302 ยท DNS SpecialistOfficial blueprint ยท 14 objectivesRecorded on live BIG-IPLifetime access
302 ยท F5-CTS, BIG-IP DNS
BIG-IP DNS Specialist: intelligent DNS and GSLB
For engineers preparing for the 302 exam. Deliver intelligent DNS and Global Server Load Balancing across multiple data centres, and understand the protocol underneath it.
More of this exam is DNS than most candidates expect. Hierarchy and roles, zone transfers, DNSSEC and TSIG, DNS Express and DNS Cache, dig and nslookup, alongside GSLB pool and virtual server selection, topology load balancing, iQuery and sync groups.
Full course โฌ499. Covers all four sections of the 302 blueprint. Priority-list members get first access and launch pricing.
Pass the 302 within 90 days, or get a full refund.
Complete the course, sit the exam twice within 90 days, and if you fail both times I refund you in full. See the terms
Status: in build. I'm Graham Mattingley: F5 since 2008, certified since 2012, banking, aviation and government, and I teach every lesson myself.
Course overview
302 identifies engineers who can deliver scalable intelligent DNS and Global Server Load Balancing across multiple data centres. It expects you to design the solution, implement it, prove it works, and keep it running.
Worth knowing before you start: a significant part of this exam is DNS itself rather than the BIG-IP product. Protocol hierarchy and roles, zone transfers, DNSSEC and TSIG key handling, and using dig and nslookup to verify behaviour all appear in the blueprint. Candidates who treat 302 as a GUI exam tend to be surprised.
Aligns directly with the official 302 blueprint, covering all fourteen objectives across four sections.
What's included
Priority list
Join the 302 priority list
First access, launch pricing, and the occasional build update while I record it.
The outcome
What you will be able to do.
302 tests whether you can build DNS infrastructure that stays correct across data centres, and whether you understand the protocol well enough to know when the box is not the problem. After this course you will be able to:
- Explain DNS properly: hierarchy, roles, resolution, record types, and where the protocol's limits actually bite
- Choose a deployment model from requirements, and justify DNS Express, Zone Runner, DNS Cache, DNS64 or DNSSEC on the facts
- Configure GSLB with intent: two tiers of pool selection, three tiers of virtual server selection, and the load balancing method that fits
- Use topology load balancing, and predict what it costs you in performance
- Get iQuery working and keep it working: self IPs, routes, ports and NTP across sync group members
- Diagnose with the right tool: dig, nslookup, tcpdump and openssl, and know which one answers your question
- Stop objects flapping by finding the monitor or prober cause rather than restarting things
- Back up and restore correctly, including the master encryption keys for TSIG and DNSSEC, which are easy to lose and hard to recover
You will leave this course able to design, implement and defend a BIG-IP DNS deployment, and to explain the protocol behaviour underneath it.
Curriculum
All four sections of the 302 blueprint.
Section 1 โ Design and Architect
Section 2 โ Implement
Section 3 โ Test and Troubleshoot
Section 4 โ Operations and Support
Included
Private course community
A private community shared with the other members of this course. Membership is permanent.
- Ask questions and get practical advice from people on the same path
- Share real scenarios, problems and solutions
- I'm in there too, and I answer
Optional
Add my time to the course
Every course comes in three packages: the course on its own, the course plus one hour of my 1:1 time (one session or two 30-minute sessions), or the course plus a live weekly Q&A with me while you study. Use the hour to:
- Review your 302 knowledge gaps
- Work through your own multi-data-centre design or a sync group that won't behave
- Test your exam readiness with live questions
Package prices are shown at checkout.
Full video course
Animated slides for the concept, then GUI and CLI demonstrations: DNS protocol grounding, GSLB tier walkthroughs, topology load balancing, DNS Express and DNS Cache, and troubleshooting sessions, all mapped to the 302 blueprint.
Every configuration, on a live BIG-IP
Guided walkthroughs of listener configuration, GSLB pools and wide IPs, topology records, iQuery and sync group setup, DNS Express and DNS Cache, plus live troubleshooting with dig, nslookup and tcpdump.
Scenario-based knowledge checks
Assessments after each module in the style of the exam. Protocol questions are included deliberately, because that is where most candidates lose marks.
FAQs
Before you ask.
Does passing 302 give me a certification?
Do I need F5-CA before taking 302?
Does this course include practical configuration demonstrations?
How much DNS protocol knowledge does 302 assume?
What should I take after 302?
Your instructor
I don't teach exam shortcuts. I teach how TMOS actually behaves under production traffic, and how to make confident decisions when it's 2 AM and something's on fire.
Graham Mattingley
F5 401 Certified Solution Expert ยท OWASP member
Thirty years in application development, twenty in application delivery, F5-certified for fourteen. I've deployed and secured F5 for banking, aviation and government across Europe, and taught this material face to face to the engineers who run it.
This is the operational knowledge I wish I'd had twenty years ago, distilled from production deployments you won't find in the official training.
How this course is delivered
- Structured video lessons mapped to the fourteen 302 blueprint objectives
- DNS protocol grounding before any BIG-IP configuration, because the exam assumes it
- Step-by-step configuration walkthroughs in the F5 GUI and TMSH
- GSLB selection logic worked through tier by tier with traffic examples
- Live troubleshooting with dig, nslookup, tcpdump and openssl
- Self-paced, so you can study around work
- Design scenarios covering multi-data-centre deployments and sync group behaviour
Prerequisites
F5 Certified Administrator, BIG-IP is required before sitting 302. Since May 2025 that is earned by passing F5CAB1 to F5CAB5.
DNS knowledge matters more here than BIG-IP knowledge. Recommended:
- An understanding of DNS hierarchy, roles and common record types
- Familiarity with resolution behaviour, caching and TTLs
- Comfort with dig or nslookup at the command line
- Working knowledge of BIG-IP virtual servers, pools and monitors
A BIG-IP lab is recommended for hands-on practice, but every demonstration is recorded and yours for life, so you can revisit any walkthrough whenever you need it.
Lab licence helpLab licence assistance
I can help you obtain the F5 lab licence and get it installed and running on your own computer.
What happens next
- Join the priority list and I'll tell you the moment enrolment opens
- While I record it, you get the occasional DNS or GSLB scenario to work through
- Priority-list members enrol first, at launch pricing
