" with "{{virtual_server}}".
Replace ["192.0.1.10", "192.0.1.11"] with {{server_address::array}}.
Replace 80 with {{service_port::integer}}.
Below shows the replacement or templatized parameters.
Now add the server_address, service_port and virtual_server to the parameters section along with description as shown below.
```
virtual_server: Virtual Server
service_port: 80
server_addres: Server Address
```
Save the file as http.yml in the Agility folder.

Review the YML template file which was just created.

title: template title
description: template description
parameters:
  tenant_name: default tenant name
  service_address: Server Addresses
  service_port: 80
  virtual_server: Virtual Server
definitions:
  tenant_name:
    title: Tenant Name
    type: string
    description: partition on bigip
template: |
  {
    "$schema": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/F5Networks/f5-appsvcs-extension/master/schema/latest/as3-schema.json",
    "class": "AS3",
    "action": "deploy",
    "persist": true,
    "declaration": {
      "class": "ADC",
      "schemaVersion": "3.0.0",
      "id": "urn:uuid:33045210-3ab8-4636-9b2a-c98d22ab915d",
      "label": "Sample 1",
      "remark": "Simple HTTP application with RR pool",
      "{{tenant_name}}": {
        "class": "Tenant",
        "A1": {
          "class": "Application",
          "template": "http",
          "serviceMain": {
            "class": "Service_HTTP",
            "virtualAddresses": [
              "{{virtual_server}}"
            ],
            "pool": "web_pool"
          },
          "web_pool": {
            "class": "Pool",
            "monitors": [
              "http"
            ],
            "members": [
              {
                "servicePort": {{service_port::integer}},
                "serverAddresses": {{server_address::array}}
              }
            ]
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }

While you are in the VScode window highlight the folder Agility. Right click and select Post Template Set to post the new template to BIG-IP.
Go to UDF and Click on the bigip1 TMUI and login into the BIG-IP, Click on the iApps --> Application Services --> Application LX
Go to FAST Templates and scroll to the bottom to see the new Agility Template Set
Under the Agility Template set, Click on the template title
Once you click on the template title, the template with default values will appear. you will see the template is rendered and is ready to take different values:

Enter the following values

Tenant Name: Agility1
service_port: 80
virtual_server: 10.0.0.200

Next, click Add row under server_addresses to expand. Enter the server addresses 10.1.20.10 and 10.1.20.11.
Once finished, select Deploy in the top right corner of the screen.
After deploying, you will be brought to the History tab with the status of your deployment:
Click on Partition on the top right select Agility1
Now go to Local Traffic and Select Virtual Servers to see the new Virtual Server created
Go back to VScode and click on your 10.1.1.6 BIG-IP under F5 Hosts. Then click on FAST VIEW >> Deployed Applications to see yournew Agility1/A1 application
Remianing on the Agility/A1 Right Click and Select Delete FAST App to remove the application frm BIG-IP
You can go back to BIG-IP GUI and check the application / Tenant is deleted.

This completes the lab.

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