Alerts - Slack

Objective

This document provides instructions on how to configure alert notifications in F5® Distributed Cloud Services to route the alert messages to your Slack channel. For information on alerts, see Alerts.

Prerequisites

A valid Account is required.

Note: If you do not have an account, see Create an Account.

A Slack account with administrative privileges to integration settings.

Configuration

Configuring to send alerts to a Slack channel requires you to first generate webhook for your Slack channel. After that, create alert receiver and policy in the F5® Distributed Cloud Console.

Configuring to send alerts to the Slack channel requires you to create alert receiver and policy in the F5 Distributed Cloud Console.

Create Webhook for Slack Channel.

This example shows instructions on generating the webhook configuration for a Slack channel.

Step 1: Generate webhook configuration from Slack.

Log into your enterprise Slack portal, follow instructions in the Incoming Webhooks for Slack page to generate the webhook for the channel to which you want to post the alerts.

Step 2: Obtain URL from generated webhook configuration in Slack.

Navigate to your application settings on Slack, obtain webhook URL under the Webhook URLs for Your Workspace section.
This example shows a sample webhook settings on Slack.

Figure: Slack Incoming Webhook URL

Create Alert Receiver

Alerts can be created in different services and namespaces. Alert functionality is available in Multi-Cloud Network Connect, Multi-Cloud App Connect, Web App & API Protection, Distributed Apps, Audit Logs and Alerts, and Shared Configuration.

This example shows alert notifications for Slack setup in Shared Configuration.

Step 1: Start Alert Receiver creation in F5® Distributed Cloud Console.

Open F5® Distributed Cloud Console homepage, select Shared Configuration box.

Note: Homepage is role based, and your homepage may look different due to your role customization. Select All Services drop-down menu to discover all options. Customize Settings: Administration > Personal Management > My Account > Edit work domain & skills button > Advanced box > check Work Domain boxes > Save changes button.

Figure: Alert Homepage

Note: Confirm Namespace feature is in correct namespace, drop-down selector located in upper-left corner. Not available in all services.

Select Manage in left column menu > select Alerts Management > Alert Receivers.

Note: If options are not showing available, select Show link in Advanced nav options visible in bottom left corner. If needed, select Hide to minimize options from Advanced nav options mode.

Select + Add Alert Receiver button.

Figure: Alert Receiver

Step 2: Configure Alert Receiver.

Enter Name, enter Labels and Description as needed.
Select Slack in Receiver drop-down menu.

Figure: Alert Policy Configuration

Step 3: Configure secret for receiver.

Select Configure in Webhook URL box.

Note: This opens the alert receiver secret configuration form.

Select Blindfold Secret in Secret info drop-down menu.
Select Blindfold in Type field.
Enter string obtained from applying Blindfold to webhook configuration.
See Blindfold your Application Secrets for information on how to encrypt your application secrets.
Select Apply.

Figure: Alert Receiver Secret Configuration

Note: You can also select other values for the Secret info field, and set the subsequent values as per the following guidelines.

Secret Guidelines
Vault Secret Enter the values for the provider and location.
Clear Secret Enter the value for the URL in the string:///<string> format.
Bootstrap Secret Enter the name of the secret.

Secret	Guidelines
Vault Secret	Enter the values for the provider and location.
Clear Secret	Enter the value for the URL in the `string:///<string>` format.
Bootstrap Secret	Enter the name of the secret.

It is recommended to encode your secret using the Base64 encryption, and set the secret encoding as Base64. However, in case of clear secret, select the encoding as EncodingNone.

You can apply Base64 encoding to the webhook URL using the echo -n <URL> | base64 command.

Step 4: Configure Slack channel, complete creating receiver.

Enter channel name of Slack channel (to which you want to send the alerts).
Select Save and Exit button to complete creating the alert receiver.

Figure: Alert Receiver Configuration

Create Alert Policy

Step 1: Create Alert Policy.

Select Manage > Alerts Management > Alert Policies.
Select + Add Alert Policy button.

Figure: Create Alert Policy

Step 2: Add receiver to policy.

Enter Name, enter Labels and Description as needed.

Note: Toggle Show Advanced Fields to show Configure Receiver Default Notification Parameters.

+ Select Item drop-down menu in Alert Receiver Configuration box.
Select receiver you created in Create Alert Receiver chapter.
Select + Add item button in Alert Receivers page.
Select your receiver if available in list.

Note: + Add item button to add multiple Alert Receivers.

Figure: Alert Policy Receiver Configuration

Step 3: Optionally, configure notification intervals.

Enable Show Advanced Fields option in Alert Receiver Configuration section.
Select Configure link in Receiver Default Notification Parameters section. This opens notification parameter configuration.
Enter configuration for the Notification Parameters.
- Toggle Show Advanced Fields in both sections to open configuration options.
- Enter a value in the [0-9][smhd] format in Notify Interval for a Alert. The [smhd] specifies seconds, minutes, hours, and days. An example value is 60m and default is 4h.
- Enter a value in the [0-9][smhd] format in Wait to Notify. The [smhd] specifies seconds, minutes, hours, and days. An example value is 2m and default is 30s.
- Enter a value in the [0-9][smhd] format in Notify Interval for a Group. The [smhd] specifies seconds, minutes, hours, and days. An example value is 5m and default is 1m.
Note: All fields must be in 2-digit form (60m, 60s) in Policy Rule Notification Parameters for intervals, and group notifications for your policy rules to apply correctly and not error.

Figure: Alert Policy Route Configuration

Select Apply to apply the notification parameters, and return to the policy configuration.

Step 4: Optionally, configure policy rules.

A minimum of one policy rule is populated by default with Any as match condition and Send as Action. You can select different match conditions, and actions from the drop-down list for the Select Alerts, and Action fields respectively. You can use combination of more than one policy rule. Select Add item to add more policy rules.

Select Configure link in Policy Rules box
Select + Add Item button.
Select Alerts drop-down menu option, Any option is default.

Note: Matching Custom Criteria > Alertname Configure link > Select Matcher Type > select Apply button > select Apply button.

Select Action drop-down menu option, Send is default.
Select Apply button.
Order rules by dragging in Policy Rules page.
Select Apply button, order rules by dragging.

Step 5: Complete creating policy.

Select Save and Exit button to complete creating the alert policy.

Create Active Alert Policies

Step 1: Start creating active alert policies.

In Multi-Cloud Network Connect > Select Manage.

Note: Active Alert Policies can be created and edited in Multi-Cloud Network Connect, Multi-Cloud App Connect, Web App & API Protection, and Distributed Apps services by selecting Manage > Alerts Management > + Select Active Alert Policies.

Select Alerts Management > select Active Alert Policies.
+ Select Active Alert Policies.

Figure: Active Alert Policy Configuration

Step 2: Add active alert policies to the policy.

Select item drop-down menu to select created alert policy needed.
+ Add Item button in Active Alert Policies pop-up window to add policy selection drop-down menus.