F5-CTS-LTM BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager Practice Question
Exhibit
ltm monitor http /Common/my_http_monitor {
defaults-from /Common/http
recv "200 OK"
send "GET /health.html HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: example.com\r\nConnection: Close\r\n\r\n"
}Refer to the exhibit. The monitor is failing even though the page exists. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume a monitor is failing due to a server error, failing to realize that overly specific or incorrectly cased 'receive' strings will cause the monitor to fail.
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
✓
The receive string is too restrictive.
The 'recv' string is set to '200 OK', but the HTTP monitor often returns the full response, including headers. If the server response contains the status code without the exact string '200 OK', or if the casing differs, the monitor will fail. This scenario emphasizes the importance of precise regex or string matching in health monitors to avoid false negatives in service availability monitoring.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The monitor timeout is too low.
Why it's wrong here
While timeout issues can cause monitor failure, the most immediate issue in this specific configuration snippet is the potential mismatch between the receive string and the server's actual response. The timeout would typically manifest as flapping or delayed detection, whereas a string mismatch results in a consistent 'Down' state.
- ✗
The HTTP version is unsupported.
Why it's wrong here
The monitor is using 'HTTP/1.1', which is standard and fully supported by all modern BIG-IP LTM versions. The issue is not the protocol version but rather the way the monitor is configured to parse the response returned by the backend server relative to the 'recv' string criteria.
- ✓
The receive string is too restrictive.
Why this is correct
The '200 OK' string is highly specific. Depending on the server's implementation, the raw HTTP response might include extra whitespace, different header ordering, or formatted body content that prevents an exact match. Using a more flexible regex or just checking for the status code is a best practice.
- ✗
The send string is missing the User-Agent header.
Why it's wrong here
Most web servers do not strictly require a User-Agent header for a simple health check request. While some security policies might block requests missing this header, the primary failure point in standard BIG-IP monitoring logic remains the receive string validation rather than the absence of specific optional HTTP headers.
About these practice questions
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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 F5-CTS-LTM 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 F5-CTS-LTM exam.