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How to get a F5 BIG-IP VE Developer Lab License

(applies to BIG-IP TMOS Edition)


To assist operational teams teams improve their development for the BIG-IP platform, F5 offers a low cost

developer lab license. This license can be purchased from your authorized F5 vendor.  If you do not have an F5 vendor, and you are in either Canada or the US you can purchase a lab license online:

Once completed, the order is sent to F5 for fulfillment and your license will be delivered shortly after via e-mail.  F5 is investigating ways to improve this process.

To download the BIG-IP Virtual Edition, log into my.f5.com (separate login from DevCentral), navigate down to the Downloads card under the Support Resources section of the page.  Select BIG-IP from the product group family and then the current version of BIG-IP. 

You will be presented with a list of options, at the bottom, select the Virtual-Edition option that has the following descriptions:

  • For VMware Fusion or Workstation or ESX/i: Image fileset for VMware ESX/i Server
  • For Microsoft HyperV: Image fileset for Microsoft Hyper-V
  • KVM RHEL/CentoOS:  Image file set for KVM Red Hat Enterprise Linux/CentOS

Note: There are also 1 Slot versions of the above images where a 2nd boot partition is not needed for in-place upgrades. These images include _1SLOT- to the image name instead of ALL.

The below guides will help get you started with F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition to develop for VMWare Fusion, AWS, Azure, VMware, or Microsoft Hyper-V.  These guides follow standard practices for installing in production environments and performance recommendations change based on lower use/non-critical needs for development or lab environments.  Similar to driving a tank, use your best judgement.

Note:  F5 Support maintains authoritative Azure, AWS, Hyper-V, and ESX/vCloud installation documentation.  VMware Fusion is not an official F5-supported hypervisor so DevCentral publishes the Fusion guide with the help of our Field Systems Engineering teams.
Updated Mar 12, 2025
Version 4.0
101
application delivery
BIG-IP
deployment
devops
virtualization
WAWMART

152 Comments

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  • Prakin's avatar
    Prakin
    Icon for Cirrus rankCirrus
    Jan 20, 2020

    Hi,

     

    is this links CDW still valid ? to purchase lab license?.

     

    Br,

    Prakin

  • KeesvandenBos's avatar
    KeesvandenBos
    Icon for MVP rankMVP
    Nov 30, 2019

     , F5 doesn't do direct sales, only via the partner channel (F5 -> distri -> partner -> customer).

     

    Drop me an email (see my post above yours) and I will provide you with a quotation.

     

    Cheers,

     

    Kees

  • itsmygalaxy's avatar
    itsmygalaxy
    Icon for Nimbostratus rankNimbostratus
    Nov 30, 2019

    If F5 could directly deliver the license, it would ease all customers. The re sellers doesnt promptly answer/update the customers. I ordered with CDW and it got cancelled as soon as i ordered without any update. After two days when i called for an update they moved my order into queue I am still following up with them over a month after paying for it. Could i get an alternative re-seller where could i get this?

  • KeesvandenBos's avatar
    KeesvandenBos
    Icon for MVP rankMVP
    Oct 30, 2019

     , I can provide you with a quotation for a LAB VE license. Drop me an email at kees[at]kees4ip.nl

     

    Cheers,

     

    Kees

  • WeaverJK's avatar
    WeaverJK
    Icon for Nimbostratus rankNimbostratus
    Oct 30, 2019
    Try CDW: (I bought mine from CDW) https://m.cdw.com/product/big-ip-virtual-edition-lab-license-v.-16-license-10-mbps/4699677 Here is another company that claims to sell the lab licenses: https://www.infradata.com/partners/f5-networks/support/lab-license/?utm_campaign=US+%7C+S+%7C+Vendor+%7C+F5+Networks&utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=adwords&utm_term=%2Bf5%20%2Blab&hsa_grp=60023889810&hsa_acc=1686662182&hsa_src=g&hsa_cam=1608705548&hsa_ad=322505644545&hsa_tgt=kwd-600877020422&hsa_kw=%2Bf5%20%2Blab&hsa_ver=3&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_mt=b&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuLPb3IbE5QIV8ZFbCh3p6QjrEAAYAiAAEgI35_D_BwE
  • mat_barrie's avatar
    mat_barrie
    Icon for Nimbostratus rankNimbostratus
    Oct 30, 2019

    Is it actually possible to buy this license in the APAC region? All the listed VARs on the F5 website for our region are not actually resellers (they're MSPs) or they just plain literally don't exist. All the distributors won't touch you unless you're a partner, which you can't do unless you're a large company or have existing distributor relationships (chicken and the egg). It seems to me that the lab edition is literally the most useless offer in the history of useless offers because you can't actually buy it.

  • Chase_Abbott's avatar
    Chase_Abbott
    Icon for Admin rankAdmin
    Jul 03, 2019

     The current Developer Lab license does support the latest releases yes, including v14. If you have access to a vendor in your area, you can request and purchase this license from them directly.

  • Chase_Abbott's avatar
    Chase_Abbott
    Icon for Admin rankAdmin
    Jul 03, 2019

     

     

    It seems CDW now blocks non-North American countries from even viewing the links now. This is a new and very uncustomer-centric attitude and I've raised this issue up within F5 to find out why CDW is doing this. Especially since it's trivial to bypass with VPN or TOR-based browsing.

     

  • Marcos's avatar
    Marcos
    Icon for Nimbostratus rankNimbostratus
    Jul 03, 2019

    The links are not working, the server is saying that I don't have permission.