F5 Configuring BIG-IP LTM: Local Traffic Manager
Course Overview
An online banking session that jumps between servers mid-transaction can log the customer out or lose their form data. Preventing that is a job for BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager, and it is central to this F5 BIG-IP LTM training. The course, F5’s Configuring BIG-IP LTM: Local Traffic Manager, gives persistence and profiles far more attention than an introductory class can.
Persistence gets a full chapter. After reviewing source address affinity, you configure cookie persistence, SSL persistence, SIP persistence, universal persistence, and destination address affinity. You set default and fallback persistence so a session still lands somewhere sensible when the main method can’t apply. You also learn how match across options keep a client on the same server across several virtual servers.
Profiles shape the rest of the connection. TCP Express and the TCP profiles tune behavior for different client networks. HTTP and HTTP/2 profile options control header handling and protocol support. OneConnect reuses server-side connections, which can reduce connection load on busy back ends. You also offload compression to BIG-IP and use the web acceleration profile for HTTP caching. SSL offloading through client SSL profiles is taught in the prerequisite course and reviewed here, so this course can focus on what happens to traffic after decryption.
Session handling depends on healthy servers, so health monitoring and load balancing are covered in depth, including priority group activation and member versus node load balancing. You configure SNATs and forwarding virtual servers, segment traffic with route domains, and customize delivery with iRules and local traffic policies.
The final chapters show how LTM features help defend against SYN floods and common HTTP threats. Work is done in the Configuration utility, TMSH, and Linux commands, with hands-on labs throughout. Pool-level high availability is covered here, and device failover is part of Administering BIG-IP.
Course Objectives
Participants will learn to:
- Customize session handling with cookie, SSL, SIP, universal, and destination address affinity persistence.
- Configure default and fallback persistence, and apply match-across options across virtual servers.
- Optimize connections with TCP Express, TCP profiles, HTTP and HTTP/2 profiles, and OneConnect.
- Offload HTTP compression and configure HTTP caching with the web acceleration profile.
- Monitor pool members at layers 3, 4, and 7 with customized monitors and manual resume.
- Configure load balancing with priority group activation and choose between member and node load balancing.
- Apply SNATs, forwarding virtual servers, VLAN tagging, and route domains.
- Create iRules and local traffic policies to inspect and steer traffic.
- Set up a BIG-IP system from initial licensing and provisioning through configuration archiving.
Prior Knowledge
Students must complete one of the following F5 prerequisites before attending this course:
- Administering BIG-IP (instructor-led training)
- F5 Certified BIG-IP Administrator
- Administering BIG-IP Equivalency Assessment
The following free Self-Directed Training (SDT) courses, although optional, are helpful for any student with limited BIG-IP administration and configuration experience:
- Getting Started with BIG-IP
- Getting Started with Local Traffic Manager (LTM)
General network technology knowledge and experience are recommended before attending any F5 Global Training Services instructor-led course, including OSI model encapsulation, routing and switching, Ethernet and ARP, TCP/IP concepts, IP addressing and subnetting, NAT and private IP addressing, NAT and private IP addressing, default gateway, network firewalls, and LAN vs. WAN.
Prospective students should have a basic understanding of BIG-IP local traffic concepts, including virtual servers, pools, health monitors, and profiles. Familiarity with web application delivery, the TCP and HTTP protocols, and TLS/SSL is also suggested.
Target Audience
- F5 BIG-IP administrators: Go beyond day-one administration into the LTM features used in production.
- Network engineers: Understand how SNATs, VLANs, and route domains fit BIG-IP into your network.
- Application delivery engineers: Get precise control over persistence, profiles, and traffic customization.
- Load balancing specialists: Compare load balancing methods and monitor designs in detail.
- Systems and server administrators: See how BIG-IP decides whether your servers receive traffic.
- Data center and infrastructure specialists: Plan how LTM sits within multi-tier, multi-site designs.
- Network operations staff: Read statistics and monitor status to diagnose problems faster.
- DevOps and platform engineers: Use TMSH, iRules, and local traffic policies to automate and customize delivery.
- Teams planning a BIG-IP LTM deployment: Learn the design decisions before they become production problems.
Course Content
4 modules · 12 topics01Module 1: Building on Local Traffic Basics3 topics
- Load Balancing Local Traffic
- Processing Traffic with Different Virtual Server Types
- Processing Traffic with Source Network Address Translation (SNAT)
02Module 2: Monitoring Application Delivery Health3 topics
- Managing Local Traffic Monitors
- Expanding Local Traffic Monitor Scope and Functionality
- Customizing Content Check and Application Check Monitors
03Module 4: Modifying Local Traffic Behavior with Profiles and Persistence4 topics
- Modifying Local Traffic Behavior with Profiles
- Optimizing TCP Network Traffic
- Working with Services Profiles
- Working with Persistence Profiles
04Module 4: Additional BIG-IP Deployment Options2 topics
- Customizing Application Delivery with Local Traffic iRules
- Customizing Application Delivery with Local Traffic Policies
Schedule Dates
4 upcoming batches| Batch Dates | Duration | Batch Options | Language | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 February 2027 - 17 February 2027 | 3 Days | 4 hours & 8 hours | English / Arabic | |
| 17 May 2027 - 19 May 2027 | 3 Days | 4 hours & 8 hours | English / Arabic | |
| 23 August 2027 - 25 August 2027 | 3 Days | 4 hours & 8 hours | English / Arabic | |
| 29 November 2027 - 01 December 2027 | 3 Days | 4 hours & 8 hours | English / Arabic |
Can’t find a suitable date? Request a schedule that fits your team.
Request More InformationF5 BIG-IP LTM Training in Qatar and the National Digital Agenda
Qatar National Vision 2030 has supported steady growth in digital government, financial, and energy services. Many of those services run sessions that must stay intact from login to final confirmation. Our F5 BIG-IP LTM training in Qatar focuses on that challenge, showing engineers in Doha and Lusail how persistence, profiles, and health monitors work together to keep user sessions stable. For organizations whose security programs follow guidance from the National Cyber Security Agency, the course’s chapter on securing application delivery with LTM adds useful context on SYN flood protection and handling common HTTP threats. This F5 LTM course in Doha is designed for administrators who already know BIG-IP basics. If you need that foundation first, see our Administering BIG-IP training in Qatar. You can also browse our F5 security and traffic management courses. To plan training for your team, contact our corporate training team or request the full course outline.
FAQs
What is the F5 Configuring BIG-IP LTM course, in brief?
It is F5’s official advanced course for configuring BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager. It builds on Administering BIG-IP and covers how LTM distributes, persists, monitors, and modifies application traffic. Topics include load balancing, persistence, health monitors, SNATs, profiles, route domains, iRules, local traffic policies, and LTM security features, all practiced in hands-on labs.
Which session-handling topics does the course cover?
It covers persistence in depth, along with the profiles and monitors that affect sessions. You work with cookie, SSL, SIP, universal, and destination address affinity persistence, plus default and fallback persistence, and match across options. Profile topics include TCP, HTTP, HTTP/2, OneConnect, compression, and caching. Health monitoring and load balancing chapters show how sessions behave when servers fail.
Who should take this F5 LTM course?
It is intended for system and network administrators who install, configure, and administer BIG-IP LTM. Application delivery engineers, operations staff, and DevOps engineers who manage session-heavy applications will find the persistence and profile chapters particularly useful. You should already be comfortable with BIG-IP basics before you attend.
What background does F5 expect before the course?
F5 expects you to have completed Administering BIG-IP, hold the F5 Certified BIG-IP Administrator credential, or have passed the Administering BIG-IP Equivalency Assessment. Recommended knowledge includes TCP/IP, routing and switching, Ethernet and ARP, IP subnetting, NAT, and LAN versus WAN concepts. Familiarity with HTTP, TCP, and TLS/SSL is also suggested, since several chapters build on these protocols.
What skills does the course help me develop?
It develops the skill to match BIG-IP settings to the way each application actually behaves. You learn to pick a persistence method, tune TCP and HTTP profiles, apply OneConnect safely, and design monitors that reflect real application health. You also gain practice writing iRules and local traffic policies and reading the statistics that confirm your changes.
Is the course the same as getting F5 certified?
No. Attending training, passing an exam, and holding a certification are three separate things. The course provides training only. F5 Certified Administrator, BIG-IP requires passing exams F5CAB1 to F5CAB5. The LTM specialist certification requires exams 301a and 301b, plus a valid administrator certification. The course’s LTM content can support exam study, but F5 does not map it to one exam.
Why do persistence and health monitoring matter so much?
They decide whether a user’s session survives normal server activity. Persistence keeps a user on the server that holds their session data. Health monitoring takes failed servers out of rotation before they cause errors. Load balancing and high availability planning then make sure the remaining servers can handle the load. A weak setting in any of these areas often shows up as dropped sessions.
How does the course support professional development?
It adds specialized BIG-IP LTM knowledge, especially in session handling, to your existing networking or systems skills. This can help you contribute more to application delivery projects and troubleshoot more effectively. The course does not guarantee a promotion, job, or pay increase, since those depend on many factors beyond training.
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