Whether it is upgrading the firmware on a switch, the OS on a server, an important business application or the software on a BIG-IP, performing upgrades is something that makes almost all IT Admins and Network Engineers nervous. We’ve learned from (sometimes painful) experience that things don’t always go as planned.
Good preparation greatly increases the likelihood that an upgrade will be successful, which is why F5 has created the iHealth Upgrade Advisor. Its goal is to provide an additional service from F5 that will complement your existing upgrade preparations, increasing the predictability of the upgrade while reducing your upgrade time.
The iHealth Upgrade Advisor service provides a way for users to gain insight into potential issues with a BIG-IP upgrade before they attempt the upgrade. It provides guidance that is specific to a BIG-IP based on its configuration, the version of software it is currently running and the version you are planning to upgrade to.
When an issue can be avoided by making a configuration change prior to upgrading, the Upgrade Advisor will tell you exactly what to change. For some issues, it will list the corrective actions to take after the upgrade.
Demo Video
This short video demonstrating the Upgrade Advisor shows you how to use it and some examples of the guidance it provides.
Accessing the Upgrade Advisor
The next time you are preparing to upgrade a BIG-IP, login to ihealth.f5.com, upload a .qkview file from that BIG-IP and then view the qkview after iHealth has analyzed it. The Upgrade Advisor can be accessed by clicking on its tab in the left-hand menu. Simply select the version of BIG-IP you are planning to upgrade to in the advisor and review the results.
Here is a screenshot of the Upgrade Advisor:
Give it a Try
Try out the F5 upgrade Advisor today and let us know what you think using the feedback option (circled in red on the right side of the screenshot above).
