F5 Configuring BIG-IP AFM: Advanced Firewall Manager
Course Overview
As a customer-facing service grows, it attracts more attention, and not all of it is welcome. Scans, floods, and requests from known bad addresses grow alongside legitimate users. BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager helps keep that service available by filtering unwanted traffic at layers 3 and 4, on the same platform that already delivers the application. This F5 BIG-IP AFM training covers how to set it up and keep it effective as volumes rise.
Capacity is the first concern. Device DoS and DoS profiles let you set thresholds for many attack vectors, and automatic thresholds adjust to observed traffic levels. That matters because a fixed limit set last year can start blocking real customers today. DoS whitelists keep trusted partners and monitoring systems out of mitigation.
Scale also changes how you write rules. Address lists, port lists, and rule lists keep policies short and reusable. Schedules restrict access to maintenance windows, and geolocation matches traffic by region. AFM’s checks for redundant, conflicting, and stale rules help keep a growing rule base under control.
IP Intelligence reduces unwanted load early by blocking sources with a poor reputation. Sweep flood protection catches clients scanning across many targets, and IP shunning can push persistent attackers to a black hole route or a scrubbing service. DNS DoS and DNS Firewall protect name resolution, and SIP DoS covers voice services. Port misuse policies check that traffic on a port matches the expected protocol.
Logs and reports show whether the protections are working. You configure logging profiles and log publishers, review event logs, and build dashboards that track attacks over time. Packet Tester and Flow Inspector help you confirm rule behavior.
The course is F5’s Configuring BIG-IP AFM: Advanced Firewall Manager, and it ends with a recap of AFM packet processing. AFM focuses on network firewall and DoS protection, while web-layer application security is the job of F5 Advanced WAF.
Course Objectives
You will learn to:
- Configure device DoS and DoS profiles with manual and automatic thresholds that suit changing traffic levels.
- Apply DoS white lists so partners and monitoring systems are not mitigated by mistake.
- Create reusable address lists, port lists, rule lists, and schedules for a growing rule base.
- Analyze policies for redundant, conflicting, and stale rules.
- Apply IP Intelligence policies, feed lists, and the IP Intelligence database.
- Configure sweep flood protection and IP shunning with black hole or scrubber options.
- Protect DNS and SIP services, and apply port misuse policies.
- Monitor attack trends with logging profiles, log publishers, reports, and dashboards.
- Troubleshoot rule behavior with Packet Tester and Flow Inspector.
Course Prerequisites
Students must complete one of the following F5 prerequisites before attending this course:
- Administering BIG-IP instructor-led course
- F5 Certified BIG-IP Administrator
The following web-based 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
- Getting Started with BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) 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
Target Audience
- Network security engineers: Build layer 3 and 4 defenses on the platform that already fronts your applications.
- Firewall administrators: Apply familiar rule and policy concepts to AFM's contexts and modes.
- F5 BIG-IP administrators: Add firewall and DoS protection to systems you already manage.
- Network engineers: See how AFM rules interact with self IPs, VLANs, and route domains.
- Application delivery engineers: Protect virtual servers without adding a separate firewall hop.
- Data center and infrastructure specialists: Plan where network firewall and DoS controls sit in your design.
- Security operations staff: Use AFM logs, reports, and dashboards to investigate attacks.
- Teams running or planning BIG-IP AFM: Agree on rule standards, logging, and DoS thresholds before rollout.
Course Content
2 modules · 27 topics01 v12.0 Course Topics14 topics
- Installation and setup of the BIG-IP AFM system
- AFM network firewall concepts
- Network firewall options and modes
- Network firewall rules, policies, address/port lists , rule lists and schedules
- IP Intelligence facilities of dynamic black and white lists, IP reputation database and dynamic IP shunning.
- Detection and prevention of DoS attacks
- Event logging of firewall rules and DoS attacks
- Reporting and notification facilities
- DoS Whitelists
- DoS Sweep/Flood
- DNS Firewall and DNS DoS
- SIP DoS
- Network Firewall and DoS iRules
- Various AFM component troubleshooting commands
02v11.6 Course Topics13 topics
- Installation and setup of the BIG-IP AFM System
- AFM network firewall concepts
- Network firewall options and modes
- Network firewall rules, policies, address/port lists , rule lists and schedules
- IP Intelligence facilities of dynamic black and white lists and the IP reputation database
- Detection and prevention of DoS attacks
- Event logging of firewall rules and DoS attacks
- Reporting and notification facilities
- DoS Whitelists
- DNS Firewall and DNS DoS
- SIP DoS
- Network Firewall iRules
- Various AFM component troubleshooting commands
Schedule Dates
4 upcoming batches| Batch Dates | Duration | Batch Options | Language | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 December 2026 - 22 December 2026 | 2 Days | 4 hours & 8 hours | English / Arabic | |
| 22 March 2027 - 23 March 2027 | 2 Days | 4 hours & 8 hours | English / Arabic | |
| 28 June 2027 - 29 June 2027 | 2 Days | 4 hours & 8 hours | English / Arabic | |
| 04 October 2027 - 05 October 2027 | 2 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 AFM Training in Tanzania’s Digital Economy
Mobile money, digital banking, and online public services have made network availability a daily concern for many organizations. As these services grow, they become more attractive targets for floods and scanning. Our F5 BIG-IP AFM training in Tanzania helps engineers in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, and Dodoma configure network firewall policies and DoS protection that keep customer-facing services reachable. Organizations handling personal data under the Personal Data Protection Act, or operating in sectors regulated by TCRA, also benefit from firewall controls that are well documented and logged. This F5 AFM course in Dar es Salaam builds on our Administering BIG-IP course. Teams protecting web applications can add Advanced WAF training or arrange private security training for their team. To plan your next step, view the course outline or talk to our training team.
FAQs
What is F5's Configuring BIG-IP AFM course?
It is F5’s official course for configuring and operating BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager. It teaches you to build a network firewall on BIG-IP, protect services from DoS attacks, apply IP Intelligence, and monitor everything with logs and reports. Labs let you practice each feature, including watching defenses respond to simulated attacks.
How does AFM help a growing service, and what topics are included?
AFM helps a growing service stay available by filtering unwanted traffic before it reaches the application. The course covers firewall contexts, modes, rules, policies, and lists; device DoS and DoS profiles with automatic thresholds; and IP Intelligence. It also covers sweep flood, IP shunning, DNS and SIP protection, port misuse, logging, reports, Packet Tester, and Flow Inspector.
Which professionals is this course meant for?
F5 aims it at system and network administrators responsible for configuring and administering BIG-IP AFM. Network security engineers, firewall administrators, and security operations staff protecting high-volume services such as payments or banking will also benefit. You should already know BIG-IP basics before attending.
What do I need before starting?
You need one F5 prerequisite: Administering BIG-IP, the F5 Certified BIG-IP Administrator credential, or the Administering BIG-IP Equivalency Assessment. F5 also recommends networking knowledge, including TCP/IP, routing, ARP, subnetting, NAT, and network firewalls. Free Getting Started courses for BIG-IP, LTM, and AFM, plus the paid Administering BIG-IP self-directed course, are optional preparation.
Which skills will I take back to work?
You’ll take back the ability to protect growing services at the network layer. That includes tuning DoS thresholds, building reusable firewall policies, applying IP Intelligence, and using shunning or black hole routing against persistent attackers. You’ll also monitor results with logs and dashboards and test rules safely with Packet Tester.
Do I become F5 certified by completing this training?
No. Completing training doesn’t award F5 certification, and F5 does not currently list an AFM-specific exam. Any F5 certification requires passing its exams separately, such as F5CAB1 to F5CAB5 for F5 Certified Administrator, BIG-IP. The AFM course is skills-focused and supports wider F5 learning.
Why do firewall policies, DoS protection, and logging matter as traffic grows?
Growth raises both the cost of downtime and the attention from attackers. Firewall policies keep exposure limited to intended services. DoS protection keeps floods from overwhelming capacity. Logging shows whether protections are working or blocking real customers, so you can adjust before users notice.
How does the course help with my professional growth?
It gives you network firewall and DoS skills that apply wherever BIG-IP protects customer-facing services. These skills can make you more effective in security planning and incident response. The course doesn’t promise employment, promotion, or salary changes. Those depend on your experience and your organization.
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