Course Outline
BIG-IP Architecture & Platform Management
- Networking basics—OSI model (L2–L7), load balancers at L4/L7; mapping IP addressing and subnetting to BIG-IP self IPs and VLANs.
- TMM traffic-processing design; traffic path from client to virtual server to pool member; device modes, administrative partitions and role-based access control (aligned with banking segregation-of-duties needs); licensing and module setup (LTM, AVR).
- TMUI navigation and efficient GUI workflows; tmsh fundamentals; configuration backup and restore using UCS archives; overview of hardware vs virtual editions and their appropriate use in bank data centres.
- Lab “Get Traffic Flowing”—initial setup (VLANs, self IPs, routes), creating nodes, pool and health monitor, building the first virtual server, verifying traffic to backend application servers, and taking a UCS backup.
Core Load Balancing & SSL/TLS
- Networking basics—TCP/UDP handshake and port concepts; HTTP methods, headers, status codes, keep-alive.
- Virtual server types; designing pools, nodes and monitors; load-balancing algorithms; TCP/HTTP profiles and connection reuse; application to internet-banking and API traffic patterns.
- SSL/TLS offload and certificate management (key/cert import, chains, cipher policy—consistent with standard banking security baselines); persistence methods (cookie, source-address) and their appropriate use; introduction to iRules with simple read-only examples (redirects, header insertion).
- Lab—Build an HTTPS virtual server with SSL offload for a simulated banking portal, configure cookie persistence, verify certificate chain in the browser, apply a basic redirect iRule, and observe monitor-driven pool member failover.
High Availability & Operations
- Networking basics—VLANs, routing and ARP essentials; DNS resolution flow and record types; TLS handshake recap.
- Device Service Clustering: device trust, sync-failover groups, config sync, traffic groups and floating IPs; failover behaviour and client impact; HA design considerations for banking (dual-data centre setups, zero-downtime maintenance).
- Operations for regulated environments: local and remote logging (syslog, SNMP), AVR traffic analytics, audit logging of admin changes, upgrade and maintenance procedures, backup strategy and disaster-recovery fundamentals; brief overview of automation (iControl REST) and WAF (ASM/Advanced WAF) as future topics.
- Lab: Build an active/standby HA pair using the two BIG-IP VEs per trainee, establish device trust and config sync, perform forced failover during live traffic, set up remote syslog, review audit logs, take a final backup; course summary and Q&A.
Lab Environment
Every trainee is provided with a dedicated, isolated lab environment: two BIG-IP Virtual Edition instances (supporting the Day 3 HA exercise) plus shared backend web servers simulating application tiers. Access is fully browser-based through a secured Guacamole gateway—trainees only need a web browser, with no VPN client or local software installation required, making it easy to participate from restricted banking workstations. The environment is pre-configured and verified before Day 1; by the end of Day 1, each trainee will have successfully routed live traffic through their own BIG-IP instance.
Requirements
No prior experience with F5 is necessary.
Basic TCP/IP knowledge is beneficial but not required. Each day begins with brief networking refresher sessions (OSI model, TCP/HTTP, DNS/TLS) tailored to the day's F5 topics, ensuring that teams with varied experience levels reach a common understanding.
Audience: Network engineers, security engineers, and application support or operations staff working in Nigerian banking and financial institutions
Testimonials (1)
communication, knowledge from experience, solve problems,
