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301b · Earns F5-CTS, BIG-IP LTM

BIG-IP LTM Specialist: Maintain and Troubleshoot

For engineers preparing for the 301b exam. Work out why something built by someone else is not behaving, from a trace, a log, or a set of statistics.

tcpdump and protocol analysis, iRule behaviour, AVR interpretation, HTTP and SSL handshake failures, monitor problems, device resource exhaustion, failover and config sync, taught against the twenty-seven official 301b blueprint objectives.

Waitlist members get first access and launch pricing.
Full course €499. Covers all three sections of the 301b 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

301b is the exam that completes F5 Certified Technology Specialist, BIG-IP LTM. Where 301a asks whether you can design a deployment, 301b asks whether you can work out what is wrong with one you did not build, from the evidence in front of you.

The course works through all three blueprint sections: virtual server connectivity and upgrade recovery, application issues through iRules, AVR, headers and packet captures, and device level failures including resource exhaustion, failover and config sync.

Aligns directly with the official 301b blueprint, covering all twenty-seven objectives across three sections.

What's included

βœ“Instructor-led, self-paced video training aligned directly to the 301b blueprint
βœ“Packet capture analysis with tcpdump, Wireshark and ssldump
βœ“Reading HTTP headers and traces to find the actual failure
βœ“iRule behaviour, iRule logs, and what iRule errors look like in practice
βœ“AVR interpretation for latency, application attacks and tier bottlenecks
βœ“Scenario-based knowledge checks and multiple-choice tests to assess exam readiness
βœ“Private course community access for discussion and 301b exam support

Join the 301b Wait List

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

What Will You Be Able To Do?

301b hands you evidence and asks what happened. A trace, a log extract, a set of statistics, a failed request. The skill it tests is reading them correctly under time pressure.

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

βœ… Read a packet capture properly - drops, RSTs, retransmits, ICMP errors, and CMP demotion, and know which one you are looking at

βœ… Decide where to capture - client side, server side, or both, and what each vantage point will and will not show you

βœ… Diagnose from HTTP headers - response codes, Cookies, Cache Control, Vary, Content Type and Host, and decoded POST data

βœ… Find the cause of an SSL handshake failure - and prove it rather than guess it

βœ… Interpret an iRule and its logs - identify the event where it went wrong and predict the effect on traffic

βœ… Use AVR as a diagnostic tool - latency trends, tier bottlenecks, and application attacks

βœ… Solve monitor problems - capture monitor traffic, and set timing that matches the application rather than fighting it

βœ… Explain a failover after the fact - from logs and statistics, including config sync and device trust failures

You will leave this course able to work from evidence to root cause, which is the only thing 301b rewards.

301b 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, live packet capture analysis, header and trace walkthroughs, iRule debugging, AVR interpretation and device failure diagnosis, all aligned to the 301b blueprint.

Watch Every Diagnosis (GUI & TMSH)

Guided demonstrations working from symptom to root cause: capturing traffic, reading the trace, interpreting the logs, checking the statistics, and confirming the fix. The reasoning is shown, not just the answer.

Lesson Knowledge Checks

Targeted assessments after each module to reinforce key concepts and ensure you are progressing toward 301b exam readiness. 301b is an evidence exam, so the questions present you with output and ask what it means.

301b 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-seven 301b blueprint objectives

  • Live packet capture analysis using tcpdump, Wireshark and ssldump

  • Header and trace walkthroughs taken from real production failures

  • iRule debugging, AVR interpretation, and monitor troubleshooting

  • Device level diagnosis: resource exhaustion, failover causes, config sync failures

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

  • Diagnostic scenarios that build the reasoning 301b tests, worked from evidence to cause

Prerequisites & Requirements

To sit the 301b exam you need F5 Certified Administrator, BIG-IP (F5-CA) and a 301a pass. You do not need either to take this course, and many engineers study both halves together.

Working LTM experience is strongly recommended, including:

  • Familiarity with virtual servers, pools, monitors and profiles in production

  • Basic comfort reading a packet capture

  • Understanding of HTTP request and response structure

  • Confidence using TMSH and the BIG-IP log files

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 diagnostic 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