Configure Tenants Using MSP Service

Published April 5, 2023 | Last modified March 20, 2025

Objective

In a cloud environment, tenants are used to create isolated and secure environments for customers. These tenants can be managed by a Managed Service Provider (MSP), who provides tenant-specific services, such as load balancing, firewalls, and VPNs. In a distributed cloud environment, like F5, the MSP can configure tenants using the MSP service.

This documentation provides the steps required to configure tenants using an MSP service on F5® Distributed Cloud Console.

Tenant Levels

The F5 MSP service consists of a system of tenants that is made up of a root, parent, and child. This is a hierarchical system of tenants where the root tenant is at the top of the hierarchy, the parent tenant is below the root tenant, and the child tenant is below the parent tenant.

Typically, the root tenant has the most permissions and can create and manage a certain number of parent and child tenants. The parent tenant can create and manage any number of child tenants, but it cannot create or manage other parent tenants. The child tenant can only be managed by its parent tenant.

Figure: Tenant Level Diagram

Prerequisites

A Distributed Cloud Services Account. If you do not have an account, see Create an Account.
An F5 Partner Programs account.

Create Child Tenant Manager

The Child Tenant Manager is a tool that is used when creating a Child Tenant to define the users who will act as tenant owners. This tool also defines the group mapping between the parent and child tenants.

Once Child Tenants are created, the Child Tenant Manager can be utilized to organize them by ownership. The group mapping feature is used to define users and roles, ensuring that each Child Tenant is properly configured and managed.

From the Console homepage of your root or parent tenant, select the Managed Service Provider service.

Figure: Console Homepage

Select Manage > Child Tenant Managers.
Select Add Child Tenant Manager.
In the Name field, enter a name to identify the new Child Tenant Manager.
Optionally, add labels and a short description describing this child tenant manager configuration.

Figure: Metadata

From the Tenant Owner Choice drop-down menu, select a local user group that will inherit tenant ownership roles in the child tenant.

Figure: Tenant Owner Group

Under Group Assignments, select Add Item to add groups that will be created in the new tenant.
From the Group drop-down menu, select the local group that is to be given access to the child tenant.

Note: Users added to this group in the Parent Tenant will be able to access the child tenant and assume roles and permissions associated with the new Child Tenant group. You can define multiple groups to be created in the new Child Tenant and mapped to the same local tenant.

After you finish, select Save and Exit.

Create Tenant Profile Configuration

To expedite the creation of multiple similar tenants, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can use Tenant Profiles. These profiles contain common values for new Child Tenants and serve as the starting point for their creation. This helps to streamline the process and reduce the likelihood of errors or inconsistencies.

In addition to values, Tenant Profiles can also be used to define namespaces and roles that are to be provisioned in the new tenant. This allows MSPs to easily configure and manage the tenant's environment, ensuring that it meets the needs of the customer. By utilizing Tenant Profiles, MSPs can efficiently create and manage tenants on the F5 Distributed Cloud.

From the root or parent tenant, select Manage > Tenant Profiles.
Select Add Tenant Profile.
In the Name field, enter a name to identify the new Tenant Profile.

Figure: Metadata

Optionally, add labels and a short description describing this tenant configuration.
From the Plan drop-down menu, select an option to be used as the subscription plan for any new tenants created from this Tenant Profile. The Tenant Profile is also used to create child groups for the new tenant and link them back to the higher-level tenant.
Under Child Tenant Groups, select Add Item. Perform the following:
- In the Name field, enter a name for the child tenant group.
- In the Namespace field, enter a new namespace that the child tenant group will apply to.
- From the Role menu, select a role for the group in the new tenant.
- After you finish, select Apply.
- Select Save and Exit to complete the tenant profile creation.

Create Child Tenant

Using the Tenant Profile and Child Tenant Manager, you must create a new child tenant.

From the root or parent tenant, select Manage > Child Tenants.
Select Add Child Tenant.
In the form that appears, configure the options for the child tenant:

Figure: Child Configuration

In the Name field, enter the name of the child tenant.
Optionally, add labels and a short description describing this child tenant.
From the Tenant Profile drop-down menu, select the tenant profile configuration object created previously.
From the Child Tenant Manager drop-down menu, select the child tenant manager configuration object created previously.
In the Domain field, enter the domain to use for the customer child tenant.

Note: This will become the new child tenant's domain name and cannot be changed or reused after creating a new tenant. For example: AcmeCorp in https://acmecorp.console.ves.volterra.io/.

Optionally, enter information for the Company Name, First Name, Last Name, and Email. You can also enter customer information under the Contact section that further describes the child tenant.
After you finish, select Save and Exit.