The InterSystems IRIS System Administration Specialist exam is designed to validate core skills for system and database administrators who install, configure, manage and monitor, and secure InterSystems IRIS server software.
Exam Details
Target Exam Role
InterSystems IRIS System Administration Specialist
An IT professional who:
- installs, manages, and monitors InterSystems IRIS environments,
- and ensures data security, integrity, and high availability.
Recommended Preparation
- Classroom course Managing InterSystems Servers or equivalent experience.
- InterSystems IRIS Management Basics learning path.
- Experience searching platform management documentation.
- Review the set of
practice questions.
Recommended Practical Experience
- At least 1-2 years of cumulative experience managing InterSystems IRIS data platform version 2019.1 or higher.
Exam Parameters
Number of questions: 72
Exam time limit: 2.5 hours
Passing score: 65%
Language offered: English
Resources
This exam includes access to InterSystems Platform Management Documentation as a look-up resource available during the entire exam.
Exam Topics and Content
The exam contains question items that cover the areas for the stated role as shown in the KSA (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities) chart immediately below. The question items are presented in multiple formats including multiple choice, multiple response, etc.
TOPIC | SUBTOPIC | KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES |
T41 Installs and configures InterSystems IRIS | T41.1 Installs and upgrades instances | Installs development, client, server, and custom instances; Performs different security installs of InterSystems IRIS; Identifies structure and contents of folders in the Installation directory; Starts, stops, and lists instances from the command line; Upgrades existing instances |
T41.2 Configures namespaces, databases, memory, and other system parameters | Creates, views, and deletes namespaces and databases; Identifies contents and characteristics of default databases; Maps and manages globals, routines, and packages; Determines when it is necessary to directly edit the iris.cpf and when it is inadvisable; Determines appropriate size of global buffers and routine buffers, and tunes them as needed; Determines appropriate journal states, database size, and maximum size for database; Determines disk space requirements for installation and operation; Determines memory requirements for installation and operation; Determines appropriate values for generic memory heap settings; Increases lock-table sizes | |
T41.3 Manages licenses | Activates and reviews licenses; Configures license servers | |
T42 | T42.1 | Mounts, dismounts, and expands databases; Compacts, truncates, and defrags databases; Checks database integrity; Manages data; Manages routines |
T42.2 | Performs process operations: suspend, resume, terminate; Inspects processes; Manages process locks; Uses Task Manager to view, schedule, execute, manage, and automate tasks | |
T42.3 Manages journaling | Configures journal settings and locations; Uses journaling; Identifies the importance of enabling the "Freeze on error" option for data integrity; Differentiates between WIJ and journal functions; Uses Journal Profile utility; Restores journals; Purges journal files | |
T42.4 | Accesses and configures system logs; Identifies and interprets errors stored in system logs; Runs IRISHung/Diagnostic Report; Identifies and terminates stuck/looping processes; Inhibits access; Gains emergency access to configuration | |
T42.5 Monitors system | Uses ^PERFMON to monitor system; Determines which monitoring tools are appropriate for different performance issues such as journal profiles, ^BLKCOL, and ^SystemPerformance; Runs the ^SystemPerformance utility; Determines global sizes | |
T43 Implements system continuity | T43.1 Implements mirroring | Identifies requirements to set-up mirroring; Identifies mirror members and describes mirror communication; Configures mirroring; Determines failover possibilities; Adds databases to mirrors |
T43.2 Implements ECP | Uses ECP; Configures ECP data and application servers; Monitors and controls ECP connections | |
T43.3 Manages backups and recoveries | Plans backup strategies including frequency required, journal file retention, and considers OS level vs InterSystems online backups; Identifies contents included in backups; Uses the FREEZE and THAW APIs for snapshot backups; Verifies backups; Restores system | |
T44 Implements system security | T44.1 Uses audit log to track user and system events | Enables and disables audit events; Views audit entries and audit event properties; Identifies the root cause of common audit events; Manages audit database |
T44.2 Manages security | Creates users and roles; Assigns roles and privileges; Grants permissions to resources; Enables and disables services; Protects applications and resources within applications; Implements database and data element encryption; Encrypts journals; Manages system-wide security settings; Imports/Exports security settings; Reduces attack surface; Implements two-factor authentication; Identifies the multiple layers involved in configuring and troubleshooting the Web Gateway (including connecting an external web server to InterSystems IRIS) |