Overview

• Duration: 8 Weeks (7 study weeks + 1 review week)
• Study Methods: Pomodoro Technique (25-minute study sessions with 5-minute breaks), Active Recall, Spaced Repetition
• Goals:
  • Gain a strong foundation in IBM Cloud concepts and services.
  • Develop practical skills with IBM Cloud tools.
  • Retain knowledge through regular review and practice.

Weekly Focus and Structure

Each week will focus on a major topic area, with daily goals and tasks. The Pomodoro Technique will help maintain focus, while active recall and spaced repetition will reinforce learning.

Week 1: SRE Fundamentals and Terminology

Weekly Goal: Understand Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) fundamentals, including objectives, key terminologies (SLA, SLO, SLI), error budgets, and automation.

Daily Tasks

• Day 1: Introduction to SRE

  • Goal: Gain a foundational understanding of SRE concepts.
  • Tasks:
    • Read about the definition and primary goals of SRE.
    • Create a mind map summarizing the goals of SRE.
    • Write a short paragraph explaining why SRE is essential for cloud environments.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (2 for reading and note-taking, 1 for mind-mapping, 1 for summarizing).

• Day 2: Understanding SLA, SLO, and SLI

  • Goal: Learn the definitions, importance, and differences between SLA, SLO, and SLI.
  • Tasks:
    • Write a detailed definition of each term.
    • Draw a Venn diagram to compare SLA, SLO, and SLI.
    • Find examples of SLA/SLO/SLI metrics for cloud services.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (2 for reading and defining, 1 for drawing the Venn diagram, 1 for examples).

• Day 3: Error Budgets and Automation

  • Goal: Understand error budgets as a balance between stability and release speed and learn how automation supports SRE goals.
  • Tasks:
    • Define the concept of error budgets and create scenarios showing how they’re used.
    • List types of tasks in SRE that can be automated.
    • Write a paragraph explaining why automation is vital for reliability.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (2 for error budgets, 2 for automation).

• Day 4: Review Day

  • Goal: Reinforce SRE concepts through review.
  • Tasks:
    • Recap each day’s notes using active recall.
    • Create flashcards for SLA, SLO, SLI, error budgets, and automation.
    • Test yourself on key points from each concept.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (1 per concept).

• Day 5: Practice Questions

  • Goal: Test understanding of SRE concepts.
  • Tasks:
    • Complete a set of 10–15 practice questions on SRE.
    • Review answers and clarify any misunderstandings.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (1 Pomodoro for every 5 questions with review).

Week 2: Incident Management and Post-Incident Reviews

Weekly Goal: Understand the Incident Management lifecycle and post-incident review process, focusing on detection, classification, response, escalation, and Root Cause Analysis.

Daily Tasks

• Day 1: Incident Detection and Classification

  • Goal: Learn how to identify and classify incidents by severity and impact.
  • Tasks:
    • Study the stages of incident detection.
    • List monitoring tools used in incident detection, like IBM Cloud Monitoring.
    • Create a flowchart showing how incidents are detected and classified.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (2 for reading, 1 for tools and examples, 1 for creating the flowchart).

• Day 2: Incident Response and Escalation

  • Goal: Understand the structured approach for responding to incidents and when to escalate issues.
  • Tasks:
    • Study the steps involved in responding to an incident.
    • Write a sample incident response plan, including when to escalate.
    • Practice writing an escalation email for a hypothetical critical incident.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (2 for studying response, 1 for creating the response plan, 1 for writing escalation email).

• Day 3: Post-Incident Review (PIR) and Root Cause Analysis

  • Goal: Understand post-incident reviews and root cause analysis.
  • Tasks:
    • Review the structure of a PIR document.
    • Practice the “Five Whys” technique to identify root causes.
    • Write a PIR outline based on a hypothetical incident.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (2 for PIR structure, 1 for “Five Whys,” 1 for creating PIR outline).

• Day 4: Review Day

  • Goal: Summarize and reinforce Incident Management concepts.
  • Tasks:
    • Summarize each step of the Incident Management process.
    • Quiz yourself on key terms and the PIR process.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

• Day 5: Practice Questions

  • Goal: Apply Incident Management knowledge through practice questions.
  • Tasks:
    • Complete 10–15 practice questions on Incident Management and PIR.
    • Analyze mistakes and focus on areas needing clarification.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

Week 3: Observability Topics

Weekly Goal: Learn about metrics, logging, and tracing in observability and their roles in system monitoring.

Daily Tasks

• Day 1: Metrics

  • Goal: Understand the role of metrics in system health monitoring.
  • Tasks:
    • Define metrics like CPU, memory, and response time.
    • Create a table of key metrics and set threshold values for alerts.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

• Day 2: Logging

  • Goal: Understand the role of logging for error diagnosis and auditing.
  • Tasks:
    • Review types of logs and common formats (e.g., error logs, event logs).
    • Analyze sample logs and identify important information.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

• Day 3: Tracing

  • Goal: Learn about tracing, distributed tracing, and pinpointing bottlenecks.
  • Tasks:
    • Define tracing and learn to use it for identifying performance issues.
    • Practice analyzing sample traces to locate delays.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

• Day 4: Review Day

  • Goal: Consolidate observability concepts through review.
  • Tasks:
    • Summarize metrics, logging, and tracing.
    • Test yourself on definitions and purposes of each observability pillar.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

• Day 5: Practice Questions

  • Goal: Test observability knowledge through practice questions.
  • Tasks:
    • Complete 10–15 observability questions.
    • Review answers, focusing on weak areas.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

Week 4: Troubleshooting and Runbooks

Weekly Goal: Master troubleshooting techniques and understand the structure and purpose of runbooks.

Daily Tasks

• Day 1: Troubleshooting Basics

  • Goal: Learn structured troubleshooting techniques.
  • Tasks:
    • Study problem identification and classification.
    • Practice identifying issues from given scenarios.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

• Day 2: Log and Metric Analysis for Troubleshooting

  • Goal: Learn to use logs and metrics to identify root issues.
  • Tasks:
    • Review logs and metrics from sample scenarios.
    • Practice analyzing logs to diagnose issues.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

• Day 3: Runbook Structure and Creation

  • Goal: Learn the structure of a runbook and create a sample.
  • Tasks:
    • Study essential components of a runbook (e.g., steps for specific alerts).
    • Write a sample runbook for a high CPU usage scenario.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

• Day 4: Review Day

  • Goal: Summarize troubleshooting and runbook concepts.
  • Tasks:
    • Recap troubleshooting steps and runbook creation.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

• Day 5: Practice Questions

  • Goal: Apply troubleshooting and runbook knowledge in practice questions.
  • Tasks:
    • Complete practice questions and focus on areas needing improvement.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

Week 5: Operations

Weekly Goal: Understand the daily operational tasks in IBM Cloud, including resource management, backup and recovery, configuration management, and cost optimization.

Daily Tasks

• Day 1: Resource Management

  • Goal: Learn how to effectively manage cloud resources such as virtual machines, storage, and load balancers.
  • Tasks:
    • Study resource management concepts and understand the role of virtual machines, storage, and load balancers in cloud environments.
    • Research scaling techniques (e.g., vertical and horizontal scaling) and when each is appropriate.
    • Create a list of resource management tasks, including scaling, monitoring, and decommissioning unused resources.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (1 for reading about resource types, 1 for scaling, 1 for task list, 1 for summarizing concepts).

• Day 2: Backup and Recovery

  • Goal: Understand backup policies and learn how to set up backups and recovery processes.
  • Tasks:
    • Review different types of backups (e.g., full, incremental, differential) and the importance of each.
    • Write a backup policy outline, specifying frequency and retention period.
    • Practice creating a mock backup and recovery scenario to visualize the process.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (1 for types of backups, 1 for policy outline, 2 for mock scenario).

• Day 3: Configuration Management

  • Goal: Learn how configuration management ensures consistency and reliability across cloud resources.
  • Tasks:
    • Study configuration management tools like IBM Cloud Schematics and Ansible, noting their advantages.
    • Write down use cases for configuration management, such as enforcing firewall settings and user permissions.
    • Practice writing a sample configuration script for a basic setup.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (2 for tools and use cases, 2 for writing the configuration script).

• Day 4: Cost Management

  • Goal: Learn cost optimization techniques and budgeting for cloud environments.
  • Tasks:
    • Study cost optimization strategies, such as downsizing underutilized resources and deleting unused resources.
    • Set up a sample budget for a hypothetical project using IBM Cloud’s budgeting tools.
    • Research IBM Cloud Cost Management and list features that help track expenses.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (2 for studying optimization strategies, 1 for sample budget, 1 for IBM Cloud Cost Management features).

• Day 5: Review Day

  • Goal: Consolidate and review key concepts in resource, backup, configuration, and cost management.
  • Tasks:
    • Recap key points from each day’s topics using active recall.
    • Create flashcards for each main concept (resource management, backup, configuration, cost).
    • Test yourself on the flashcards to reinforce memory.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (1 for each main concept).

• Day 6-7: Practice Questions

  • Goal: Apply your knowledge of operations through practice questions.
  • Tasks:
    • Complete a set of 15–20 practice questions focusing on operations.
    • Review answers and focus on clarifying any incorrect responses.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (1 Pomodoro for every 5 questions with review).

Week 6: Deployments

Weekly Goal: Master deployment strategies, including Blue-Green, Canary, and Rolling updates, and understand CI/CD pipeline practices.

Daily Tasks

• Day 1: Blue-Green Deployment and Canary Releases

  • Goal: Understand how Blue-Green and Canary deployments minimize downtime and reduce deployment risk.
  • Tasks:
    • Read about the Blue-Green Deployment strategy and write a step-by-step guide on how it’s implemented.
    • Research the Canary Release strategy and list benefits and risks.
    • Create a comparison chart to illustrate the differences and similarities between Blue-Green and Canary deployments.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (1 for Blue-Green, 1 for Canary, 1 for writing a step-by-step guide, 1 for comparison chart).

• Day 2: Rolling Updates

  • Goal: Understand how Rolling Updates work and the advantages of gradually updating service instances.
  • Tasks:
    • Study the Rolling Update process, noting how batches of instances are updated in stages.
    • Write a sample Rolling Update plan for a web application, specifying the percentage of instances updated per stage.
    • Practice creating a pros and cons list for Rolling Updates compared to full-scale deployments.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (2 for studying and writing, 1 for the sample update plan, 1 for pros and cons).

• Day 3: CI/CD Pipeline Concepts

  • Goal: Learn how CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery) enables automated, reliable deployment.
  • Tasks:
    • Study the CI/CD process, breaking it down into each step (CI, CD).
    • Write a sample CI/CD pipeline outline, showing the steps from code commit to production deployment.
    • Research IBM Cloud’s CI/CD tools and list the key features they offer for automation.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (2 for CI/CD study, 1 for the pipeline outline, 1 for IBM Cloud tools research).

• Day 4: Hands-On CI/CD Practice

  • Goal: Reinforce CI/CD knowledge through practical tasks.
  • Tasks:
    • Create a mock CI/CD pipeline for a simple application, using IBM Cloud’s Continuous Delivery tool if possible.
    • Run through each pipeline step and note where issues could arise.
    • Write a short summary of lessons learned from this hands-on exercise.
    • Pomodoros: 4 (2 for mock pipeline, 1 for analysis, 1 for summary).

• Day 5: Review Day

  • Goal: Review deployment strategies and CI/CD concepts to consolidate learning.
  • Tasks:
    • Summarize the deployment strategies in your own words and compare them side-by-side.
    • Quiz yourself on each strategy and the CI/CD pipeline structure.
    • Review flashcards created from previous days.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

• Day 6-7: Practice Questions

  • Goal: Apply deployment and CI/CD knowledge through practice questions.
  • Tasks:
    • Complete a set of 15–20 questions on deployments and CI/CD.
    • Clarify any answers that were challenging or unclear.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

Week 7: Security on IBM Cloud

Weekly Goal: Gain a thorough understanding of IBM Cloud security, including IAM, data security and encryption, network security, and compliance.

Daily Tasks

• Day 1: Identity and Access Management (IAM)

  • Goal: Understand the role of IAM, user roles, and policy management.
  • Tasks:
    • Study IAM functions and how access permissions are managed.
    • Write down the main user roles (Administrator, Developer, Auditor) and describe the permissions for each role.
    • Create a sample policy in which different users are granted specific permissions.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

• Day 2: Data Security and Encryption

  • Goal: Learn about data encryption at rest and in transit, and understand IBM Key Protect.
  • Tasks:
    • Study encryption methods, especially focusing on SSL/TLS protocols for data in transit.
    • Write an example of an encryption policy to protect sensitive data.
    • Research IBM Key Protect and list its primary uses in cloud security.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

• Day 3: Network Security

  • Goal: Understand the importance of firewalls, security groups, and isolation policies.
  • Tasks:
    • Study how firewalls function in a cloud environment and the role of security groups.
    • Write a sample firewall rule set for a cloud application.
    • Research network isolation policies and describe how they prevent data leaks.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

• Day 4: Compliance Standards

  • Goal: Learn about regulatory standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS, and IBM Cloud’s compliance tools.
  • Tasks:
    • Study each compliance standard, noting key requirements.
    • Write a compliance checklist for IBM Cloud services.
    • Review IBM Cloud Compliance Assessment and Management tools.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

• Day 5: Review Day

  • Goal: Reinforce all security concepts.
  • Tasks:
    • Recap IAM, data security, network security, and compliance concepts.
    • Test yourself with flashcards or quizzes on security principles.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

• Day 6-7: Practice Questions

  • Goal: Apply security knowledge through practice questions.
  • Tasks:
    • Complete a set of 15–20 security-focused questions.
    • Review answers and clarify any misunderstandings.
    • Pomodoros: 4.

Week 8: Comprehensive Review and Practice Exams

Weekly Goal: Reinforce all previous learning through review sessions and full-length practice exams to build exam confidence.

Daily Tasks

• Day 1-3: Full Topic Review

  • Goal: Review all topics covered over the past weeks to reinforce understanding.
  • Tasks:
    • Spend 2 Pomodoros on each major topic (SRE, Incident Management, Observability, Troubleshooting, Operations, Deployments, Security).
    • Create summary notes for each topic, focusing on key points and concepts.
    • Quiz yourself on key concepts using flashcards.
    • Pomodoros: 6 per day.

• Day 4-5: Practice Exams

  • Goal: Simulate the exam experience with timed, full-length practice exams.
  • Tasks:
    • Complete a full-length practice exam under timed conditions.
    • Review incorrect answers and note areas for improvement.
    • Write down any final areas to review based on practice exam results.
    • Pomodoros: 6 (4 for the exam, 2 for review).

• Day 6-7: Final Review and Rest

  • Goal: Do a light review of any weak areas and get plenty of rest.
  • Tasks:
    • Go over final summary notes.
    • Rest and mentally prepare for the exam.
    • Pomodoros: 2.

Tips for Success

• Pomodoro Technique: Maintain consistent focus with 25-minute intervals.
• Active Recall: Test yourself frequently without looking at notes.
• Hands-On Practice: Whenever possible, use IBM Cloud resources to apply concepts in a real-world setting.

Following this study plan will help you build a solid foundation, stay organized, and increase your chances of passing the C1000-169 exam. Good luck!