MongoDB Technical Administration and Operations Training Course

Module 1: Introduction and MongoDB Architecture (4h)

Content:

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

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 on Linux (deb/rpm), Windows, and macOS.
• YAML configuration files (mongod.conf): dataDir, logDir, bindIp, port.
• Startup options and systemd/service management.

Practice:

• Deploying instances on local VMs or Docker containers.
• Tuning configurations for development versus production scenarios.
• Verifying secure remote connectivity.

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

Content:

• BSON documents, collections, and databases.
• Modeling strategies: embedding versus referencing; data design patterns.
• Basic indexes (introduced in previous modules).
• Operations using Mongo Shell and scripting examples with drivers.

Practice:

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

Module 4: Indexes and Performance (4h)

Content:

• Simple, compound, multikey, text, and geospatial indexes.
• Utilizing explain() and analysing metrics.
• The impact of indexes on write performance and memory usage.

Practice:

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

Module 5: Security (5h)

Content:

• Authentication mechanisms: SCRAM, LDAP/Kerberos (introductory).
• Defining users and custom roles.
• TLS/SSL implementation between clients and servers.
• At-rest encryption: key configuration.
• Basic audit logging.

Practice:

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

Module 6: Replication and High Availability (6h)

Content:

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

Practice:

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

Module 7: Sharding and Horizontal Scalability (6h)

Content:

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

Practice:

• Configuring a simple sharded cluster.
• Inserting large-scale data and observing distribution.
• Exploring shard key changes and understanding limitations.

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

Content:

• Native tools: mongodump/mongorestore, filesystem snapshots.
• Backups in replica sets and sharded clusters.
• Basic use of Cloud Manager/Ops Manager for backup.
• Disaster Recovery (DR) planning: RTO and RPO.

Practice:

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

Module 9: Monitoring and Alerts (4h)

Content:

• Tools: mongostat, mongotop, Cloud Manager/Atlas Monitoring.
• Integration with Prometheus + Grafana (concepts and examples).
• Key metrics: CPU, memory, I/O, oplog size, latencies.
• Alerts: defining thresholds and notifications.

Practice:

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

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 (scripts, cronjobs, Ansible, Terraform).
• Data retention and archiving policies.

Practice:

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

Summary and Next Steps