F5CAB1 Install, Initial Configuration, and Upgrade Practice Question
When configuring a High Availability (HA) pair, which step must be completed immediately after the initial installation on both devices?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often think 'synchronize configuration' is the first step. You cannot synchronize devices with different software versions, so verification must happen before any sync attempt.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Verify matching software version and license.
Before synchronizing configurations, both devices must have the same software version and license to ensure compatibility. Establishing HA requires identical software builds because configuration synchronization may fail if versions mismatch. This foundational step prevents synchronization errors, ensuring that the primary and standby devices operate as a unified system, which is critical for maintaining session persistence and high availability during failover scenarios.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Assign a virtual IP address to the pair.
Why it's wrong here
Virtual IPs (VIPs) are part of the local traffic management configuration. These should only be assigned after the HA trust and synchronization are established, ensuring that the configuration is propagated to the peer. Assigning them too early creates unnecessary individual configuration drift that complicates initial synchronization.
- ✓
Verify matching software version and license.
Why this is correct
Synchronization requires version parity to function correctly. If versions differ, the configuration file schemas might not match, leading to failures during sync. Likewise, licensing ensures both units have access to the same features, preventing service disruptions when configuration is pushed from the active unit to the standby unit.
- ✗
Configure the VLANs and self-IPs.
Why it's wrong here
VLANs and self-IPs are often unique to each device to accommodate specific network topologies. While they are necessary, they are not the immediate priority for establishing the synchronization relationship. Establishing the software baseline is more critical than the specific L3 network topology settings for initial HA success.
- ✗
Enable the 'config-sync' feature globally.
Why it's wrong here
Config-sync is a service that relies on the HA trust being established first. Enabling the feature globally without first confirming platform compatibility and version matching is premature. The priority is ensuring the systems are identical from an OS standpoint before turning on the synchronization service to avoid errors.
About these practice questions
This F5CAB1 question is part of Courseiva's 80-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official F5 exam blueprint
This F5CAB1 practice question is part of Courseiva's free F5 certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the F5CAB1 exam.