diff --git a/lib/ansible/modules/extras/network/a10/a10_server.py b/lib/ansible/modules/extras/network/a10/a10_server.py
index 2d7b8cc5d9c..6714366f1b1 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/modules/extras/network/a10/a10_server.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/modules/extras/network/a10/a10_server.py
@@ -183,28 +183,35 @@ def main():
 
     json_post = {
         'server': {
-            'name': slb_server, 
-            'host': slb_server_ip, 
-            'status': axapi_enabled_disabled(slb_server_status),
-            'port_list': slb_server_ports,
+            'name': slb_server,
         }
     }
 
+    # add optional module parameters
+    if slb_server_ip:
+        json_post['server']['host'] = slb_server_ip
+
+    if slb_server_ports:
+        json_post['server']['port_list'] = slb_server_ports
+
+    if slb_server_status:
+        json_post['server']['status'] = axapi_enabled_disabled(slb_server_status)
+
     slb_server_data = axapi_call(module, session_url + '&method=slb.server.search', json.dumps({'name': slb_server}))
     slb_server_exists = not axapi_failure(slb_server_data)
 
     changed = False
     if state == 'present':
-        if not slb_server_ip:
-            module.fail_json(msg='you must specify an IP address when creating a server')
-
         if not slb_server_exists:
+            if not slb_server_ip:
+                module.fail_json(msg='you must specify an IP address when creating a server')
+
             result = axapi_call(module, session_url + '&method=slb.server.create', json.dumps(json_post))
             if axapi_failure(result):
                 module.fail_json(msg="failed to create the server: %s" % result['response']['err']['msg'])
             changed = True
         else:
-            def needs_update(src_ports, dst_ports):
+            def port_needs_update(src_ports, dst_ports):
                 '''
                 Checks to determine if the port definitions of the src_ports
                 array are in or different from those in dst_ports. If there is
@@ -227,12 +234,26 @@ def main():
                 # every port from the src exists in the dst, and none of them were different
                 return False
 
-            defined_ports = slb_server_data.get('server', {}).get('port_list', [])
+            def status_needs_update(current_status, new_status):
+                '''
+                Check to determine if we want to change the status of a server.
+                If there is a difference between the current status of the server and
+                the desired status, return true, otherwise false.
+                '''
+                if current_status != new_status:
+                    return True
+                return False
 
-            # we check for a needed update both ways, in case ports
-            # are missing from either the ones specified by the user
-            # or from those on the device
-            if needs_update(defined_ports, slb_server_ports) or needs_update(slb_server_ports, defined_ports):
+            defined_ports = slb_server_data.get('server', {}).get('port_list', [])
+            current_status = slb_server_data.get('server', {}).get('status')
+
+            # we check for a needed update several ways
+            # - in case ports are missing from the ones specified by the user
+            # - in case ports are missing from those on the device
+            # - in case we are change the status of a server
+            if port_needs_update(defined_ports, slb_server_ports)
+              or port_needs_update(slb_server_ports, defined_ports)
+              or status_needs_update(current_status, axapi_enabled_disabled(slb_server_status)):
                 result = axapi_call(module, session_url + '&method=slb.server.update', json.dumps(json_post))
                 if axapi_failure(result):
                     module.fail_json(msg="failed to update the server: %s" % result['response']['err']['msg'])
@@ -249,10 +270,10 @@ def main():
             result = axapi_call(module, session_url + '&method=slb.server.delete', json.dumps({'name': slb_server}))
             changed = True
         else:
-            result = dict(msg="the  server was not present")
+            result = dict(msg="the server was not present")
 
-    # if the config has changed, save the config unless otherwise requested
-    if changed and write_config:
+    # if the config has changed, or we want to force a save, save the config unless otherwise requested
+    if changed or write_config:
         write_result = axapi_call(module, session_url + '&method=system.action.write_memory')
         if axapi_failure(write_result):
             module.fail_json(msg="failed to save the configuration: %s" % write_result['response']['err']['msg'])