How to automate licenses management on F5 BIG-IP via BIG-IQ License Manager ( Part-1 )

This article Managing BIG-IP Licensing With BIG-IQ is a good start to introduce how to setup and use a BIG-IQ License Manager to manage BIG-IP licenses ( assign/revoke/relicense etc.), please check this article to understand these basic processes.

For example, below is the process how a F5 Flex Consumption Program (FCP) (former Enterprise License Agreement – ELA) customer centralized manage their BIG-IP VE licenses via a BIG-IQ LM under F5 ELA program. The customer can spin up BIG-IP VE as their business requirements across on-premises DC and multiple Clouds.

Now if customer want to automate these licenses management processes on BIG-IP and BIG-IQ License Manager (LM), there are two kinds of APIs available.

I will have Part-1 and Part-2 article to cover these two options.

Option-1: Send API calls towards to BIG-IQ License Manager (LM) automatic assign/revoke (push) a license from an ELA/Utility license pool to a BIG-IP instance.
Option-2: Send API calls towards to BIG-IP via Declaration Onboarding (DO), automatic assign, revoke and relicense a license (pull) from an ELA/Utility license pool on a BIG-IQ LM.

Note: before the testing, make sure the connectivity between your BIG-IQ LM and BIG-IP is up, vnet/vpc peering should be configured properly if the communications are not over public network/internet in Cloud.

Now let’s dive into these two options,

Option-1: Send API calls towards to BIG-IQ License Manager (LM) automatic assign/revoke (push) a license from an ELA/Utility license pool to a BIG-IP instance.

F5 API Document: CloudDocs Link

API calls target: BIG-IQ LM

API type: REST API

Licenses Action: push license from BIG-IQ LM to BIG-IP(s)

BIG-IQ LM API Endpoint:

POST https://localhost/mgmt/cm/device/tasks/licensing/pool/member-management

License assign from BIG-IQ LM

In my below example, I have an ELA MSP loadv10 license catalogue was activated on my test BIG-IQ LM, I will assign a BTAWF200M license to a new previsioned BIG-IP VE (unmanaged) in Azure.

Specified the license pool name, license key words, BIG-IP management IP address, command (e.g., assign or revoke etc.), unit of measure, BIG-IP login credential and chargebackTag etc. and post the API call to the BIG-IQ LM API Endpoint.

{

  "licensePoolName": "loadv10",

  "command": "assign",

  "address": "10.6.1.11",

  "skuKeyword1": "BTAWF",

  "skuKeyword2": "200M",

  "unitOfMeasure": "yearly",

  "user": "admin"

  "password": "xxxxxx"

  "chargebackTag": "f5vm01"

}

On the new provisioned BIG-IP, you can find the BEST+AWAF 200Mbps MSP license was applied successfully.

On BIG-IQ LM, Devices>License Management>Assignments, you can find this BIG-IP was assigned a right license successfully as expected.

License revoke from BIG-IQ LM

Similar to the license assignment process, license revoke process needs to specify the revoke license pool name, BIG-IP management IP address, command (e.g. revoke), license key words, unit of measure, BIG-IP login credential etc. and post the API call to the BIG-IQ LM API Endpoint.

{

    "label": "Revoke license on BIG-IP via BIG-IQ CM utility license when BIG-IP is reachable from BIG-IQ CM",

    "licensePoolName": "loadv10",

    "command": "revoke",

    "address": "10.6.1.11",

    "skuKeyword1": "BTAWF",

    "skuKeyword2": "200M",

    "unitOfMeasure": "yearly",

    "user": "admin",

    "password": "xxxxxx",

    "chargebackTag":"f5vm01"
  }