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Advanced level · Level 2

Advanced Course in CEPHComplex architectures and performance tuning

Master the advanced techniques of Ceph: from BlueStore tuning to multi-site strategies. A three-day intensive course with hands-on lab work and preparation for the Red Hat EX260 certification.

Zero-Downtime Upgrades End-to-end security Multi-Site DR
Request a proposal See syllabus
Advanced Ceph training delivered by SIXE — instructor explaining architecture and cluster optimisation in a classroom setting
3 daysIntensive · 9:00-14:30
Hands-onReal cluster lab
EX260Certification prep
EN · ES · FRAvailable languages
[ 01 ]Why this course

You already run Ceph in production. Now it's time to get the most out of it.

The advanced course is designed for teams that already operate a Ceph cluster and need to take it to the next level: fine performance tuning with BlueStore and RocksDB, multi-site replication with RGW and RBD Mirror, real disaster recovery, upgrades with no downtime window, and end-to-end hardening.

We work with IBM Storage Ceph (formerly Red Hat Ceph). Every day combines deep technical explanation with hands-on lab work on the student's cluster. The course includes a final mini-simulation focused on the Red Hat EX260 certification.

Advanced Cluster BlueStore Performance Tuning RBD Mirror Disaster Recovery RGW Multi-site Global Replication Monitoring Advanced Analytics
[ 02 ]Syllabus and agenda · 3 days

Intensive 3-day programme

Built to master Ceph from architecture to advanced optimisation. Learn by doing, with hands-on labs on a real cluster.

01
Day 1

Fundamentals and storage

Ceph architecture, advanced pools and placement group management.

Architecture and deployment

RADOS components, cluster topology, and imperative vs declarative management with cephadm and cephadm-ansible.

MON/MGR/OSDBootstrap

CephX security

Capabilities model, restricted user management and keyrings for granular access control.

CapabilitiesHands-on lab

Erasure Coding pools

Creating EC pools with different profiles (k/m), efficiency comparison against replication and benchmarking.

Jerasure/ISA-LStriping

PG autoscaling

Automatic placement group configuration with on/warn/off modes, target ratios and fine-tuning with bias.

Target size/ratioBulk config
02
Day 2

Advanced services

RBD, RADOS Gateway and backup and replication strategies.

RBD features and mirroring

Block images with layering, journaling and object-map. Journal-based vs snapshot-based replication.

Pool modeTwo-way

RBD backup strategies

Full backups, differential backups with export-diff and incremental chains for efficient restore.

Export/ImportChains

RADOS Gateway S3/Swift

Object storage with S3 and Swift APIs, HMAC and token-based authentication, object versioning.

Beast frontendSubusers

TLS and certificate chains

X.509 certificate configuration, Root/Intermediate CA trust chain and SSL/TLS for RGW.

X.509HTTPS

NFS-Ganesha with RGW

Exposing S3 buckets over NFS using FSAL_RGW for traditional access to object storage.

FSAL_RGWNFS v4

Multi-site RGW

Configuring realms, zonegroups and zones for metadata and data synchronisation across sites.

RealmsSync
03
Day 3

Management and optimisation

CephFS, advanced CRUSH, BlueStore tuning and final EX260 mini-simulation.

CephFS and quota management

POSIX filesystem with MDS, hierarchical hard-enforced quotas and comparison against pool/RBD quotas.

MDS activeXattrs

Advanced CRUSH hierarchy

Multi-level topology design, device classes (HDD/SSD/NVMe), custom CRUSH rules and pg-upmap.

Failure domainsShadow CRUSH

BlueStore and RocksDB tuning

block.db/block.wal optimisation, LSM Tree configuration, memory targets and recovery/backfill parameters.

Cache sizingCompaction

EX260 mini-simulation

Intensive simulation of exam scenarios with live troubleshooting and optimisation under pressure.

Exam prepMulti-task
[ 03 ]Certifications

Preparation for the official EX260 exam plus SIXE badge on Credly

On completing the course you receive the digital badge Ceph Advanced Administrator issued by SIXE on Credly. In parallel, the Day 3 mini-simulation prepares you for the official Red Hat EX260 exam — Red Hat Certified Specialist in Ceph Cloud Storage.

EX260 certification · Red Hat Certified Specialist in Ceph Cloud Storage

The course does not include the exam fee (contracted directly with Red Hat). It does include labs and simulations designed to arrive prepared.

Exam format

  • Duration: 4 hours
  • Type: performance-based (practical tasks on a cluster)
  • Environment: real Ceph Storage cluster

Areas assessed

  • Ceph cluster deployment and configuration
  • Pool management (replicated and erasure-coded)
  • RBD, RGW and CephFS service configuration
  • Troubleshooting and performance tuning
  • Security and authentication
  • High availability and disaster recovery
SIXE Ceph Advanced Administrator digital badge on Credly — Level 2 (Advanced) certification from the Ceph learning path

Ceph Advanced Administrator · Level 2 · Advanced

Issued by SIXE on Credly on course completion. Certifies mastery of advanced Ceph techniques: BlueStore tuning, advanced CRUSH, erasure coding, RGW multi-site, RBD Mirror and disaster recovery. Verifiable credential with unique link.

View SIXE credentials on Credly
[ 04 ]Format

Intensive, morning-session and adaptable

Built to maximise practical learning in a compact and efficient format compatible with the team's daily activity.

  1. 013 days · 9:00 to 14:30 · intensiveMorning format optimised for active professionals, so training fits alongside day-to-day work responsibilities.
  2. 02Adaptable durationLength, pace and schedule can be customised to the team's specific needs and starting level.
  3. 03Materials includedTechnical documentation, hands-on labs and access to the practice environment during and after the course.
  4. 04Expert instructorsIBM Storage certified with real experience in enterprise Ceph implementations — not full-time trainers, engineers who train.
[ 05 ]Beyond training

SIXE is an IBM Business Partner

Beyond training, we sell, implement and support IBM Storage Ceph. If you need to cover the full cycle, count on us.

Licence procurement

Technical advice to size and procure IBM Storage Ceph licences fitted to your organisation's specific use case.

Product deployment

We design and implement IBM Storage Ceph in production: architecture, hardware, networking, integration with OpenStack, Kubernetes and legacy systems.

Ceph technical support

Ongoing technical support with specialised response from our engineering team. See service →

[ 06 ]Learning path

This course is Level 2 of the Ceph learning path

Three independent courses. If your team hasn't deployed a cluster yet, start with Level 1. If you already run Ceph in critical production, Level 3 takes operations into SRE territory.

01 Level 1 · Introduction

Deployment and administration

Fundamentals to working cluster Learn more
You are here 02 Level 2 · Advanced

Advanced administration

Tuning, multi-site DR and EX260 See syllabus
03 Level 3 · Expert

Production Engineering

SRE, DR and CI/CD automation Learn more

Related courses: OpenStack basic · Ansible · Docker and Kubernetes. Solutions: IBM Storage.

[ 07 ]Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

What are the prerequisites for the advanced course?

Completed the Level 1 course (deployment and administration) or having equivalent experience running Ceph clusters: MON/OSD, pools, PGs, RBD and RGW in production.

Does it prepare for the official EX260 certification?

Yes. Day 3 includes an EX260 mini-simulation with scenarios similar to the real exam (performance-based, 4 hours). The course does not include the exam fee: it is contracted directly with Red Hat.

Which Ceph version is used in the lab?

The latest stable version of IBM Storage Ceph (formerly Red Hat Ceph). If your team runs an earlier version in production, we align the lab with that version so what's practised matches your real environment.

Is the Credly badge an official Ceph certification?

It's a SIXE own certification issued through Credly. Publicly verifiable with a unique link and ready for LinkedIn and CV. It complements — does not replace — official certifications like EX260 as practical evidence that you have worked on the advanced syllabus on a real cluster.

Can the syllabus be delivered in 2 days if we don't have 3?

Yes, the duration is adaptable. We can compress the syllabus into 2 days if the team arrives with more background, or extend it to 4-5 days to reinforce labs. We'll discuss it when firming up the proposal.

Format, group size and language

On-site at your offices or live remote, from 2 students, in English, Spanish or French.

Can you deploy or support Ceph in our environment?

Yes. SIXE is an IBM Business Partner: we sell IBM Storage Ceph licences, deploy it in production and provide ongoing technical support.

Can I talk to the instructor before booking?

Yes. You can request a no-commitment meeting with the instructor: they walk through the course, show materials and labs, and answer any technical questions the team may have before making the decision.
[ 08 ]   Request this course

Tell us about your case

Tell us which Ceph version you work on, which advanced scenarios you care about most and whether you're going for EX260. We come back with a concrete proposal — format, dates, instructor and syllabus adaptation — not a generic quote.

Book now WhatsApp
Phone+34 91 198 02 43
GroupsFrom 2 students
LanguagesEN · ES · FR
Duration3 days · adaptable
SIXE