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F5 Networks Senior Principal Engineer Interview Questions and Answers

Updated 31 Jul 2022

F5 Networks Senior Principal Engineer Interview Experiences

1 interview found

I applied via LinkedIn and was interviewed in Jul 2022. There were 3 interview rounds.

Round 1 - Coding Test 

Simple coding problems- python and go

Round 2 - Coding Test 

Terraform, ansible, AWS

Round 3 - Technical 

(1 Question)

  • Q1. DevOps, networking, Linux

Interview Preparation Tips

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - Not very hard, be true and know what is in your resume

Interview questions from similar companies

Software Engineer Interview Questions & Answers

Citrix user image Pranav Bhat Thirthahalli

posted on 3 Dec 2015

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Test
Experience: Round 1: Online coding and aptitude test Section
Total time : 60 minutes
Questions{Marks} = 50(+1,-0.5)
Comments : * A few questions on Permutations and Combination and general aptitude * A few questions on Computer Networks and Operating Systems * Many C++ output questions, mainly on OOP * Questions are quite stimulating and these need proper time management, the idea of the concepts need to be at the tip of the tongue ("literaly")
Section 2:
Total Marks : 150
Total questions : 2 ( 100 + 50 )
Programming Languages allowed : All common PLs
Platform : HackerEarth Questions are easy but may require long codes. The output should be properly formatted.Not much algorithms Some 30 people get shortlisted for the interviews, consisting of maximum 4 rounds ( 3 tech + 1 HR).All interviews are elimination rounds

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: ( Tech interview-1):
* Mainly questions on the knowledge of C
* Trust me, one must be really an expert in C syntax, and you must know in and out of C
* Questions on pointers and bit wise arithmetic asked
* Some questions on Operating systems also asked( and these were really thought worthy, like how are interrupt handlers stored )
* Some resume based questions
(Tech interview-2) : Some 15 were shortlisted
*Mainly questions on algorithms
*Really tough questions , on trees and arrays, almost in the Microsoft level
*Should be optimized as possible.
*They describe one of their product, and then ask questions on how to solve some problems.
(Tech interview-3) Some 6 were shortlisted
Selection Procedure
* Interview by the Citrix India R&D Vice-President of Tech division
* Involves mainly resume based questions
* Most questions on Networks and TCP/IP
* Puzzles are also asked.
* You may get chocolates also in this round

Round: HR Interview
Experience: If you get here, it means you are 90% selected(unless you screw it really bad, by saying things like you don't know the company,etc ) *Standard question - Why Citrix ? *They mainly discuss what profile will be offered, and about the compensation and so on.

General Tips: I don't think I have any. In fact I had no aspirations initially to get into this company.In fact I too came to know about the company on the day I got selected into it :p
The only thing I can say is practice. Strengthen your networking and OS concepts Even though you don't need to be in the leader board of CodeChef for this company, you may want to know decent coding, atleast to make it to the interviews.
It was challenging and equally rewarding. I felt that this was a really friendly interview series, and they are quite accommodating and flexible in their questions. Infact even if you miss a question or two, don't worry.
Skill Tips: Forouzan - Data Communication and Networking ,C++ by Djarne Stroustrup HackerEarth and HackerRank Coding Focus more on Networking and OS if you want to get into this company, they don't focus on much of algorithms, since they don't want coders since it is a R&D profile.
Skills:
College Name: NIT Surathkal

Interview Questionnaire 

12 Questions

  • Q1. 3 - 4 data structures based coding questions
  • Q2. Questions on project like problems faced or errors encountered
  • Q3. Memory layout of C programs
  • Ans. 

    The memory layout of C programs refers to how variables and data structures are organized in memory.

    • C programs typically have four main sections in memory: code, data, heap, and stack.

    • The code section contains the compiled program instructions.

    • The data section stores global and static variables.

    • The heap is used for dynamic memory allocation.

    • The stack is used for function calls and local variables.

    • Pointers in C hold mem...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q4. Storage of semaphores and many other questions based on semaphores
  • Q5. Questions based on operating system
  • Q6. The usual first question ..tell me about yourself
  • Q7. What irritates you ?
  • Ans. 

    Inefficiency and lack of organization irritate me.

    • Inefficient code or processes

    • Lack of documentation

    • Disorganized project management

    • Inconsistent coding standards

    • Poor communication within the team

  • Answered by AI
  • Q8. My CPI was 8.69, even then was asked why is it so low , why not 9 or above
  • Q9. Dream company and if you get selected, will you still aspire and study for your dream company
  • Q10. How many computer languages do you know ?
  • Ans. 

    I know multiple computer languages including Java, Python, and C++.

    • Java

    • Python

    • C++

  • Answered by AI
  • Q11. Some situation based questions
  • Q12. Why didn't you get selected in the last company that visited your college ?

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Test
Experience: The type of questions mainly comprised of aptitude, dbms, data structures, operating system, object oriented programming, networking and few basic questions on C programming language.
Tips: For Object Oriented programming  the book entitled as THINKING IN C++ volume 1 by BRUCE EKEL proved to be very useful.For C, read Dennis Ritchie thoroughly atleast twice.
Duration: 60 minutes
Total Questions: 45 or 50

Round: Problem Statement
Experience: The questions didn't make use of any tough algorithms. The solution too was quite simple but on the contrary there were several test cases which we generally overlook.
Tips: Sometimes practicing tough questions, we stumble across easy ones, so always start learning things from the ground level. Stay calm.

Round: Other Interview
Experience: It was managerial interview and i expressed myself in the best way i could . The interviewer tried to trap me in my own answer but somehow i managed to satisfy him by my answers.
Tips: Stay confident and be yourself.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: Initially, i gave naive approach to the solution but the interviewer gave me sometime to improvise the solution and i ended up with solution with log n complexity.
Tips: Practice coding questions based on Data Structures as much as possible but look at the solutions only after the exhaustive attempts of self trials.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: This round was bit tough . To answer the questions on semaphore, you need to have very basic knowledge of the topic.
Tips: System programming book by Richard Stevens provides deep insight of the concepts.Have strong grip on subject knowledge too.

General Tips: 1) Once you kick off a start to practicing coding questions and understanding the concepts, you actually enjoy things.2) Group Study plays a very crucial role. Discuss questions with your friends and your seniors.3) If initially you get bulk of errors in programming questions , don't get disheartened .Try to run the program by compiling each and every line thoroughly and eventually you will end up with successful compilation and that happiness is priceless.
Skill Tips: Have a command on your domain.
Skills: programming Skills, communication skills, Skills to handle the situation.
College Name: NIT ALLAHABAD
Motivation: A software company with software engineer profile  and a good package too and both of them defines my field of interest :P
Funny Moments: when the result was declared with me and my friend both got selected, we both started jumping and crying aloud infront of everyone out there.And at the end when we were given chocolates , there was another box containing t-shirts ..and i was constantly looking there in the hope that soon, we would be given t-shirts too but to the dismay the handed all of them over to the third party :(

Skills evaluated in this interview

Interview Questionnaire 

7 Questions

  • Q1. Design a Peer-to Peer sharing network like torrent. What all parameters would you like to consider?
  • Ans. 

    Design a P2P sharing network like torrent

    • Consider the architecture and protocols for file sharing

    • Include mechanisms for file discovery and download

    • Implement a distributed system for efficient data transfer

    • Ensure data integrity and security

    • Handle scalability and load balancing

    • Consider user interface and ease of use

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. You want to retrieve data about cricket players. Search string will be name. Also, we want first players having first 10/10000 hits. What data structures will you use to store data?
  • Q3. Tell about the projects you have done?
  • Q4. According to you, what is the definition of good job?
  • Ans. 

    A good job is one that provides satisfaction, growth opportunities, work-life balance, and fair compensation.

    • Satisfaction: Feeling fulfilled and accomplished in the work being done.

    • Growth opportunities: Having chances to learn, develop new skills, and advance in the career.

    • Work-life balance: Striking a healthy equilibrium between work responsibilities and personal life.

    • Fair compensation: Being adequately rewarded for t...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q5. What are your future plans?
  • Q6. Where do you see yourselves after few years?
  • Q7. Are you planning for any higher studies?

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Test
Experience: It was an online test with Objective questions for 1 hour and Coding – one and half hour.The questions asked were mainly based on CS networking course.Other than networking, there were lot of DSA questions, few OS questions and puzzles were asked.
Tips: Coding requires good speed.
For coding, I chose C++, there were other languages too.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: It was of about 20 minutes.There were 2 technical interviews.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: minor was not at all related.
Tips: Oracle, easy dsa questions are asked. It’s easy to get into this. This is like a back-up one.

Skill Tips: Practice Coding through codechef etc.
College Name: IIT MADRAS

Skills evaluated in this interview

I applied via Campus Placement and was interviewed in Dec 2016. There were 3 interview rounds.

Interview Questionnaire 

10 Questions

  • Q1. Write a program to reverse a n integer
  • Ans. 

    Program to reverse an integer

    • Convert the integer to a string

    • Reverse the string

    • Convert the reversed string back to an integer

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. Explain me about your projects
  • Ans. 

    I have worked on various projects including a web application for inventory management and a mobile app for task tracking.

    • Developed a web application using React for inventory management, allowing users to track stock levels and generate reports.

    • Created a mobile app using Flutter for task tracking, enabling users to create, assign, and track tasks in real-time.

    • Collaborated with a team of developers to integrate APIs an...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q3. Are you interstedoing in studying further
  • Ans. 

    Yes, I am interested in studying further to enhance my skills and knowledge in software engineering.

    • Interested in pursuing a Master's degree in Computer Science

    • Enrolling in online courses to learn new technologies and programming languages

    • Attending workshops and conferences to stay updated with industry trends

  • Answered by AI
  • Q4. Reverse a linked list without using extra memory
  • Ans. 

    Reverse a linked list without using extra memory

    • Iterate through the linked list and change the next pointers to reverse the list

    • Use three pointers - prev, current, and next - to keep track of the reversed list

    • Start with prev and current pointing to null and the head of the linked list respectively

    • While traversing the list, update the next pointer of the current node to point to the previous node

    • Move prev and current po...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q5. Explain me about all the data structures you know, tell me their advantages over others and applications
  • Ans. 

    Data structures are fundamental concepts in software engineering that organize and store data efficiently.

    • Arrays: Simple and efficient for storing and accessing elements.

    • Linked Lists: Dynamic and flexible, efficient for insertion and deletion.

    • Stacks: LIFO structure, useful for managing function calls and undo operations.

    • Queues: FIFO structure, ideal for managing tasks and scheduling.

    • Trees: Hierarchical structure, used ...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q6. What is the difference between into arr [5] and malloc (5*sizeof (int))
  • Ans. 

    The difference is that 'int arr[5]' creates an array on the stack, while 'malloc(5*sizeof(int))' allocates memory on the heap.

    • int arr[5] creates an array of 5 integers on the stack, which is a fixed-size memory allocation.

    • malloc(5*sizeof(int)) dynamically allocates memory on the heap, allowing for variable-size memory allocation.

    • The memory allocated with malloc must be explicitly freed with free() to avoid memory leaks

  • Answered by AI
  • Q7. Tell me about yourself.
  • Ans. 

    I am a passionate software engineer with a strong background in computer science and experience in developing innovative solutions.

    • Completed a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from XYZ University

    • Proficient in programming languages such as Java, Python, and C++

    • Worked on various projects including a mobile app for tracking fitness goals

    • Familiar with Agile development methodologies and version control systems like Gi

  • Answered by AI
  • Q8. Where do you want to see yourself in 5 years
  • Ans. 

    In 5 years, I see myself as a senior software engineer leading a team of developers on innovative projects.

    • Continuing to enhance my technical skills and knowledge through ongoing learning and certifications

    • Taking on more leadership responsibilities and mentoring junior team members

    • Contributing to the development of cutting-edge software solutions for the company

    • Possibly pursuing opportunities for advancement within the...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q9. Mention two weakness es
  • Ans. 

    I tend to overthink details and can be overly critical of my own work.

    • Overthinking details can lead to delays in completing tasks

    • Being overly critical can hinder progress and confidence

  • Answered by AI
  • Q10. Are you intersted in studying further
  • Ans. 

    Yes, I am interested in studying further to enhance my skills and stay updated with the latest technologies.

    • I believe continuous learning is essential in the fast-paced tech industry

    • Further studies can help me specialize in a specific area of software engineering

    • Advanced degrees or certifications can open up new career opportunities

  • Answered by AI

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: Asked me few simple questions related to OS and Network security

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: Asked me few simple questions related to OS and Network security

College Name: IIT Madras

Skills evaluated in this interview

Interview Preparation Tips

General Tips: Just be confident. You may not be able to answer all the questions correctly. If you don't know the answer, be honest and confidently answer the questions that you know.
College Name: NIT SURATHKAL

I was interviewed before Mar 2021.

Round 1 - Face to Face 

(3 Questions)

Round duration - 40 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

Technical round with questions based on DSA.

  • Q1. 

    Reverse a Number Problem Statement

    Create a program to reverse a given integer N. The output should be the reversed integer.

    Note:

    If a number has trailing zeros, their reversed version should not inclu...

  • Ans. 

    Reverse a given integer while excluding trailing zeros.

    • Create a program to reverse the given integer by converting it to a string and then reversing it.

    • Remove any trailing zeros from the reversed string before converting it back to an integer.

    • Handle the constraints of the input integer being between 0 and 10^8.

    • Example: For input 1230, the output should be 321.

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. 

    Reverse a Linked List Problem Statement

    You are given a Singly Linked List of integers. Your task is to reverse the Linked List by changing the links between nodes.

    Input:

    The first line of input contai...
  • Ans. 

    Reverse a given singly linked list by changing the links between nodes.

    • Iterate through the linked list and reverse the links between nodes.

    • Use three pointers to keep track of the current, previous, and next nodes.

    • Update the links while traversing the list to reverse it.

    • Return the head of the reversed linked list.

  • Answered by AI
  • Q3. What is the difference in C++ between 'new int[5]' and 'malloc(5 * sizeof(int))'?
  • Ans. 

    new int[5] is C++ specific and initializes the array with default values, while malloc(5 * sizeof(int)) is a C function and does not initialize the array.

    • new int[5] is C++ specific and calls constructors for each element in the array.

    • malloc(5 * sizeof(int)) is a C function and does not call constructors, leaving the array uninitialized.

    • new int[5] returns a pointer to the first element of the array, while malloc(5 * siz...

  • Answered by AI

Interview Preparation Tips

Eligibility criteriaAbove 7 CGPAJuniper Networks interview preparation:Topics to prepare for the interview - Data Structures, Algorithms, OS, Networking, Aptitude, OOPSTime required to prepare for the interview - 4 monthsInterview preparation tips for other job seekers

Tip 1 : Must do Previously asked Interview as well as Online Test Questions.
Tip 2 : Go through all the previous interview experiences from Codestudio and Leetcode.
Tip 3 : Do at-least 2 good projects and you must know every bit of them.

Application resume tips for other job seekers

Tip 1 : Have at-least 2 good projects explained in short with all important points covered.
Tip 2 : Every skill must be mentioned.
Tip 3 : Focus on skills, projects and experiences more.

Final outcome of the interviewRejected

Skills evaluated in this interview

I was interviewed before Mar 2021.

Round 1 - Face to Face 

(3 Questions)

Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

Technical interview round with questions based on DSA and OOPS.

  • Q1. How do you dynamically allocate a 2D array in C?
  • Ans. 

    Use double pointer to dynamically allocate memory for array of strings in C.

    • Declare a double pointer to hold the 2D array of strings.

    • Allocate memory for the rows first using malloc.

    • Then allocate memory for each string in the row using malloc.

    • Assign values to the strings in the array.

    • Example: char **array = malloc(rows * sizeof(char *));

    • Example: array[i] = malloc(strlen(str) + 1); strcpy(array[i], str);

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. What are virtual functions in C++?
  • Ans. 

    Virtual functions in C++ are functions that can be overridden in derived classes, allowing for polymorphic behavior.

    • Virtual functions are declared using the 'virtual' keyword in the base class.

    • They are used to achieve runtime polymorphism in C++.

    • Derived classes can override the virtual functions defined in the base class.

    • Example: class Base { public: virtual void display() { cout << 'Base class dis...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q3. What are virtual base classes?
  • Ans. 

    Virtual base classes are classes that are inherited virtually to avoid multiple instances of the same base class in a derived class hierarchy.

    • Virtual base classes are used in multiple inheritance to prevent the Diamond Problem.

    • They are declared with the 'virtual' keyword in the base class.

    • When a class inherits a virtual base class, the most derived class is responsible for initializing the virtual base class.

    • Example: c...

  • Answered by AI
Round 2 - Face to Face 

(4 Questions)

Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

Technical interview round with questions based on OS/Networking etc.

  • Q1. What is the system call that creates a separate connection?
  • Ans. 

    The system call that creates a separate connection is fork()

    • fork() is a system call in Unix-like operating systems that creates a new process by duplicating the existing process

    • The new process created by fork() is called the child process, while the original process is called the parent process

    • fork() is commonly used in network programming to create separate connections for handling multiple clients

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. What does the epoll_wait() system call do?
  • Ans. 

    epoll_wait() system call waits for events on an epoll instance

    • Used in Linux for I/O event notification

    • Blocks until one or more file descriptors become ready

    • Returns the number of file descriptors ready for I/O operations

  • Answered by AI
  • Q3. What are the different protocols used in the transport layer?
  • Ans. 

    Different protocols used in the transport layer include TCP, UDP, SCTP, and DCCP.

    • TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) - reliable, connection-oriented protocol used for most internet communication

    • UDP (User Datagram Protocol) - connectionless protocol used for applications where speed is more important than reliability

    • SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol) - supports multiple streams of data, used for telecommunicati...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q4. What is the difference between TCP and UDP?
  • Ans. 

    TCP is a connection-oriented protocol that ensures reliable data delivery, while UDP is a connectionless protocol that focuses on speed.

    • TCP is reliable and ensures data delivery by establishing a connection before sending data.

    • UDP is faster but less reliable as it does not establish a connection before sending data.

    • TCP is used for applications that require high reliability and error correction, such as web browsing and...

  • Answered by AI
Round 3 - Face to Face 

(4 Questions)

Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

Technical interview round with questions based on Networking etc.

  • Q1. What is the purpose of ICMP?
  • Ans. 

    ICMP is a protocol used for error reporting, diagnostics, and network management in IP networks.

    • ICMP is used to report errors in packet delivery

    • It is used for network diagnostics and troubleshooting

    • ICMP messages are encapsulated within IP packets

    • Examples include ping (echo request/reply) and traceroute

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. What are the types of connection release supported by TCP?
  • Ans. 

    TCP supports four types of connection release: active close, passive close, simultaneous close, and abortive close.

    • Active close: Client initiates the connection release process by sending a FIN packet.

    • Passive close: Server initiates the connection release process by sending a FIN packet.

    • Simultaneous close: Both client and server send FIN packets to each other simultaneously.

    • Abortive close: Connection is terminated abru...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q3. What protocols are used by the MAC layer?
  • Ans. 

    The MAC layer uses protocols like CSMA/CA, CSMA/CD, and TDMA to manage access to the network.

    • CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) is used in wireless networks to avoid collisions.

    • CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection) is used in wired networks to detect and handle collisions.

    • TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) is used in networks where devices are assigned specific

  • Answered by AI
  • Q4. What is the ARP protocol?
  • Ans. 

    ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) is a protocol used to map an IP address to a MAC address in a local network.

    • ARP is used to resolve IP addresses to MAC addresses in a local network.

    • It operates at the data link layer of the OSI model.

    • ARP requests are broadcasted to all devices on the network.

    • Example: When a device wants to communicate with another device on the same network, it uses ARP to find the MAC address correspo

  • Answered by AI

Interview Preparation Tips

Eligibility criteriaAbove 7 CGPAVMware Software India Private Limited interview preparation:Topics to prepare for the interview - Data Structures, Algorithms, System Design, Networking, OOPSTime required to prepare for the interview - 6 monthsInterview preparation tips for other job seekers

Tip 1 : Must do Previously asked Interview as well as Online Test Questions.
Tip 2 : Go through all the previous interview experiences from Codestudio and Leetcode.
Tip 3 : Do at-least 2 good projects and you must know every bit of them.

Application resume tips for other job seekers

Tip 1 : Have at-least 2 good projects explained in short with all important points covered.
Tip 2 : Every skill must be mentioned.
Tip 3 : Focus on skills, projects and experiences more.

Final outcome of the interviewRejected

Skills evaluated in this interview

I applied via Campus Placement and was interviewed in Jan 2016. There were 3 interview rounds.

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Test
Experience: Tested basics in each subject

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: Had asked me about my projects in detail. Some DSA questions were asked. Asked to code in C for some questions.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: Asked questions about data structures and some more algorithms. Tested in Probability and some quant.

College Name: IIT Madras

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Resume Shortlist
Tips: It will be good to have a GPA of 8 and above

Round: Test
Experience: Questions were easy it were good at C and basic maths. Questions were distributed on all aspects of computer science such as Operating Systems, Few Output Question, Data Structures and Application layer networking . In basic aptitude most questions fall under Probability, distance and time and few others.
Duration: 60 minutes
Total Questions: 50

Skills: Communication, Basic Coding, Math Puzzle
College Name: NIT Surathkal

F5 Networks Interview FAQs

How many rounds are there in F5 Networks Senior Principal Engineer interview?
F5 Networks interview process usually has 3 rounds. The most common rounds in the F5 Networks interview process are Coding Test and Technical.
How to prepare for F5 Networks Senior Principal Engineer interview?
Go through your CV in detail and study all the technologies mentioned in your CV. Prepare at least two technologies or languages in depth if you are appearing for a technical interview at F5 Networks. The most common topics and skills that interviewers at F5 Networks expect are Linux, Automation Testing, Application Security, Architecture and C++.

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