Duration
3 days
Overview
This course gives network professionals a functional understanding of BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager, introducing students to both commonly used and advanced BIG-IP LTM features and functionality. Incorporating lecture, extensive hands-on labs, and classroom discussion, the course helps students build the well-rounded skill set needed to manage BIG-IP LTM systems as part of a flexible and high performance application delivery network.
Course Objectives
- Back up the BIG-IP system configuration for safekeeping
- Configure virtual servers, pools, monitors, profiles, and persistence objects
- Test and verify application delivery through the BIG-IP system using local traffic statistics
- Configure priority group activation on a load balancing pool to allow servers to be activated only as needed to process traffic
- Compare and contrast member-based and node-based dynamic load balancing methods
- Configure connection limits to place a threshold on traffic volume to particular pool members and nodes
- Differentiate between cookie, SSL, SIP, universal, and destination address affinity persistence, and describe use cases for each
- Describe the three Match Across Services persistence options and use cases for each
- Configure health monitors to appropriately monitor application delivery through a BIG-IP system
- Configure different types of virtual services to support different types of traffic processing through a BIG-IP system
- Configure different types of SNATs to support routing of traffic through a BIG-IP system
- Configure VLAN tagging and trunking
- Restrict administrative and application traffic through the BIG-IP system using packet filters, port lockdown, and virtual server settings
- Configure SNMP alerts and traps in support of remote monitoring of the BIG-IP system
- Use an F5-supplied iApp template to deploy and manage a website application service
- Use iRules and local traffic policies appropriately to customize application delivery through the BIG-IP system
- Configure the BIG-IP to detect and mitigate some common attacks at the network and application layers using LTM features such as SYN check, eviction policies, iRules and Local Traffic Policies
Course Topics
- BIG-IP initial setup (licensing, provisioning, and network configuration)
- A review of BIG-IP local traffic configuration objects
- Using dynamic load balancing methods
- Modifying traffic behavior with persistence (including SSL, SIP, universal, and destination address affinity persistence)
- Monitoring application health with Layer 3, Layer 4, and Layer 7 monitors (including transparent, scripted, and external monitors)
- Processing traffic with virtual servers (including network, forwarding, and reject virtual servers)
- Processing traffic with SNATs (including SNAT pools and SNATs as listeners)
- Modifying traffic behavior with profiles (including TCP profiles, advanced HTTP profile options, caching, compression, and OneConnect profiles)
- Advanced BIG-IP LTM configuration options (including VLAN tagging and trunking, SNMP features, packet filters, and route domains)
- Deploying application services with iApps
- Customizing application delivery with iRules and local traffic policies
- Securing application delivery using BIG-IP LTM
Prerequisites
Students are required to complete one of the following F5 prerequisites before attending this course:
- Administering BIG-IP instructor-led course
- F5 Certified BIG-IP Administrator
The following free web-based courses, although optional, will be very helpful for any student with limited BIG-IP administration and configuration experience. These courses are available at F5 University:
- Getting Started with BIG-IP web-based training
- Getting Started with BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) web-based training
The following general network technology knowledge and experience are recommended before attending any F5 Global Training Services instructor-led course:
- OSI model encapsulation
- Routing and switching
- Ethernet and ARP
- TCP/IP concepts
- IP addressing and subnetting
- NAT and private IP addressing
- Default gateway
- Network firewalls
- LAN vs. WAN
The following course-specific knowledge and experience is suggested before attending this course:
- Web application delivery
- HTTP, HTTPS, FTP and SSH protocols
- TLS/SSL
Programme scope, delivery arrangements and suitability are confirmed during enquiry.