Learn how to deploy and operate F5 SSL Orchestrator to maximize infrastructure investments, efficiencies, and security with dynamic, policy-based encryption, decryption, and traffic steering through multiple inspection devices. Combining hands-on lab exploration with instructor-led lectures, gain practical experience implementing comprehensive encrypted traffic protection using SSL Orchestrator Guided Configuration. Build deployments for transparent and explicit forward proxies, gateway reverse proxies and existing application protecting inbound enterprise traffic, then modify those deployments changing a gateway to application mode and applying TLS v1.3 requirements. Incorporate multiple security devices at layer 2 and layer 3 with ICAP and receive-only devices in varying topology deployments.

Explore interception rules and context-based policies allowing for targeted SSL visibility based on context engine steering using geolocation, IP reputation and URL categorization. Implement dynamic service chaining of security devices to provide service insertion, service resiliency, service monitoring, and load balancing in hands-on lab scenarios. Discuss the essentials of PKI and certificates with lab practice to import certificates and private keys, then incorporate into security configurations for each topology deployment.

• Understand basic use cases for decryption and re-encryption of inbound and outbound SSL/TLS network traffic
• Create dynamic service chains of multiple security services
• Configure security policies to enable policy-based traffic steering
• Add SSL visibility to existing applications
• Deploy SSL Orchestrator configurations based on topology templates
• Troubleshoot an SSL Orchestrator deployment

Course Topics

• Compare F5 SSL Orchestration to manual “daisy chaining” of security services
• Learn essentials of PKI and certificates, how to create a certificate signing request, and how to import certificates and private keys into BIG-IP
• Implement certificate forging in an SSL Forward Proxy deployment
• Understand HTTP, ICAP, L3/L2, and TAP security services
• Configure traffic classification and URL bypass within a security policy
• Define security services to include in a dynamic service chain
• Use the Guided Configuration to deploy an outbound Layer 3 transparent forward proxy
• Use the Guided Configuration to deploy an outbound Layer 3 explicit forward proxy
• Use the Guided Configuration to deploy an inbound Layer 3 reverse proxy
• Use the Guided Configuration to deploy an SSL Orchestration for an existing application
• Configure High Availability for SSLO devices
• Troubleshoot SSLO and traffic flow issues

Chapter 1: Introducing SSL Orchestrator

• Internet Security and SSL Visibility
• Introducing SSL Orchestrator and its role in network security
• SSL Orchestrator Placement on the Network
• Platform and Licensing Requirements

Chapter 2: Certificate Fundamentals

• Overview of Internet Security Model
• Understanding Certificate Use
• Managing Certificates on SSL Orchestrator (BIG-IP)

Chapter 3: Architecture Overview

• Inbound and outbound inspection
• Cipher diversity
• Broad topology and inspection device support
• Dynamic service chaining and policy-based traffic steering
• Advanced monitoring
• Dynamic scaling and evaluation

Chapter 4: Guided Configuration

• Reviewing the Landing Page
• Selecting a Topology
• Making SSL Certificate Configurations
• Creating Services and Service Handling
• Constructing a Service Chain
• Building a Security Policy
• Defining an Interception Rule
• Examining Egress settings
• Reviewing the Summary Page and Deployment
• Exploring the SSL Orchestrator Dashboard

Chapter 5: Services

• Relationship of devices to services
• Inline layer 2, layer 3 and HTTP inspection services
• ICAP and TAP passive inspection services

Chapter 6: Topologies

• Selecting the appropriate topology
• Benefits and limitations of topologies
• Existing application integration
• Layer 2 virtual wire concepts

Chapter 7: Components

• Initial and subsequent forward proxy flow
• Flow and header based signaling
• Access components
• Appropriate naming of service objects
• Authentication
• Tee connector design and flow

Chapter 8: Managing Security Policy

• Creating security policies
• Reviewing per-request policy for an outbound topology
• Navigating Visual Policy Editor

Chapter 9: Solving SSL Orchestrator Problems

• Collecting system information
• Solving traffic flow issues
• Guided Configuration and iAppLX issues
• Troubleshooting with cURL
• Traffic captures with tcpdump
• Cleanup and deleting configurations

Chapter 10: SSL Orchestrator High Availability

• Review BIG-IP High Availability
• SSL Orchestrator High Availability (HA) Requirements
• Installation and Upgrade Cautions
• SSL Orchestrator in Scaled Mode
• Troubleshooting SSL Orchestrator HA

This course is intended for network administrators and Security Operations responsible for installation, setup, configuration, and administration of the F5 SSL Orchestrator system.

The following free web-based training courses, although optional, will be very helpful for any student with limited BIG-IP administration and configuration experience.

• Getting Started with BIG-IP web-based training
• Getting Started with SSL Orchestrator (SSLO) web-based training

The following general network technology knowledge and experience are recommended before attending any F5 Global Training Services instructor-led course:

• OSI model encapsulation
• Routing and switching
• Ethernet and ARP
• TCP/IP concepts
• IP addressing and subnetting
• NAT and private IP addressing
• Default gateway

The following course-specific knowledge and experience is suggested before attending this course:

• HTTP, HTTPS protocols
• TLS/SSL

Security services such as malware detection, data loss/leak prevention (DLP), next-generation firewalls (NGFW), intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and Internet Content Adaptation Protocol (ICAP)