Course Outline
BIG-IP Architecture & Platform Administration
- Networking refresher — OSI model (Layers 2–7), role of load balancers at L4/L7; mapping IP addressing and subnetting to BIG-IP self IPs and VLANs.
- TMM traffic processing architecture; traffic path from client to virtual server to pool member; device modes, administrative partitions, and role-based access control (aligning with banking segregation-of-duties policies); licensing and module provisioning (LTM, AVR).
- TMUI navigation and efficient GUI workflows; key tmsh commands; configuration backup and restore using UCS archives; comparison of hardware versus virtual editions and their suitability for bank data centers.
- Lab “Getting Traffic Flowing” — initial configuration (VLANs, self IPs, routes), creating nodes, pools, and health monitors, building the first virtual server, verifying traffic to backend application servers, and taking a UCS backup.
Essential Load Balancing & SSL/TLS
- Networking refresher — TCP/UDP handshake and port concepts; HTTP methods, headers, status codes, and keep-alive mechanisms.
- Virtual server types; design of pools, nodes, and monitors; load-balancing algorithms; TCP/HTTP profiles and connection reuse; application to internet banking and API traffic patterns.
- SSL/TLS offloading and certificate management (importing keys/certificates, chains, cipher policies — consistent with standard banking security baselines); persistence techniques (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 a browser, apply a basic redirect iRule, and observe monitor-driven pool member failover.
High Availability & Operations
- Networking refresher — VLANs, routing, and ARP fundamentals; DNS resolution flow and record types; TLS handshake overview.
- Device Service Clustering: device trust, sync-failover groups, configuration synchronization, traffic groups, and floating IPs; failover behavior and client impact; high availability design considerations for banking (dual-data center patterns, zero-downtime maintenance).
- Operations in regulated environments: local and remote logging (syslog, SNMP), AVR traffic analysis, audit logging for administrative changes, upgrade and maintenance protocols, backup strategies, and disaster recovery fundamentals; brief overview of automation (iControl REST) and WAF (ASM/Advanced WAF) as potential follow-on topics.
- Lab: Construct an active/standby high availability pair using the two per-trainee BIG-IP VEs, establish device trust and configuration synchronization, perform forced failover during live traffic, configure remote syslog, review audit logs, and complete a final backup; course summary and Q&A.
Lab Environment
Each participant is provided with a dedicated, isolated lab environment: two BIG-IP Virtual Edition instances (facilitating the Day 3 high availability exercise) along with shared backend web servers simulating application tiers. Access is fully browser-based via a secure Guacamole gateway — participants only require a web browser, with no VPN client or local software installation needed, easing participation from restricted banking workstations. The environment is pre-configured and verified before Day 1; by the end of Day 1, every participant will have successful traffic passing through their own BIG-IP.
Requirements
No previous experience with F5 is necessary.
While basic TCP/IP knowledge is beneficial, it is not a strict prerequisite. Each day begins with concise networking refresher sessions (OSI model, TCP/HTTP, DNS/TLS) that contextualize the day’s F5 topics, helping teams with varying experience levels reach a common understanding.
Target Audience: Network engineers, security specialists, and application support or operations staff working within banking or financial institutions
Testimonials (1)
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