Tutorial: Automating F5 Load Balancer Tasks with PowerShell

Overview

This tutorial walks through automating a common F5 load balancer task — forcing a server offline — using PowerShell and SSH.
It demonstrates scripting basics, automation workflow, and verification steps.

Audience: System administrators, support engineers
Skill Level: Intermediate

---

Prerequisites

• PowerShell 5.1 or later
• SSH access to the F5 load balancer
• Appropriate permissions to manage pool members

---

Steps

1. Connect to the F5 via SSH
2. Run the PowerShell script to force a server offline
3. Verify the server status
4. Bring the server back online (if needed)

---

Example Script

```powershell $server = "10.0.0.5" $pool = "web_pool"

ssh admin@f5 "tmsh modify ltm pool $pool members modify { $server:80 { session user-disabled } }"