Study Plan Overview

Study Duration:

• 6 Weeks

Objectives:

• Goal: Complete a deep understanding of all IBM C1000-174 exam topics.
• Methods:
  • Pomodoro Technique: Each study session is 25 minutes with a 5-minute break, repeating four times with a longer break (15-30 minutes) after every four sessions.
  • Forgetting Curve Review: Schedule reviews 1 day, 3 days, and 7 days after completing each topic to reinforce retention.

Weekly Focus and Structure

Week	Main Topics	Objectives
Week 1	Install and Update the Environment	Master setup and configuration of IBM Cloud environments
Week 2	High Availability Configuration	Understand high availability and fault tolerance
Week 3	Security Management	Develop strong security practices, IAM, and data protection
Week 4	Environment Monitoring and Optimization	Learn to monitor and optimize cloud resources
Week 5	Troubleshooting and Administration	Gain troubleshooting and environment management skills
Week 6	Application Deployment & Modernization	Deploy applications efficiently, learn CI/CD, containerization, and modernization

Detailed Study Plan by Week

Each week consists of focused study tasks, periodic self-assessments, and structured review sessions.

Week 1: Install and Update the Environment

Objectives: Learn the foundational steps to install, update, and configure the environment on IBM Cloud.

Daily Tasks:

• Day 1:
  • Task: Understand system requirements and perform checks
    • Identify the CPU, memory, and storage requirements.
    • Review IBM documentation on OS compatibility and dependency requirements.
  • Pomodoros: 2 (50 minutes total)
• Day 2:
  • Task: Learn to install necessary dependencies and libraries.
    • Install database management systems, web servers, and container tools (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
  • Pomodoros: 2
• Day 3:
  • Task: Install core components of IBM Cloud environment
    • Install and configure Kubernetes, Cloud Foundry, and other critical services.
  • Pomodoros: 2
• Day 4:
  • Task: Configure the database and initialize network settings
    • Set up and test database connectivity, configure static IPs, DNS, and firewall rules.
  • Pomodoros: 2
• Day 5:
  • Task: Review and practice
    • Recap all steps, take notes, and complete a practice quiz.
  • Pomodoros: 2

Review Schedule:

• Day 6: 1st review of Week 1 content.
• Day 8: 2nd review and practice quiz on Week 1 content.

Week 2: Create a High Availability Configuration

Objectives: Master high availability concepts, including multi-region deployment, load balancing, and fault tolerance.

Daily Tasks:

• Day 1-2:
  • Task: Study architecture design for high availability.
    • Learn multi-region redundancy and its benefits, practice load balancer configurations.
  • Pomodoros: 4
• Day 3-4:
  • Task: Configure clusters and understand IBM Kubernetes Service for node redundancy.
    • Set up clusters, understand failover processes within Kubernetes.
  • Pomodoros: 4
• Day 5:
  • Task: Study fault detection and failover mechanisms
    • Configure IBM Cloud Monitoring, learn automated failover techniques.
  • Pomodoros: 2

Review Schedule:

• Day 6: 1st review of high availability content.
• Day 8: 2nd review with a short practice test.

Week 3: Manage Security

Objectives: Develop skills in identity management, data protection, and security monitoring on IBM Cloud.

Daily Tasks:

• Day 1-2:
  • Task: Identity and Access Management (IAM)
    • Learn about IAM policies, roles, permissions, and multi-factor authentication.
  • Pomodoros: 4
• Day 3-4:
  • Task: Data protection and privacy
    • Study encryption for data at rest and in transit, understand IBM Key Protect and compliance (e.g., GDPR).
  • Pomodoros: 4
• Day 5:
  • Task: Vulnerability management and security monitoring
    • Learn scanning and patching techniques, configure logging and analyze IBM Cloud Log Analysis.
  • Pomodoros: 2

Review Schedule:

• Day 6: 1st review on security topics.
• Day 8: 2nd review with a focus on IAM and vulnerability management.

Week 4: Monitor and Tune the Environment

Objectives: Gain knowledge on monitoring cloud resources, optimizing performance, and using automation.

Daily Tasks:

• Day 1-2:
  • Task: Resource and application performance monitoring
    • Study IBM Cloud Monitoring tools, learn to analyze CPU, memory, disk, and network utilization.
  • Pomodoros: 4
• Day 3-4:
  • Task: Performance optimization
    • Learn about auto-scaling, caching strategies (Redis/Memcached), database optimization, and CDN configuration.
  • Pomodoros: 4
• Day 5:
  • Task: Complete review and practice quiz.
  • Pomodoros: 2

Review Schedule:

• Day 6: Review monitoring and optimization content.
• Day 8: Practice with real-world scenarios in monitoring.

Week 5: Troubleshoot Post-Installation & Administer and Configure the Environment

Objectives: Learn troubleshooting steps, resource configuration, and daily administration tasks.

Daily Tasks:

• Day 1-2:
  • Task: Troubleshooting and log analysis
    • Diagnose issues using system and application logs, identify common problems (network, permissions, dependencies).
  • Pomodoros: 4
• Day 3-4:
  • Task: Environment administration
    • Study VM management, storage allocation, network configuration, and daily maintenance practices.
  • Pomodoros: 4
• Day 5:
  • Task: Review tasks and practice configuration scenarios.
  • Pomodoros: 2

Review Schedule:

• Day 6: 1st review of troubleshooting and administration content.
• Day 8: 2nd review and quiz on Week 5 content.

Week 6: Deploy and Administer Applications & Modernization

Objectives: Learn deployment techniques, CI/CD pipelines, containerization, and modernization practices.

Daily Tasks:

• Day 1-2:
  • Task: Application deployment process
    • Study environment consistency management, configure CI/CD pipeline, and containerize applications using Docker and Kubernetes.
  • Pomodoros: 4
• Day 3-4:
  • Task: Version control and modernization
    • Learn blue-green deployment, API management, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform.
  • Pomodoros: 4
• Day 5:
  • Task: Comprehensive review and take a mock test.
  • Pomodoros: 2

Review Schedule:

• Day 6: Review application deployment and modernization content.
• Day 10: Take a full mock exam to consolidate learning.

Weekly Review and Self-Assessment

• Weekly Self-Test: Conduct a self-test every Friday to review the week’s content and assess understanding.
• Saturday Deep Review: Use Saturday for structured revision, covering difficult points and adding notes where necessary.

Final Tips:

1. Pomodoro Effectiveness: Stick to the Pomodoro Technique to stay focused, avoiding burnout.
2. Retention with Review: Follow the Forgetting Curve review schedule to reinforce key points over time.
3. Practical Application: Whenever possible, apply learned concepts to real-world examples or practice labs to deepen understanding.

With this detailed and structured plan, you’ll build a solid foundation in IBM Cloud technologies, making you fully prepared for the C1000-174 exam.