Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Demo Video
- Fleet Management
- Administrator Authentication – RBAC, LDAP & SAML
- Audit Logging
- F5 Insight Backup / Restore
- Conclusion
- Related Content
Introduction
F5 Insight for ADSP, a key component of the F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP), helps teams monitor and secure apps that are spread across hybrid, multi-cloud and AI environments. In this article, I’ll highlight some of the new features introduced in F5 Insight v1.2.
Demo Video
Fleet Management
F5 Insight v1.2 supports software patching of your BIG-IP instances. From the web UI navigate to Manage > Software > Images. Click Upload to add a BIG-IP software image.
Click Upload File
Select the software image you want to update to, 17.5.1.6 in this example
NOTE: The sig and pem files are not required to upgrade but are recommended so F5 Insight can verify the software image.
The files will be uploaded automatically and will look like this when done. Click the X to close the dialog box.
The Software page should now look like this.
NOTE: Additional details about the Product, Version and Status are available here
Next go to Manage > Automation > Jobs > Add Job > Software Distribution
Fill in the Job Name and add a Description if desired
Select the BIG-IP Instance(s) you wish to distribute to, then click Back to Job Settings
Click Add Software
Select the version you wish to distribute then Apply
Click Check Instances if needed
Set the Distribution Type to Serial or Parallel
Click Execute Job
Confirm the Job Execution by entering a Change Request then click Execute Job
The Job is now running
Click the number under Executions to view the progress.
When the software image has been distributed to the BIG-IP Instances it will look like the following:
Click Add Job > Software Installation to create an Install job
Under General Settings give the job a Name, add a Description if desired
Under Installation Type select HA Pair or Standalone, Standalone in this example
Set the Execution Type to Serial or Parallel, Serial in this example
Select the Software Target Version
Select the Instance to install the software
Click Back to Job Settings
Set the Target Volume option as needed, Next Sequential in this example
Choose the Target Volume, HD1.2 in this example
Under Readiness Checks click Run Check
A successful Readiness Check should look like the following:
Click Execute Job
Enter the Change Request, type BEGIN INSTALLATION then click Execute Job
You can see that the Job is Running
Click the number under Executions to view the progress
The BIG-IP will be rebooted automatically and the Jobs screen will look like the following when done:
Administrator Authentication – RBAC, LDAP & SAML
F5 Insight v1.2 now supports external authentication, enabling enterprise customers to integrate with their existing identity infrastructure for centralized user management and secure access control. External authentication is supported via LDAP and SAML providers like Ping and Okta. Support for Role Based Access Control (RBAC) allows customers to choose from 3 predefined roles:
Admin gives full system access including user management, device configuration, and all settings.
Operator gives device configuration and troubleshooting.
Viewer gives read-only access for monitoring and observation
Configuring an LDAP Provider
From the F5 Insight UI navigate to System Management > User Administration > SSO/Identity Providers.
Under Add provider click LDAP
Give it a name, “LDAP” in this example. Specify the LDAP URL, Base DN, Bind DN and Bind Password.
NOTE: Click the plus sign next to the red arrow to add additional LDAP URLs
Specify the User binding settings and LDAP attributes.
You can also enable Start TLS for the connection to the LDAP server.
Click Create when done.
Role Mapping determines which F5 Insight role an external user receives upon login. Roles are assigned based on group attributes configured on the LDAP or SAML identity provider.
Navigate to System Management > User Administration > Roles > Role Mapping.
Select the Provider, either LDAP or SAML.
Specify the Grouped Resource Attribute to map to.
Click Save.
You have successfully mapped the LDAP Grouped Resource Attribute to the Admin Role.
Configuring a SAML Provider
From the F5 Insight UI navigate to System Management > User Administration > SSO/Identity Providers.
Click SAML under Add provider.
To add a SAML Provider give it a name. Specify the Metadata XML, URL and Binding.
Click Create when done.
NOTE: The Role Mapping procedure is the same for SAML
Refer to the F5 Insight Documentation for more details on configuring RBAC, LDAP and SAML.
Audit Logging
F5 Insight v1.2 added support for AI Assistant Chat Logging as well as Audit Logging of AI Events.
The AI Assistant Chat History saves your interactions with the AI Assistant
The AI Audit Console provides an audit log of all the different AI Assistant Event Types.
It contains many options for filtering Events as well as the option to Mask Sensitive Data.
When Sensitive Data Masking is turned off you can see the Source IP and User Agent
F5 Insight Backup / Restore
F5 Insight v1.2 added support for backing up & restoring an F5 Insight configuration. From the web UI navigate to System Management > Backup & Restore > Backup > Create Backup
Select the Backup Type > Storage Target. Enter the Encryption Passphrase and optionally specify a Backup Name. Click Submit Creation
It should look like the following when complete:
NOTE: You can download a copy of the backup file by clicking the icon on the right
Click the Restore icon on the right to Restore the Config Backup
Select the options you want restored and enter the Decryption Passphrase. Click Start Restore
When the Restore process is complete it will look like the following:
Click Create Scheduled Backup to configure a recurring Backup Schedule
Configure the Schedule Name, Frequency, Day of Week, Time, Backup Type, Storage Location, and Encryption Passphrase. Click Submit Creation when done
When complete It should look like the following:
To configure Backup Settings navigate to Backup & Restore > Settings
To add external storage click Add Storage Location
Specify the Location Name, Storage Type (NFS or SMB), Host / Server, and Path. Click Save Location when done
Conclusion
The latest version of F5 Insight for ADSP offers expanded functionality with F5 Fleet Management. It also provides powerful management features like RBAC, LDAP and SAML authentication, Audit Logging capabilities, and F5 Insight Backup / Restore options.
Upgrade today to the latest version of F5 Insight for ADSP and enjoy the following benefits:
- Manage BIG-IP software upgrade
- RBAC, LDAP & SAML authentication
- Audit Logging
- Configuration Backup & Restore