Course Outline
BIG-IP Architecture & Platform Management
- Networking refresher — OSI model (L2–L7), L4/L7 load balancing; mapping IP addressing and subnetting to BIG-IP self IPs and VLANs.
- TMM traffic-processing architecture; traffic flow from client → virtual server → pool member; device modes, administrative partitions, and role-based access control (addressing segregation-of-duties in banking); licensing and module provisioning (LTM, AVR).
- TMUI navigation and efficient GUI workflows; tmsh basics; configuration backup and restoration using UCS archives; comparison of hardware vs. virtual editions and their placement in bank data centers.
- Lab “Getting Traffic Flowing” — initial setup (VLANs, self IPs, routes), creating nodes, pools, and health monitors, building the first virtual server, verifying traffic to backend servers, and taking a UCS backup.
Core Load Balancing & SSL/TLS
- Networking refresher — TCP/UDP handshakes and port concepts; HTTP methods, headers, status codes, and keep-alive.
- Virtual server types; pool, node, and monitor design; load balancing algorithms; TCP/HTTP profiles and connection reuse; application to internet banking and API traffic patterns.
- SSL/TLS offloading and certificate management (key/cert import, chains, cipher policies aligned with banking security baselines); persistence methods (cookie, source-address) and appropriate use cases; introduction to iRules with simple read-only examples (redirects, header insertion).
- Lab — Create an HTTPS virtual server with SSL offloading for a simulated banking portal, configure cookie persistence, verify the certificate chain in the browser, apply a simple redirect iRule, and observe monitor-driven pool member failover.
High Availability & Operations
- Networking refresher — VLANs, routing, and ARP basics; DNS resolution flow and record types; TLS handshake recap.
- Device Service Clustering: device trust, sync-failover groups, configuration synchronization, traffic groups, and floating IPs; failover behavior and client impact; high availability design for banking (dual-datacenter patterns, zero-downtime maintenance).
- Operations in regulated environments: local and remote logging (syslog, SNMP), AVR traffic analytics, audit logging of administrative changes, upgrade and maintenance procedures, backup strategies, and disaster recovery basics; brief overview of automation (iControl REST) and WAF (ASM/Advanced WAF) as future topics.
- Lab: Build an active/standby high availability pair using the two per-trainee BIG-IP VEs, establish device trust and configuration synchronization, execute forced failover during live traffic, configure remote syslog, review audit logs, and perform a final backup; course summary and Q&A.
Lab Environment
Each trainee receives a dedicated, isolated laboratory environment: two BIG-IP Virtual Edition instances (supporting the Day 3 high availability exercise) and shared backend web servers simulating application tiers. Access is entirely browser-based via a secured Guacamole gateway — participants only need a web browser, with no VPN client or local software installation required, simplifying access from locked-down banking workstations. The environment is pre-configured and validated before Day 1; every trainee completes Day 1 with working traffic through their own BIG-IP instance.
Requirements
Existing F5 experience is not a prerequisite.
While basic TCP/IP knowledge is beneficial, it is not strictly required. Each day begins with brief networking refresher modules (covering the OSI model, TCP/HTTP, DNS/TLS) tailored to that day's F5 topics, ensuring teams with varying experience levels reach a common understanding.
Target Audience: Network engineers, security specialists, and application support or operations staff within banking and financial institutions.
Testimonials (1)
communication, knowledge from experience, solve problems,
