HPOC study plan
HPOC · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Storage, Volumes, and File Systems & OpenVMS System Concepts and Architecture
Diagram the OpenVMS layered architecture (kernel, executive, CLI, utilities) and label where RMS, the file system, and the volume manager sit
Explain the difference between ODS-2 and ODS-5 and list at least five filesystem limits each imposes
Define volumes, volume sets, and shadow sets, and describe how a logical name resolves to a physical file on a volume
Trace the boot path from console to the executive and identify which system files must exist on the system disk
Your checkpoint
A one-page architecture and storage map plus a 15-row comparison table of ODS-2 vs ODS-5 limits, both written from memory without notes
Storage, Volumes, and File Systems & Backup, Recovery, and Troubleshooting
Create and mount a volume, initialize it, and add it to a volume set in a lab system
Configure a two-member shadow set and verify read/write behavior after removing one member
Describe how BACKUP savesets are created, listed, and restored, and distinguish image vs file restores
Explain the role of the backup operator privilege and how to schedule a nightly BACKUP job
Your checkpoint
A lab log showing a volume initialized, added to a set, shadowed, and restored from a BACKUP saveset, with the exact command lines and observed output
Installation, Configuration, and Booting & System Management and Startup/Shutdown
Perform a conversational boot and explain each prompt and parameter
Modify SYSGEN parameters, save them to a parameter file, and confirm they persist across a reboot
Explain the layered startup files (SYLOGICALS, SYCONFIG, STARTUP, SYSTARTUP_VMS) and the order they execute
Practice an orderly shutdown and a crash-style shutdown and compare their effects
Your checkpoint
A written runbook of the boot sequence and startup file order, validated by executing a conversational boot and a parameter change on a lab node
Clusters and High Availability & OpenVMS System Concepts and Architecture
Describe cluster membership, quorum, and the role of the quorum disk
Explain the cluster interconnect options and how nodes discover each other
Configure a two-node cluster in a lab and confirm quorum transitions when one node leaves
List the cluster-wide services (queue manager, lock manager, MSCP served disks) and what breaks if each fails
Your checkpoint
A cluster topology diagram with quorum math for three scenarios (all up, one down, quorum disk lost) plus a lab transcript of a node joining and leaving
Clusters and High Availability & Processes, Scheduling, and Performance
Explain how a shadow set and a served disk differ in failover behavior during a node outage
Use process priority, base priority, and class scheduling concepts to predict which of two processes runs first
Measure CPU and memory pressure with the standard performance tools and identify the dominant bottleneck
Describe how a batch queue is defined, started, and how jobs are held, released, and aborted
Your checkpoint
A performance worksheet analyzing three synthetic workloads (CPU-bound, memory-bound, I/O-bound) with the chosen priority and queue settings justified in writing
Networking and DECnet/IP Services & User Account and Security Management
Configure TCP/IP on a node and verify connectivity with the standard network tools
Explain DECnet node addressing and how a DECnet address maps to a node name
Create a user account with a defined quota, default directory, and login command file
Apply password policy and privilege restrictions and demonstrate a failed login and lockout
Your checkpoint
A hardened account template plus a network configuration sheet showing TCP/IP and DECnet settings, both applied and verified on the lab node
Backup, Recovery, and Troubleshooting & System Management and Startup/Shutdown
Diagnose a failed boot by reading the error log and the console output and proposing a fix
Recover a deleted file from a BACKUP saveset and verify contents and protections
Explain how to analyze a system crash dump and what a dump file location setting controls
Describe the procedure for replacing a failed system disk in a cluster
Your checkpoint
A troubleshooting decision tree covering boot failure, file loss, and system disk failure, each branch ending in a concrete command sequence
OpenVMS System Concepts and Architecture & Installation, Configuration, and Booting & System Management and Startup/Shutdown & User Account and Security Management & Storage, Volumes, and File Systems & Processes, Scheduling, and Performance & Networking and DECnet/IP Services & Clusters and High Availability & Backup, Recovery, and Troubleshooting
Complete a timed full-length practice exam and score it by domain
Re-study the two weakest domains identified by the practice score
Recite the startup file order, quorum rules, and ODS-2/ODS-5 limits from memory
Review every missed practice question and write the correct reasoning for each
Your checkpoint
A scored practice exam with a per-domain breakdown and a two-page personal weak-spot summary with the corrected reasoning for each miss
Milestones
Week 2: Can initialize a volume, build a shadow set, and restore a file from a saveset without consulting notes
Week 4: Can explain cluster quorum math for three failure scenarios and has a lab transcript proving a node join and leave
Week 6: Can create a hardened user account and verify TCP/IP and DECnet connectivity end to end
Week 7: Can walk through a boot-failure diagnosis and a file recovery from memory
Week 8: Scores at or above target on the full practice exam with no domain below the passing threshold