Course Outline
BIG-IP Architecture & Platform Management
- Networking fundamentals — OSI model (Layers 2–7), Layer 4/7 load balancers, and IP addressing/subnetting aligned with BIG-IP self IPs and VLANs.
- TMM traffic-processing architecture; understanding traffic flow from client to virtual server to pool member; device modes, administrative partitions, and role-based access control (crucial for banking segregation-of-duties); licensing and module provisioning (LTM, AVR).
- TMUI navigation and efficient GUI workflows; tmsh essentials; configuration backup and restore using UCS archives; an overview of hardware versus virtual editions and their suitability for 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 fundamentals — TCP/UDP handshakes and port concepts; HTTP methods, headers, status codes, and keep-alive connections.
- 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 (key/certificate import, chains, cipher policies aligned with banking security baselines); persistence methods (cookie, source-address) and their appropriate use cases; introduction to iRules with simple read-only examples like redirects and header insertion.
- Lab — Build an HTTPS virtual server with SSL offloading for a simulated banking portal, configure cookie persistence, verify the certificate chain in a browser, apply a simple redirect iRule, and observe monitor-driven pool member failover.
High Availability & Operations
- Networking fundamentals — VLANs, routing, and ARP essentials; DNS resolution flow and record types; recap of the TLS handshake.
- Device Service Clustering: device trust, sync-failover groups, configuration synchronization, traffic groups, and floating IPs; failover behavior and client experience; HA design considerations for banking (dual-data center patterns, zero-downtime maintenance).
- Operations in regulated environments: local and remote logging (syslog, SNMP), AVR traffic analytics, audit logging for 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 HA pair using the two per-trainee BIG-IP VEs, establish device trust and configuration sync, execute forced failover during live traffic, configure remote syslog, review audit logs, perform a final backup, and conclude with a course recap and Q&A.
Lab Environment
Each trainee receives a dedicated, isolated lab environment containing two BIG-IP Virtual Edition instances (enabling the Day 3 HA exercise) along with shared backend web servers that simulate application tiers. Access is fully browser-based via a secure Guacamole gateway, requiring only a web browser with no VPN client or local software installation. This simplifies participation from restricted banking workstations. The environment is pre-configured and validated before Day 1, ensuring every trainee ends Day 1 with working traffic through their own BIG-IP instance.
Requirements
No prior experience with F5 is necessary.
Basic TCP/IP knowledge is beneficial but not strictly required. To accommodate mixed experience levels, each day begins with brief networking overviews (OSI model, TCP/HTTP, DNS/TLS) tailored to that day’s F5 topics, ensuring all participants reach a common baseline.
Audience: Network engineers, security engineers, and application support or operations staff in banking and financial institutions
Custom Corporate Training
Training solutions designed exclusively for businesses.
- Customized Content: We adapt the syllabus and practical exercises to the real goals and needs of your project.
- Flexible Schedule: Dates and times adapted to your team's agenda.
- Format: Online (live), In-company (at your offices), or Hybrid.
Price per private group, online live training, starting from 4800 € + VAT*
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