Overview

Goal: Achieve a thorough understanding of C1000-168 exam topics, which include Planning, Installation, Upgrading & Patching, Security & Configuration, Cluster Administration, Platform Administration, and Troubleshooting & Monitoring.

Study Method:

• Daily study sessions of 2-3 hours, using the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes of focused study + 5 minutes of rest, with a longer 15-minute break after four sessions).
• Weekly structured review using the Forgetting Curve to reinforce memory and comprehension.

Duration: 4 weeks, structured into three focused study weeks and one week of comprehensive review and practice.

Weekly Focus

Each week, focus on mastering 2-3 topics, progressively moving from initial learning to review and reinforcement.

Week 1: Planning & Installation

Goal: Gain a solid understanding of Planning and Installation concepts in the cloud environment, laying a foundation for further topics.

Daily Tasks

Day 1-2: Planning

• Learning Goals: Understand the essentials of resource planning, architectural design, high availability, fault tolerance, and disaster recovery.
• Tasks:
  • Task 1: Resource Requirements Assessment: Study how to determine CPU, memory, storage, and bandwidth requirements to meet project performance expectations.
  • Task 2: Architectural Design: Learn about designing for high availability and scalability, focusing on microservices, distributed systems, and the benefits of containerized architectures.
  • Task 3: High Availability & Fault Tolerance: Understand multi-regional deployment, data redundancy, and automatic failover strategies.
  • Task 4: Disaster Recovery Planning: Study how to establish disaster recovery strategies, including regular and off-site backups and data recovery processes.
  • Task 5: Budgeting & Cost Optimization: Learn cost management principles, including autoscaling strategies, to keep cloud costs under control.
• Method: Follow the Pomodoro Technique, focusing on each task for one session, with a short review of concepts during breaks to reinforce understanding.

Day 3-4: Installation

• Learning Goals: Master foundational IBM Cloud service installation processes, including environment checks, container setup, and automation.
• Tasks:
  • Task 1: Pre-Environment Checks: Understand compatibility checks for OS, network configurations, and dependencies.
  • Task 2: Installing IBM Cloud Services: Study the installation and configuration of different services like databases and container services.
  • Task 3: Installing Containerization & Orchestration Tools: Focus on Docker, Kubernetes, and OpenShift setup and deploying clusters for application management.
  • Task 4: Automated Installation & Configuration Management: Learn how to use Ansible and similar tools to automate installations and configurations.
  • Task 5: Network & Storage Configuration: Understand setting up network topology and storage solutions to ensure effective service communication and data persistence.
• Method: Use Pomodoro sessions to cover one task at a time, with a quick review of the day’s content at the end.

Day 5: Review and Practice

• Goal: Consolidate knowledge of Planning and Installation.
• Tasks:
  • Task 1: Quick recap of key concepts from Planning and Installation.
  • Task 2: Complete practice questions related to Planning and Installation, identifying any weak areas.
  • Task 3: Review any challenging concepts, using additional resources if needed.
• Method: Spend one hour on review and one hour on practice questions, reinforcing knowledge through practical application.

Day 6-7: Forgetting Curve Review

• Goal: Reinforce the previous week’s knowledge to strengthen long-term retention.
• Tasks:
  • Task 1: Revisit and review the main points from Planning and Installation, focusing on areas highlighted during practice.
  • Task 2: Reassess any challenging areas, using targeted practice questions.
• Method: Use Pomodoro sessions for focused reviews, revisiting core concepts to solidify retention.

Week 2: Upgrading & Patching & Security & Configuration

Goal: Master system upgrades, patch management, and core security configurations for robust system protection.

Daily Tasks

Day 1-2: Upgrading & Patching

• Learning Goals: Understand upgrade and patching processes to ensure system stability, security, and continuity.
• Tasks:
  • Task 1: Routine Upgrades and Patching: Study the basics of regular system upgrades and security patching to prevent vulnerabilities.
  • Task 2: Zero-Downtime Upgrades: Learn how to apply rolling updates and zero-downtime deployment techniques to maintain uninterrupted service.
  • Task 3: Blue-Green and Canary Deployment: Understand these deployment strategies, focusing on minimizing risk during updates.
  • Task 4: Patch Management Strategy: Study how to prioritize and apply patches based on security and performance needs.
  • Task 5: Testing & Verification: Learn testing strategies for upgrades and patches to ensure production environment stability.
• Method: Use Pomodoro sessions to focus on each task, with short recaps after each session for better retention.

Day 3-4: Security & Configuration

• Learning Goals: Learn how to secure IBM Cloud environments through IAM, data encryption, and network security configurations.
• Tasks:
  • Task 1: IAM (Identity and Access Management): Study access control, MFA, and role-based permissions for secure resource access.
  • Task 2: Data Encryption: Understand IBM Cloud Key Protect and data encryption strategies to secure data in transit and at rest.
  • Task 3: Network Security: Learn about VPCs, subnets, and firewall configurations for a secure network environment.
  • Task 4: Logging and Audit Configuration: Study the basics of audit logging and tracking user activity.
  • Task 5: Compliance Configuration: Learn how to meet industry standards like PCI DSS and ISO 27001 with IBM Cloud settings.
• Method: Each Pomodoro session should focus on a specific security configuration task, ending with a brief review.

Day 5: Review and Practice

• Goal: Reinforce understanding of Upgrading & Patching and Security & Configuration.
• Tasks:
  • Task 1: Conduct a comprehensive review of key points.
  • Task 2: Complete a set of practice questions on these topics.
  • Task 3: Identify any remaining gaps in knowledge and revisit difficult concepts.
• Method: Spend one hour reviewing and another hour completing and analyzing practice questions.

Day 6-7: Forgetting Curve Review

• Goal: Strengthen knowledge retention for Upgrading & Patching and Security & Configuration.
• Tasks:
  • Task 1: Review notes and flashcards on these topics, focusing on identified weak areas.
  • Task 2: Re-test with targeted questions on challenging concepts.
• Method: Use Pomodoro sessions to reinforce the week’s content with quick, focused reviews.

Week 3: Cluster Administration & Platform Administration

Goal: Develop skills in managing clusters and platforms, covering resource allocation, access control, and disaster recovery.

Daily Tasks

Day 1-2: Cluster Administration

• Learning Goals: Master the setup, scaling, and fault-tolerance mechanisms for cluster environments.
• Tasks:
  • Task 1: Node & Cluster Management: Learn how to add, remove, and monitor nodes to maintain cluster performance.
  • Task 2: Cluster Storage Management: Understand storage volume provisioning, data persistence, and resource allocation.
  • Task 3: Load Balancing & Service Governance: Study load balancing and service governance (e.g., circuit breaking and rate limiting).
  • Task 4: Auto-scaling: Learn how to set up auto-scaling to adjust node capacity based on resource needs.
  • Task 5: Cluster Network Configuration: Master VPC and private network setups to optimize cluster communication and security.
  • Task 6: Disaster Recovery & Backup: Study backup and recovery processes to prepare for catastrophic failures.
• Method: Dedicate each Pomodoro session to one specific task, followed by a brief summary to consolidate learning.

Day 3-4: Platform Administration

• Learning Goals: Understand the overall administration of resources, user permissions, and billing within IBM Cloud.
• Tasks:
  • Task 1: Organization & Space Management: Study how to set up organizations, spaces, and project-based structures for resource isolation.
  • Task 2: User Permissions & Access Control: Learn to configure role-based access for secure management.
  • Task 3: Resource Management & Cost Control: Understand resource monitoring and cost control techniques.
  • Task 4: Billing Management: Learn to use IBM Cloud’s billing tools to manage costs and generate reports.
  • Task 5: Automation & Script Management: Study IBM Cloud CLI and API for automated resource management.
  • Task 6: Configuration Policies & Compliance: Set up policies and quotas to ensure compliance with standards.
• Method: Use Pomodoro sessions to focus on one platform administration task per session, summarizing each at the end.

Day 5: Review and Practice

• Goal: Strengthen understanding of Cluster and Platform Administration.
• Tasks:
  • Task 1: Review key points from the week’s topics.
  • Task 2: Answer practice questions to identify any gaps.
  • Task 3: Revisit any weak areas identified during practice.
• Method: Spend one hour reviewing content and another on practice questions for deeper comprehension.

Day 6-7: Forgetting Curve Review

• Goal: Retain and reinforce knowledge for Cluster and Platform Administration.
• Tasks:
  • Task 1: Quick review of notes on each topic.
  • Task 2: Test understanding with additional questions, especially on weak points.
• Method: Review sessions should focus on summarizing and consolidating the main ideas.

Week 4: Comprehensive Review and Mock Exam

Goal: Conduct a thorough review of all topics and complete a mock exam to evaluate readiness.

Daily Tasks

Day 1-3: Comprehensive Review

• Review Goals: Reinforce knowledge on all topics covered in the past three weeks.
• Tasks:
  • Task 1: Review key points for Planning, Installation, Upgrading & Patching, Security & Configuration.
  • Task 2: Review key points for Cluster and Platform Administration, as well as Troubleshooting & Monitoring.
• Method: Use Pomodoro sessions to focus on individual topics, ensuring each area is thoroughly reviewed.

Day 4-5: Targeted Review and Reinforcement

• Tasks:
  • Task 1: Revisit difficult concepts or problem areas identified during the week.
  • Task 2: Review practice questions and explanations for questions answered incorrectly.
• Method: Dedicate each session to one challenging topic, summarizing key points for easier recall.

Day 6: Mock Exam

• Goal: Simulate the exam experience and assess overall readiness.
• Tasks:
  • Task 1: Complete a full-length mock exam under timed conditions.
  • Task 2: Review and analyze any incorrect answers to identify remaining weaknesses.
• Method: Allocate time for both the mock exam and a post-exam review session to reinforce knowledge.

Day 7: Final Review and Weak Point Focus

• Goal: Finalize understanding of any weak points before the exam.
• Tasks:
  • Task 1: Review any remaining challenging areas.
  • Task 2: Conduct a final quick review of core concepts.
• Method: Use short review sessions to cover final weak points and consolidate overall understanding.

Following this study plan will ensure a thorough grasp of all C1000-168 exam topics, improved retention, and a strong foundation for success. Good luck!