F5

F5 BIG-IP Password Recovery

Recover a lost BIG-IP administrator password by booting into single-user mode from the console and resetting the admin password.

Overview

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for resetting lost or forgotten administrative passwords on enterprise networking hardware. Follow the procedure below carefully to regain access while preserving your device configuration.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with password recovery, ensure you have a console cable, terminal emulation software configured to 9600 baud, and physical access to the device.

Step 1: Establish Console Connection

Connect your terminal cable to the console port of the device and open your serial terminal session.

Step 2: Interrupt the Boot Sequence

Power cycle the hardware and issue a Break key sequence during initial system startup to enter ROMMON mode.

Step 3: Reset Password & Configuration

Bypass startup configuration loading, boot into system software, set your new credentials, and save changes back to non-volatile memory.

Overview

BIG-IP runs TMOS on a Linux base. A lost root or admin password is recovered by booting into single-user mode from the console.

Prerequisites

Recovery Steps

  1. Connect the console and reboot the BIG-IP.
  2. At the boot menu, choose the option to boot into single-user mode.
  3. At the shell prompt, mount the filesystem read-write and change the password:
    # mount -o remount,rw /
    # passwd root
    # passwd admin
  4. Reboot normally and log in with the new credentials.

Note

The BIG-IP configuration is preserved. If the appliance is in a device group, re-synchronise after recovery.