Removing the F5 from BIG-IQ usually is not an issue as you first delete the services then the device but if you have deployed AS3 applications through the BIG-IQ ( not the standart Configure/Deploy way) then you get the error ".. Device is in use by application" and you have to delete the application on the BIG-IQ that also deletes this on the BIG-IP and then you can remove the BIG-IP from the BIG-IQ.
Is there a official way to keep the deployed applications and their virtual servers on the BIG-IP and still remove the BIG-IP from the BIG-IQ?
I found that on the F5 device you just go to TMSH and use cd <Tenant-name> then cd <App-name> and you can see the TMSH virtual and pool commands that BIG-IQ has created and then the AS3 converter can do the job!
The strange I found is the BIG-IQ uses the same partition/Tenant to push all created applications. Also if you use AS3 to deploy through BIG-IQ then the applications deployed through the F5 GUI always use the common partition and in a seperate folder (/Common/<App name>) for place of deployment, maybe related to https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K25471040 as AS3 can create tenants/partitions even when through BIG-IQ but BIG-IQ by itself can't. Will check this a bit dipper 🙂
I finally tested some ideas I had as I used the BIG-IQ feature "Application Force-Delete" to delete the Application on the BIG-IQ without deleting on the BIG-IP or just "clear-rest-storage" on the BIG-IP to break the communication between BIG-IP and BIG-IQ as mentioned https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K42012148 .
The only issue I see is that after I reimport the Big-IP on the same BIG-IQ or another BIG-IQ then the application virtual server is imported as a normal virtual server (I expected this much).
@buulam you mentioned redeploying the app directly on the BIG-IP as AS3 directly but when I deploy new APP with BIG-IQ and opening "View Sample API Request" in the BIG-IQ the API call seems different than the one that is for AS3 deployment directly on the BIG-IP as this seems the API call that is used against BIG-IQ to deploy applications on the BIG-IP not the clear AS3 API call to the BIG-IP that BIG-IQ executes. Is there a way for me to see the AS3 API call/defenition that BIG-IQ executes against the BIG-IP as in this way I will not have to guess AS3 declaration I need to use or to fill in any variables again like pool member ip addresses/ports or virtual servers addresses in the AS3 declaration and then I can send this with Ansible for example to the BIG-IP?
Thanks @buulam and as a note I tested a GET request to /mgmt/shared/appsvcs/declare on BIG-IP but it seems that as Guided configurations the AS3 BIG-IQ declarations to BIG-IP are not saved in /mgmt/shared/appsvcs/declare. For now the "Application Force-Delete" and/or "clear-rest-storage" even if they not perfect.
I found that on the F5 device you just go to TMSH and use cd <Tenant-name> then cd <App-name> and you can see the TMSH virtual and pool commands that BIG-IQ has created and then the AS3 converter can do the job!
The strange I found is the BIG-IQ uses the same partition/Tenant to push all created applications. Also if you use AS3 to deploy through BIG-IQ then the applications deployed through the F5 GUI always use the common partition and in a seperate folder (/Common/<App name>) for place of deployment, maybe related to https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K25471040 as AS3 can create tenants/partitions even when through BIG-IQ but BIG-IQ by itself can't. Will check this a bit dipper 🙂
