Pass the IRIS Admin exam — then run production like you meant it
The focused certification prep school for InterSystems IRIS System Administration Specialists — covering installation, configuration, security, backup, high availability, and performance tuning so you pass the exam and confidently manage production IRIS environments.
"I want you ready for the exam on Monday and the on-call rotation on Tuesday — this school doesn't separate those two things."— Carla Paton
What you'll learn
What you'll be able to do
- Install, configure, and license InterSystems IRIS server software across supported platforms following best-practice deployment patterns
- Use the Management Portal, ^%SYSMON, and System Diagnostics (SystemDiagnostics.xml) to monitor system health and diagnose performance bottlenecks
- Design and execute reliable backup and restore strategies using External, Online, and Mirroring-based approaches for IRIS databases
- Configure and maintain High Availability solutions including IRIS Mirroring, arbiter setup, and automatic failover
- Harden an IRIS instance by managing roles, privileges, auditing, SSL/TLS configurations, and service-level security policies
- Demonstrate exam-ready mastery by working through domain-mapped practice questions aligned to the official InterSystems certification blueprint
How it works
A school that adapts to you
This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.
We learn your level
A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.
Lessons adapt as you go
Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.
Your AI coach keeps you moving
Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.
The curriculum
What's inside your school
6 modules · 24 lessons
Installation, Configuration, and Licensing
Establishes the foundational knowledge every IRIS administrator needs before touching any other system concern. Students learn how to plan, install, and configure InterSystems IRIS on supported platforms, apply licenses, and set up the logical structures — namespaces, databases, and mappings — that all subsequent modules depend on. This module must come first because every later topic (monitoring, backup, HA, security) assumes a correctly installed and configured instance.
- 1.1Platform Requirements and Pre-Installation PlanningIncluded
- 1.2Installing InterSystems IRIS on Linux and WindowsIncluded
- 1.3Licensing, Instance Configuration, and the Management PortalIncluded
- 1.4Namespaces, Databases, and Global MappingsIncluded
Monitoring, System Diagnostics, and Performance
Teaches administrators to observe, measure, and interpret the runtime behavior of an IRIS instance. Starting with real-time portal metrics and escalating to deep diagnostic collection, students learn to distinguish normal operation from warning signs and to tune the most impactful configuration levers. This module sits after Installation because you must have a running instance to monitor, and before Backup/HA because understanding performance baselines is essential for sizing and validating those solutions.
- 2.1Real-Time Monitoring with the Management Portal and System MetricsIncluded
- 2.2Collecting and Interpreting System Performance Data with ^SystemPerformanceIncluded
- 2.3System Diagnostics with SystemDiagnostics.xml and ^%SYSMONIncluded
- 2.4Tuning Databases, Caches, and Journal PerformanceIncluded
Backup and Restore Strategies
Provides a complete treatment of IRIS data protection: from the journaling subsystem that underpins all recovery options, through online and external backup methods, to restore procedures and validation. Backup relies on understanding namespaces and databases (Module 1) and journal behavior ties directly into mirroring (Module 4), so this module is correctly placed between Monitoring and High Availability.
- 3.1Journaling: The Foundation of IRIS Data ProtectionIncluded
- 3.2Online Backup with ^BACKUP and the Management PortalIncluded
- 3.3External Backup Integration and Freeze/Thaw ProceduresIncluded
- 3.4Restore Operations and Backup ValidationIncluded
High Availability with IRIS Mirroring
Covers the design, deployment, and operational management of IRIS Mirroring — the primary HA mechanism for InterSystems IRIS. Mirroring builds on journaling concepts from Module 3 and requires a solid understanding of IRIS instances and networking from Module 1. This module is correctly placed after Backup because mirror members use the journal transport mechanism and mirror backup is a natural extension of backup strategies.
- 4.1Mirroring Architecture and Core ConceptsIncluded
- 4.2Configuring a Mirror Set: Primary, Backup, and ArbiterIncluded
- 4.3Failover Testing, Async Members, and Mirror BackupIncluded
- 4.4Mirror Monitoring, Troubleshooting, and MaintenanceIncluded
System Security
Covers the full depth of the InterSystems IRIS security model, from the fundamental user/role/privilege framework through authentication mechanisms, network-layer security, and audit logging. Security is placed after HA because administrators must first understand the full system topology (including mirror members and services) before locking it down correctly. This module also introduces resource-based access control for databases and services created in earlier modules.
- 5.1The IRIS Security Model: Users, Roles, Privileges, and ResourcesIncluded
- 5.2Authentication, Password Policies, and Two-Factor AuthenticationIncluded
- 5.3SSL/TLS Configuration and Securing IRIS ServicesIncluded
- 5.4Auditing, Logging, and ComplianceIncluded
Exam Readiness and Certification Prep
Synthesizes all prior learning into focused, exam-mapped practice. Students perform a structured gap analysis against the official InterSystems certification blueprint, work through domain-organized practice questions with detailed rationales, and complete a full-length timed simulation to build exam stamina and time management. This capstone module must come last because it assumes mastery of all preceding content.
- 6.1Certification Blueprint Deep-Dive and Gap AnalysisIncluded
- 6.2Domain Practice: Installation, Monitoring, and PerformanceIncluded
- 6.3Domain Practice: Backup, High Availability, and SecurityIncluded
- 6.4Full-Length Timed Exam Simulation and Final ReviewIncluded
Who it's for
Is this you?
IRIS Admin Candidate
A working IRIS system administrator targeting the InterSystems certification who needs structured, blueprint-mapped prep rather than scattered documentation.
Caché-to-IRIS Migrator
An experienced Caché DBA transitioning to IRIS who needs to learn what's changed in security, mirroring, and management tooling without starting from zero.
Enterprise DBA
A relational database administrator (Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL) whose organization has adopted IRIS and who needs to get production-ready quickly.
IT Systems Engineer
A Linux or Windows infrastructure engineer who manages IRIS deployments alongside other platforms and needs deeper IRIS-specific admin skills to own them fully.
Healthcare IT Administrator
A system admin in a health or life sciences environment running IRIS-based platforms who needs to master security hardening, auditing, and compliance-grade backup strategies.
Solo IRIS Admin
The only IRIS administrator at their organization who needs exam-level mastery across every domain — installation, HA, backup, and security — because there's no team to cover the gaps.
Questions
Frequently asked
Your teacher
A note from your teacher
Carla Paton
If you're studying for the InterSystems IRIS System Administration Specialist exam, there's a good chance you've already run into the problem: the official documentation is extensive, the exam blueprint is broad, and almost everything available online assumes you'll figure out the gaps yourself. You end up patchworking knowledge from forum threads, outdated Caché docs, and whatever you've absorbed on the job — and hoping it's enough. It usually isn't, not for the exam, and definitely not for a production mirror failover at midnight.
I built IRIS Admin Pro because that's a solvable problem. The certification domains — installation, monitoring, backup, high availability, security — are well-defined. The commands, the configuration screens, the architecture patterns: they're learnable. What's been missing is a single, structured resource that covers all of them at the depth a real IRIS administrator actually needs, mapped precisely to what the exam tests and what production demands.
Every module in this school is written the way I'd want to be briefed before taking on a new IRIS environment. Not watered down, not padded. You'll configure namespaces and global mappings, work through ^SystemPerformance collection and interpretation, design a freeze/thaw-compatible backup procedure, stand up a mirror set with an arbiter, and lock down an IRIS instance with role-based access controls, SSL/TLS, and audit logging — all grounded in accurate InterSystems terminology and real configuration scenarios, not abstract concepts.
The final module is where it all comes together: a certification blueprint gap analysis, domain-targeted practice question sets covering every tested area, and a full-length timed exam simulation. By the time you sit the real exam, you'll have already taken it once under pressure — and you'll know exactly which domains are solid and which needed the extra pass.
If you're ready to stop patching and start preparing systematically, this is where you do it. The exam is passable. The production skills are buildable. Let's get to work.
— Carla Paton
Start your journey today
Join get instant access — learn at your own pace with an AI coach in your corner.
$59/mo
Recurring billing · cancel anytime
Secure checkout · Instant access
- 6 modules, 24 lessons
- AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
- Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
- Your own AI learning coach
- Learn on any device, at your pace
- Full access for as long as you're subscribed