How to Find F5 BIG-IP Serial Number?

F5 BIG-IP platforms come in multiple form factors—hardware appliances (iSeries), blade-based VIPRION chassis, virtual editions (VE), and the newer rSeries—and each exposes its serial number slightly differently.

1. Via the Configuration Utility (GUI)

Hardware Appliances & VIPRION Chassis

1. Log in to the BIG-IP Configuration Utility (usually https://<management-IP>/).
2. Navigate to System → Configuration → Device.
3. In the Device panel, you’ll see Chassis Serial (and on blade-based platforms, Host Board Serial) listed under the System Information section.

Virtual Edition (VE)

1. Log in to the BIG-IP VE’s web interface.
2. Go to System → License → Reactivate.
3. The Registration Key field contains a 25-character license string. The last seven digits of that string serve as the VE’s “serial number.”

Pro Tip: Take a screenshot or export the license page (CSV/XML) for your records.

2. CLI Extraction with tmsh

On both hardware appliances and VE instances, the simplest command is:

shell
tmsh show sys hardware

This command outputs, among other details, the platform model and serial entries:

arduino
System Information
  Chassis Serial             f5-ABCD-EFGH
  Host Board Serial          bld-1234-5678
``` :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}  

- **Chassis Serial**: The appliance’s main serial number.  
- **Host Board Serial**: On VIPRION blades, this is the blade’s serial.  

You can filter to just serial lines:

```shell
tmsh show sys hardware | grep -i Serial

3. VIPRION Blade & Chassis Serial Numbers

VIPRION chassis can hold multiple blades, each with its own “Host Board Serial.” To gather all serial numbers:

• SSH into any blade or connect via console.
• Enter a bash shell:

shell
run util bash

• Use the clsh utility to run the command across all slots:

shell
clsh tmsh show sys hardware | egrep "=== slot|Serial" 

• This produces output like:

pgsql
=== slot 2 ===
  Chassis Serial   f5-ABCD-EFGH
  Host Board Serial bld-1111-2222
=== slot 3 ===
  Chassis Serial   f5-ABCD-EFGH
  Host Board Serial bld-3333-4444
``` :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}  

Now you have both the chassis serial (same on every slot) and each blade’s serial.

4. BIG-IP Virtual Edition (VE)

Unlike hardware, BIG-IP VE does not have a traditional “serial number.” Instead:

• During initial licensing you receive a Registration Key (25 characters, e.g. AAAAA-BBBBB-CCCCC-DDDDD-EEEEE).
• The last seven characters of this key uniquely identify your VE instance to F5’s licensing system.

To view it:

shell
tmsh show sys license

Look for the Registration Key entry. The final seven characters act as VE’s “serial.”

5. On F5 rSeries (F5OS)

The new rSeries appliances run F5OS, not TMOS. You can find the serial via CLI or GUI:

GUI

1. Log in to the F5OS System Management interface.
2. Navigate to System → About (or Device Info).
3. The Serial Number field appears in the Platform section.

CLI

• SSH into the management IP of the rSeries system.
• At the F5OS-A# prompt, issue:

shell
show /cm device 

• The output lists the serial under the Platform row:

yaml
Platform Serial: f5-XXXX-XXXX Model: r5300 
``` :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

6. Programmatic Access via iControl REST API

For scripted inventories or integration with ITSM/CMDB systems, F5’s iControl REST API exposes serial information.

http
GET https://<BIG-IP>/mgmt/tm/sys/hardware
Authorization: Bearer <token>

Sample JSON fragment:

json
{
  "platformId": "BIG-IP 2000",
  "platformSerialNumber": "f5-ABCD-EFGH",
  "hostBoardSerialNumber": "bld-1234-5678"
}

• platformSerialNumber → Chassis serial
• hostBoardSerialNumber → Blade serial (if applicable)

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