How to Upgrade an F5 BIG-IP HA Device Group (Step-by-Step Guide)

Environment

Last Updated: May 2026

  • F5 BIG-IP High Availability (HA) Device Group

Before You Begin

Before starting the upgrade, verify that your devices meet the requirements for upgrading to a newer BIG-IP software version.


Preparation - Pre-Upgrade Tasks

Ensure you have both an administrator account and root credentials before starting the upgrade.

1. Download the BIG-IP Software Images

Download the .iso image for the target BIG-IP software version directly from the official MyF5 portal:

https://account.f5.com/myf5

(Optional) Download the latest .iso Hotfix for your target version. To determine the latest available Hotfix for each BIG-IP release, refer to the following article:

https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K9502

If this is your first time downloading BIG-IP software images, I recommend reviewing the following article:

https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K000090258#link_01

2. Synchronize the Configuration

From the device that contains the most recent configuration, synchronize the configuration across all devices in the Device Group.

  1. Navigate to Device Management > Overview.
  2. Select the checkbox next to the device containing the latest configuration, then choose Push the selected device configuration to the group.
  3. Click Sync to start the synchronization process.

3. Generate a Backup and QKView (Perform on Each Device)

Generate a QKView File

  1. Navigate to System > Support.
  2. Click New Support Snapshot.
  3. Under Health Utility, select Generate QKView.
  4. Click Start.
  5. Once the process is complete, click Download. The QKView file will be downloaded to your browser’s default download folder.

Create a UCS Configuration Backup

  1. Navigate to System > Archives.
  2. Click Create to generate a new UCS archive.
  3. In the File Name field, enter a name for the backup file.

By default, the system saves UCS archives in /var/local/ucs. If you do not specify the .ucs extension, the system automatically appends it. Important: Use a unique file name. If a UCS archive with the same name already exists, the system will not create a new one and will display the following warning: "The file already exists on the system."

  1. Click Finished to create the UCS archive.
  2. Verify that the archive is created successfully and that no errors are reported before proceeding.
  3. Click OK.
  4. In the File Name column, click the newly created UCS archive, then select Download: filename.ucs.
  5. Save the backup file to your local computer.

4. Remove Unused Software Images and Boot Volumes (Only If Necessary)

Whether you need to free up disk space depends on the requirements of the BIG-IP version you are upgrading to.

To check the available disk space:

  1. Navigate to System > Disk Management.
  2. Locate the disk (for example, HD1) and review the available free space.

It is recommended to have approximately 25 GB of free disk space available before starting the upgrade. At a minimum, ensure that at least 16 GB is available to avoid disk space issues during the installation.

Remove Unused Software Images

If additional disk space is required, navigate to System > Software Management > Image List.

Select the checkbox next to the software images that are no longer needed, then click Delete.

Remove an Unused Boot Volume

If you need to delete an unused boot volume:

  1. Navigate to System > Disk Management.
  2. Click the disk name (for example, HD1).
  3. Select the checkbox next to the boot volume(s) you want to remove.
  4. Click Delete.

Note: The system will not allow you to delete the boot volume that is currently in use, nor should you attempt to do so.

Only if you are unable to remove software images or boot volumes from the GUI should you use the CLI commands below. If you can successfully remove them from the GUI, or if you do not need to free up disk space, skip directly to the Import the Software Images to Each Device section.

List Existing Boot Volumes

tmsh list /sys software volume

Before running the following command, verify that you have selected the correct boot volume.

tmsh delete /sys software volume HD1.1

Verify the BIG-IP configuration before proceeding:

load sys config verify

5. Import the Software Images to Each Device

Import the Base BIG-IP Software Image

This process is non-disruptive and has no impact on system traffic or services.

  1. Navigate to System > Software Management > Image List, then click Import.
  2. Click Browse, select the BIG-IP software image (for example, BIGIP-17.5.1.5-0.0.25.iso), click Open, and then click Import.
  3. Wait for the upload to complete. To verify that the image was imported successfully, navigate back to System > Software Management > Image List. The new software image should appear in the list.

If you plan to install a Hotfix, continue with the next step. Otherwise, skip to the Standby Device Upgrade section.

Important: The Base Image and the Hotfix must belong to the same BIG-IP version. For example, a BIG-IP 17.x Hotfix can only be installed on a 17.x Base Image. Attempting to install a 17.x Hotfix on a 15.x Base Image will result in a compatibility error.

6. Import the Latest Hotfix (If Applicable)

  1. Similar to importing a software image, navigate to System > Software Management > Hotfix List, then click Import.
  2. Click Browse, locate the Hotfix file, click Open, and then click Import.
  3. Once the upload is complete, the Hotfix will appear under System > Software Management > Hotfix List.

Repeat the previous steps on both devices. At this point, both BIG-IP devices are ready to install the new software version and the latest Hotfix.

Standby Device Upgrade

1. Force the Standby Device Offline

Important: Before enabling Force Offline, make sure you are managing the BIG-IP system through the Management interface or the Console port. Enabling Force Offline will terminate all existing connections to the Self IP addresses. After the standby device enters the Offline state, verify that traffic is being processed correctly by the active device before proceeding.

Although the standby device typically does not process application traffic, enabling Force Offline terminates any existing connections (if present) and prevents new connections from being established.

  1. On the Standby device, navigate to Device Management > Devices.
  2. Click the name of the standby device.
  3. At the bottom of the page, click Force Offline. The device status displayed in the upper-left corner will change to Offline.

2. Reactivate the Software License

Important: Reactivating the license restarts several BIG-IP services. If the device is currently in Force Offline mode, this process should not impact traffic handled by the active device.

  1. Navigate to System > License.
  2. Click Re-activate.
  3. Under Activation Method, select Manual, then click Next.
  4. Copy the Dossier and access the F5 licensing portal by clicking the blue link labeled “Click here to access F5 Licensing Server”.
  5. On the licensing portal, paste the dossier into the Enter your dossier field and click Next.
  6. Copy the license returned by the licensing portal and paste it into the License field in the BIG-IP GUI.
  7. Click Next.
  8. The GUI will become temporarily unavailable while BIG-IP restarts the required services. This behavior is expected. Once the GUI becomes available again, you will return to the licensing page. Click Next at the bottom of the page.
  9. To verify that the license has been successfully reactivated, run the following command:
tmsh show sys license | grep "Service Check Date"

3. Install the New BIG-IP Software Version and Hotfix (If Applicable)

Install the Base BIG-IP Software Image

  1. Navigate to System > Software Management > Image List.
  2. Under Available Images, select the new BIG-IP software image and click Install.
  3. A dialog box will display the target disk (for example, HD1). Leave this value unchanged. In the Volume Set Name field, enter the boot volume number you want to create (for example, entering 2 creates HD1.2), then click Install.

Important: Click Details to monitor the installation progress. Do not continue until the installation completes successfully. If the Details option is not immediately available, refresh the page and try again.

The BIG-IP GUI does not allow an installation in progress to be canceled. If the installation fails, delete the boot volume, recreate it, and repeat the installation process.

Install the Hotfix (If Applicable)

If you are not installing a Hotfix, skip to the next section.

  1. Navigate to System > Software Management > Hotfix List.
  2. Under Available Images, select the Hotfix and click Install.
  3. In the Volume Set Name list, select the boot volume where the new BIG-IP version was installed, then click Install.

Important: Click Install Status to monitor the installation progress. Verify that the installation completes successfully before proceeding.

The BIG-IP GUI does not allow an installation in progress to be canceled. If the installation fails, delete the boot volume, recreate it, and repeat the installation.

4. Boot the Standby Device into the New Boot Volume

  1. Navigate to System > Software Management > Boot Locations.
  2. Select the newly installed boot volume.
  3. Under Install Configuration, select Yes. The Source Volume list will appear.
  4. In Source Volume, select the existing boot volume whose configuration you want to copy to the new boot volume.
  5. Click Activate, then confirm the operation.
  6. The device will reboot and start using the new boot volume while remaining in the Offline state. Progress messages will be displayed throughout the process.

Important: Do not close the browser tab displaying the activation progress. If the process takes longer than expected, open another browser tab to continue monitoring the system, but leave the original progress page open until the reboot is complete.

5. Release the Standby Device from Offline Mode

  1. Navigate to Device Management > Devices.
  2. Select the standby device.
  3. Click Release Offline.

The device is now running the new BIG-IP version and should be in the Standby state.

You can verify the installed software version by navigating to:

System > Configuration > Device > General

Note: At this stage, the peer device may appear as Disconnected. This is expected because the two devices are currently running different BIG-IP versions. High Availability communication will be restored once both devices are upgraded to the same software version.

The next step is to perform a failover so that the upgraded device becomes the Active device, allowing you to upgrade the remaining unit.

Important: A brief traffic interruption may occur while traffic is transferred from one device to the other.

To perform the failover:

  1. On the Active device, navigate to Device Management > Devices.
  2. Select the active device.
  3. Click Force to Standby.

Active Device Upgrade

Prerequisites

Before upgrading the remaining device, verify the following:

  • The previously upgraded Standby device is now operating in the Active state.
  • The original Active device (still running the previous BIG-IP version) is now in the Standby state, allowing it to be upgraded without impacting production traffic.

Repeat Steps 1 through 5 from the Standby Device Upgrade section to upgrade the remaining device.

Once the upgrade is complete, verify that the configuration and application traffic are functioning correctly.

Verify the ConfigSync Status

  1. Navigate to Device Management > Overview.
  2. Verify that both devices display a green synchronization status. If they are not synchronized:
    • Select one of the devices.
    • Choose Push the selected device configuration to the group.
    • Click Sync.

Note: Since the configuration was synchronized before the upgrade began, either device can be used to perform the synchronization because both should contain the same configuration.

Optional: If you want the device that was originally Active to resume that role, perform another failover. Keep in mind that a brief traffic interruption may occur while traffic transitions between devices.

Rollback

Important: Performing a rollback reboots the device and restores the previous BIG-IP software version. To avoid service disruption, the rollback should be performed while the device is in the Standby state whenever possible.

  1. Navigate to System > Software Management > Boot Locations.
  2. From the Boot Locations list, select the boot volume containing the previous BIG-IP software version.
  3. Under Install Configuration, select No.
  4. Click Activate.
  5. Confirm the activation and wait for the reboot process to complete. It is recommended that you keep the browser window open until the reboot finishes.

Once the reboot is complete, the BIG-IP login page will be displayed, and the device will be running the previous software version.

Upgrade Using the Command Line

If you prefer to perform the entire upgrade from the command line, refer to the following F5 Knowledge Base article:

https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K60339442