IBM Z/VM syllabus

1: Introduction to IBM Z/VM

• Overview of IBM Z/VM (Virtual Machine)
  • Introduction to IBM Z/VM and its virtual machine capabilities
• History and evolution of VM
  • Development and advancements in virtual machine technology
• Advantages and use cases
  • Benefits and practical applications of IBM Z/VM

2: Architecture and Components

• Virtual Machine Architecture
  • Detailed architecture of virtual machines
• Control Program (CP) and Virtual Machine (VM)
  • Role of the Control Program (CP) and management of virtual machines
• Directory Maintenance Facility (DMF)
  • Functions and use of DMF in managing directories
• Virtual Machine Operating System (VM/ESA, z/VM)
  • Overview of VM/ESA and z/VM operating systems

3: Installation and Configuration

• System requirements and hardware considerations
  • Prerequisites for installing z/VM and hardware requirements
• Installation process
  • Steps to install z/VM
• Configuration of z/VM
  • Initial configuration and setup of z/VM

4: Managing Virtual Machines

• Creating and deleting virtual machines
  • Process for creating and deleting virtual machines
• Virtual machine resources (CPU, memory, storage)
  • Managing CPU, memory, and storage resources for virtual machines
• Networking configuration (LAN, OSA)
  • Setting up networking for virtual machines, including LAN and OSA

5: User Interfaces and Commands

• CP and CMS command interfaces
  • Using CP and CMS commands for system management
• Conversational Monitor System (CMS)
  • Overview of CMS and its usage
• Command-line interface (CP commands)
  • Command-line operations with CP commands

6: Virtual Machine Management

• Resource allocation and management
  • Allocating and managing resources for virtual machines
• Performance monitoring and tuning
  • Monitoring performance and tuning virtual machines
• Backup and restore procedures
  • Backup and recovery techniques for virtual machines

7: Networking in Z/VM

• Networking concepts in z/VM
  • Basic networking concepts for z/VM
• Configuring virtual switches and LANs
  • Setup and management of virtual switches and LANs
• TCP/IP configuration and management
  • Configuring and managing TCP/IP in z/VM

8: Security in Z/VM

• User authentication and authorization
  • Managing user authentication and authorization in z/VM
• Access controls and permissions
  • Configuring access controls and permissions
• Securing VM environments
  • Implementing security measures for VM environments

9: Storage Management

• DASD (Direct Access Storage Device) management
  • Managing DASD storage devices
• Disk space allocation and management
  • Allocating and managing disk space
• Backup and recovery strategies
  • Strategies for backup and recovery of storage

Advanced Topics

1: Advanced Virtual Machine Management

• Dynamic resource allocation (Dynamic Capacity Upgrade, Dynamic Memory Upgrade)
  • Managing dynamic resource allocation and upgrades
• Workload management and performance optimization
  • Optimizing workloads and performance
• Advanced virtual machine networking configurations (VSWITCH, VSWITCH server)
  • Configuring advanced networking setups

2: z/VM System Automation

• Automated deployment of virtual machines (Autoinstall)
  • Automating virtual machine deployments
• Scripting and automation using REXX and CP commands
  • Using REXX and CP commands for automation
• Automation tools and utilities (e.g., VMPro, VM/SES)
  • Utilizing automation tools and utilities

3: Advanced Networking and Connectivity

• Network security and isolation techniques (Virtual Switch Security, VLANs)
  • Implementing network security and isolation
• Integration with external networks (Guest LANs, External VSWITCH)
  • Integrating with external networks
• Advanced TCP/IP configuration and management (IP reconfiguration, IP Storage, IP WLM)
  • Advanced TCP/IP configuration and management techniques

4: Performance Monitoring and Tuning

• Performance metrics and monitoring tools (Performance Toolkit for VM)
  • Using performance metrics and tools for monitoring
• Capacity planning and resource utilization
  • Planning for capacity and optimizing resource use
• Tuning z/VM for optimal performance (HiperDispatch, Large Pages)
  • Techniques for performance tuning

5: Disaster Recovery and High Availability

• Clustering and failover techniques (Parallel Sysplex)
  • Implementing clustering and failover solutions
• Backup and restore strategies for virtual machines and z/VM
  • Backup and recovery strategies for z/VM and virtual machines
• Disaster recovery planning and implementation
  • Planning and implementing disaster recovery

6: Security Enhancements

• Advanced user authentication mechanisms (SecureID, Kerberos)
  • Implementing advanced authentication methods
• Implementing encryption in z/VM (z/VM Cryptographic Services)
  • Applying encryption techniques in z/VM
• Security auditing and compliance (VM Security Manager)
  • Auditing and ensuring compliance in z/VM

7: Advanced Storage Management

• DASD management strategies (HyperPAV, Multiwriter DASD)
  • Advanced DASD management techniques
• Storage virtualization and advanced disk configurations
  • Virtualization and disk configuration strategies
• Backup and recovery automation (Snapshot and Instant Restore)
  • Automating backup and recovery processes

8: Integration with Other IBM Systems

• Integration with IBM z/OS and z/Linux environments
  • Connecting and integrating with other IBM systems
• VM guest clustering and workload balancing (VM Cluster Services)
  • Managing guest clustering and workload balancing
• Interoperability with IBM Cloud Infrastructure (IBM Cloud for z)
  • Integrating with IBM Cloud Infrastructure

9: Advanced Troubleshooting and Debugging

• Diagnosing performance issues (z/VM Performance Analyzer)
  • Identifying and diagnosing performance issues
• Debugging techniques and tools (DASD Recovery Tool, VM/370 Problem Diagnosis)
  • Using tools and techniques for debugging