What is Mutual TLS (mTLS)?

Mutual Transport Layer Security (#mTLS) establishes an encrypted TLS connection in which both parties use X.509 digital certificates to authenticate and verify each other. MTLS can help mitigate the risk of moving services to the cloud, and prevent malicious third parties from imitating genuine apps. So, let’s start the clock for What is mTLS?

Read the Article on F5 Labs.

Not only does F5 Labs provide freely available Threat Intelligence, they also have an Educational series covering many types of attacks, threats, and essential security concepts. If you are getting started in cyber security or there’s always been that one topic you’ve never quite understood, #F5Labs will help you learn the basics.

F5 Certified Practice Exams

Thinking of taking the F5 Certified 101 or 201 exams but not sure if you are ready? Ease the anxiety by taking a F5 Practice Exam!

That’s what I did, and it sure helped.

If you remember, back in August I attempted the 201-TMOS Administrator exam and successfully failed, missing by a few questions. I’ve been wanting to try again and had an opportunity last week but I hadn’t studied since that initial attempt at Agility. If I failed again, I’d have to wait another 45 days to give it another go.

So instead, I decided to take a practice exam.

Practice exams provide candidates with an accurate prediction of their performance for the live, production exams. Other than the section-level score reports, they are not intended to be used for study or learning purposes. Their entire value is based on their similarity to the production exams and their validity in predicting your performance. If you think you’re getting a sneak peek to real questions, think again. They use entirely different questions on the live exams, so unless you actually learn the underlying knowledge, "knowing" the practice questions is completely useless and becomes waste of time.

The Practice Exams are designed to mimic the real tests with 80 questions timed to 90 minutes. There are exhibits to consider, you can flag questions to review and you get instant feedback on your results. You can complete on your own device and you can ‘alt-tab’ to look up the answers if you so desire. Not that you should – defeats the purpose. While you do not get an actual score, you do get an indication if you Passed or Failed and insight (Below/Borderline/Meets) on how you did on the sections.

As you can see, 4 months of not studying doomed my fate. The 201 is no fly-by and really requires daily hands on experience. If I had done well, I could have taken the real exam the following day. This way, I know exactly where I need to focus and what I need to do to finally pass the 201.

They don't allow unlimited access to the practice exams and recommend using the practice exams no more than two, at most three, times as part of your preparation. Once you become familiar with the questions, the practice exam loses its value.

Practice exams are delivered via their Zoomorphix Exam Studio system and only available to registered candidates. They have 101 and 201 rehearsals with 301a, 302 and 303 practice exams coming soon.

If you’re preparing for a @F5Certified exam, you can review some of the F5 Certification study materials that are available.

Good luck!


ps

I’ve Successfully Failed the F5 Certification 201-TMOS Administration Exam

Yup, you read that right. I did not pass the F5 Certified BIG-IP Administrator test I took while at F5 Agility 2017. And I’m not ashamed since it was a challenging test and I will be trying again.

Sure, I went through Eric Mitchell’s (F5er) comprehensive 201 Certification Study Guide along with the TMOS Administration Exam Blueprint. However, I probably should have taken more time ON a BIG-IP messing around…especially for tmsh commands…which is where, I believe, I got tripped up. This is key. Reading and memorizing commands along with some practicing can only get you so far. Doing it regularly is what’s needed. This is a key feature of the exams, particularly as you move up the exam expertise. The exams are designed to test real knowledge and experience, not if you can cram the night before. Pretty sure my errors came with tmsh and the UCS upgrade questions since I had limited experience in those areas.

Going in, I was a bit less confident (than from the 101) but also, less anxious. And about three-quarters through the exam I was feeling pretty good. I might pass this thing. However, the 201 Certification exam is not something to take lightly and is much more challenging than the 101. While the 101 has a 70% pass rate overall, the 201 hovers around 67% pass rate overall. 69% correct is a pass – I got 63%. I probably would have received my diploma from an educational institution but for Dr. Ken, a 63 is not a ‘pass’ with the F5 Certification Program. But that’s OK and why I like the program. At whatever level, a pass is a true achievement. You know your stuff.

At Agility 2017, the F5 Professional Certification team administered 227 exams. They had 245 scheduled so only 18 no-shows for whatever reason. When I took the exam on Monday, there was a constant flow of folks taking the exams and over the course of the event, I spoke to many who were either about to take one or had already completed theirs. No matter pass or fail, all were impressed with the caliber of the exams.

For the week, the disposition is as follows:

So you don’t have to work out the percentages:

Slight edge to the Pass group, congratulations…but still, you got a 50:50 shot.

Even though I failed, I’m glad to have taken it and know what I need to brush up on for my next attempt. For others that also failed, don’t be discouraged. While in Chicago, I was reminded of this Michael Jordan quote:

‘I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.’

ps

Time to Get Prepping for the F5 Certification 201 Exam

Less than a month after gaining some cred (and relief) from passing the F5 Certification 101 exam, the DevCentral team is now embarking on our 201-TMOS Administration journey. The 201-TMOS Administration exam is the second exam required to achieve F5 Certified BIG-IP Administrator status. You see, the 101 is simply a gauge - a benchmark – to determine if you qualify to take the next exam to officially become F5 Certified. The 201 exam focuses on the TMOS operating system, the day-to-day operation and basic troubleshooting of BIG-IP devices. 

You won’t need to install the software but you do need to understand how to administer and troubleshoot it once it is running. You'll also need to understand how (and what) to provide accurate and appropriate information for senior engineers and/or F5 support. This exam is not so much 'what do you know' but more about 'how do you do it.' Theory plus experience.

The DevCentral team is taking the same preparation approach as we did for the 101. We’re doing weekly team study sessions with each person taking a section and presenting to the team. This allows us to share knowledge, experience and discuss the potential questions around a certain topic. We found this very successful while prepping for the 101. Plus it was a good excuse to get together to talk shop. In addition, we'll need to spend some hands-on time (at least I do) doing real GUI-click stuff.

The good news is there seems to be a lot of 201 resources available. Of course there is F5’s own Eric Mitchell’s comprehensive 201 Certification Study Guide along with the TMOS Administration Exam Blueprint.

Outside of F5, Rich Hill put together a great click-read-learn journey with the various exam sections and the corresponding links to F5 support, DevCentral and other resources. Funzune has a fantastic F5 BIG IP – 201 exam – TMOS administration (Tips and tricks) along with a how to set up F5 BIG-IP lab at home. This is critical since (as mentioned earlier) the 201 exam does require BIG-IP hands on participation.

You can pass the 101 by studying the material but you need actual experience to ace the 201.

TomsITPro has a good overview and career path article for F5 Certifications and there’s a nifty flash-card based 201 Study Guide on Cram.com which delivers 80 potential questions along with the answers. Like the 101, candidates need to answer 80 questions in 90 minutes so nail the ones you know and come back for the more difficult questions. And don’t forget to flag those so it is easier to review with 10 minutes left. Another great resource is the F5 Certified Professionals LinkedIn group. A very active group that always has good tips as members work their way through the process.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention TheF5Guy’s 5 reasons to become F5 Certified. As Nathan Abbott puts it, ‘Reason #1 – I’m “The F5 Guy”, I have to do my best to live up to my name!  Hehehe…’

The one theme that runs through many of the 201 certification prep articles is that this exam is not something to take lightly. It is much more challenging than the 101. While the 101 has a 70% pass rate, the 201 hovers around 67%. 69% correct is a pass. And if you do pass you will be awarded the credential of F5 Certified BIG-IP Administrator.

That’s what we’re aiming for.


ps

I Am an Application Delivery Fundamentalist!

Fun and a little mental.

If you’ve been following along the DevCentral team’s journey toward F5 Certification, then you may be aware that we were in Chicago last week for F5’s Agility 2016 conference and took our 101 Application Delivery Fundamentals exam. I am happy to report that all of us, Jason, John, Chase and I, passed our exams. I gotta tell you, it’s a relief since I didn’t want to title this article, 'Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad.' Good song but wanted to avoid that.

We started this excursion back in April (me in March) with the team deciding to create a study group. Each week we’d tackle a topic with the guidance of Eric Mitchell’s excellent Study Guide. We worked through the sections and decided to test our luck with the Certification Team’s mobile testing center...with the pressure of passing during an F5 event. Imagine the slight pre-test anxiety going through our minds if we didn’t pass. ‘How long have you been at F5?’ the questions would have started. My mouth covering, embarrassing, face-palming, muffled response of, ’12 years,’ would not have been sufficient.

As Ken told us on the way into the exam room, ‘I tell people it is either pass or fail…so don’t worry about your overall score.’ But he also added specifically to me, ‘You know if you fail, I will give you grief.’ No Pressure.

Well, we were prepared and we all passed!

Jason, John and I took the exam Tuesday morning. After registering and scheduling with Pearson Vue, we arrived at the mobile test center. You need to sign in and present two forms of ID, one with your picture. Even though the Certification team knew all of us, we still needed to follow the procedure, no exceptions. We liked that we had no special treatment – other than the ‘hello’ hugs – and had to process and pass fair and square.

We were seated in different areas since the exam room was fairly full when we entered. The moderator helped each of us get to the proper test associated with our registration and the timer started. For the 101, you have 90 minutes to answer 80 questions. At 23 minutes in, Jason got up and was finished. ‘Wa?!?’ as I look up seeing him walk by, ‘I’m only on question 28!’ I lamented. At least John was still there and I kept an eye on my time and question count the rest of the way. But I also told myself, ‘I’m in no hurry and if I need the full 90 minutes, I’ll take it to the last tick.’

John finished about a 40 minutes later and I was left for the last 30 to myself. With 10 minutes left, I was done but took that remaining time to review my answers. One tip: you can flag questions for review during the test or make comments for yourself as you move along. Close out the ones you know and go back for the more challenging questions. In the end I think I changed 3 answers. No idea if it swayed the results either way.

When you are done, you walk back to the registration room and your preliminary results are already waiting. I felt a quiver when Heidi glanced at my results and gave that ‘I’m sorry,’ look. But that was soon turned to glee as I read, ‘you have Passed.’ We were 3 for 3. Chase took the test on Wednesday and also passed.

I feel it was a very fair test to determine one’s basic application delivery knowledge. Some networking, some security, some infrastructure. And although we did prepare, it was still a challenging test. These exams are not supposed to be cake-walks but a good way to measure your knowledge around a certain topic.

While we passed and may be certifiable in our own right, we are not ‘officially’ F5 Certified. That comes with the 201 exam. The 201-TMOS Administration exam is the second exam required to achieve Certified F5 BIG-IP Administrator status. Candidates must have passed the 101-Application Delivery Fundamentals exam in order to be eligible for the 201 exam.

And wouldn’t you know it, we’re all now shooting for the 201. We plan on doing the team study again but we’ll also need to dig into some on box time for this one. I plan on keeping you posted for the 201 but for now, I’ll just bask in my 101 glory.
Phew!

ps

Related:

• Jumping on the Rails of the Technical Train
• Let the Training Begin!
• The Road to F5 Certification
• DevCentral at F5 Agility 2016

The Road to F5 Certification

Over the last 4 months, the DevCentral team has been preparing for the F5 Certification exam. We’ve met a number of times for group study and for each session, we reviewed a particular section of the Exam 101 - Application Delivery Fundamentals Study Guide. We prepared and presented a certain topic and had open discussions about particular use cases, customer scenarios and even played some guessing games as to what might be asked on the exam for that section.

Now the time has come to take the test.

Since the DevCentral team will be at Agility 2016 in Chicago this year, we decided to take advantage of the Certification Team’s mobile testing center. While you can certainly go to one of Pearson Vue’s test centers, the Certification Team will be on hand at F5 Agility to administer their various exams for those looking to get F5 Certified. It’s a pretty cool set up – almost like a band on a mini regional tour. They’ll have everything you need to take the test.

I gotta tell you, I’m a little nervous.

I’m sure I’ll be able to nail sections 2-5 since those are the areas I’ve focused on for the past decade…it’s the first part, OSI, that I’m a little weary. Not that I don’t know my 7 layers – All People Seem To Need Data Processing – but maybe some of nuances or lack of recent real world subnetting that concerns me. I’ll use this last month before the exam to keep prepping to make sure I don’t embarrass myself.

But let's look at the stats.

Recently Ken Salchow, F5’s Sr. Manager Professional Certifications, has posted some interesting statistics about the program, particularly pass rates and certification by region. Ken notes about the pass rate graph, ‘I am also often asked about exam pass rates ... which is not an easy thing to really post. Below is a graph that shows ALL TIME pass rates by exam. It is important to note that these pass rates encompass thousands of exams and even different versions of exams. As such, take these with a grain of salt and realize that if I did a 12-month average, 24-month average and last month average, they would all differ from the below. Oh ... and have I mentioned how much I distrust data coming from our candidate management system?? Yeah ... so ... you've been warned.’

And the graph:

So there's a 70% pass rate on the 101. Fairly decent.

Ken also posted another chart which shows the breakdown of certification by region as a percentage of the whole.

Nice mix of global certifications.

We - the DevCentral team - will take some pictures and let you know how we did. If you are at Agility and taking a Certification exam this year, let's compare notes for the final wrap. Pass or Fail.

My energy says, 'Success!'

ps

Related:

• Jumping on the Rails of the Technical Train
• Let the Training Begin!

Let the Training Begin!

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I was on a journey to getting properly trained and reacquainted with the more technical nuances of F5 solutions with the goal of achieving F5 Professional Certification sometime this year. In fact, most of F5’s DevCentral team is also shooting for certification and we’ve set up our study path.

As a refresher, F5 has a number of educational programs to help you get acquainted, get fully trained or become a Certified Professional with F5 gear. From free online courses to instructor led classroom seminars to challenging your knowledge with a certification, F5 can help you, as it is helping me, understand the inner workings of BIG-IP. I began at F5 University with the Getting Started series and was able to get through a number of modules at my own pace.

This week, the DC team is in Seattle at the Mother Ship and we decided to kick off our study prep while we’re together. This is for the initial 101-Application Delivery Fundamentals exam and we’re using Eric Mitchell’s excellent Study Guide as our guide. There is also an Exam Blueprint available that goes through the objectives of each section and gives examples of the types of questions asked. Um, what's the purpose and functionality of MTU and MSS again?

The 101-Application Delivery Fundamentals test is the first exam required to achieve F5 Certified BIG-IP Administrator status. All candidates must take this exam to move forward in the program. Successful completion of the 101 exam acknowledges the skills and understanding necessary for day-to-day management of Application Delivery Networks (ADNs). The 101 exam is not so much, how do you do this on a BIG-IP but more about the basics of the OSI model, networking, protocols, common traffic management/load balancing concepts, cryptographic services and application delivery platforms in general. The essential knowledge needed to deploy any application delivery controller.

We’ve decided to each take and prepare a section of the study guide and present to the team. We’ve set up weekly meetings and each week is an exam section. This week is the OSI model and (theoretically) in 5 weeks, we should be ready to take the exam. If you are prepping or planning to get certified at our Agility event in Chicago this summer, you and your team may want to consider that approach. All the learning benefits, with slightly less stress.

So that’s our most recent update as we continue on the certification path. If you’d like a step-by-step guide, including how to register and schedule your exam, check out Austin Geraci’s article Becoming F5 Certified - BIG-IP Administrator Certification - 101 & 201 Exams and/or join the F5 Certified! Professionals group on LinkedIn. Good stuff.


ps

Connect with Peter:	Connect with F5:

Get F5 Certified at F5 Agility 2015

 

Ken Salchow, Sr. Mgr., Professional Certification, talks about F5’s Professional Certification Program from #F5Agility15. He gives us a little history behind the program, the types of exams and certifications available, the process of taking an exam along with the benefits of having the skills and knowledge necessary to be successful when working with today’s application delivery challenges. Plus, you can earn some cool giveaways when you pass an exam.

ps

Related:

• F5Agility15 - The Preview Video
• Welcome to F5 Agility 2015
• Innovate, Expand, Deliver with F5 CEO Manny Rivelo
• F5 Agility 2015
• F5 YouTube Channel

Technorati Tags: f5,agility,f5agility15,f5 certified,silva,video,certification,salchow

Connect with Peter:	Connect with F5:

Back to School BYOB Style

Bring Your Own Brain 
According to a study conducted by Harris Interactive and Pearson, 90% of today’s elementary, middle and high school students believe that mobile devices will change the way students learn in the future (92%) and make learning more fun (90%).  The majority (69%) of those same students would like to use mobile devices more in the classroom.
One-third of grades 4-12 students said that they have used a tablet for school work this academic year (34% have used a full-size tablet and 32% have used a small tablet), while 44% said they have used a smartphone for school work. Among students who use a tablet for school work, 52% use a device that they own personally, rather than borrow from the school and 70% would like to use mobile devices more often in their classrooms.  Only one in six say that their school provides the tablets.
The Pearson Student Mobile Device Survey was conducted to better understand how students use mobile technology for learning. The survey focused on how students use the mobile devices they currently own for learning, and how they would like to use those devices in the future. The survey asked students from grade 4 through college about the mobile devices that they own and intend to buy; how they currently use mobile devices for school work and how they expect to use them in the future; and their attitudes towards tablets for learning.
Teachers also love technology.  Onlineuniversities.com reports that 90% of teachers have a laptop or PC in the classroom and 60% have access to an interactive whiteboard.  35% have tablets or e-readers in the classroom, up from 20% just a year ago and 71% say that apps are beneficial for teaching.  65% indicate that technology lets them demonstrate things they could not show any other way.  It allows them to reinforce or expand on content, helps motivate students and accommodates multiple learning styles.
Research shows that students who are exposed to media-rich content in the classroom (like video), outperform non-exposed peers on tests, are more active in class discussions, and apply more varied approaches to problem solving.  By 2017, streaming video will represent the majority of all mobile traffic – and if school BYOD programs continue to be successful, much of this traffic could come from the classroom.
ps
Related:

• New Study Reveals U.S. Students Believe Strongly That Mobile Devices Will Improve Education
• Pearson Student Mobile Device Survey 2013 (pdf)
• The Current State Of Technology In The Classroom [Infographic]
• Teachers Love Technology
• Why video is the unlikely common denominator in ed-tech

Technorati Tags: byod,mobile,smartphone,tablet,classroom,education,school,learning,teachers,students,silva,video

Connect with Peter:	Connect with F5:

Interop2013: F5 Certification Program

I catch up with F5 Certification Manager Ken Salchow to talk about how the Certification Program has grown over the last year since the announcement at Interop 2012. Ken discusses the new exams, his certification philosophy and how this all fits within the tech industry. F5's New Technical Certification Program Helps Define and Measure the Skills Required for Today's IT Complexities.

 

ps

Related:

• Interop2013: Find F5
• Interop2013: DDoS'ing the Interop Network
• Interop 2012 - F5 Technical Certification Program with Ken Salchow
• F5's YouTube Channel
• In 5 Minutes or Less Series (23 videos – over 2 hours of In 5 Fun)
• Inside Look Series
• Life@F5

Technorati Tags: f5,interop,certification,firewall,security,big-ip,silva,video,interop NOC,vegas,2013

Connect with Peter:	Connect with F5:

F5 Agility Summit 2012 - DevCentral

I chat with Joe Pruitt, Sr. Strategic Architect for F5's DevCentral Community.  We have a great conversation about DevCentral, it's history, it's purpose and all the cool stuff, like iRules, forums and blogs, that you can find on DevCentral.

ps

Resources:

• F5 Rethink Your World
• F5 Agility Summit 2012 - Welcome to New York
• F5 Agility Summit 2012 – Splunk
• F5 Agility Summit 2012 – Infoblox
• F5 Agility Summit 2012 - DevCentral
• F5 Agility Summit 2012 - Welcome to Shanghai
• Rackspace uses F5 to create a hybrid platform to meet customer needs
• Using F5, Future Com helped Sysco unify its network
• MLB Network, uses F5 to achieve zero downtime for its cable programming
• F5 Friday: Infoblox and F5 Do DNS and Global Load Balancing Right.
• Upcoming Event: F5 Agility Summit 2012
• F5 Announces Winners of 2012 Agility Customer and Partner Awards
• F5 Networks Selects Westcon Group as First Global Distributor
• F5 YouTube Channel

Technorati Tags: F5, big-ip, agility summit, cloud computing, Pete Silva, security, new york, times square, partners, network firewall,internet,dnssec, big-ip, irules, analytics, devcentral, video

Connect with Peter:	Connect with F5: