Certified Administrator Platform IBM Z & LinuxONE

Certified Administrator Platform IBM Z & LinuxONE

Domain 1: Hardware Architecture and Logical Partitioning (PR/SM)

• Objective: Validate foundational knowledge of IBM Z and LinuxONE physical architecture, capacity planning, and the management of logical partitions (LPARs).
• Key Competencies:
  • Operating the Hardware Management Console (HMC) and Support Element (SE) for system control, activation, and monitoring.
  • Configuring and managing LPARs using Processor Resource/Systems Manager (PR/SM), including CPU weights, entitlement, and memory allocation.
  • Understanding and provisioning specialty processors, with a strong focus on Integrated Facility for Linux (IFL) engines and cryptographic coprocessors.

Domain 2: Hypervisor and Virtualization Management (z/VM & KVM)

• Objective: Evaluate proficiency in installing, configuring, and administering the primary virtualization layers used to run Linux on the mainframe.
• Key Competencies:
  • Deploying, configuring, and managing virtual machines (guests) using z/VM and KVM for IBM Z.
  • Administering advanced z/VM features, such as Single System Image (SSI) clusters and Live Guest Relocation (LGR) for continuous availability.
  • Managing virtualized system resources, including virtual switches (VSwitch), virtual disks, and guest memory management (e.g., Collaborative Memory Management).

Domain 3: I/O Subsystem, Storage, and Network Connectivity

• Objective: Assess the ability to design, configure, and troubleshoot mainframe-specific input/output subsystems, storage attachments, and networking channels.
• Key Competencies:
  • Configuring and managing storage protocols specific to the platform, including FICON, zFCP (Fibre Channel Protocol for IBM Z), DASD, and SCSI devices.
  • Designing and implementing high-speed network connectivity using OSA-Express (Open Systems Adapter), RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet), and internal HiperSockets.
  • Understanding the Channel Subsystem (CSS) and the basics of I/O configuration (IOCP/IOCDS).

Domain 4: Platform Security, High Availability, and Performance Monitoring

• Objective: Test the capability to secure the LinuxONE/IBM Z environment, ensure enterprise-grade resilience, and maintain optimal system performance.
• Key Competencies:
  • Implementing hardware-assisted security features, such as Pervasive Encryption, Secure Execution for Linux, and IBM Crypto Express cards.
  • Monitoring platform health and performance using tools like the z/VM Performance Toolkit, OMEGAMON, or standard Linux enterprise monitoring tools.
  • Applying High Availability (HA) and Disaster Recovery (DR) concepts, including basic integration with GDPS (Geographically Dispersed Parallel Sysplex) or Linux clustering (e.g., Pacemaker).