There is a new certification in place for AIX admins and we would like with this post try to help you get a better grip of what you need to know and how to acquire the right skills to become certified.
There are different ways of learning stuff as always. Courses are one way but reading Redbooks and other documents could be a good alternative and/or complement. Most links are taken from the original landing page for the certification, but we’ve added a bunch of other good links that hopefully helps in your journey to become certified.
(IBM Champion Dmitry Mironow has written about the certification process and gives some tips in THIS ARTICLE)
IBM AIX v7 Administrator Specialty
You can get a sample test HERE
By IBM recommended courses:
AIX Basics (Course code AN10DG)
Power Systems for AIX II AIX Implementation and Administration (Course code AN12G)
Pre-reqs for AN12G:
AN11G:Power Systems for AIX I: LPAR Configuration and Planning
Power Systems for AIX III: Advanced Administration and Problem Determination (Course code AN15G)
Pre-reqs for AN15G
AN11G: Power Systems for AIX I: LPAR Configuration and Planning
AN12G: Power Systems for AIX II AIX Implementation and Administration
AIX Network Installation Management Concepts and Configuration (Course code AN22G)
Pre-reqs for AN22G
https://www.ibm.com/training/course/AN11G
https://www.ibm.com/training/course/AN12G
Areas and objectives in the exam
System Management
- Set user’s environment
- Create and troubleshoot a shell script
- Connect to AIX system console
- Create and verify a system backup using mksysb, volume group backups with savevg,
- Manage file backups and file archives
- Define AIX management tools including SMIT
- Manage devices and attributes
- Document the systems configuration
- Identify the LPAR configuration
- Manage system time
- Manage services using System Resource Controller (SRC)
- Start and stop programs / scripts in /etc/rc.local etc
- Manage the AIX boot and shutdown sequence
- Manage root email
- Define the process lifecycle and priorities
- Scheduling execution of commands using cron, at, batch
Software Management
- Install AIX fixes and updates
- Manage open source packages with rpm
- Use NIM
Storage Management
- Explain the LVM terminology
- Manage volume groups
- Manage root volume group specific tasks
- Manage logical volumes
- Manage file systems
- Manage raw physical volumes
System & Network Security
- Log-in to AIX and configure SSH
- Manage basic system security
- Manage users and groups
- Explain file permissions
Network Management
- Manage basic IP configuration
- Manage hosts and name resolution order
- Manage network services with inetd
- Mount and export NFS
Performance Management & Tuning
- Define performance bottlenecks
- Explain the difference between logical, physical and virtual CPU
- Define basic VMM concepts
- Monitor usage of memory
- Expand and monitor usage of the paging space
- Define basic IO performance concepts
- Display system tunables
Problem Determination & Management
- Monitor for hardware and software messages using errpt, syslog and alog
- Define the requirements to generate files for IBM support
- Troubleshoot client log-in issues
- Troubleshoot boot errors
- Boot AIX from an external source
- Troubleshoot the file system
- Use diag for basic troubleshooting and maintenance
