As a Brocade Certified Architect for FICON you will be expected to understand IBM System z I/O concepts, and demonstrate knowledge of Brocade FICON Director and switching SAN components. Design, install, configure, maintain, manage, and troubleshoot Brocade hardware and software products for local and metro distance (100 km) environments. To achieve this level of Certification, you are required to pass one exam.

The Brocade Certified Architect for FICON exam tests against the following objectives:

Architecture

• Describe System z host, I/O channel subsystem and FICON protocol architecture
• Given a scenario, demonstrate knowledge of System z channel I/O system configuration
• Describe System z I/O, channel, and CUP interdependencies

Design Considerations

• Given a scenario, describe Single Director vs. Cascaded Director design requirements
• Given a scenario, describe scalability considerations
• Describe the components that influence FICON performance
• Given a scenario, demonstrate knowledge of High Availability (HA) and disaster recovery solutions
• Given a scenario, demonstrate knowledge of FICON and FCP intermix configurations

Implementation

• Describe basic FICON SAN installation procedures
• Given a scenario, describe zoning considerations for FICON
• Given a scenario, demonstrate the ability to implement a cascaded FICON solution in native mode
• Given a scenario, demonstrate the ability to implement a cascaded FICON solution in interop mode

Security

• Demonstrate how to implement security features for FICON fabric management

Management

• Describe use of various performance management tools
• Given a scenario, demonstrate ability to manage Cascaded FICON solutions
• Describe the benefits and uses of FICON CUP
• Given a scenario, demonstrate knowledge of firmware and configuration management tools

Troubleshooting

• Given a scenario, demonstrate data collection processes for problem determination
• Given a scenario, demonstrate the ability to perform host-based troubleshooting
• Given a scenario, demonstrate the ability to perform path troubleshooting
• Given a scenario, demonstrate the ability to troubleshoot performance issues

Questions? Contact the Brocade Education Team at education@brocade.com or call 1-408-333-5036.