F5 Provides Free Trial Version of its BIG-IP LTM, Virtual Edition
The trial version comes with support and training for the new virtual local traffic manager appliance, which combines virtual and physical application delivery controllers.
F5 Networks Inc., an application delivery networking (AND) provider, has announced general availability of a free trial version of the new virtual appliance, the BIG-IP local traffic manager, Virtual Edition (LTM VE).
The BIG-IP LTM VE is part of F5’s overall Enterprise Cloud Architecture strategy that began back in 2007 with the introduction of F5’s Clustered Multiprocessing (CMP) technology.
According to F5 Networks, the Virtual Edition of the BIG-IP combines virtual and physical application delivery controllers (ADCs). The company calls this combination “a major milestone in delivering F5’s vision for dynamic IT infrastructure.
With the addition of BIG-IP LTM VE to family of ADC solutions, F5 extends its architectural approach for application and data delivery to include both physical and virtual appliances.
“This release gives developers and architects a new, efficient, and effective tool for modeling ADC deployments,” the company states in a press release.
F5 vice president of products management and product marketing Eric Giesa gets more specific. He says the application delivery network is “the foundation for a flexible architecture and F5’s advanced ADCs are the enabling solution that allows organizations to deliver services dynamically.”
“Now IT departments can shorten their testing time by simply spinning up a virtual BIG-IP to immediately begin testing on different configurations programs, and other variables,” Giesa says. Among the programs he mentions are F5’s iControl and iRules. “The test results will match live operation of a physical BIG-IP appliance in their production network,” he adds.
As part of F5’s announcement came the news that the company is also making a training course available. The BIG-IP LTM “Essentials Training Class” is a Web-based training course available without charge.
The free trial of BIG-IP, Virtual Edition is downloadable via F5’s site.
Features of the BIG IP LTM VE include:
- Application Delivery Creation and Testing–Using F5’s programming language, iRules, and other management and automation solutions that leverage the iControl API, developers can create and test application delivery.
- Network Cooperation–BIG-IP LTM VE is part of an overarching application delivery architecture designed to work in cooperation with a network of physical and virtual ADC appliances.
- Support–BIG-IP LTM VE trial users have access to F5’s online support portal as well as community support through DevCentral.
- Training–F5 is now offering free BIG-IP LTM Web-based training.
