f5-to-alteon

Convert an F5 BIG-IP (tmsh) configuration into a ready-to-apply Radware Alteon CLI configuration - in one command, from whatever file you have.

Every conversion path in this tool has been validated against live Alteon appliances (34.0.x / 34.5.x), including packet-level traffic tests of the generated configs. It converts everything Radware's legacy F5-Migration tool converted, plus route domains (as Alteon Network Segmentation or per-RD splits), wildcard/forwarding virtuals (as Alteon filters), and dozens of live-found fixes the legacy tool never had.

Requirements

• Node.js 16 or newer - Windows, macOS, and Linux are all supported. Check with node --version. If you don't have it, install from nodejs.org (LTS is fine) or your package manager:
  • Windows: winget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS
  • macOS: brew install node
  • Linux (Debian/Ubuntu): sudo apt install nodejs npm

Nothing else. No Python, no build tools, no dependencies - the package is self-contained (~30 kB).

Quick start

The fastest way (no installation at all):

npx @radware/f5-to-alteon device.qkview

The input type is auto-detected, so every one of these works. . means "the folder I am in right now" - use it to convert a whole folder of archives:

npx @radware/f5-to-alteon device.qkview                 # one qkview support archive
npx @radware/f5-to-alteon backup.ucs                    # one UCS backup archive
npx @radware/f5-to-alteon bigip_base.conf bigip.conf    # bare tmsh config files
npx @radware/f5-to-alteon bigip.conf                    # a single bigip.conf
npx @radware/f5-to-alteon ./qkview-dir/                 # an extracted archive folder
npx @radware/f5-to-alteon .                             # BULK: every archive in this folder
npx @radware/f5-to-alteon C:\configs\qkviews             # BULK: every archive in that folder

No output path is needed: each device gets a folder named after its input, created next to it. Add -o <dir> to send the results somewhere else.

Or install once, then use anywhere:

npm install -g @radware/f5-to-alteon
f5-to-alteon device.qkview

Both work identically in Windows PowerShell / CMD, macOS Terminal, and any Linux shell.

Step by step

1. Get your F5 configuration. Any ONE of these works - the tool auto-detects what you give it:

| You have | Example | |----------|---------| | A qkview support archive (even multi-GB) | f5-to-alteon device.qkview | | A UCS backup archive | f5-to-alteon backup.ucs | | An extracted qkview/UCS folder | f5-to-alteon ./extracted-dir/ | | Bare config files | f5-to-alteon bigip_base.conf bigip.conf | | A single bigip.conf | f5-to-alteon bigip.conf | | A folder holding many archives | f5-to-alteon . from inside it, or f5-to-alteon <path> (BULK: every device into its own folder) |

Large archives are streamed - the config files inside are found in seconds without unpacking the whole archive to disk.

2. Run the conversion.

f5-to-alteon device.qkview

No output path needed: a folder named after the input is created next to it (device.qkview -> device/). Use -o <dir> to put it somewhere else. You get a one-line summary plus three clearly named files:

| File | What it is | |------|-----------| | alteon-config.txt | The Alteon CLI configuration - paste/stream it into the Alteon CLI | | needs-manual-work.txt | Items to finish manually (renamed IDs, port mappings, gateway targets, ...). Each entry quotes the original F5 configuration block, so you can act without opening the source config | | not-supported.txt | F5 features with no automatic Alteon equivalent (iRules, GTM, ...), each with guidance |

With route domains in split mode you also get one alteon-config-routedomain-<N>.txt per route domain.

Bulk migration. Point the tool at a folder holding several archives and it converts every one of them, each into its own output folder:

f5-to-alteon .            # or: f5-to-alteon C:\configs\qkviews

the-folder-you-ran-it-in/
  device-a.qkview
  device-b.qkview
  device-a/    <- alteon-config.txt, needs-manual-work.txt, not-supported.txt
  device-b/    <- same

A folder containing a single extracted qkview (config/bigip.conf) is still treated as one device. Force either behavior with --bulk or --single.

3. Review the two logs. The tool never silently drops anything: every F5 object it cannot fully convert appears in a log with the object name, the issue, and the suggested course of action.

4. Apply on the Alteon. Paste the output into an Alteon CLI session (or stream it over SSH), then run apply. Review before save. The output is ordered so objects are defined before they are referenced (segments before virtuals, persistence before proxy-IP blocks, etc.).

Options

| Option | Meaning | |--------|---------| | -o, --out <dir> | Write here instead of the auto-named folder (in bulk mode: the parent folder) | | --name <name> | Override the output folder name (single input only) | | --bulk / --single | Force bulk or single-device handling of a folder | | --rd-mode auto\|segment\|split | How to handle F5 route domains (see below). Default auto. |

Route domains

F5 route domains (10.1.2.3%4 addressing) are converted, not ignored:

• --rd-mode auto (default): if the route domains have non-overlapping address space, everything lands on ONE Alteon using Network Segmentation
  • each RD becomes /c/slb/segment N with its VLANs, its virtuals get segment classifiers (+ Return-to-Last-Hop for symmetric paths), and a per-segment redirect filter sends cross-segment traffic to that segment's gateway (taken from the RD's default route). If address spaces overlap, it automatically falls back to per-RD splitting.
• --rd-mode split: one self-contained output file per route domain (alteon-config-routedomain-N.txt), each meant for its OWN Alteon instance (vADC/VA).
• --rd-mode segment: force segmentation (falls back to split, with a warning, if RDs overlap).

Both modes were validated on live Alteons, including a packet-level cross-segment traffic test (VIP service, cross-segment redirect, and segment isolation all verified with tcpdump).

What it converts

• SLB: nodes/reals (state, ratio -> weight, connection limits), monitors (built-in mappings + custom, multi-monitor AND/OR -> LOGEXP), pools/groups (LB metric, priority-group -> backup, member-level overrides), virtual servers (VIP/service/port, reserved-port application coercion, disabled state), persistence (client-IP, cookie insert), profiles (HTTP/XFF, SSL -> ssl policies, one-connect), SNAT pools -> proxy-IP network classes
• Wildcard/forwarding virtuals (non-/32 destination, any:0, ip-forward) -> Alteon filters (allow or redirect-to-group) with automatic port bindings from the virtual's VLAN restriction
• Network: VLANs (enabled, with port membership), self-IPs -> interfaces, floating IPs, static routes + default gateways, trunks/LACP, route domains (above)
• System: management IP/gateway, NTP, syslog, SNMP
• Anything else -> a named diagnostic in the logs (never silently dropped)

Troubleshooting

• npx: command not found - Node.js isn't installed or isn't on PATH; see Requirements above.
• "No F5 config found" on an archive - the archive doesn't contain config/bigip.conf. If it's a folder of configs from several devices, the tool lists what it found so you can pick one.
• Output rejected by the Alteon - check the version (validated on 34.x) and check needs-manual-work.txt: platform-capacity items (e.g. more pools than the target supports) and physical-port mappings are flagged there.
• Windows note: PowerShell, CMD, and Git Bash all work; paths with spaces need quotes, same as any CLI.

Found a problem? Please open an issue

Conversion reports are how this tool improves - most of its fixes came from real customer configurations that did not convert cleanly.

Report it here and include as much as you can: the F5 stanza involved (needs-manual-work.txt already quotes it for you), what the tool produced, the exact Alteon error if the device rejected the line, and both versions. Attaching the config or qkview is welcome - but sanitize it first, because GitHub issues are public. If the data cannot be shared publicly, say so and send it privately through a Radware support case.

Found a problem? Please open an issue

Conversion reports are how this tool improves - most of its fixes came from real customer configurations that did not convert cleanly.

Report it here and include as much as you can: the F5 stanza involved (needs-manual-work.txt already quotes it for you), what the tool produced, the exact Alteon error if the device rejected the line, and both versions. Attaching the config or qkview is welcome - but sanitize it first, because GitHub issues are public. If the data cannot be shared publicly, say so and send it privately through a Radware support case.

Project

Source, validation reports, and issue tracking: github.com/Radware/F5-to-Alteon-Migrator

License: Apache-2.0