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301a · First half of F5-CTS, BIG-IP LTM

BIG-IP LTM Specialist: Architect, Set-up and Deploy

For engineers preparing for the 301a exam. Design and deploy applications on BIG-IP LTM, and understand why each configuration object exists before you place it.

Deployment models, profile selection, virtual server matching order, SNAT, high availability groups, route domains and vCMP, taught against the twenty official 301a blueprint objectives.

Waitlist members get first access and launch pricing.
Full course €499. Covers both sections of the 301a blueprint.

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Status · In build

Waitlist members get first access and launch pricing. Pricing €499 > Full Course

Created by Graham Mattingley. Fourteen years F5-certified. Banking, aviation, government, and F5 instructor.

Course overview

301a is the design and deployment half of the LTM Specialist certification. It asks whether you can take a set of application requirements and build the right configuration, with the fewest objects, in the correct deployment model, and predict what your changes will do to live traffic.

The course works through both blueprint sections: architecting and deploying applications, then setting up, administering and securing the devices those applications run on. Deployment models, profile selection, virtual server matching order, SNAT, high availability groups, route domains and vCMP.

Aligns directly with the official 301a blueprint, covering all twenty objectives across both sections.

What's included

βœ“Instructor-led, self-paced video training aligned directly to the 301a blueprint
βœ“Step-by-step configuration walkthroughs using the F5 GUI and TMSH
βœ“Deployment model comparisons: one arm, two arm, nPath, Direct Server Return
βœ“Profile selection reasoning: OneConnect, TCP, UDP, FastL4 and their performance trade-offs
βœ“Virtual server matching order worked through with real traffic examples
βœ“Scenario-based knowledge checks and multiple-choice tests to assess exam readiness
βœ“Private course community access for discussion and 301a exam support

Join theΒ 301a Wait List

Receive monthlyΒ build updates, preview content, and early access notifications.

What Will You Be Able To Do?

301a does not ask whether you can build a virtual server. It asks whether you can look at a set of application requirements and choose the right one.

After completing this course, you'll be able to:

βœ… Choose a deployment model on the facts - one arm, two arm, nPath, or DSR, and explain what happens to the IP addresses in each

βœ… Deploy an application with the fewest objects - and know which ones are unnecessary

βœ… Select the right profiles - OneConnect, TCP, UDP, FastL4, and the performance trade-off each carries

βœ… Predict virtual server matching order - which one takes the traffic, and why one is being skipped

βœ… Decide when SNAT is required - and how to preserve the original client IP when it is not

βœ… Design multi-tier architectures - SNAT, persistence and SSL placed correctly across tiers

βœ… Secure and administer the device - Self IPs, port lockdown, user roles, partitions, route domains and vCMP

βœ… Predict the effect of a change - on existing connections and on new ones, before you make it

You will leave this course able to design an LTM deployment and defend the choices, which is what 301a is actually testing.

301a Course Curriculum

Private Community Included with the Course

Share a private community with other members of this course. Course community membership is permanent.

βœ… Ask questions and get practical advice from other course members on the same learning journey.

βœ… Share real-world scenarios, problems, and solutions.

Want Personalised Support?

Add a 1:1 Strategy Session. Get a private hour with Graham to:

βœ… Review your TMOS Administration study/knowledge gaps
βœ… Review specific areas of the blueprint that are blockers
βœ… Live question sessions to test exam readiness

Additional Cost: €100

Full Video Course

Presentations, F5 GUI and CLI demonstrations, deployment model comparisons, profile selection reasoning, virtual server matching order worked through step by step, and multi-tier architecture examples, all aligned to the 301a blueprint.

Watch Every Configuration (GUI & TMSH)

Guided demonstrations covering deployment models, SNAT selection, profile application, virtual server configuration, high availability groups, administrative partitions, route domains and vCMP guest deployment.

Lesson Knowledge Checks

Targeted assessments after each module to reinforce key concepts and ensure you are progressing toward 301a exam readiness. 301a rewards judgement rather than recall, so the questions are scenario based, in the style of the exam itself.

301a Course FAQs

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

Graham Mattingley

CCIE since 2001 | F5 401 Certified Solution Expert | OWASP member

Thirty years in application development, twenty in application delivery, F5-certified for fourteen. I've deployed and secured F5 solutions for banking, aviation, and government systems 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 official training materials.

How this course is delivered

  • Instructor-led, structured video lessons aligned directly to the twenty 301a blueprint objectives

  • Step-by-step configuration walkthroughs using the F5 GUI and TMSH

  • Deployment model comparisons worked through against real application requirements

  • Guided demonstrations covering SNAT, profiles, virtual servers, HA groups, partitions and vCMP

  • Structured modules progressing from application deployment to device administration and security

  • Self-paced access, allowing you to study around professional commitments

  • Design scenarios that build the judgement 301a tests, not the recall it does not

Prerequisites & Requirements

F5 Certified Administrator, BIG-IP (F5-CA) is required before sitting 301a. Since May 2025 that is earned by passing F5CAB1 to F5CAB5.

Working LTM knowledge is strongly recommended, including:

  • Confidence with Nodes, Pools, Monitors and Virtual Servers

  • Understanding of how traffic flows through a full proxy

  • Familiarity with TCP/IP, routing and NAT behaviour

  • Comfort using both the GUI and TMSH

Access to a BIG-IP lab environment is recommended for hands-on practice. However, the course includes lifetime access to all demonstrations, allowing you to revisit configuration walkthroughs as needed.

Lab Access Info

What happensΒ next?

  • Join the waiting list to be notified when enrolment opens

  • Receive monthly, blueprint-aligned TMOS administration scenarios and diagnostic insights while the course is in development

  • Get early access and priority enrolment before the public launch

Join the Wait List