IBM AIX Administrator study plan

Map the AIX 7.2 administration surface area into a personal checklist covering installation and boot, device and LVM storage, filesystems, networking, users and security, workload partitions, and problem determination, then rank each area by your current confidence

Install AIX 7.2 in a lab (LPAR, VIOS-backed partition, or emulator) and record every screen decision, the BOS menu choices, and the resulting rootvg layout in a build log

Practice navigating SMIT for the tasks you will later do by command line, and note the fast path for each menu you use

Configure the lab host with a static IP, hostname, and default gateway, then verify with netstat and ping

Explain the AIX boot sequence from firmware through /etc/inittab and identify which files control each stage

Use alog, errpt, and the boot log to diagnose a deliberately broken boot configuration, then restore it

Practise entering and exiting maintenance mode and single-user mode, and change the root password from maintenance mode

Document the difference between a normal, service, and diagnostic boot and when each is appropriate

Create and extend volume groups, logical volumes, and filesystems using mkvg, mklv, crfs, extendvg, and chfs without relying on SMIT

Add a disk to rootvg with extendvg and mirror rootvg with mirrorvg, then verify with lsvg and lspv

Grow a JFS2 filesystem online and confirm the new size with df and lslv

Interpret the output of lspv, lsvg, lsvg -l, lslv, and lsfs well enough to explain each column

Manage paging space: list, add, activate, deactivate, and resize paging logical volumes, and explain the hd6 sizing rule

Change device attributes with chdev and lsattr, including making a change that persists across reboot

Diagnose a full filesystem using df, du, and find, and reclaim space without deleting data blindly

Review errpt entries and clear a resolved error with errclear

Configure and verify TCP/IP: interface addressing with mktcpip or chdev, routing, /etc/hosts, and name resolution order in /etc/netsvc.conf

Set up and test an NFS export and mount between two lab systems, including /etc/exports and exportfs

Use netstat, entstat, and ifconfig to read interface statistics and identify a duplex or error-rate problem

Explain inetd and xinetd behaviour in AIX 7.2 and enable a service through /etc/inetd.conf

Create users and groups with mkuser, mkgroup, and chuser, and set password ageing and login restrictions through /etc/security files

Configure and test sudo or role-based access so a non-root user can perform a defined administrative task

Apply filesystem permissions, ACLs with acledit or aclput, and the sticky and setgid bits, then verify effective access

Explain the purpose of /etc/security/user, /etc/security/limits, and /etc/security/passwd and edit each safely

Install, update, and remove filesets with installp and lslpp, and interpret the difference between APPLIED and COMMITTED states

Use the AIX 7.2 alternate disk installation method to clone rootvg and apply an update to the clone

List and apply interim fixes, and explain how to preview an operation with the preview flag before committing

Back up a volume group with savevg and restore a single file from a mksysb or file backup

Consolidate weak areas from the week 1 checklist and re-test every item you previously marked low confidence

Complete two full-length timed practice sets under exam conditions and review every wrong answer to its root cause

Explain workload partition concepts, including creation, resource limits, and the difference from an LPAR

Rehearse a five-minute verbal walkthrough of a full system build from bare disk to running application server