Test 253: IBM WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment V6.1, Core Administration

Section 1 – Architecture (17%)

1. Discuss the relationships between IBM WebSphere Application Server, V6.1 and the application components (e.g., browser, HTTP server, plug-in, firewall, database servers, WebSphere MQ, load balancing, and ip spraying.)
2. Evaluate the design considerations of IBM WebSphere Application Server, V6.1 packaging and installation in an enterprise environment (e.g., LDAP, database servers, Service Integration Bus Technology (SIB), etc.)
3. Articulate the various components of IBM WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, V6.1 runtime architecture.
4. Describe workload management and failover strategies using IBM WebSphere Application Server, V6.1.
5. Articulate the usage of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) in WebSphere.
6. Articulate support for portlet containers.
7. Describe WebSphere dynamic caching features.

Section 2 - Installation/Configuration of Application Server (13%)

1. Identify installation options and determine the desired configuration (e.g., silent install, required/desired plug-ins etc.)
2. Install WebSphere Application Server and verify the installation (e.g., IVT, verification using sample (snoop and/or hitcount.))
3. Create profiles.
4. Utilize installation factory to create custom install packages.
5. Troubleshoot the installation (e.g., identify and analyze log files.)

Section 3 - Application Assembly and Deployment (17%)

1. Describe the name service management of WebSphere Application Server (JNDI).
2. Package J2EE applications, including Enhanced Ear Files using the Application Server Toolkit (AST).
3. Define and map security roles (e.g., J2EE security).
4. Define JDBC providers and data sources (e.g., resource scoping).
5. Configure J2C resource adapters, connection factories (resource scoping) and Message Driven Bean Activation Spec.
6. Configure WebSphere JMS providers.
7. Automate deployment tasks with scripting.

Section 4 – WebSphere Security (11%)

1. Implement security policies (e.g., authentication and authorization (using different security registries), etc.)
2. Protect WebSphere resources.
3. Define and implement WebSphere administrative security roles.
4. Configure WebSphere plug-in to use SSL.
5. Describe Federated Repositories using Virtual Member Manager (VMM).
6. Implement federated repositories.

Section 5 - Workload Management, Scalability, Failover (11%)

1. Federate nodes (including custom profiles).
2. Create clusters and cluster members.
3. Evaluate session state failover options (memory-to-memory, database persistence).
4. Create and configure Data Replication Service (DRS) replication domains.
5. Manage Web Servers in a managed and unmanaged node.

Section 6 - Maintenance and Performance Tuning (18%)

1. Manage application configurations (e.g., application bindings, tune HTTP session configuration parameters such as timeout value, persistence, etc.).
2. Perform WebSphere backup, restore and configuration tasks.
3. Monitor size of log files and backup/purge as needed.
4. Manage the plug-in configuration file (e.g., regenerate, edit, propagate, etc.).
5. Tune performance of WebSphere Application Server (e.g., configure caching, queuing and thread pooling parameters, tune JVM heap size, etc.).
6. Use Integrated Tivoli Performance Viewer/Runtime Advisor to gather information about resources and analyze results.
7. Tune data source configuration (e.g., connection pooling, timeouts, etc.).
8. Configure class loader parameters.

Section 7 - Problem Determination (13%)

1. Configure, review and analyze logs (e.g., Web server, IBM WebSphere Application Server).
2. Use Log Analyzer from the Application Server Toolkit to analyze logs.
3. Use trace facility (e.g., enabling, selecting components, and log configuration).
4. Use First Failure Data Capture (FFDC) Tool.
5. Use the JNDI dumpNameSpace utility.
6. Perform JVM troubleshooting tasks (e.g., thread dump, JVM core dump, and heap dump).
7. Use IBM Support Assistant.