Upcoming Action Required: F5 NGINX Plus R33 Release and Licensing Update

Hello community!  

The upcoming release of NGINX Plus R33 is scheduled for this quarter. This release brings changes to our licensing process, aligning it with industry best practices and the rest of the F5 licensing programs. These updates are designed to better serve our commercial customers by providing improved visibility into usage, streamlined license tracking, and enhanced customer service. 

Key Changes in NGINX Plus R33 

• Release: Q4, 2024 
• New Requirement: All commercial NGINX Plus instances will now require the placement of a JSON Web Token (JWT). This JWT file can be downloaded from your MyF5 account. 
• License Validation: NGINX Plus instances will regularly validate their license status with the F5 licensing endpoint for connected customers. Offline environments can manage this through the NGINX Instance Manager. 
• Usage Reporting: NGINX Plus R33 introduces a new requirement for commercial product usage reporting.  

NGINX's adoption of F5's standardized approach ensures easier and more precise license and usage tracking. Once our customers are utilizing R33 together with NGINX’s management options, tasks such as usage reporting and renewals will be much more streamlined and straightforward. Additionally, NGINX instance visibility and management will be much easier. 

Action Required 

To ensure a smooth transition and uninterrupted service, please take the following steps: 

1. Install the JWT: Make sure to install the JWT on all your commercial NGINX Plus instances. This is crucial to avoid any interruptions.
2. Additional Steps: Refer to our detailed guide for any other necessary steps. See here for additional required next steps.  

IMPORTANT: Failure to follow these steps will result in NGINX Plus R33 and subsequent release instances not functioning. 

Critical Notes 

• JWT Requirement: JWT files are essential for the startup of NGINX Plus R33.
• NGINX Ingress Controller: Users of NGINX Ingress Controller should not upgrade to NGINX Plus R33 until the next version of the Ingress Controller is released.
• No Changes for Earlier Versions: If you are using a version of NGINX Plus prior to R33, no action is required. 

Resources 

We are preparing a range of resources to help you through this transition: 

• Support Documentation: Comprehensive support documentation will be available upon the release of NGINX Plus R33.
• Demonstration Videos: We will also provide demonstration videos to guide you through the new processes upon the release of NGINX Plus R33.
• NGINX Documentation: For more detailed information, visit our NGINX documentation. 

Need Assistance? 

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out: 

• F5 Representative: Contact your dedicated representative for personalized support.
• MyF5 Account: Support is readily available through your MyF5 account. 

Stay tuned for more updates.

Thank you for your continued partnership.