Accelerate your AI initiatives using F5 VELOS
Introduction F5 VELOS is a rearchitected, next-generation hardware platform that scales application delivery performance and automates application services to address many of today’s most critical business challenges. F5 VELOS is a key component of the F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP). Demo Video High-Throughput and Concurrency for AI Data Ingestion Given the escalating data demands of AI training and inference pipelines, there is a critical need to architect object-based storage systems, such as S3, and corresponding clients in a manner that ensures high-throughput, scalability, and fault tolerance under massive parallel workloads. S3 Storage Systems increase scalability and resiliency by distributing data objects across multiple storage nodes, leveraging a unified “bucket” abstraction to streamline data organization, access, and fault tolerance. S3 Client Implementations employ highly parallelized, and multi-threaded operations to maximize data transfer rates and throughput, satisfying the low-latency, high-volume requirements of AI and other computationally intensive workloads. Performance and Security for AI Workloads F5 BIG-IP delivers multi-layer load balancing reinforced by robust in-flight security services and performance thresholds engineered to meet or exceed the most demanding enterprise-scale capacity requirements. F5 VELOS Chassis & Blades have advanced FPGA accelerators, high-performance CPU architectures, and cryptographic offload engines. They are all combined with scaling to multi-terabit throughput to meet or exceed the most demanding enterprise capacity requirements. F5 BIG-IP and VELOS enable high-performance data mobility and security for AI workloads anywhere. Load Balancing for S3 AI Training Data Replication Data Replication for Training AI model training and retraining often requires the replication of data from web-service-based object storage tiers to high-performance clustered filesystems. Market Constraints Tier-1 storage systems command high costs, and the ecosystem of certified providers for AI-specific architectures remains comparatively narrow. High-Performance Requirements Effective model training demands access to Tier-1 storage that supports hardware-accelerated data transfers, ensuring rapid delivery of input to GPU memory. S3 Based Migration Replication from cost-efficient, lower-performance storage repositories to Tier 1 infrastructure is commonly orchestrated via the S3 protocol to maintain both scalability and performance. Tiered Storage S3 AI Training Data Replication F5 BIG-IP and F5 Systems, rSeries and VELOS Distributed, high-volume, high-concurrency, and low-latency load balancing solutions engineered to optimize S3 AI training data replication. BIG-IP Best-In-Class Traffic Management & Security: SPEED Smart Load Balancing & Security Directs traffic to the optimal storage for performance, security, and availability. Seamless Data Flow BIG-IP LTM ensures efficient, secure routing from external sources to local storage. Optimized S3 Routing BIG-IP DNS directs client connections to highly available storage nodes for smooth data ingestion. BIG-IP Best-In-Class Traffic Management & Security: SCALE High-Throughput Traffic Management Optimize TCP and HTTPS flows for seamless object storage access. Accelerated Packet Processing Leverage embedded eVPA in FPGA for high-performance L4 IPv4 throughput. Crypto Offload for Speed BIG-IP LTM offloads encryption to best-in-class hardware on rSeries and VELOS, boosting performance. BIG-IP Best-In-Class Traffic Management & Security: Security Robust DDoS Protection BIG-IP’s AFM defends against volumetric and targeted attacks. Secure Traffic Management BIG-IP LTM ensures efficient, secure routing from external sources to local storage. End-to-End Data Protection Safeguards AI workloads with policy-driven security and threat mitigation. F5 Systems Enables Accelerated AI Application Delivery F5 VELOS, rSeries, and BIG-IP Enable distributed, high-volume, high-concurrency, low-latency application delivery for S3. The All-New VELOS CX1610 Provides the multi-terabit throughput necessary for high-performance traffic orchestration. F5 BIG-IP App Services Suite Simplify and secure application delivery for the most demanding high-throughput AI infrastructure needs. Conclusion Unleash Massive Throughput The All-New VELOS BX520 Blade The All-New VELOS CX1610 Chassis Related Articles F5 VELOS: A Next-Generation Fully Automatable Platform F5 rSeries: Next-Generation Fully Automatable Hardware Realtime DoS mitigation with VELOS BX520 Blade DEMO: The Next Generation of F5 Hardware is Ready for you
F5 rSeries: Next-Generation Fully Automatable Hardware
What is rSeries? F5 rSeries is a rearchitected, next-generation hardware platform that scales application delivery performance and automates application services to address many of today’s most critical business challenges. F5 rSeries is a key component of the F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP). rSeries relies on a Kubernetes-based platform layer (F5OS) that is tightly integrated with F5 TMOS software. Going to a microservice-based platform layer allows rSeries to provide additional functionality that was not possible in previous generations of F5 BIG-IP platforms. Customers do not need to learn Kubernetes but still get the benefits of it. Management of the hardware will still be done via a familiar F5 CLI, webUI or API. The additional benefit of automation capabilities can greatly simplify the process of deploying F5 products. A significant amount of time and resources are saved due to automation, which translates to more time to perform critical tasks. F5OS rSeries UI Demo Video Why is this important? Get more done in less time by using a highly automatable hardware platform that can deploy software solutions in seconds, not minutes or hours. Increased performance improves ROI: The rSeries platform is a high performance and highly scalable appliance with improved processing power. Running multiple versions on the same platform allows for more flexibility than previously possible. Pay-as-you-Grow licensing options that unlock more CPU resources. Key rSeries Use-Cases NetOps Automation Shorten time to market by automating network operations and offering cloud like orchestration with full stack programmability Drive app development and delivery with self-service and faster response time Business Continuity Drive consistent policies across on-prem and public cloud and across hardware and software based ADCs Build resiliency with rSeries’ superior performance and failover capabilities Future proof investments by running multiple versions of apps side-by-side; migrate applications at your own pace Cloud Migration On-Ramp Accelerate cloud strategy by adopting cloud operating models and on-demand scalability with rSeries and use that as on ramp to cloud Dramatically reduce TCO with rSeries systems; extend commercial models to migrate from hardware to software or as applications move to cloud Automation Capabilities Declarative APIs and integration with automation frameworks (Terraform, Ansible) greatly simplifies operations and reduces overhead: AS3 (Application Services 3 Extension): A declarative API that simplifies the configuration of application services. With AS3, customers can deploy and manage configurations consistently across environments. Ansible Automation: Prebuilt Ansible modules for rSeries enable automated provisioning, configuration, and updates, reducing manual effort and minimizing errors. Terraform: Organizations leveraging Infrastructure as Code (IaC) can use Terraform to define and automate the deployment of rSeries appliances and associated configurations. Example json file: Example of running the Automation Playbook: Example of the results: More information on Automation: Automating F5OS on rSeries GitHub Automation Repository Specialized Hardware Performance rSeries offers more hardware-accelerated performance capabilities with more FPGA chipsets that are more tightly integrated with TMOS. It also includes the latest Intel processing capabilities. This enhances the following: SSL and compression offload L4 offload for higher performance and reduced load on software Hardware-accelerated SYN flood protection Hardware-based protection from more than 100 types of denial-of-service (DoS) attacks Support for F5 Intelligence Services Migration Options (BIG-IP Journeys) Use BIG-IP Jouneys to easily migrate your existing configuration to rSeries. This covers the following: Entire L4-L7 configuration can be migrated Individual Applications can be migrated BIG-IP Tenant configuration can be migrated Automatically identify and resolve migration issues Convert UCS files into AS3 declarations if needed Post-deployment diagnostics and health The Journeys Tool, available on DevCentral’s GitHub, facilitates the migration of legacy BIG-IP configurations to rSeries-compatible formats. Customers can convert UCS files, validate configurations, and highlight unsupported features during the migration process. Multi-tenancy capabilities in rSeries simplify the process of isolating workloads during and after migration. GitHub repository for F5 Journeys Conclusion The F5 rSeries platform addresses the modern enterprise’s need for high-performance, scalable, and efficient application delivery and security solutions. By combining cutting-edge hardware capabilities with robust automation tools and flexible migration options, rSeries empowers organizations to seamlessly transition from legacy platforms while unlocking new levels of performance and operational agility. Whether driven by the need for increased throughput, advanced multi-tenancy, the rSeries platform stands as a future-ready solution for securing and optimizing application delivery in an increasingly complex IT landscape. Related Content Cloud Docs rSeries Guide F5 rSeries Appliance Datasheet F5 VELOS: A Next-Generation Fully Automatable Platform DEMO: The Next Generation of F5 Hardware is Ready for you
F5 VELOS: A Next-Generation Fully Automatable Platform
What is VELOS? The F5 VELOS platform is the next generation of F5’s chassis-based systems. VELOS can bridge traditional and modern application architectures by supporting a mix of traditional F5 BIG-IP tenants as well as next-generation BIG-IP Next tenants in the future. F5 VELOS is a key component of the F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP). VELOS relies on a Kubernetes-based platform layer (F5OS) that is tightly integrated with F5 TMOS software. Going to a microservice-based platform layer allows VELOS to provide additional functionality that was not possible in previous generations of F5 BIG-IP platforms. Customers do not need to learn Kubernetes but still get the benefits of it. Management of the chassis will still be done via a familiar F5 CLI, webUI, or API. The additional benefit of automation capabilities can greatly simplify the process of deploying F5 products. A significant amount of time and resources are saved due to automation, which translates to more time to perform critical tasks. F5OS VELOS UI Demo Video Why is VELOS important? Get more done in less time by using a highly automatable hardware platform that can deploy software solutions in seconds, not minutes or hours. Increased performance improves ROI: The VELOS platform is a high-performance and highly scalable chassis with improved processing power. Running multiple versions on the same platform allows for more flexibility than previously possible. Significantly reduce the TCO of previous-generation hardware by consolidating multiple platforms into one. Key VELOS Use-Cases NetOps Automation Shorten time to market by automating network operations and offering cloud-like orchestration with full-stack programmability Drive app development and delivery with self-service and faster response time Business Continuity Drive consistent policies across on-prem and public cloud and across hardware and software-based ADCs Build resiliency with VELOS’ superior platform redundancy and failover capabilities Future-proof investments by running multiple versions of apps side-by-side; migrate applications at your own pace Cloud Migration On-Ramp Accelerate cloud strategy by adopting cloud operating models and on-demand scalability with VELOS and use that as on-ramp to cloud Dramatically reduce TCO with VELOS systems; extend commercial models to migrate from hardware to software or as applications move to cloud Automation Capabilities Declarative APIs and integration with automation frameworks (Terraform, Ansible) greatly simplifies operations and reduces overhead: AS3 (Application Services 3 Extension): A declarative API that simplifies the configuration of application services. With AS3, customers can deploy and manage configurations consistently across environments. Ansible Automation: Prebuilt Ansible modules for VELOS enable automated provisioning, configuration, and updates, reducing manual effort and minimizing errors. Terraform: Organizations leveraging Infrastructure as Code (IaC) can use Terraform to define and automate the deployment of VELOS appliances and associated configurations. Example json file: Example of running the Automation Playbook: Example of the results: More information on Automation: Automating F5OS on VELOS GitHub Automation Repository Specialized Hardware Performance VELOS offers more hardware-accelerated performance capabilities with more FPGA chipsets that are more tightly integrated with TMOS. It also includes the latest Intel processing capabilities. This enhances the following: SSL and compression offload L4 offload for higher performance and reduced load on software Hardware-accelerated SYN flood protection Hardware-based protection from more than 100 types of denial-of-service (DoS) attacks Support for F5 Intelligence Services VELOS CX1610 chassis VELOS BX520 blade Migration Options (BIG-IP Journeys) Use BIG-IP Journeys to easily migrate your existing configuration to VELOS. This covers the following: Entire L4-L7 configuration can be migrated Individual Applications can be migrated BIG-IP Tenant configuration can be migrated Automatically identify and resolve migration issues Convert UCS files into AS3 declarations if needed Post-deployment diagnostics and health The Journeys Tool, available on DevCentral’s GitHub, facilitates the migration of legacy BIG-IP configurations to VELOS-compatible formats. Customers can convert UCS files, validate configurations, and highlight unsupported features during the migration process. Multi-tenancy capabilities in VELOS simplify the process of isolating workloads during and after migration. GitHub repository for F5 Journeys Conclusion The F5 VELOS platform addresses the modern enterprise’s need for high-performance, scalable, and efficient application delivery and security solutions. By combining cutting-edge hardware capabilities with robust automation tools and flexible migration options, VELOS empowers organizations to seamlessly transition from legacy platforms while unlocking new levels of performance and operational agility. Whether driven by the need for increased throughput, advanced multi-tenancy, the VELOS platform stands as a future-ready solution for securing and optimizing application delivery in an increasingly complex IT landscape. Related Content Cloud Docs VELOS Guide F5 VELOS Chassic System Datasheet DEMO: The Next Generation of F5 Hardware is Ready for you
Even More Hands-On Quantum-Safe PKI: Building Enterprise PQC Certificate Authorities with EJBCA Community Edition
Your PQC CAs just graduated from the command line to the corner office. Back in December and again in January we published Hands-On Quantum-Safe PKI, a step-by-step lab for building quantum-resistant certificate authorities from scratch using OpenSSL. You learned ML-DSA algorithms, built a Root CA, chained an Intermediate CA, issued end-entity certificates, and stood up revocation infrastructure, all by hand, one command at a time. Billions of you went through it. Six of you even enjoyed it. But here's the thing about building a CA with OpenSSL: it works beautifully for learning and it works beautifully for testing. It does not work beautifully at 2 AM when someone asks you to revoke a certificate and your "management interface" is vim index.txt . Calgon, take me away! The lab has expanded. The Post-Quantum Cryptography Step-by-Step Lab now includes a complete EJBCA Community Edition deployment track, nine modules that take you from bare metal to enterprise-managed, quantum-resistant Certificate Authorities running inside a real PKI management platform. Same SassyCorp identity. Same ML-DSA-87 Root CA and ML-DSA-65 Intermediate CA. Now with a database, an application server, audit logs, and a web UI that doesn't require you to memorize openssl ca flags. But if you want to we won't stop you and we love you for that. 🔥🔥🔥 Access the Complete Lab on GitHub 🔥🔥🔥; The new lab walks through deploying Keyfactor's EJBCA Community Edition v9.3 on Ubuntu with WildFly 35, MariaDB, and OpenJDK 21. You configure a 3-port TLS architecture, HTTP on 8080, public HTTPS on 8442, and mutual TLS admin access on 8443 where your browser has to prove it's worth it is before EJBCA lets you touch anything. It's PKI with actual access control, which is a refreshing change from chmod 600 being your entire security model. The Evolution: Why This Matters Think of it as three stages of PQC readiness. The first lab (CNSA 2.0 with OpenSSL) taught you algorithm mechanics for federal use cases. The second lab (FIPS 203/204/205) broadened that to commercial compliance. This third expansion puts those same algorithms inside infrastructure that can actually manage certificates at scale — issuance, renewal, revocation, OCSP, CRL distribution, role-based access, and audit logging that doesn't live in a flat file. That progression is intentional. You can't meaningfully operate an enterprise PKI platform if you don't understand what's happening underneath it. And you can't stop at OpenSSL if your organization needs to manage more than a handful of certificates. The compliance clock is running - NIST is deprecating classical asymmetric algorithms by 2030, the NSA wants full CNSA 2.0 enforcement by 2033, and Australia is trying to eliminate classical public-key crypto entirely by 2030 (bless their ambitious hearts). Having people who can actually stand up and operate PQC certificate authorities isn't optional anymore. It's PKI Thunderdome! What You Can Do Next After completing the lab, you'll have a fully operational EJBCA instance with three CAs — the RSA ManagementCA for internal admin plumbing, plus your ML-DSA-87 Root and ML-DSA-65 Intermediate for quantum-resistant certificate operations. From here you can issue end-entity certificates through EJBCA's enrollment interface, configure CRL distribution points, set up OCSP responders, explore the REST API, and experiment with hybrid certificates that combine PQC and classical algorithms. You've got an enterprise PKI playground that happens to be quantum-resistant. The whole thing runs on a single VM if you want, that's what we did. No Docker, no scripts, no "just run this compose file and trust me." Every command is manual, every configuration file is edited by hand, and every step explains why. We remain faithful disciples of the "Learn Python the Hard Way" school of pedagogy, mostly because it works and partly because suffering builds character. The lab is open source, community-driven, and waiting for your pull requests. Go break something, then fix it. That's how you learn. Access the Complete Lab on GitHub → References Resource URL EJBCA Community Edition (Keyfactor) https://github.com/Keyfactor/ejbca-ce Keyfactor PQC Hybrid CA Tutorial https://docs.keyfactor.com/ejbca/latest/tutorial-create-pqc-hybrid-ca-chain Keyfactor EJBCA Installation Docs https://docs.keyfactor.com/ejbca-software/latest/installation WildFly 35 Documentation https://docs.wildfly.org/35/ PQC Coalition — International Requirements https://pqcc.org/international-pqc-requirements/Practical Mapping Guide - F5 BIG-IP TMOS Modules to Feature-Scoped CNFs
Introduction BIG-IP TMOS and BIG-IP CNFs solve similar problems with very different deployment and configuration models. In TMOS you deploy whole modules (LTM, AFM, DNS, etc.), while in CNFs you deploy only the specific features and data plane functions you need as cloud native components. Modules vs feature scoped services In TMOS, enabling LTM gives you a broad set of capabilities in one module: virtual servers, pools, profiles, iRules, SNAT, persistence, etc., all living in the same configuration namespace. In CNFs, you deploy only the features you actually need, expressed as discrete custom resources: for example, a routing CNF for more precise TMM routing, a firewall CNF for policies, or specific CRs for profiles and NAT, rather than bringing the entire LTM or AFM module along “just in case”. Configuration objects vs custom resources TMOS configuration is organized as objects under modules (for example: LTM virtual, LTM pool, security, firewall policy, net vlan), managed via tmsh, GUI, or iControl REST. CNFs expose those same capabilities through Kubernetes Custom Resources (CRs): routes, policies, profiles, NAT, VLANs, and so on are expressed as YAML and applied with GitOps-style workflows, making individual features independently deployable with a version history. Coarse-grained vs precise feature deployment On TMOS, deploying a use case often means standing up a full BIG-IP instance with multiple modules enabled, even if the application only needs basic load balancing with a single HTTP profile and a couple of firewall rules. With CNFs, you can carve out exactly what you need: for example, only a precise TMM routing function plus the specific TCP/HTTP/SSL profiles and security policies required for a given application or edge segment, reducing blast radius and resource footprint. BIG-IP Next CNF Custom Resources (CRs) extend Kubernetes APIs to configure the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) and Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM), providing declarative equivalents to BIG-IP TMOS configuration objects. This mapping ensures functional parity for L4-L7 services, security, and networking while enabling cloud-native scalability. Focus here covers core mappings with examples for iRules and Profiles. What are Kubernetes Custom Resources Think of Kubernetes API as a menu of objects you can create: Pods (containers), Services (networking), Deployments (replicas). CRs add new menu items for your unique needs. You first define a CustomResourceDefinition (CRD) (the blueprint), then create CR instances (actual objects using that blueprint). How CRs Work (Step-by-Step) Create CRD - Define new object type (e.g., "F5BigFwPolicy") Apply CRD - Kubernetes API server registers it, adding new REST endpoints like /apis/f5net.com/v1/f5bigfwpolicies Create CR - Write YAML instances of your new type and apply with kubectl Controllers Watch - Custom operators/controllers react to CR changes, creating real resources (Pods, ConfigMaps, etc.) CR examples Networking and NAT Mappings Networking CRs handle interfaces and routing, mirroring, TMOS VLANs, Self-IPs and NAT mapping. CNF CR TMOS Object(s) Purpose F5BigNetVlan VLANs, Self-IPs, MTU Interface config F5BigCneSnatpool SNAT Automap Source NAT s Example: F5BigNetVlan CR sets VLAN tags and IPs, applied via kubectl apply, propagating to TMM like tmsh create net vlan. Security and Protection Mappings Protection CRs map to AFM and DoS modules for threat mitigation. CNF CR CR Purpose TMOS Object(s) Purpose F5BigFwPolicy applies industry-standard firewall rules to TMM AFM Policies Stateful ACL filtering F5BigFwRulelist Consists of an array of ACL rules AFM Rule list Stateful ACL filtering F5BigSvcPolicy Allows creation of Timer Policies and attaching them to the Firewall Rules AFM Policies Stateful ACL filtering F5BigIpsPolicy Allows you to filter inspected traffic (matched events) by various properties such as, the inspection profile’s host (virtual server or firewall policy), traffic properties, inspection action, or inspection service. IPS AFM policies Enforce IPS F5BigDdosGlobal Configures the TMM Proxy Pod to protect applications and the TMM Pod from Denial of Service / Distributed Denial of Service (Dos/DDoS) attacks. Global DoS/DDoS Device DoS protection F5BigDdosProfile The Percontext DDoS CRD configures the TMM Proxy Pod to protect applications from Denial of Service / Distributed Denial of Service (Dos/DDoS) attacks. DoS/DDoS per profile Per Context DoS profile protection F5BigIpiPolicy Each policy contains a list of categories and actions that can be customized, with IPRep database being common. Feedlist based policies can also customize the IP addresses configured. IP Intelligence Policies Reputation-based blocking Example: F5BigFwPolicy references rule-lists and zones, equivalent to tmsh creating security firewall policy. Traffic Management Mappings Traffic CRs proxy TCP/UDP and support ALGs, akin to LTM Virtual Servers and Pools. CNF CR TMOS Object(s) Purpose Part of the Apps CRs Virtual Server (Ingress/HTTPRoute/GRPCRoute) LTM Virtual Servers Load balancing Part of the Apps CRs Pool (Endpoints) LTM Pools Node groups F5BigAlgFtp FTP Profile/ALG FTP gateway F5BigDnsCache DNS Cache Resolution/caching Example: GRPCRoute CR defines backend endpoints and profiles, mapping to tmsh create ltm virtual. Profiles Mappings with Examples Profiles CRs customize traffic handling, referenced by Traffic Management CRs, directly paralleling TMOS profiles. CNF CR TMOS Profile(s) Example Configuration Snippet F5BigTcpSetting TCP Profile spec: { defaultsFrom: "tcp-lan-optimized" } tunes congestion like tmsh create LTM profile TCP optimized F5BigUdpSetting UDP Profile spec: { idleTimeout: 300 } sets timeouts F5BigUdpSetting HTTP Profile spec: { http2Profile: "http2" } enables HTTP/2 F5BigClientSslSetting ClientSSL Profile spec: { certKeyChain: { name: "default" } } for TLS termination F5PersistenceProfile Persistence Profile Enables source/dest persistence Profiles attach to Virtual Servers/Ingresses declaratively, e.g., spec.profiles: [{ name: "my-tcp", context: "tcp" }]. iRules Support and Examples CNF fully supports iRules for custom logic, integrated into Traffic Management CRs like Virtual Servers or FTP/RTSP. iRules execute in TMM, preserving TMOS scripting. Example CR Snippet: apiVersion: k8s.f5net.com/v1 kind: F5BigCneIrule metadata: name: cnfs-dns-irule namespace: cnf-gateway spec: iRule: > when DNS_REQUEST { if { [IP::addr [IP::remote_addr] equals 10.10.1.0/24] } { cname cname.siterequest.com } else { host 10.20.20.20 } } This mapping facilitates TMOS-to-CNF migrations using tools like F5Big-Ip Controller for CR generation from UCS configs. For full CR specs, refer to official docs. The updated full list of CNF CRs per release can be found over here, https://clouddocs.f5.com/cnfs/robin/latest/cnf-custom-resources.html Conclusion In this article, we examined how BIG-IP Next CNF redefines the TMOS module model into a feature-scoped, cloud-native service architecture. By mapping TMOS objects such as virtual servers, profiles, and security policies to their corresponding CNF Custom Resources, we illustrated how familiar traffic management and security constructs translate into declarative Kubernetes workflows. Related content F5 Cloud-Native Network Functions configurations guide BIG-IP Next Cloud-Native Network Functions (CNFs) CNF DNS Express BIG-IP Next for Kubernetes CNFs - DNS walkthrough BIG-IP Next for Kubernetes CNFs deployment walkthrough | DevCentral BIG-IP Next Edge Firewall CNF for Edge workloads | DevCentral Modern Applications-Demystifying Ingress solutions flavors | DevCentralBIG-IP for Scalable App Delivery & Security in Hybrid Environments
Scope As enterprises deploy multiple instances of the same applications across diverse infrastructure platforms such as VMware, OpenShift, Nutanix, and public cloud environments and across geographically distributed locations to support redundancy and facilitate seamless migration, they face increasing challenges in ensuring consistent performance, centralized security, and operational visibility. The complexity of managing distributed application traffic, enforcing uniform security policies, and maintaining high availability across hybrid environments introduces significant operational overhead and risk, hindering agility and scalability. F5 BIG-IP Application Delivery and Security address this challenge by providing a unified, policy-driven approach to manage secure workloads across hybrid multi-cloud environments. It can be used to scale up application services on existing infrastructure or with new business models. Introduction This article highlights how F5 BIG-IP deploys identical application workloads across multiple environments. This ensure high availability, seamless traffic management, and consistent performance. By supporting smooth workload transitions and zero-downtime deployments, F5 helps organizations maintain reliable, secure, and scalable applications. From a business perspective, it enhances operational agility, supports growing traffic demands, reduces risk during updates, and ultimately delivers a reliable, secure, and high-performance application experience that meets customer expectations and drives growth. This use case covers a typical enterprise setup with the following environments: VMware (On-Premises) Nutanix (On-Premises) OCP (On-Premises) Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Solution Overview The following video shows how F5 BIG-IP VE running on different virtualized platforms and environments can be configured to scale, secure, and deliver applications equally, even when located on-prem and in cloud environments. By providing a uniform interface and security policies organizations can focus on other priorities and changing business needs. Architecture Overview As illustrated in the diagram, when new application workloads are provisioned across environments such as AWS, GCP, VMware (on-prem), Nutanix (on-prem & VMware) BIG-IP ensures seamless integration with existing services. Platforms Supported Environments VMware On-Prem, GCP, Azure Nutanix On-Prem, AWS, Azure OCP On-Prem, AWS, Azure This article outlines the deployment in VMware platform. For deployment in other platforms like Nutanix and GCP, refer the detailed guide below. F5 Scalable Enterprise Workload Deployments Complete Guide Scalable Enterprise Workload Deployment Across Hybrid Environments Enterprise applications are deployed smoothly across multiple environments to address diverse customer needs. With F5’s advanced Application Delivery and Security features, organizations can ensure consistent performance, high availability, and robust protection across all deployment platforms. F5 provides a unified and secure application experience across cloud, on-premises, and virtualized environments. Workload Distribution Across Environments Workloads are distributed across the following environments: VMware: App A & App B OpenShift: App B Nutanix: App B & App C → VMware: Add App C → OpenShift: Add App A & App C → Nutanix: Add App A Applications being used: A → Juice Shop (Vulnerable web app for security testing) B → DVWA (Damn Vulnerable Web Application) C → Mutillidae Initial Infrastructure & B, Nutanix: App B &C, GCP: App B. VMware In the VMware on-premises environment, Applications A and B are deployed and connected to two separate load balancers. This forms the existing infrastructure. These applications are actively serving user traffic with delivery and security managed by BIG-IP. Web Application Firewall (WAF) is enabled, which will prevent any malicious threats. The corresponding logs can be found under BIG-IP > Security > Event Logs Note: This initial deployment infrastructure has also been implemented on Nutanix and GCP. For the full details, please consult the complete guide here Adding additional workloads To demonstrate BIG-IP’s ability to support evolving enterprise demands, we will introduce new workloads across all environments. This will validate its seamless integration, consistent security enforcement, and support for continuous delivery across hybrid infrastructures. VMware Let us add additional application-3 (mutillidae) to the VMware on-premises environment. Try to access the application through BIG-IP virtual server. Apply the WAF policy to the newly created virtual server, then verify the same by simulating malicious attacks. Nutanix The use case described for VMware is equally applicable and supported when deploying BIG-IP on Nutanix Bare Metal as well as Nutanix on VMware. For demonstration purposes, the Nutanix Community Edition hypervisor is booted as a virtual machine within VMware. Inside this hypervisor, a new virtual machine is created and provisioned using the BIG-IP image downloaded from the F5 Downloads portal. Once the BIG-IP instance is online, an additional VM hosting the application workload is deployed. This application VM is then associated with a BIG-IP virtual server, ensuring that the application remains isolated and protected from direct external exposure. OCP The use case described for VMware is equally applicable and fully supported when deploying BIG-IP with Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform (OCP) including Nutanix and VMware-based infrastructures. For demonstration, OCP is deployed on a virtualized cluster, while BIG-IP is provisioned externally using an image from the F5 Downloads portal. BIG-IP consumes the OpenShift configuration and dynamically creates the required virtual servers, pools, and health monitors. Traffic to the application is routed through BIG-IP, ensuring that the application remains isolated from direct external exposure while benefiting from enterprise-grade traffic management, security enforcement, and observability. GCP (Google Cloud Platform) The use case discussed above for VMware is also applicable and supported when deploying BIG-IP on public cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, and GCP. For demonstration purposes, GCP is selected as the cloud environment for deploying BIG-IP. Within the same project where the BIG-IP instance is provisioned, an additional virtual machine hosting application workloads is deployed and associated with the BIG-IP virtual server. This setup ensures that the application workloads remain protected behind BIG-IP, preventing direct external exposure. Key Resources: Please refer to the detailed guide below, which outlines the deployment of Nutanix on VMware and GCP, and demonstrates how BIG-IP delivers consistent security, traffic management, and application delivery across hybrid environments. F5 Scalable Enterprise Workload Deployments Complete Guide Conclusion This demonstration clearly illustrates that BIG-IP’s Application Delivery and Security capabilities offer a robust, scalable, and consistent solution across both multi-cloud and on-premises environments. By deploying BIG-IP across diverse platforms, organizations can achieve uniform application security, while maintaining reliable connectivity, strong encryption, and comprehensive protection for both modern and legacy workloads. This unified approach allows businesses to seamlessly scale infrastructure and address evolving user demands without sacrificing performance, availability, or security. With BIG-IP, enterprises can confidently deliver applications with resilience and speed, while maintaining centralized control and policy enforcement across heterogeneous environments. Ultimately, BIG-IP empowers organizations to simplify operations, standardize security, and accelerate digital transformation across any environment. References F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform BIG-IP Data Sheet F5 Hybrid Security Architectures: One WAF Engine, Total Flexibility Distributed Cloud (XC) Github Repo BIG-IP Github Repo
Understanding The TikTok Ban, Salt Typhoon and More | AppSec Monthly January Ep.27
In this episode of AppSec Monthly, our host MegaZone is joined by m_heath, Merlyn Albery-Speyer, and AubreyKingF5, as they dive into the latest cybersecurity news. We explore the complexities of the TikTok ban, the impact of geopolitical decisions on internet freedom, and the nuances of data sovereignty. Our experts also discuss the implications of recent breaches by Chinese state actors and the importance of using end-to-end encrypted apps to protect your data. Additionally, we shed light on the fascinating history of internet control and how it continues to evolve with emerging technologies. Stay tuned until the end for insights on the upcoming VulnCon 2025 and how you can participate. Don’t forget to subscribe for more AppSec insights!Visibility for Modern Telco and Cloud‑Native Networks
Introduction As operators transition from 5G to 6G-ready cloud-native architectures, their networks are becoming more disaggregated, dynamic, and intelligent. Functions increasingly span virtualized 5G cores, AI-enhanced 6G control domains, MEC platforms, and hyperscale distributed edge clouds. Traditional visibility tools built for static or centralized topologies can no longer keep pace. Telco and security architects now face the challenge of maintaining real‑time, end‑to‑end observability across highly adaptive, multi‑vendor, and multi‑cloud infrastructures where workloads may move between 5G and 6G service fabrics in milliseconds. BIG‑IP eBPF Observability (EOB) meets this challenge with a high‑performance, kernel‑level telemetry framework built on Linux’s eBPF technology, delivering visibility that scales from 6G microcells to data center cores without adding operational overhead. Why Legacy Visibility Approaches Fail in 5G/6G Environments Tools like SPANs, TAPs, and broker appliances were effective for static topologies. But in cloud‑native 5G and 6G deployments, where AI dynamically places network functions across cores, edges, and reconfigurable slices, they break down. Common limitations include: No reliable physical tap points in cloud-distributed or satellite-connected nodes SPAN mirroring constrained by virtual and container limits Encryption and service mesh layers hiding the real traffic context Vendor probes exposing only proprietary NFs, limiting multi‑domain visibility These gaps fragment insights across control-plane (SBI, PFCP, NGAP, F1‑AP) and AI‑driven management planes now emerging within 6G intelligent network layers (INNs). eBPF: Core Technology for Adaptive Observability eBPF (Extended Berkeley Packet Filter) allows sandboxed programs to execute inside the Linux kernel, offering in‑situ visibility into packet, process, and syscall activities at near‑zero latency. Its key advantages for 5G and 6G include: Safe, programmable telemetry without kernel module changes Full observability across containers, namespaces, and network functions Ultra‑low‑latency insights ideal for closed‑loop automation and AI inference workflows 6G networks depend on autonomous observability loops, eBPF forms the telemetry foundation that lets those loops sense and adapt to conditions in real time. BIG‑IP EOB Architecture and Data Model EOB leverages lightweight containerized sensors orchestrated via Kubernetes or OpenShift across core, edge, and RAN domains. Its data model captures: Raw packets and deep forensic traces Dynamic service topologies reflecting 5G/6G slice relationships Plaintext records of TLS 1.3 and service mesh sessions for deep insight Metadata for telco protocols (SBI, PFCP, DNS, HTTP/2, F1‑AP, NGAP) and emerging 6G access protocols Rich CNFlow telemetry correlating control- and user-plane activity Then telemetry streams to a message bus or observability fabric, ready for real‑time analytics, SIEM integration, or AI‑based fault prediction systems that’s vital for 6G’s full autonomy vision. Core‑to‑Edge‑to‑AI Deployment Model EOB spans the entire 5G/6G topology, from centralized cores to AI‑powered edge clouds: 5G Core Functions: AMF, SMF, NRF, PCF, UDM, UDR 6G Expansion: Cloud‑native service networks running AI‑orchestrated CNFs and reconfigurable RAN domains Edge & MEC: Low‑latency compute nodes supporting URLLC and industrial AI Open RAN: O‑RU, O‑DU, O‑CU, and AI‑RAN management functions A central controller enforces data routing and observability policies, making EOB a unifying visibility plane for multi‑band, multi‑vendor networks that may straddle both 5G and 6G service layers. Restoring Visibility in Encrypted and AI‑Automated Planes Modern telco cores encrypt almost everything, including control messages used for orchestration and identity management. EOB restores inspection capability by extracting essential 5G/6G identifiers and slice attributes from encrypted flows, enabling real‑time anomaly detection. Capabilities include: Extraction of SUPI, SUCI, GUTI, slice/service IDs, and new AI‑Service Identifiers emerging in 6G Node‑level contextual threat detection across AMF, SMF, and cognitive NFs Direct integration with different security products and AI threat analytics for real‑time prevention This removes “blind spots” that AI‑automated security systems would otherwise misinterpret or miss entirely. Let’s go over a demo showing how BIG-IP EOB enhances visibility by TomCreighton Ecosystem and Integration BIG‑IP EOB integrates seamlessly with telco cloud environments: Kubernetes and Red Hat OpenShift: Certified operator framework, integrated with Red Hat’s bpfman for large-scale eBPF management AI/ML Pipelines: Telemetry exported to AIOps, CI/CD, and orchestration frameworks, key for autonomous fault resolution in 6G While we highlighted multiple use cases for Service Providers, EOB can expand other capabilities to the enterprise sector, Application and data monitoring Security and policy assurance User experience and monitoring Cloud-native and infrastructure Conclusion BIG‑IP EOB enables a future‑proofed observability framework that supports the continuous evolution from 5G to 6G: Unified, vendor-neutral visibility across physical, virtual, and AI-driven domains Granular kernel-level insight without probe sprawl Control and user-plane correlation for real-time SLA and security validation Encrypted and service‑mesh traffic observability Telemetry foundation for 6G, autonomous and cognitive networking EOB forms the visibility fabric of the self‑intelligent network—turning real-time telemetry into adaptive intelligence for secure, resilient, and autonomous telco operations. Related Content F5 eBPF Observability: Real-Time Traffic Visibility Dashboard Demo F5 eBPF Observability: Kernel-Level Observability for Modern Applications eBPF: It's All About Observability eBPF: Revolutionizing Security and Observability in 2023
