F5 Troubleshooting BIG-IP

This course gives network administrators, network operators, and network engineers a functional understanding of the BIG-IP system as it is commonly deployed in an application delivery network. The course introduces students to the BIG-IP system, its configuration objects, how it processes traffic, and how typical administrative and operational activities are performed. The course includes lecture, hands-on labs, interactive demonstrations, and discussions.

Kurs özeti

Course Topics

Configuration Project
Troubleshooting Methodology
F5 Support
Troubleshooting - Bottom to Top
Troubleshooting Tools
Using System Logs

Course Objectives

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

Course Outline

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
Documenting a Problem
Putting Troubleshooting Steps to Use

Chapter 4: Working with F5 Support

Leveraging F5 Support Resources
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
SSL/TLS
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

Kurs hedefi

Apply bottom-to-top techniques to troubleshoot BIG-IP systems.
Review a variety of lower layer tools including ping, bigtop, netstat and tcpdump for manipulating different flags for viewing hex and ASCII.
Analyze network protocols using Wireshark and a variety of capture file formats including pcap and tcpdump.
Build filters and use different commands and expressions to capture data on different connections in hands-on lab scenarios.
Use the Fiddler HTTP proxy to view and analyze different session elements including URL, Content-Type and other headers, bytes sent/received, response codes, and performance statistics.
Explore various curl command options for testing endpoint availability and analyzing ingress and egress payloads in detail.
Learn how to use KDiff to compare files from different BIG-IP devices for locating different traffic processing objects.
Gain familiarity with using local and remote logging data, facilities, messaging, and levels for troubleshooting.
See how iRules can be used for setting up message logging and logging levels.
Finally, learn how to create an analytics profile to view traffic statistics, application visibility, and reporting.

Kimler katılmalı?

This course is intended for network administrators, operators, and engineers responsible for managing the normal day-to-day operation and administration of a BIG-IP application delivery network. This course presents the prerequisite knowledge for many of F5’s other BIG-IP instructor-led training courses.