Tuesday, March 2, 2021

F5 Network Certification Guide: Overview and Career Pathways

Many of us had to come to terms when an F1 or F2 tornado passed through the area, smoothing out most things in its path, but F5? The most powerful tornado speed on the Fujita scale was also the inspiration for the name F5 Labs, which appeared in 1996 and is now known as F5 Networks. Initially offering its products for load balancing BIG IP servers, F5 has expanded to provide an optimization technology called Application Delivery Network (ADN). ADN stores servers, network resources, and the like in data centers and in the cloud around the world.

Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, F5 serves virtually every Fortune 50 company, as well as a long list of mid-sized and corporate organizations. Over the years, the company's revenues have grown significantly, with annual revenues exceeding $ 2 billion. F5's growth continued in 2017 as revenues exceeded $ 2.1 billion. The continued growth has attracted the attention of Wall Street and potential investors as well as companies looking for a profitable acquisition or merger. In fact, F5 Networks seems to be looking at offers from potential buyers.

The F5 Networks certification program is small and focused. It offers IT credentials that help prepare people to develop, deploy, and support company products and solutions. The three certifications in the F5 program include the following items: f5 big ip

F5 Certified BIG-IP Administrator (F5-CA)

F5 Certified Technology Specialist (F5-CTS)

F5 Certified Solutions Expert (F5-CSE)

To get started, F5 certification candidates must register with the F5 Credential Management System (F5-CMS), submit an applicant agreement form, and complete a nondisclosure agreement. Once registered, the tutorial for the desired certification becomes available through the company's system, although tutorials are also available outside of F5-CMS as you will learn later in this article. All F5 certification exams cost $ 135 and are available through Pearson VUE.

F5 Certified BIG-IP Administrator (F5-CA)

An F5 certified BIG-IP administrator can manage Application Delivery Networks (ADNs) and perform routine management and troubleshooting of F5 Traffic Management Operating System (TMOS) devices. F5-CA certification requires two exams:

Exam 101 - Application Delivery Fundamentals

Exam 201 - TMOS Administration

These exams must be taken in numerical order as the TMOS Administration exam is a prerequisite. Before taking the exam, F5 offers candidates a solid understanding of networking concepts and protocols, traffic shaping concepts and TMOS components, and how to work with virtual servers.

F5 Certified Technology Specialist (F5-CTS)

F5 Certified Technician credentials come in four flavors, focusing on traffic management, DNS, security and access policies. First LTM exams (Exam 301a) for DNS, ASM, and APM specialist credentials take Exam 201 - TMOS Administration as a prerequisite. The second LTM exam - LTM Specialist: Maintenance and Troubleshooting (Exam 301b) - requires prior completion of the LTM Specialist: Architect, Configuring, and Deploying Exam 301a. To obtain the F5-CTS, candidates must pass one or two exams, depending on the specialty chosen:

Local Traffic Manager (LTM) : LTM credentials recognize professionals who work with advanced F5 products from design to implementation and maintenance and understand how to integrate LTM into existing networks. Two exams are required:

Exam 301a - BIG-IP LTM Specialist: Architect, Configuration, and Deployment

Exam 301b - BIG-IP LTM Specialist: Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Domain Name Server (DNS): DNS credentials are intended for application delivery architects and application delivery engineers working with BIG-IP DNS. Only one exam is required to obtain this certification:

Exam 302 - BIG-IP DNS Specialist

Application Security Manager (ASM) : ASM develops, implements, and maintains ASM to secure application delivery networks. Applicants should understand the interactivity between ASM and web applications, troubleshooting techniques, and the integration method. Only one exam required:

Exam 303 - BIG-IP ASM Specialist

Access Policy Manager (APM) . An APM-authorized person manages the application delivery networks and technologies that run on the F5 TMOS operating system. Applicants should understand remote access, authentication and authorization, and how to install, maintain, and update APM. To qualify for APM, candidates must pass one exam:

Exam 304 - BIG-IP APM Specialist

Anyone with the desire (and time) to complete all four CTS exams should seriously consider moving to the F5 Certification - F5 Solutions Expert.

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