After completing this course, you will be able to:

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

• Install, license, provision, start, stop, and restart the BIG-IP system

• Set up a basic network configuration with VLANs and self IPs

• Use the Configuration utility and TMSH to manage resources (virtual servers, pools, members, nodes, profiles, monitors)

• Create, restore, and manage BIG-IP system archives

• Check system status, availability, and traffic statistics to understand how BIG-IP is processing traffic

• Use profiles to control how traffic is handled through a virtual server

• Perform basic troubleshooting with tools like iHealth

• Capture and analyze traffic using TCPDUMP

• Manage user roles and partitions

• Configure and manage sync-failover device groups with more than two members

• Set up stateful failover with connection and persistence mirroring

Chapter 1: Setting Up the BIG-IP System

• Introducing the BIG-IP System

• Initially Setting Up the BIG-IP System

• Configuring the Management Interface

• Activating the Software License

• Provisioning Modules and Resources

• Importing a Device Certificate

• Specifying BIG-IP Platform Properties

• Configuring the Network

• Configuring Network Time Protocol (NTP) Servers

• Configuring Domain Name System (DNS) Settings

• Configuring High Availability Options

• Archiving the BIG-IP Configuration

•Leveraging F5 Support Resources and Tools

Chapter 2: Traffic Processing Building Blocks

• Identifying BIG-IP Traffic Processing Objects

• Configuring Virtual Servers and Pools

• Load Balancing Traffic

• Viewing Module Statistics and Logs

• Using the Traffic Management Shell (TMSH)

• Understanding the TMSH Hierarchical Structure

• Navigating the TMSH Hierarchy

• Managing BIG-IP Configuration State and Files

• BIG-IP System Configuration State

• Loading and Saving the System Configuration

• Shutting Down and Restarting the BIG-IP System

• Saving and Replicating Configuration Data (UCS and SCF)

Chapter 3: Using NATs and SNATs

• Address Translation on the BIG-IP System

• Mapping IP Addresses with NATs

• Solving Routing Issues with SNATs

• Configuring SNAT Auto Map on a Virtual Server

• Monitoring for and Mitigating Port Exhaustion

Chapter 4: Monitoring Application Health

• Introducing Monitors

• Types of Monitors

• Monitor Interval and Timeout Settings

• Configuring Monitors

• Assigning Monitors to Resources

• Managing Pool, Pool Member, and Node Status

• Using the Network Map

Chapter 5: Modifying Traffic Behavior with Profiles

• Introducing Profiles

• Understanding Profile Types and Dependencies

• Configuring and Assigning Profiles

• Introducing SSL Offload and SSL Re-Encryption

Chapter 6: Modifying Traffic Behavior with Persistence

• Understanding the Need for Persistence

• Introducing Source Address Affinity Persistence

• Managing Object State

Chapter 7: Administering the BIG-IP System

• Configuring Logging

• Legacy Remote Logging

• Introducing High Speed Logging (HSL)

• High-Speed Logging Filters

• HSL Configuration Objects

• Configuring High Speed Logging

• Using TCPDUMP on the BIG-IP System

• Leveraging the BIG-IP iHealth System

• Viewing BIG-IP System Statistics

• Defining User Roles and Administrative Partitions

• Leveraging vCMP

Chapter 8: Configuring High Availability

• Introducing Device Service Clustering (DSC)

• Preparing to Deploy a DSC Configuration

• Configuring DSC Communication Settings

• Establishing Device Trust

• Establishing a Sync-Failover Device Group

• Synchronizing Configuration Data

• Exploring Traffic Group Behavior

• Understanding Failover Managers and Triggers

• Achieving Stateful Failover with Mirroring

Course Changes since v15

• No significant changes to course outline or materials since the v15 release.

• Minor updates to the course include review and update of referenced knowledge articles, GUI screenshots, hardware platform images in introduction and chapter 1 slides and student guide pages, and removed information for obsolete topics such as Link Controller.

While optional, the following free web-based training courses are highly recommended for students with little or no BIG-IP administration experience. :

Getting Started with BIG-IP

• Getting Started with BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

In addition, students should have a basic understanding of general networking concepts, including:

• OSI model encapsulation

• Routing and switching

• Ethernet and ARP

• TCP/IP concepts

• IP addressing and subnetting

• NAT and private IP addressing

• Default gateways

• Network firewalls

• LAN vs. WAN

Prerequisite: A passing score on Exam 101 or a valid F5-CTP Sales Certification.

This is the second and final exam required to earn the F5 Certified! Administrator, BIG-IP credential.

Passing Exam 201 demonstrates that you can independently manage day-to-day operations and basic troubleshooting of TMOS-based devices in different application environments once they are installed, configured, and running.

After this certification, you can either stop at the Administrator level or continue your path toward other certifications, such as Technical Professional, Technical Specialist, Cloud, or Security Solutions.

Exam vouchers can be purchased separately and redeemed to schedule your exam at a convenient time and location.

• 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