F5 NGINX Plus R33 Licensing and Usage Reporting

Beginning with F5 NGINX Plus version R33, all customers are required to deploy a JSON Web Token (JWT) license for each commercial instance of NGINX Plus. Each instance is responsible for validating its own license status. Furthermore, NGINX Plus will report usage either to the F5 NGINX licensing endpoint or to the F5 NGINX Instance Manager for customers who are connected. For those customers who are disconnected or operate in an air-gapped environment, usage can be reported directly to the F5 NGINX Instance Manager.

To learn more about the latest features of NGINX R33, please check out the recent blog post.

 

Install or Upgrade NGINX Plus R33

To successfully upgrade to NGINX Plus R33 or perform a fresh installation, begin by downloading the JWT license from your F5 account.  Once you have the license, place it in the F5 NGINX directory before proceeding with the upgrade. For a fresh installation, after completing the installation, also place the JWT license in the NGINX directory. For further details, please refer to the provided instructions.

This video provides a step-by-step guide on installing or upgrading to NGINX Plus R33.

 

Report Usage to F5 in Connected Environment 

To effectively report usage data to F5 within a connected environment using NGINX Instance Manager, it's important to ensure that port 443 is open. The default configuration directs the usage endpoint to send reports directly to the F5 licensing endpoint at product.connect.nginx.com. By default, usage reporting is enabled, and it's crucial to successfully send at least one report on installation for NGINX to process traffic.

However, you can postpone the initial reporting requirement by turning off the directive in your NGINX configuration. This allows NGINX Plus to handle traffic without immediate reporting during a designated grace period. To configure usage reporting to F5 using NGINX Instance Manager, update the usage endpoint to reflect the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the NGINX Instance Manager.

For further details, please refer to the provided instructions.

This video shows how to report usage in the connected environment using NGINX Instance Manager.

 

Report Usage to F5 in Disconnected Environment using NGINX Instance Manager

In a disconnected environment without an internet connection, you need to take certain steps before submitting usage data to F5. First, in NGINX Plus R33, update the `usage report` directive within the management block of your NGINX configuration to point to your NGINX Instance Manager host. Ensure that your NGINX R33 instances can access the NGINX Instance Manager by setting up the necessary DNS entries.

Next, in the NMS configuration in NGINX Instance Manager, modify the ‘mode of operation’ to disconnected, save the file, and restart NGINX Instance Manager. 

There are multiple methods available for adding a license and submitting the initial usage report in this disconnected environment. You can use a Bash script, REST API, or the web interface.  For detailed instructions on each method, please refer to the documentation.

This video shows how to report usage in disconnected environments using NGINX Instance Manager.

 

Conclusion

The transition to NGINX Plus R33 introduces important enhancements in licensing and usage reporting that can greatly improve your management of NGINX instances. With the implementation of JSON Web Tokens (JWT), you can validate your subscription and report telemetry data more effectively. To ensure compliance and optimize performance, it’s crucial to understand the best practices for usage reporting, regardless of whether you are operating in a connected or disconnected environment.

Get started today with a 30-day trial, and contact us if you have any questions.

 

Resources 

• NGINX support documentation
• Blog announcement providing a comprehensive summary of the new features in this release.