F5CAB1 BIG-IP Administration Install, Initial Configuration, and Upgrade Questions and Answers

For BIG-IP high-availability (HA) pairs, F5’s recommended upgrade workflow prioritizesservice continuity,predictable failover, andminimal downtime. The established best-practice sequence is:

Upgrade the standby unit first

Because the standby device is not passing traffic, upgrading and rebooting it does not impact production.

Boot the standby unit into the newly installed version

Once online, the administrator verifies basic health, device sync status, cluster communication, and module functionality.

Perform a controlled failover to the upgraded unit

Traffic shifts to the newly upgraded device, allowing validation of the configuration and operational behavior under real traffic loads.

Upgrade the second device (now standby)

The previously active device becomes standby after failover, allowing it to be safely upgraded and rebooted without interruption.

This phased approach ensures only one device is unavailable at a time, allowing continuous traffic flow throughout the upgrade process.

Why the Correct Answer is C

OptionCexactly matches F5’s documented production-safe upgrade method:

Upgrade thestandbynode first

Reboot into new image

Failover to upgraded device

Validate

Upgrade the remaining (now-standby) device

This procedure minimizes risk and traffic disruption.

Why the other options are incorrect:

A. Upgrade the active node first

Upgrading the active device requires removing it from service and failing over abruptly. This is not recommended and increases service disruption risk.

B. Resetting device trust

Resetting trust is unnecessary and can disrupt configuration sync, peer communication, and cluster operation. It is not part of any standard upgrade workflow.

D. Upgrading and rebooting both nodes simultaneously

This would causetotal outage, because both HA members would be unavailable at the same time.

BIG-IP allocates CPU and memory resources based on module provisioning levels.

To view how much CPU a module is assigned, administrators must check provisioning information from:

C. GUI — System » Resource Provisioning

This page visually displays CPU allocation via color-coded bars.

Hovering over the CPU bar shows:

CPU usage percent per module

Which modules share CPU cycles

The system’s total resource allocation

This is the primary GUI method.

D. tmsh show /sys provision

This command displays detailed module provisioning information including:

Provisioned modules

Their provisioning level

CPU and memory allocation data

It is the authoritative CLI method for resource provisioning status.

Why the other options are incorrect:

A. top

Shows real-time process usage, notprovisionedCPU allocation.

B. tmsh show /sys cpu

Displays CPU runtime utilization, not per-module provisioning.

E. Statistics Dashboard

Only shows traffic / system runtime metrics, not provisioning resource allocations.

Therefore,C and Dare correct.

In BIG-IP, software images are installed onboot volumes(for example, HD1.1, HD1.2, HD1.3, etc.).

To install software on anew volume, the administrator must instruct the system to create a new boot location before installation.

There are two correct ways to create a new volume:

A. tmsh command (with correct syntax)

tmsh install software image /shared/images/BIGIP-.iso volume HD1.5 create-volume

This syntax correctly includes:

install software image

full path to ISO (/shared/images/...)

volume name (HD1.5)

create-volumekeyword

This instructs BIG-IP to create the new boot volume as part of the installation.

C. Using the GUI → System > Disk Management

From the Disk Management menu, the administrator can:

Select “New Volume”

Enter the volume identifier (e.g., HD1.5)

Apply changes

This GUI method is officially supported and explicitly creates a new boot volume before installing the software.

Why the other options are incorrect:

B. Incorrect tmsh syntax

Missing /shared/images/ path

Incorrect command structure

D. Incorrect command structure

Missing required keywords and correct command hierarchy

E. Software Management → Install does NOT create volumes

This installs to anexistingvolume only

The GUI install dialog does not create new boot volumes

Thus, onlyOption AandOption Cproperly create a new software volume.

BIG-IP provisioning determines how CPU, memory, and disk resources are allocated to each module. The goal is to provision only the modules required and at levels appropriate to their performance needs.

Requirements in the question

The device will be used for:

LTM(Local Traffic Manager) → load balancing

ASM(Application Security Manager) → WAF

No functions require:

APM (Access Policy Manager)

AFM (Advanced Firewall Manager)

Why Option C is correct

Provisioning bothLTMandASMatNominallevel provides:

Adequate performance for production load

Plentiful system resources while avoiding dedicating the entire system to a single module

Balanced allocation without starving memory or CPU

SettingAPM: NoneandAFM: Noneensures unused modules consume zero resources.

Why the other options are incorrect

A. Dedicated provisioning for both LTM and ASM

Two modules cannot both run in “Dedicated” mode.

Dedicated mode allocatesallresources to a single module — the second module cannot be dedicated simultaneously.

B. LTM and ASM both Dedicated

Same issue: only one module can be Dedicated at a time.

Also unnecessary for load balancing + WAF.

D. Setting APM and AFM to Minimal

Minimal still consumes memory and CPU.

Unused modules should be set toNone.

Therefore,Option Cis the best provisioning strategy.

Provisioning defines how BIG-IP allocates system resources to modules. The provisioning levels include:

Dedicated– allocatesallCPU, memory, and disk resources to a single module

Nominal– standard resource allocation balanced with other modules

Minimal– lowest level, used for basic utility needs

None– module disabled

Comprehensive / Maximal– not valid TMOS provisioning levels

Why “Dedicated” is correct

When a BIG-IP device is intended to runonly ASM(Web Application Firewall), the recommended way to maximize performance is to provision the module atDedicatedlevel.

WithASM: Dedicated:

ASM receives theentire hardware capacity

No other modules can or should be provisioned

This is explicitly recommended when a device is used solely as a WAF platform

Why other options are incorrect

B. Comprehensive / C. Maximal

These arenot valid provisioning modesin BIG-IP.

TMOS supports: Nominal, Minimal, Large (module-specific), and Dedicated.

D. Nominal

Shares resources with other modules

Does not provide full system performance

Not suitable when exclusive resource allocation is required

Thus,Dedicatedis the correct provisioning choice.

TheService Check Datedetermines whether a particular software version is allowed to run under the device’s license.

When installing or upgrading TMOS, the installer checks theService Check Datestored in the BIG-IP license file.

If the license date isolderthan the minimum required for the target version, the software installation isblocked.

This check happensspecifically during a software install, not during routine device operations.

Editing virtual servers or system startup do not trigger this validation.

Thus, the enforcement happensduring software installation.

The HTTPD allow list controls which IP addresses or subnets may access the Configuration Utility (TMUI) on the BIG-IP system. The Administrator already has two subnets allowed and needs to add asingle host IPto the existing list.

The object/sys httpd allowsupports actions such asadd,delete, andreplace-all-with.

Because the goal is toaddone more entry without removing the existing permitted subnets, the correct command is:

modify /sys httpd allow add { 172.28.32.22 }

This appends the new host to the existing list while preserving the previously configured networks.

Why the other options are incorrect:

Option A (replace-all-with)wouldoverwritethe entire allow list, removing existing permitted subnets—unacceptable.

Option B (delete)wouldremovethe existing networks and not add the required host.

Therefore, the correct administrative action is toaddthe jump host’s IP.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation (Paraphrased from F5 BIG-IP Administration Install, Initial Configuration, and Upgrade concepts)

When performing a TMOS upgrade, F5 recommends validating the target software version to ensure that the release does not contain defects that may impact system behavior. The upgrade preparation process includes checking for known issues, validating compatibility, and reviewing advisory information for the intended version. Two primary F5 tools serve this purpose:

B. F5 iHealth

iHealth is a cloud-based diagnostic and analysis platform used to evaluate the operational state of a BIG-IP system.

Administrators upload a QKView file to iHealth to receive an automated assessment of the system. As part of upgrade planning, iHealth provides:

Version-specific issue analysis, comparing the system’s configuration and hardware against F5’s internal catalog of published issues.

Upgrade advisories, identifying potential risks such as deprecated features, module compatibility concerns, or changes in behavior between TMOS versions.

Checks against known defects, allowing administrators to determine whether the target TMOS version contains issues relevant to their deployment.

This aligns with F5’s recommended upgrade workflow, where iHealth is used before upgrading to confirm system readiness and detect software-level concerns.

D. F5 Bug Tracker

The Bug Tracker is F5’s dedicated interface for reviewing software defects across TMOS releases.

It enables administrators to:

Search forknown bugs by TMOS version, module, severity, or defect ID.

Review thestatus of defects(open, resolved, fixed in later releases).

Identify whether high-impact or security-related issues are associated with the target upgrade version.

F5 documentation emphasizes reviewing known defects prior to installation of new software images, making the Bug Tracker a critical resource for upgrade validation.

Why the other options are not correct

A. F5 End User Diagnostics (EUD)

EUD is used exclusively forhardware diagnostics(ports, memory, fans). It does not provide software-related issue verification and is not used for upgrade planning.

C. F5 University

This is atraining platform, not an operational tool. It does not provide defect listings or upgrade-specific warnings.

E. F5 Downloads

Although it provides access to software images and release notes, it isnot a tool for identifying known bugs. Release notes summarize general fixes and features, but systematic bug verification requires iHealth or the Bug Tracker.

When a TMOS image (.iso file) is uploaded into the/shared/images/directory, the BIG-IP performs an internal validation step before the ISO appears in the GUI.

1. The system verifies the internal checksum

BIG-IP automatically reads the embedded checksum inside the ISO file

Verifies integrity of the uploaded image

Confirms the file is not corrupted or incomplete

Ensures the image is a valid F5 TMOS software image

Only after this checksum verification succeeds does the image appear under:

System → Software Management → Image List

Why the other options are incorrect:

A. The system performs a reboot into a new partition

Uploading an ISO file never triggers a reboot.

C. The system copies the image to /var/local/images/

All valid TMOS images remain in/shared/images/.

No copying occurs.