Seven Reasons to Upgrade Your F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition

Like all software solutions, BIG-IP VE performance is shaped by a variety of external factors—server type, virtualization platform, software drivers, network interface cards, and so on. As these underlying components evolve, relying on outdated technologies can result in suboptimal BIG-IP VE performance. That’s why we’re continually upgrading our BIG-IP software to support and utilize the latest tech.

Take our most recent release for example, BIG-IP v17.5, where we upgraded the Data Plane Development Kit (which turbocharges packet processing efficiency) and refreshed the AWS Elastic Network Adapter rivers (which enables high-speed networking for AWS EC2 instances). Enhancements like these, paired with the ongoing internal BIG-IP VE optimizations that come with every release, work together to deliver improved data handling, enhanced scalability, and an overall performance boost. So, if you’re aiming to squeeze even more juice out of your BIG-IP VE, upgrading is a great place to start.

You’ve heard the age-old saying, “The only constant in life is change.” The same is true in the tech world, where cyberthreats are evolving, traffic patterns are shifting, and application architectures are transforming. Keeping up with these changes is essential to ensure your apps stay secure and available. Upgrading your BIG-IP VE license unlocks access to the latest BIG-IP software versions which are packed with cutting-edge functionality designed to tackle modern challenges. Using BIG-IP v17.5 as an example, upgrading opens the door to:

• Quantum-based threat readiness with client-side post-quantum cryptography support (included in F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager [LTM]).
• Improved API security with integrated JSON Web Token (JWT) based threat protection (included in F5 BIG-IP Advanced WAF).
• Greater DNS traffic privacy and encryption with Oblivious DNS over HTTPS (ODoH) protocol functionality (included in F5 BIG-IP DNS).
• Many other new capabilities and enhancements as detailed in the release notes.

Now, if you’ve previously purchased BIG-IP VE with a perpetual Version Plus license and would like to understand which BIG-IP software versions you can upgrade to, all the details can be found in this article. If you’re a subscription customer, every software version is automatically accessible—simply upgrade to the latest and greatest version whenever you’re ready.

Admittedly you’re getting a twofer here, but we’ll combine these reasons since both are connected to the lifecycle of your BIG-IP VE. Almost every piece of commercial software these days has a pre-defined lifecycle, from release through to end-of-life, with set milestones along the way. BIG-IP VEs are no different, with their lifecycle tied directly to the BIG-IP software versions they’re capable of operating. This means there are two key milestones to be aware of:

End of technical support (EoTS): Nothing is more reassuring than knowing expert support is just a phone call or ticket away. However, when your BIG-IP VE surpasses the EoTS milestone, this resource typically disappears, potentially leaving you to navigate issues without F5’s specialized guidance.

End of software development (EoSD): Nobody sleeps well at night knowing bad actors could be exploiting known software vulnerabilities. Once your BIG-IP Virtual Edition reaches EoSD, F5 is no longer obliged to provide bug fixes or software patches for newly discovered vulnerabilities, potentially leaving you susceptible to attack.

Upgrading your BIG-IP VE to the latest versions of BIG-IP software avoids complications associated with both EoSD and EoTS. If you’d like to better understand which software versions we recommend running, then please check out our BIG-IP Upgrade page. Also note that the BIG-IP v17.x release train includes more CVE fixes than any other previous release, in case you need further incentive to upgrade!

Built for today’s cloud-first world, newer BIG-IP software versions offer greater multicloud freedom and compatibility. Beyond support for the “Big Three” cloud providers—AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud—BIG-IP VE continuously adds support for emerging cloud platforms as usage among F5 customers grows. This gives you increased freedom to leverage the cloud environments that best suit your apps and business strategies, while retaining the trusted and consistent suite of BIG-IP services you rely on. The only caveat: Newly supported cloud platforms typically require the latest software versions, making an upgrade necessary prior to adoption.

Upgrading isn’t just about overall platform compatibility. Cloud providers continuously roll out newer generations of virtual machines that are more powerful, specialized, and resource efficient. These VMs often have performance and cost-saving benefits for the software running on them—including BIG-IP VE. By upgrading to the latest BIG-IP versions, you’re able to take advantage of some of the newer VM generations, driving improved performance, scalability, and reliability. Our most recent example of this? Once upgraded to BIG-IP v17.1 or later, BIG-IP VEs can be deployed on Microsoft Azure Dv5-series (general-purpose compute) and Ev5-series (memory-optimized) virtual machines, providing greater cost efficiency and performance compared to previous generations.

Be sure to check out the BIG-IP VE platform support matrix for all the latest information on supported platforms and recommended VM instance types.

It’s no secret that the way we consume goods and services has evolved significantly over the last decade. Long gone are the days when your only option when buying something was to purchase it outright. Modern licensing models often streamline purchasing, reduce commitment, and eliminate the need for large up-front investments—just look at your Office365 or Netflix subscriptions as prime examples.

If you currently license BIG-IP VE perpetually, your next tech refresh window could be the perfect opportunity to explore F5’s alternative consumption models:

Subscriptions: F5 subscriptions are available in renewable, one-, two-, or three-year terms. They require minimal commitment and help accelerate deployment times through on-demand, self-service licensing.

Flex Consumption Program (FCP): F5’s most adaptable licensing program, FCP provides maximum architectural flexibility by empowering you to reallocate your investment across F5’s product portfolio to meet evolving business needs.

If you haven’t already, it’s worthwhile discussing these options with your F5 account team. You never know; an FCP or subscription could be just the answer to those persistent budget constraints or long-term planning obstacles.

F5 BIG-IP Next (v21) is the next generation evolution of BIG-IP software that’s being rearchitected to simplify operations, reduce risk, and maximize performance, while bolstering cutting-edge security, modernized process flows, and unmatched scalability. While not yet available, BIG-IP Next will be introduced gradually beginning at the end of 2025 with an initial suite of capabilities for BIG-IP Next Local Traffic Manager (LTM), BIG-IP Next DNS, and BIG-IP Next WAF (more details on this here).

As the future of BIG-IP, the ability to upgrade to BIG-IP Next will be essential for existing customers down the line. To make that transition as seamless as possible, our latest perpetual BIG-IP VE licenses include built-in access to BIG-IP Next, so when the time comes you’ll be able to upgrade from BIG-IP TMOS to BIG-IP Next without any licensing complications. Access to BIG-IP Next is also automatically included with subscription and FCP plans,  ensuring you’re ready to transition whenever it suits your needs.