F5 Troubleshooting BIG-IP

This course assumes that you have successfully completed the Administering BIG-IP course, or equivalent, and have hands-on experience working in a production BIG-IP environment for several months. You should have a solid understanding of the environment in which the BIG-IP is deployed.

This course is meant for BIG-IP administrators, network engineers, applications engineers, etc., who will be responsible for troubleshooting problems associated with their BIG-IP system.

• Describe the role of the BIG-IP system as a full proxy device in an application delivery network
• Set up, start/restart/stop, license, and provision the BIG-IP system
• Create a basic network configuration on the BIG-IP system including VLANs and self IPs
• Use the Configuration utility and TMOS Shell (tmsh) to manage BIG-IP resources and use as a resource when troubleshooting
• Create, restore from, and manage BIG-IP archives
• Understand and implement troubleshooting methodology to find and resolve issues
• View resource status, availability, and statistical information and use this information to determine how the BIG-IP system is currently processing traffic
• Use iApps to update BIG-IP configuration
• Perform troubleshooting and problem determination activities including using the iHealth diagnostic tool, researching known issues and solutions on AskF5, submitting a problem ticket to F5 Technical Support, and view traffic flow using tcpdump
• Understand the tools (ping, netstat, tcpdump, ssldump, WireShark, diff, Kdiff3, Fiddler, BIG-IP logs, etc.) available to use to identify BIG-IP and network issues from bottom to top
• List log files available, understand log levels, and use the appropriate files, log levels, and filters for troubleshooting
• Use High Speed Logging (HSL) and SNMP trap implementations to perform troubleshooting and problem determination activities
• Describe the role of iRules in affecting traffic behavior and how to use them to aid with troubleshooting and problem determination

• Chapter 1: Setting Up the BIG-IP System
  • Introducing the BIG-IP System
  • Initially Setting Up the BIG-IP System
  • Archiving the BIG-IP System Configuration
  Chapter 2: Reviewing Local Traffic Configuration
  • Reviewing Nodes, Pools, and Virtual Servers
  • Reviewing Address Translation
  • Reviewing Routing Assumptions
  • Reviewing Application Health Monitoring
  • Reviewing Traffic Behavior Modification with Profiles
  • Reviewing the TMOS Shell (TMSH)
  • Reviewing Managing BIG-IP Configuration Data
  • Reviewing High Availability (HA)
  Chapter 3: Troubleshooting Methodology
  • Step-By-Step Process
  • Step 1: State the Problem
  • Step 2: Specify the Problem
  • Step 3: Map the System
  • Step 4: Develop Possible Causes
  • Step 5: Test Theories
  • Step 6: Iterate Until Root Cause Identified
  • Documenting a Problem
  • Putting Troubleshooting Steps to Use
  Chapter 4: Working with F5 Support
  • Leveraging F5 Support Resources
  • AskF5.com
  • DevCentral
  • iHealth
  • Leveraging F5 Labs
  • Working with F5 Technical Support
  • Running End User Diagnostics (EUD) - Hardware Only
  • New Platform Diagnostic Tools
  • Always-On Management (AOM) Subsystem
  • Requesting Return Materials Authorization
  • F5’s Software Version Policy
  • Managing the BIG-IP License for Upgrades
  • Managing BIG-IP Disk Space
  • Upgrading BIG-IP Software
  Chapter 5: Troubleshooting – Bottom to Top
  • Introducing Differences between BIG-IP and LINUX Tools
  • Troubleshooting with Layer 1/Layer 2 Tools
  • Troubleshooting with Layer 2/Layer 3 Tools
  • Troubleshooting with Layer 3 Tools
  • Troubleshooting Network Communication
  • Troubleshooting Memory and CPU
  • Troubleshooting with watch
  • Troubleshooting with Additional tmsh commands
  Chapter 6: Troubleshooting Tools
  • tcpdump
  • Wireshark
  • ssldump
  • Fiddler
  • diff
  • KDiff3
  • cURL
  Chapter 7: Using System Logs
  • Configuring Logging
  • Log Files
  • Understanding BIG-IP Daemons Functions
  • Triggering an iRule
  • Deploying and Testing iRules
  • Application Visibility and Reporting
  Chapter 8: Troubleshooting Lab Projects
  Network Configurations for Project

Students must complete one of the following F5 prerequisites before attending this course:

• Having attended Administering BIG-IP instructor-led course 
• Being a F5 Certified BIG-IP Administrator

The following free web-based training 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

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

The following course-specific knowledge and experience is suggested before attending this course:

• HTTP, HTTPS, FTP and SSH protocols