F5CAB4 Control Plane Administration Practice Question
Which file path contains the primary BIG-IP configuration file that the mcpd daemon loads at startup?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates frequently guess /etc/bigip.conf or /var/config/bigip.conf. They often overlook that the primary configuration directory is /config/ and fail to distinguish it from standard Linux configuration paths.
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
✓
/config/bigip.conf
The BIG-IP configuration is stored in /config/bigip.conf. This file represents the system's defined state. During boot, mcpd parses this file and loads the configuration into memory. Understanding this location is fundamental for administrators, as it is the target for manual backups, configuration audits, and troubleshooting issues where the configuration fails to load or requires manual restoration from a known good state.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
/var/tmp/bigip.conf
Why it's wrong here
/var/tmp is a temporary directory for scratch files and is not used for storing production configuration. Any changes made to a file in this location would not be recognized by the mcpd daemon, and the system would revert to the default configuration on boot, resulting in a loss of settings.
- ✗
/etc/bigip.conf
Why it's wrong here
/etc is reserved for standard Linux system configuration files. BIG-IP specific configuration resides in the /config directory structure, which is maintained by the F5 operating system. Using /etc for BIG-IP configuration would result in the system ignoring the file entirely, as the mcpd daemon looks specifically in the /config path.
- ✓
/config/bigip.conf
Why this is correct
/config/bigip.conf is the definitive location for the main BIG-IP configuration. The mcpd daemon reads this file upon startup to populate the system's memory-based configuration database. This path is essential for all administrative configuration tasks and is the primary file that administrators interact with when performing manual configuration management or backups.
- ✗
/var/lib/bigip.conf
Why it's wrong here
/var/lib is generally used for persistent application data in Linux, not for the primary BIG-IP configuration. The mcpd daemon is hardcoded to look for the configuration file in the /config directory. Files placed in /var/lib will not be loaded, meaning any configuration changes made there will be completely ineffective.
About these practice questions
This F5CAB4 question is part of Courseiva's 40-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 F5CAB4 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 F5CAB4 exam.