F5 Bootcamp: ADM, LTM, VCMP

Administrate BIG IP: This course gives network administrators, network operators, and network engineers a functional understanding of the BIG-IP system as it is commonly deployed in an application delivery network. The course introduces students to the BIG-IP system, its configuration objects, how it processes traffic, and how typical administrative and operational activities are performed. The course includes lecture, hands-on labs, interactive demonstrations, and discussions.

LTM: 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.

vCMP  is a virtualization technique whereby multiple BigIP instances can run on the same physical hardware. In the past this could be only done on the Viprion Chassis blade based systems, however currently you can also use this technique on the i5000 series and higher.

The following free web-based training courses, although optional, will be very helpful for any student with limited BIG-IP
administration and configuration experience.

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

Administrate BIG IP:

Students should be able to:

Describe the role of the BIG-IP system as a full proxy device in an application delivery network

Set up, start/restart/stop, license, and provision the BIG-IP system out-of-the-box

Create a basic network configuration on the BIG-IP system including VLANs and self IPs

Use the Configuration utility and TMSH to manage BIG-IP resources such as virtual servers, pools, pool members, nodes, profiles, and monitors

Create, restore from, and manage BIG-IP archives

View resource status, availability, and statistical information and use this information to determine how the BIG-IP system is
currently processing traffic

Use profiles to manipulate the way the BIG-IP system processes traffic through a virtual server

Perform basic troubleshooting and problem determination activities including using the iHealth diagnostic tool

Support, and view traffic flow using TCPDUMP

Understand and manage user roles and partitions

Configure and manage a sync-failover device group with more than two members

Configure stateful failover using connection mirroring and persistence mirroring

LTM:

Students should be able to:

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

vCMP: 

Students should understand understand, setup and maintain your complete F5 BigIP Landscape.

Administrate BIG IP:

Getting started with the BIG-IP system

Traffic processing with BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

Using TMSH (TMOS Shell) command line interface

Using NATs and SNATs

Monitoring application health and managing object status

Modifying traffic behavior with profiles, including SSL offload and re-encryption

Modifying traffic behavior with persistence, including source address affinity and cookie persistence

Troubleshooting the BIG-IP system, including logging (local, high-speed, and legacy remote logging), and using TCPDUMP

User roles and administrative partitions

LTM:

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

vCMP 

is a virtualization technique whereby multiple BigIP instances can run on the same physical hardware. In the past this could be only done on the Viprion Chassis blade based systems, however currently you can also use this technique on the i5000 series and higher.