MongoDB Technical Administration and Operations Training Course

Module 1: Introduction and MongoDB Architecture (4h)

Core Concepts:

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

Practical Application:

• Interactive exploration: establishing connections via Mongo Shell/CLI
• Creating sample databases and collections

Module 2: Installation and Initial Configuration (6h)

Core Concepts:

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

Practical Application:

• Deploying instances on local virtual machines or Docker containers
• Tuning configurations for development versus production settings
• Validating secure remote connectivity

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

Core Concepts:

• BSON documents, collections, and database structure
• Modeling strategies: embedding versus referencing, and data design patterns
• Foundations of basic indexes
• Executing operations using the Mongo Shell and scripting examples with drivers

Practical Application:

• 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)

Core Concepts:

• Types of indexes: simple, compound, multikey, text, and geospatial
• Utilizing explain() to analyze query metrics
• Impact of indexes on write performance and memory usage

Practical Application:

• Creating collections populated with test data
• Testing query performance with and without indexes; interpreting explain() output
• Optimizing indexes based on observed access patterns

Module 5: Security (5h)

Core Concepts:

• Authentication mechanisms: SCRAM, LDAP/Kerberos (overview)
• Defining users and creating custom roles
• Implementing TLS/SSL between clients and servers
• At-rest encryption: key management and configuration
• Foundational audit logging

Practical Application:

• Creating users with least-privilege permissions
• Configuring TLS on local instances
• Testing unauthorized access attempts and reviewing audit logs

Module 6: Replication and High Availability (6h)

Core Concepts:

• Replication principles: Primary, Secondary, and oplog
• Replica set configuration: initialization, membership management, and arbitration
• Monitoring status and election processes
• Maintenance tasks: adding/removing members and reassigning priorities

Practical Application:

• Deploying a three-node replica set (locally or on virtual machines)
• Simulating primary node failure and observing failover behavior
• Rebuilding secondary nodes and restoring replica health

Module 7: Sharding and Horizontal Scalability (6h)

Core Concepts:

• Sharding fundamentals: shard key, config servers, and mongos router
• Shard key selection strategies and associated risks
• Deploying config servers, shards, and mongos instances
• Rebalancing processes and chunk migration

Practical Application:

• Configuring a basic sharded cluster
• Inserting large-scale datasets to observe data distribution
• Exploring shard key modifications and understanding their limitations

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

Core Concepts:

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

Practical Application:

• Executing backup and restore procedures on a test database
• Simulating failures and recovering from backups
• Designing a DR plan for a hypothetical scenario

Module 9: Monitoring and Alerts (4h)

Core Concepts:

• Essential tools: mongostat, mongotop, Cloud Manager/Atlas Monitoring
• Integration concepts with Prometheus and Grafana
• Key metrics to track: CPU, memory, I/O, oplog size, and latencies
• Alert management: setting thresholds and notifications

Practical Application:

• Deploying local or container-based monitoring agents
• Building basic dashboards with sample metrics
• Simulating load to observe alert triggers

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

Core Concepts:

• Upgrade strategies for replica sets and sharded clusters
• Data cleanup, compaction, and integrity checks
• Log review and regular audit practices
• Automating routine tasks using scripts, cronjobs, Ansible, and Terraform
• Data retention and archiving policies

Practical Application:

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

Summary and Next Steps