Exam F5CAB3 Topic 1 Question 77 Discussion

To solve this requirement, we must distinguish between the two "legs" of an SSL connection in a BIG-IP environment: Client-side and Server-side.
* Current State (SSL Bridging): The administrator states the servers currently require encrypted traffic.
This means the BIG-IP is likely performing "SSL Bridging." In this setup, a Client SSL profile terminates encryption from the user, and a Server SSL profile re-encrypts the traffic before sending it to the back-end servers.
* Target State (SSL Offloading): The requirement is to "offload SSL" to reduce web server load. This means the BIG-IP will continue to handle the encryption for the users (keeping the Client SSL profile) but will communicate with the back-end servers using unencrypted HTTP.
Why Option A is correct:
* Remove the Server SSL profile: By removing this profile, the BIG-IP stops attempting to initiate an SSL
/TLS handshake with the pool members.
* Configure Pool Members to use HTTP: The service port for the pool members must be changed (typically from port 443 to port 80) so that the BIG-IP sends standard HTTP traffic to the servers.
Why other options are incorrect:
* B & D: These suggest removing the Client SSL profile. If you remove this, the users can no longer connect via HTTPS, which violates the requirement for encrypted communication between the users and the BIG-IP.
* C: Changing the Virtual Server to accept HTTP traffic would mean the user-to-BIG-IP connection is no longer encrypted, which is the opposite of SSL termination/offloading.