MongoDB Technical Administration and Operations Training Course

Module 1: Introduction and MongoDB Architecture (4h)

Content:

• Historical context and the MongoDB ecosystem.
• Typical use cases, along with associated advantages and limitations.
• General architecture: instances, processes, and configuration structures.

Practice:

• Interactive exploration: connecting via Mongo Shell/CLI.
• Creating a sample database and collection.

Module 2: Installation and Initial Configuration (6h)

Content:

• Hardware and resource requirements.
• Installation procedures on Linux (deb/rpm), Windows, and macOS.
• Understanding YAML configuration files (mongod.conf): dataDir, logDir, bindIp, port.
• Startup options and managing services via systemd/service.

Practice:

• Deploying instances on local virtual machines or Docker containers.
• Tuning configurations for development versus production environments.
• Verifying secure remote connectivity.

Module 3: Data Modeling and Basic Operations (5h)

Content:

• BSON documents, collections, and databases.
• Modeling strategies: embedding versus referencing; common data design patterns.
• Introduction to basic indexes.
• Performing operations with the Mongo Shell and scripting examples using drivers.

Practice:

• Modeling a specific use case, such as an inventory or billing system.
• Implementing CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations.
• Applying schema validation using JSON Schema in MongoDB.

Module 4: Indexes and Performance (4h)

Content:

• Types of indexes: simple, compound, multikey, text, and geospatial.
• Utilising explain() and analysing performance metrics.
• Assessing the impact of indexes on write performance and memory usage.

Practice:

• Creating collections populated with test data.
• Testing queries with and without indexes; interpreting explain() output.
• Adjusting indexes based on observed access patterns.

Module 5: Security (5h)

Content:

• Authentication mechanisms: SCRAM, and an introduction to LDAP/Kerberos.
• Defining users and creating custom roles.
• Implementing TLS/SSL between clients and servers.
• At-rest encryption: key configuration strategies.
• Basic audit logging practices.

Practice:

• Creating users with minimal necessary privileges.
• Configuring TLS in local instances.
• Testing unauthorized access attempts and reviewing audit logs.

Module 6: Replication and High Availability (6h)

Content:

• Core replication concepts: Primary, Secondary, and oplog.
• Replica set configuration: initiation, membership, and arbitration.
• Monitoring status and observing elections.
• Maintenance tasks: adding/removing members and reassigning priorities.

Practice:

• Deploying a three-node replica set (locally or on VMs).
• Simulating primary failure and observing the failover process.
• Rebuilding secondary nodes and recovering replicas.

Module 7: Sharding and Horizontal Scalability (6h)

Content:

• Sharding concepts: shard key, config servers, and the mongos router.
• Shard key selection strategies and associated risks.
• Deploying config servers, shards, and mongos instances.
• Rebalancing data and managing chunk migration.

Practice:

• Configuring a simple sharded cluster.
• Inserting large-scale data to observe distribution patterns.
• Exploring the implications of shard key changes and understanding limitations.

Module 8: Backup, Restore, and Disaster Recovery (4h)

Content:

• Native tools: mongodump/mongorestore and filesystem snapshots.
• Backup strategies for replica sets and sharded clusters.
• Basic usage of Cloud Manager/Ops Manager for backup operations.
• Disaster Recovery (DR) planning: defining RTO and RPO.

Practice:

• Performing backup and restore operations on a test database.
• Simulating system failure and recovering from backup.
• Designing a DR plan for a hypothetical scenario.

Module 9: Monitoring and Alerts (4h)

Content:

• Monitoring tools: mongostat, mongotop, and Cloud Manager/Atlas Monitoring.
• Integration with Prometheus and Grafana (concepts and practical examples).
• Key metrics: CPU, memory, I/O, oplog size, and latencies.
• Alert configuration: defining thresholds and notification rules.

Practice:

• Deploying a local or container-based monitoring agent.
• Setting up basic dashboards with sample metrics.
• Simulating load conditions and observing alert triggers.

Module 10: Maintenance, Upgrades, and Best Practices (4h)

Content:

• Upgrade strategies for replica sets and sharded clusters.
• Data cleanup, compaction, and integrity checks.
• Reviewing logs and conducting regular audits.
• Automating routine tasks using scripts, cronjobs, Ansible, and Terraform.
• Establishing data retention and archiving policies.

Practice:

• Simulating minor and major upgrades in a controlled environment.
• Creating automation scripts for backup and monitoring tasks.
• Developing a periodic maintenance checklist.

Summary and Next Steps