F5 NGINX Plus R33 Licensing and Usage Reporting
Beginning with F5 NGINX Plus version R33, all customers are required to deploy a JSON Web Token (JWT) license for each commercial instance of NGINX Plus. Each instance is responsible for validating its own license status. Furthermore, NGINX Plus will report usage either to the F5 NGINX licensing endpoint or to the F5 NGINX Instance Manager for customers who are connected. For those customers who are disconnected or operate in an air-gapped environment, usage can be reported directly to the F5 NGINX Instance Manager. To learn more about the latest features of NGINX R33, please check out the recent blog post. Install or Upgrade NGINX Plus R33 To successfully upgrade to NGINX Plus R33 or perform a fresh installation, begin by downloading the JWT license from your F5 account. Once you have the license, place it in the F5 NGINX directory before proceeding with the upgrade. For a fresh installation, after completing the installation, also place the JWT license in the NGINX directory. For further details, please refer to the provided instructions. This video provides a step-by-step guide on installing or upgrading to NGINX Plus R33. Report Usage to F5 in Connected Environment To effectively report usage data to F5 within a connected environment using NGINX Instance Manager, it's important to ensure that port 443 is open. The default configuration directs the usage endpoint to send reports directly to the F5 licensing endpoint at product.connect.nginx.com. By default, usage reporting is enabled, and it's crucial to successfully send at least one report on installation for NGINX to process traffic. However, you can postpone the initial reporting requirement by turning off the directive in your NGINX configuration. This allows NGINX Plus to handle traffic without immediate reporting during a designated grace period. To configure usage reporting to F5 using NGINX Instance Manager, update the usage endpoint to reflect the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the NGINX Instance Manager. For further details, please refer to the provided instructions. This video shows how to report usage in the connected environment using NGINX Instance Manager. Report Usage to F5 in Disconnected Environment using NGINX Instance Manager In a disconnected environment without an internet connection, you need to take certain steps before submitting usage data to F5. First, in NGINX Plus R33, update the `usage report` directive within the management block of your NGINX configuration to point to your NGINX Instance Manager host. Ensure that your NGINX R33 instances can access the NGINX Instance Manager by setting up the necessary DNS entries. Next, in the NMS configuration in NGINX Instance Manager, modify the ‘mode of operation’ to disconnected, save the file, and restart NGINX Instance Manager. There are multiple methods available for adding a license and submitting the initial usage report in this disconnected environment. You can use a Bash script, REST API, or the web interface. For detailed instructions on each method, please refer to the documentation. This video shows how to report usage in disconnected environments using NGINX Instance Manager. Conclusion The transition to NGINX Plus R33 introduces important enhancements in licensing and usage reporting that can greatly improve your management of NGINX instances. With the implementation of JSON Web Tokens (JWT), you can validate your subscription and report telemetry data more effectively. To ensure compliance and optimize performance, it’s crucial to understand the best practices for usage reporting, regardless of whether you are operating in a connected or disconnected environment. Get started today with a 30-day trial, and contact us if you have any questions. Resources NGINX support documentation Blog announcementproviding a comprehensive summary of the new features in this release.Introducing the single Installation script for F5 NGINX Instance Manager
F5 NGINX Instance Manager (NIM) is a centralised management tool designed to simplify the administration and monitoring of F5 NGINX instances across various environments, including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid infrastructures. It provides a single interface to efficiently oversee multiple NGINX instances, making it particularly useful for organisations using NGINX at scale. In the past, installing NGINX Instance Manager and its dependencies could often be a tedious and error-prone process. Whether you’re dealing with databases, NGINX proxies, or multiple components that require manual configuration, the time and effort involved can quickly add up. This is where our new single-installation script comes into play. Designed to streamline and simplify the installation of NGINX Instance Manager, this script allows you to set up everything you need on a supported operating system with minimal effort. Gone are the days of hunting for specific installation commands, configuring dependencies manually, or worrying about compatibility issues between different systems. With this script, you can install NGINX Instance Manager, theClickhousedatabase, and NGINX proxycomponents in one seamless operation. Key Features: One-command installation: The script automates the installation of NGINX Instance Manager, Clickhouse database, and the NGINX proxy. Just run the script, and it takes care of everything. Cross-platform compatibility: The script supports all the operating systems specified in our technical specification document, making it versatile for different environments. Offline installation support: For users working in environments without internet access, the script can pull all necessary binaries from our software repository, enabling installation on a disconnected host. Simply gather the required binaries beforehand, and you’re good to go! License key integration: The only thing you’ll need to run the script in a fresh operating system environment are your license keys. This makes the process even easier, as there’s no need for additional setup steps. What you need A fresh machine with one of thesupported operating systemsinstalled. Download the JSON web token, SSL certificate, and private key for NGINX Instance Manager from MyF5 (including trials). You can use the same files as F5 NGINX Plus in your MyF5 portal. Download the scripthere. Step 1 - Download and run the installation script By default, the script: Assumes you’re connected to the internet for installations and upgrades Reads SSL files from the /etc/ssl/nginx directory Installs the latest version of NGINX Open Source Installs Clickhouse Installs the latest version of NGINX Instance Manager If you want to use the script with non-default options (e.g. to use NGINX Plus instead of Open Source), use these switches: To point to a repository key stored in a directory other than/etc/ssl/nginx: -k /path/to/your/<nginx-repo.key> file To point to a repository certificate stored in a directory other than/etc/ssl/nginx:-c /path/to/your/<nginx-repo.crt>file To install NGINX Plus (instead of NGINX OSS):-p <nginx_plus_version> -j /path/to/licence.jwt You also need to specify the current operating system. To get the latest list supported by the script, run the following command: grep '\-d distribution' install-nim-bundle.sh To see other options in the script, run: sudo bash install-nim-bundle.sh -h For example, to use the script to install NGINX Instance Manager on Ubuntu 24.04, with repository keys in the default /etc/ssl/nginx directory, with the latest version of NGINX Plus, run the following command: sudo bash install-nim-bundle.sh -n latest -d ubuntu24.04 -j /path/to/license.jwt In most cases, the script completes the installation of NGINX Instance Manager and associated packages. At the end of the process, you’ll see an auto generated password. Save that password. You’ll need it when you sign in to NGINX Instance Manager. Step 2 – Access NGINX Instance Manager To access the NGINX Instance Manager web interface, open a web browser and go tohttps://<NIM_FQDN>, replacing<NIM_FQDN>with the Fully Qualified Domain Name of your NGINX Instance Manager host. The default administrator username isadmin, and the generated password is saved, in encrypted format, to the/etc/nms/nginx/.htpasswdfile. The password was displayed in the terminal during installation. If you’d like to change this password, refer to the “Set or Change User Passwords” section in the Basic Authentication topic. This single-installation solution significantly reduces the complexity of deploying Instance Manager, whether you’re operating in a connected or disconnected environment. Now, all it takes is a simple command to get everything up and running. For more information and alternative options when using the script for NGINX Instance manager, please see the instructionshere.Introducing the New Docker Compose Installation Option for F5 NGINX Instance Manager
F5 NGINX Instance Manager (NIM) is a centralised management solution designed to simplify the administration and monitoring of F5 NGINX instances across various environments, including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid infrastructures. It provides a single interface to efficiently oversee multiple NGINX instances, making it particularly useful for organizations using NGINX at scale. We’re excited to introduce a new Docker Compose installation option for NGINX Instance Manager, designed to help you get up and running faster than ever before, in just a couple of steps. Key Features: Quick and Easy Installation: With just a couple of steps, you can pull and deploy NGINX Instance Manager on any Docker host, without having to manually configure multiple components. The image is available in our container registry, so once you have a valid license to access it, getting up and running is as simple as pulling the container. Fault-Tolerant and Resilient: This installation option is designed with fault tolerance in mind. Persistent storage ensures your data is safe even in the event of container restarts or crashes. Additionally, with a separate database container, your product’s data is isolated, adding an extra layer of resilience and making it easier to manage backups and restores. Seamless Upgrades: Upgrades are a breeze. You can update to the latest version of NGINX Instance Manager by simply updating the image tag in your Docker Compose file. This makes it easy to stay up-to-date with the latest features and improvements without worrying about downtime or complex upgrade processes. Backup and Restore Options: To ensure your data is protected, this installation option comes with built-in backup and restore capabilities. Easily back up your data to a safe location and restore it in case of any issues. Environment Configuration Flexibility: The Docker Compose setup allows you to define custom environment variables, giving you full control over configuration settings such as log levels, timeout values, and more. Production-Ready: Designed for scalability and reliability, this installation method is ready for production environments. With proper resource allocation and tuning, you can deploy NGINX Instance Manager to handle heavy workloads while maintaining performance. The following steps walk you through how to deploy and manage NGINX Instance Manager using Docker Compose. What you need A working version ofDocker Your NGINX subscription’s JSON Web Token from MyF5 This pre-configureddocker-compose.yamlfile: Download docker-compose.yaml file. Step 1 - Set up Docker for NGINX container registry Log in to the Docker registry using the contents of the JSON Web Token file you downloaded fromMyF5 : docker login private-registry.nginx.com --username=<JWT_CONTENTS> --password=none Step 2 - Run “docker login” and then “docker compose up” in the directory where you downloaded docker-compose.yaml Note: You can optionally set the Administrator password for NGINX Instance Manager prior to running Docker Compose. ~$ docker login private-registry.nginx.com --username=<JWT_CONTENTS> --password=none ~$ echo "admin" > admin_password.txt ~$ docker compose up -d [+] Running 6/6 ✔ Network nim_clickhouse Created 0.1s ✔ Network nim_external_network Created 0.2s ✔ Network nim_default Created 0.2s ✔ Container nim-precheck-1 Started 0.8s ✔ Container nim-clickhouse-1 Healthy 6.7s ✔ Container nim-nim-1 Started 7.4s. Step 3 – Access NGINX Instance Manager Go to the NGINX Instance Manager UI on https://<<DOCKER_HOST>>:443 and license the product using the same JSON Web Token you downloaded from MyF5 earlier. Conclusion With this new setup, you can install and run NGINX Instance Manager on any Docker host in just 3 steps, dramatically reducing setup time and simplifying deployment. Whether you are working in a development environment or deploying to production, the Docker Compose-based solution ensures a seamless and reliable experience. For more information on using the docker compose option with NGINX Instance manager such as running a backup and restore, using secrets, and many more, please see the instructionshere.
