Management Central 4F5
Management Central 4F5 provides a holistic view of all F5 BigIP assets and enables the central management of these devices. Management Central 4F5 also retains important device information such as system serial numbers, software versions and registration keys in a central secure location for an entire F5 BigIP estate.
Global configuration elements can be defined that then exist on all managed F5 BIG-IP LTM devices. Authentication and permissions can be fully integrated with LDAP, Active Directory or run from a local database. All actions are fully audited and can be reported on. The Management Central 4F5 can also run scheduled automated backups and store them centrally.
Highlights:
• Central Management Portal (web based)
• LDAP or local database Authentication
• LDAP or local database Group Memberships can be used for access control
• Delegated role based permissions on a per element basis
• Live up/down control of pool members
• Ability to import configuration from existing F5 BigIP LTM devices
• Global configuration elements can be defined that will exist on all managed F5 devices
• Build offline configuration then deploy to devices when required
• Customisable input forms allowing fields to be given default vales and even hidden if required
• Enforceable element naming standard
• Automatic backups taken before and/or after every change
• Full audit log of all admin access and actions taken and can be reported on
• Configuration summary report of a device can be produced on a single page
• Central control of HA Pair Active/Standby status
Features:
Central Management Portal
One place to go to manage your entire F5 BigIP LTM estate. A central SSL secured web interface provides a clear and concise way to manage large estates of devices.
Granular Permission Model
Managers can assign role based permissions to administrators to manage only the relevant elements of an F5 BigIP LTM configuration relevant to them. This separation of duties can be based on LDAP group membership or groups stored in a local database.
Configuration Elements
F5 Manager supports all elements of the LTM configuration, including:
• Virtual Servers
• Pools
• Members
• Monitors
• Nodes
• SNATs
• SSL Certificates
• Profiles
• Data Groups
• iRules
Configuration Import
Configurations can be imported from existing operational devices and then stored in the Management Central database. Some elements can then be marked as global and deployed out to any or all of the estate. This gives a known common platform of configuration elements to build on.
Live Pool Member Control
The status of pool members of any pool anywhere in the F5 BigIP LTM estate can be viewed and controlled centrally. This control is real time and has an immediate effect on the running system. This allows administrators to centrally manage and keep an eye on active servers across the estate.
Customisable Input Forms
Management Central 4F5 allows managers to define default values to certain fields within the configuration management interface. This speeds up admin configuration time and reduces the risk of human error. Fields can even be hidden completely as to totally remove the risk of error and deviation from a standard defined configuration base.
Element Naming Standard Enforcement
Within the interface, element naming rules can be defined on a per element type basis. Any newly created or edited elements have to comply with these defined naming standards so the Management Central interface actively enforces these naming standards and reduces the risk of errors or duplicate elements being created.
Central Backups
On a predefined schedule Management Central 4F5 will automatically create and retrieve archive files from each F5 BigIP LTM device. These are then all stored centrally within F5 Manager. Backups are also taken automatically before and after every time a configuration is deployed to a device.
Central HA Status Control
The live High Availability status of all devices can be viewed and controlled from within Management Central 4F5. Administrators can also view the Config Sync status and last configuration change timestamps.
Audit Log
All access and changes are fully audited by Management Central 4F5. This allows managers to search and report on individual changes made by administrators within a specified date range.
Single Page Configuration Summary
Management Central 4F5 can display the full configuration of any single F5 BigIP LTM device on a single page. This makes configuration checking and auditing simpler as the entire config can be viewed/printed in one go.
Configuration Deployment
With Management Central 4F5 an administrator can deploy full configuration or selected configuration elements. For certain configuration elements all dependant elements are also automatically deployed.
Naming Standard Enforcement
Naming standards can be defined as regular expressions on a per element type basis. When administrators then create or edit elements, the element name input value is validated against the naming standard for that element type.
System Requirements
Management Central 4F5 is deployed as a VMware Virtual Appliance under the VMware Virtual Appliance programme.
More Information:
Management Central 4F5 is a product of the Integralis ACE Team. The ACE Team is a specialist team focused on the development of bespoke solutions around the F5 BigIP product set. Custom tailored enhancements to the F5 Manager can be produced if required.
If you would like to evaluate Management Central 4F5, please complete the following form and a member of our team will contact you.