Name	Definition
virtual server	The virtual server object is a specific combination of virtual address and virtual port, associated with a content site that is managed by a BIG-IP system or other type of host server. For a given network, there are usually multiple virtual servers, functioning as parent devices, each with a single virtual IP address. The virtual server directs traffic to a pool or pools.
ltm pool _	The ltm pool object is a group of application servers that can be associated with a virtual server. A pool is also a logical group of pool members. The BIG-IP system load balances requests to the pool members within a pool, based on the load balancing method and persistence method you choose when you configure the pool.
ltm pool member	The ltm pool member object is one of the members of a load balancing pool. A pool member indicates a node IP address and a service number. Each application server used for client traffic is defined on the BIG-IP system and is assigned both a network address and a port number.
ltm node _	The ltm node object is the IP address associated with a device on the network. This IP address can be the real IP address of a network server, or it can be an alias IP address on a network server. The devices represented by the IP address of pool members are referred to as nodes.
`ltm irule <dco_ltm_irule_object.html> `__	The ltm irule object is a user-written script that controls the behavior of a connection passing through the BIG-IP system. iRules are an F5 Networks feature and are frequently used to direct certain connections to a non-default load balancing pool. However, iRules can perform other tasks, such as implementing secure network address translation and enabling session persistence.