Courses Overview
This 2-day course combines lectures and hands-on labs to give participants practical experience with BIG-IQ®. Students learn the BIG-IQ interface, system setup, and administration, then use it to manage BIG-IP devices. The course also covers configuring a BIG-IQ DCD logging device, building a High Availability pair, and managing BIG-IP clusters.
Course Topics
• Introducing BIG-IQ
• Setting Up the BIG-IQ System
• Administering the BIG-IQ System
• Managing BIG-IP LTM Devices
• Setting Up the BIG-IQ DCD System
• Custom Roles and Groups
• Managing BIG-IP DSC
• Administering BIG-IQ High Availability
This course is designed for system and network administrators managing the installation, setup, configuration, and administration of BIG-IQ. It is also suitable for operators who need an understanding of system setup but mainly focus on performing operational tasks on BIG-IQ or on managed BIG-IP devices.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
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Build and configure a BIG-IQ system, including setup, licensing, and network connection
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Understand the BIG-IQ product suite and its approach to centralized BIG-IP management
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Perform initial tasks and explore system features after configuration
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Manage BIG-IP devices with LTM through BIG-IQ, discover configurations, and deploy new traffic objects
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Set up and link a DCD for BIG-IP statistics and log data management
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Create and manage granular user accounts on BIG-IQ
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Use BIG-IQ to remotely manage BIG-IP clusters
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Configure two BIG-IQ systems as an active-standby pair, synchronize configurations, manage failover, and return them to standalone mode
Day 1:
1 Introducing BIG-IQ
Build the BIG-IQ system. Perform the initial setup, licensing and configuration, then connect it to the network so it’s ready for use.
2 Setting Up the BIG-IQ System
Take an overall look at the BIG-IQ product suite. What does it include, how does it approach BIG-IP centralized management.
3 Administering the BIG-IQ System
With the BIG-IQ configured, steps on connecting in and exploring system features. Discussion of the necessary initial tasks and associated steps.
4 Managing BIG-IP LTM Devices
Now bring your BIG-IP devices running LTM under central management by BIG-IQ. Discover their current configuration and create and deploy new traffic passing objects to them.
DAY 2
5 Setting Up the BIG-IQ DCD System
The BIG-IQ needs a DCD to manage BIG-IP statistics and log data, here is how we set it up and link it to the BIG-IQ system.
6 Custom Roles and Groups
We already looked at how user accounts are set up on BIG-IQ, let’s look deeper and see how to create very granular accounts which limit user access.
7 Managing BIG-IP DSC
BIG-IP allows multiple devices to be configured into clusters. How does BIG-IQ remotely manage these clusters?
8 Administering BIG-IQ High Availability
Configure two existing BIG-IQ systems into an active-standby pair. Create and synchronize configuration objects, fail the pair over, de-configure the pair and return them to standalone systems
Modules covered per day can be class dependent.
Course Outline
• BIG-IQ Overview
o BIG-IQ Centralized Management
o BIG-IQ Approach
o BIG-IQ Core Functionality
o REST API
o BIG-IQ Data Collection Device (DCD)
o BIG-IP Cloud Edition (CE)
o Setting Up the BIG-IQ System
• Administering the BIG-IQ System
o Controlling Access to the BIG-IQ
o Creating, Authenticating, Configuring Users and their Roles
o System Backups
o Configuring DNS, NTP, and SMTP
o Monitoring the BIG-IQ, DCD, and BIG-IP events and alerts
o Monitoring BIG-IQ with iHealth
o Post Installation Issues; Licensing, Changing Management IP, Master Key, Restoring Backups
o Managing BIG-IP LTM Devices
ï‚§ BIG-IP LTM Device Discovery
ï‚§ BIG-IP Device Backup
ï‚§ Deploying to BIG-IP Devices, Various Methods and Logs
ï‚§ BIG-IQ Configuration Snapshots
ï‚§ Managing BIG-IP Certificates
ï‚§ Managing BIG-IP Licenses
ï‚§ Monitoring BIG-IP Devices with iHealth
ï‚§ Management of QKView Reports from Managed BIG-IP Devices
o Setting Up the BIG-IQ Data Collection Device
o Custom Role Types and Groups
ï‚§ Setting up User Accounts with custom roles and privileges
o Managing BIG-IP DSC
ï‚§ Discovery and management of BIG-IP Device Clusters (DSC) with BIG-IQ
o Administering BIG-IQ High Availability
ï‚§ Configuration and management of BIG-IQ systems in a High Availability pair
To get the most from this course, participants should:
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Be familiar with BIG-IP and have completed a BIG-IP training course such as Administering BIG-IP or equivalent.
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Have knowledge and experience in general networking technologies.
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Getting Started with BIG-IP
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Getting Started with BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)
Recommended general technology knowledge includes:
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OSI model encapsulation
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Routing and switching
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TCP/IP concepts
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IP addressing and subnetting
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Network firewalls
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LAN vs. WAN
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HTTP protocol
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Security and authentication
Configuring BIG-IP LTM: Local Traffic Manager v.16.1
Configuring BIG-IP DNS (formerly GTM) v.16.1
Configuring F5 Advanced WAF (previously licensed as ASM) v16.1
Configuring BIG-IP APM: Access Policy Manager v.16.1