The F5 BIG-IP Administration Control Plane Administration (F5CAB4) is a BIG-IP system administration certification that focuses on competencies in control plane management.

1. Introduction to the F5CAB4 certification

F5 BIG-IP Administration Control Plan Administration (F5CAB4) is a new certification system launched by F5 Networks in 2025, F5 Certified Administrator. It is one of the four core exams in BIG-IP and focuses on verifying practitioners' management abilities in the BIG-IP system control plan. The control plane is responsible for managing the BIG-IP system itself, including key functions such as configuration, monitoring, device synchronization, and system settings. It is the core of ensuring the stable operation and efficient management of the BIG-IP system.

In the BIG-IP system architecture, the control plane and data plane have their respective roles, with the data plane handling application traffic and the control plane managing the system itself. The core positioning of F5CAB4 certification is to cultivate "professional managers of BIG-IP system control plane," rather than traffic processing experts.

The core value of F5CAB4 lies in enabling practitioners to master "how to manage the core configuration and operating status of BIG-IP system," "how to ensure system high availability," "how to troubleshoot through logs," and independently complete key tasks such as daily management, configuration backup and recovery, high availability deployment and maintenance of BIG-IP system, providing solid guarantee for the stable operation of data plane.

In the enterprise data center environment, the F5CAB4 certificate holder will be responsible for configuring the BIG-IP dual machine high availability cluster to ensure that one device seamlessly takes over the service in the event of a failure; Manage system logs and monitoring, promptly identify and resolve potential performance issues; Create and maintain UCS configuration backups to ensure that system configurations can be quickly restored during disaster recovery; Manage user accounts and permissions for the BIG-IP system to ensure secure system access.

2. Why Earn Your F5CAB4 Certification? 

F5CAB4 is an officially recognized BIG-IP control plane management special certification by F5, with a high degree of recognition in the global enterprise data center and network operations field When companies recruit BIG-IP system administrators, they often list them as a "priority condition," especially suitable for professionals who wish to work in BIG-IP system management positions in large enterprises or data centers.

Internationally, the salary premium for F5CAB4 holders in BIG-IP system management positions is about 10%-20%, which is a "core qualification certificate" for network operation and maintenance professionals to enhance their professional competitiveness.

F5CAB4 is one of the four core exams for F5 Certified Administrator, BIG-IP (F5-CA) certification. Passing the F5CAB4 exam is a necessary condition for obtaining the F5-CA certification, which is the foundation of the F5 technology certification system and lays a solid foundation for obtaining advanced certifications such as F5 Certified Technology Specialist in the future.

The F5CAB4 certification covers the core processes and best practices of BIG-IP system control plane management, which proves the comprehensive ability to independently manage BIG-IP systems. It can effectively reduce system failure risks, minimize downtime, improve system management efficiency, and create significant value for enterprises.

3. Core Components of the F5CAB4 Certification

For F5 system administrators or senior operations engineers responsible for ensuring the continuous, stable, and secure operation of critical application delivery services for enterprises, F5 BIG-IP system control plane management certification is a crucial professional qualification for "escorts."

Unlike the "data plane" certification that focuses on traffic processing and configuration, this certification sets its sights on the "behind the scenes hero" who ensures the reliability of the system itself: the control plane. F5CAB4 aims to systematically verify whether you have the expert level capability to perform advanced operation and maintenance, fault recovery, security reinforcement, and build a high availability architecture for BIG-IP systems, ensuring that this core infrastructure itself is "never down."

As the top priority of certification, high availability management requires you to be proficient in the deployment, configuration, and refined management of dual machine clusters, as well as the ability to perform failover testing and health monitoring, to build a zero interruption physical foundation for the hosted application services.

System monitoring and log management require you to become a 'diagnostic expert' for the system. This includes deploying local and remote Syslog logging systems, and being able to quickly locate performance bottlenecks and security risks from massive logs, utilizing built-in monitoring tools for proactive operations and maintenance.

Configuring backup and recovery is the ultimate "regret medicine" and "life-saving straw" for system administrators. You must be proficient in using user configuration sets for complete backup and recovery, and establish a configuration version control mechanism to achieve rapid disaster recovery of your business in the event of any configuration errors or device failures.

System setup and maintenance ensure the robustness and security of the system from the bottom up. This includes secure user access control, standardized processes for system patching and version updates, and basic performance parameter tuning based on business load.

4. What are the requirements to be an F5CAB4?

(1) Qualification prerequisites:

There are no clear mandatory prerequisites for F5CAB4 certification, but it is recommended to have basic knowledge of BIG-IP system and network fundamentals. We recommend that you complete the "Administering BIG-IP" training course provided by F5, which can help candidates systematically master the knowledge and skills required for the exam. 

(2) Training and examinations:

The F5CAB4 question type is about 60-70 single-choice questions. The exam lasts for 90 minutes. Reaching the passing score set by F5 is considered passing.

The exam fee is approximately $125 for F5 members and $175 for nonmembers. 

(3) Qualification maintenance:

The F5CAB4 certificate is valid for 3 years.

The renewal requirement is that you need to accumulate corresponding continuing education credits (CEUs) within the validity period, submit a renewal application, and pay the renewal fee.

5. Comparable Certifications to F5CAB4 Certification

• Cisco Certified Specialist – Data Center Network Services (DCND)
• CompTIA Network+ (N10-008)
• VMware Certified Professional – Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV)
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)