Certified Administrator of IBM WebSphere Application Server SC-CAIWAS

A Certified Administrator of IBM WebSphere Application Server is recognized as a professional with the comprehensive technical skills and in-depth knowledge required to independently manage, secure, optimize, and troubleshoot a WebSphere environment.

This certification validates a broad set of competencies beyond just basic operation. It confirms that the individual has mastered the following key domains:

1. Advanced Installation, Configuration, and Topology

This goes beyond a simple setup. It certifies the ability to:

• Plan and Execute Installation: Install the core product, apply fix packs, and manage the software lifecycle.
• Build the Environment: Create and manage WebSphere "profiles," which are the fundamental runtime environments.
• Architect the Topology: Understand and build the core WebSphere Network Deployment (ND) architecture. This includes setting up a Deployment Manager(the central administrative point), creating Nodes, and federating these nodes into a Cell(the complete administrative domain).

2. Application Lifecycle Management

This is the core purpose of the server—running applications. The certification validates the ability to:

• Deploy Enterprise Applications: Successfully deploy complex Java Enterprise (J2EE/Java EE) applications, including .ear (Enterprise Application Archive) and .war (Web Application Archive) files.
• Manage Application Resources: Configure all necessary resources that applications depend on, most critically:
  • JDBC Data Sources: Defining how applications connect to databases.
  • JMS (Java Messaging Service): Configuring message queues and topics for asynchronous communication.
  • Resource Adapters: Integrating with other external systems (e.g., CICS, IMS).
• Control Application State: Start, stop, update, and manage the runtime behavior of deployed applications across a cluster.

3. System Administration and Automation

This covers the day-to-day management and efficiency of the environment:

• Console Proficiency: Full mastery of the Integrated Solutions Console(the web-based administrative GUI) for all management tasks.
• Scripting and Automation: A key skill for an administrator. This confirms proficiency with the wsadmin command-line tool, using scripting languages (like Jython or Jacl) to automate repetitive tasks such as deployments, configuration changes, and server restarts.

4. Security Configuration and Hardening

This is a critical domain, validating the administrator's ability to secure the platform:

• Authentication and Authorization: Configure the server to validate users against a registry (like LDAP, Active Directory, or a local file-based registry) and assign them specific roles (e.g., Administrator, Operator, Monitor).
• SSL/TLS Management: Secure communication by enabling SSL, creating and managing digital certificates, and configuring secure channels between servers and for clients.
• Java EE Security: Implement application-level security, protecting web resources and enterprise beans based on defined security constraints.

5. Performance Monitoring and Tuning

This certifies that the administrator can ensure the environment runs efficiently:

• Monitoring Health: Use the built-in Performance Monitoring Infrastructure (PMI) and the Tivoli Performance Viewer (TPV) to monitor key metrics in real-time.
• Basic Tuning: Identify and resolve common performance bottlenecks by tuning critical components like:
  • JVM Heap Size: Allocating the correct amount of memory to the Java process.
  • Thread Pools: Adjusting the number of concurrent workers for web requests.
  • Connection Pools: Optimizing the number of connections available to databases.

6. Troubleshooting and Problem Determination

When things go wrong, this certification validates the ability to find the root cause:

• Log Analysis: Locate, read, and interpret the primary log files (SystemOut.log, SystemErr.log, native_stderr.log) to identify errors.
• Diagnostic Tracing: Enable and configure fine-grained diagnostic tracing (trace-spec) to capture detailed event sequences for complex problem-solving.
• Dump Generation: Know how to generate and collect diagnostic data (like Heap Dumps, Thread Dumps, and System Dumps) for analysis or for submission to IBM Support.