Test 000-974: Power Systems Technical Support for i 
 
Overview
The IBM Certified Specialist - Power Systems Technical Support for i is the key technical liaison between the customer, the Power Family solution sales person representing the IBM product line, and IBM.
By acting as the key technical resource, the Specialist works determines design and implementation requirements for the solution.  The Specialist should be able to design and install systems of varying size and complexity and use tools like SPT, HMC, and other tools native to IBM i (e.g. System i Director, Management Central).
This specialist has detailed technical knowledge about the IBM Power Systems products, IBM i technologies and related solutions, as well as the skills to architect solutions which address customer requirements.  The Specialist can perform competitive analyses, translate technical requirements into customer solutions, solve technical problems, and describe Power Systems strategy and solutions, business trends and directions.  As part of the process, the specialist designs, configures, migrates and implements the IBM solution.
Test information:
• Number of questions: 84
• Time allowed in minutes: 120
• Required passing score: 61%
• Test languages: English, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish

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Note: There are 84 scored items and 5 unscored items.

Sample / Assessment test:
 
Test your knowledge prior to taking the test.

Related IBM certifications:
 
IBM Certified Specialist - Power Systems Technical Support for i
IBM Certified Advanced Technical Expert - Power Systems with IBM i

Objectives
Computing Needs Analysis (13%)
A. Collect information to evaluate the current computing environment, including Performance Data, National Language support, Operating Systems (for example, i5/OS, AIX, Linux), Platforms (for example iSCSI and Blade), HA/DR, SAN vs. Internal, and Tape.
B. Analyze customer requirements for system performance and availability (for example, response times, batch performance, I/O performance, disk protection, and downtime tolerance).
C. Determine the customer's system network connectivity requirements, including Enterprise Extenders.
D. Evaluate compatibility of application software for the targeted hardware and its requisite operating system (including guest operating systems and applications).
E. Determine user application and system management requirements, based on factors including (but not limited to) 5250 Enterprise Enablement, DB2 Web Query, System i Access, System i Access for Web, IBM Licensed Program Products and IBM Systems Director. 
F. Determine the requirements for software on IBM i (including Java, WebSphere, Domino, Sametime, Quickr, PHP, capacity, performance, clustering, and availability).
Determine backup requirements, considerations, and strategies for all operating environments.
Relate Power Systems and IBM i technologies to Customer Needs (34%)
A. Describe features, functions and benefits of Power Systems hardware (for example, smart IOA, POWER5+, POWER6, auxiliary write cache, SCSI, SAS, Fibre, Integrated Virtual Ethernet (IVE) and Virtual I/O Server (VIOS)).
B. Describe features, functions and benefits of system management tools such as Management Central, and IBM Systems Director.
C. Describe features, functions and benefits of client accessibility tools such as System i Access, NetServer, DB2 Web Query, System i Access for Web, WDSc, and ODBC.
D. Explain i5/OS network security considerations (intrusion detection, encryption, firewall capabilities, VPN, EIM, SSL, etc.).
E. Explain the use and benefits of HA/DR management tools available, such as Backup Recovery Media Services, Virtual tape, Job Scheduler, iCluster and HA Solutions Manager (HASM).
F. Describe how i5/OS meets customers' needs for high availability and resiliency (for example, disk protection options such as RAID5/6 and mirroring, hot spare, SAN, redundant power supplies, and UPS).
G. Determine how hardware virtualization (LPAR) meets a customer's needs. Describe LPAR benefits including switched I/O, capped and uncapped processor resource allocation, hosted hardware resources, etc.
H. Explain virtualization as it relates to hosting i5/OS, Microsoft Windows Server, AIX, and Linux on Power Hardware (including iSCSI).
I. Compare and contrast console options (HMC, LAN) and when each is appropriate.
J. Compare and contrast Internal disk vs External (SAN) and determine which is appropriate.
K. Explain differences between current and previous System i servers, such as capped and uncapped processor capabilities, cache, HSL/RIO/12X capabilities, card and disk technologies, and CPW.
L. Describe rack options and design considerations (including space, placement, power, and cooling).
M. Describe the upgrade options from previous System i models.
N. Describe the differences among packages and editions and the relative benefits of each.
O. Identify software licensing issues (including i5/OS, LPPs, and IBM software products) with LPAR requirements, including capped/uncapped and pooled processor implications.
P. Describe HMC and DST security.
Solution Design (24%)
A. Determine which existing components are usable when designing a new solution.
B. Match customer storage requirements to the newly designed system (consider disk, independent ASPs, clustering, SAN, virtual and physical tape, iSCSI, network, growth and requirements for partitioning).
C. Given customer I/O requirements, apply card type and placement, IOP and IOA requirements and constraints to existing and new hardware in the customer environment. Consider available card slot types (PCI-X DDR, PCIe) and the impact on partitioning.
D. Employ current performance data gathering and analysis tools to determine proper CPW configuration, including memory, CBU, on-demand processors and on-demand memory. Consider memory placement (slot availability and performance).
E. Apply the SPT. Describe its uses, and consider interaction with HMC, import/deploy/export, eConfig, and implementation (round-tripping).
F. Apply shared and dedicated processor rules including the use of capped and uncapped processors, processor pools, and the use of Virtual Processors.
G. Determine required console and control panel features, placement, and potential networking considerations (for example, HMC, LAN Console, ASMI).
H. Determine resources necessary to implement the customer's backup and recovery policies. Consider performance, maintenance windows, BRMS, software and hardware encryption, virtual tape and resource switchability (VIOS, FlashCopy, XSM, HASM, iCluster,Global- and Metro-Mirror, etc.).
I. Determine resources necessary to implement networking, including system and network bandwidth, LAN/WAN, protocols, Virtual Ethernet, redundancy, etc.