Systems Services Representative

IBM

Nar Nar Goon

On-site

AUD 120,000 - 150,000

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

A global technology leader is seeking a mid-senior level IBM Elastic Storage System (ESS) System Administrator in Nar Nar Goon, Victoria. This role involves responsibility for the design, administration, and performance of IBM ESS environments powered by IBM Spectrum Scale (GPFS). The ideal candidate will have advanced knowledge of storage hardware and systems and deep expertise in Linux administration. Opportunities for career growth and continuous learning are emphasized in a supportive culture.

Qualifications

Expert knowledge of IBM Elastic Storage System.
Deep understanding of storage hardware and firmware lifecycle.
Advanced administration and troubleshooting of IBM Spectrum Scale.

Responsibilities

Design, administration, and lifecycle management of IBM ESS environments.
Performance tuning and troubleshooting for critical workloads.
Collaboration with engineering on infrastructure solutions.

Skills

IBM ESS architecture

IBM Spectrum Scale (GPFS)

Linux system administration

Networking knowledge

Performance tuning

Education

Master's Degree

Job description

Introduction

At IBM Infrastructure & Technology, we design and operate the systems that keep the world running. From high‑resiliency mainframes and hybrid cloud platforms to networking, automation, and site reliability. Our teams ensure the performance, security, and scalability that clients and industries depend on every day. Working in Infrastructure & Technology means tackling complex challenges with curiosity and collaboration. You’ll work with diverse technologies and colleagues worldwide to deliver resilient, future‑ready solutions that power innovation. With continuous learning, career growth, and a supportive culture, IBM provides the opportunities to build expertise and shape the infrastructure that drives progress.

Your Role And Responsibilities

Deep understanding of IBM Spectrum Scale (GPFS) architecture
- NSD servers, quorum nodes, manager roles
- Metadata vs data disks
- Failure groups & declustering
ESS node roles
- I/O Server (IOS)
- Management node
- Client nodes (HPC / AI workloads)
ESS building blocks
- Building block layout (BB, racks, drawers)
- Disk enclosures, NVMe / SSD / HDD tiers
ESS high availability design
- Node failover
- Disk and enclosure redundancy
- Network path redundancy

Spectrum Scale (GPFS) – Advanced Administration

Install, configure, and upgrade Spectrum Scale on ESS
File system lifecycle management
- Create, modify, extend, and delete GPFS file systems
- Fileset design (dependent/independent)
- Snapshot management
Advanced GPFS tuning
- Pagepool tuning
- Token management
- NSD performance optimization
Quorum & cluster health management
CES (Cluster Export Services)
- NFS, SMB, Object (if applicable)
- Authentication (AD / LDAP)
ILM (Information Lifecycle Management)
- Tiering policies
- Placement rules & Policy execution and troubleshooting

Storage Hardware Expertise (ESS-Specific)

Disk and enclosure management
- Drive replacement procedures
- Drawer and enclosure diagnostics
- RAID and declustered array behavior
Firmware management
- Disk, enclosure, HBA, NIC firmware
- Non-disruptive firmware updates
Hardware error interpretation
- ESS event logs
- Call Home data
- Predictive failure analysis

Performance Engineering & Troubleshooting

Networking (Critical Skill Area)
ESS networking design
- Data vs management networks
- High‑speed interconnects (25/40/100 GbE)
VLAN, bonding, LACP configuration
RDMA / RoCE concepts (for performance‑critical deployments)
Network troubleshooting impacting storage I/O

Linux System Administration (Advanced)

RHEL administration (ESS‑certified versions)
Kernel parameter tuning
Systemd services for ESS & GPFS
Disk, multipathing, and device management
Log analysis and root cause isolation
Secure access, sudo, SSH hardening

Availability, DR & Maintenance

Planned maintenance with zero or minimal downtime
Rolling upgrades (Spectrum Scale & firmware)
Backup and restore strategies
- GPFS snapshots
- Integration with backup tools
Disaster recovery concepts
- Multi‑cluster ESS
- AFM (Active File Management)
- Replication and failover
Operational Excellence & IBM Processes
Deep familiarity with
- IBM ESS maintenance workflows
- Firmware compatibility matrices
- IBM support engagement (PMRs)
Root cause analysis documentation
Change management and risk assessment
Client advisory and best‑practice guidance

Preferred Education

Master's Degree

Role Summary

The IBM Elastic Storage System (ESS) System Administrator is responsible for the design, administration, performance, availability, and lifecycle management of IBM ESS environments powered by IBM Spectrum Scale (GPFS).

This role requires deep technical expertise across storage hardware, Spectrum Scale software, Linux, and high‑performance networking to support mission‑critical HPC, AI, and enterprise workloads.

Key Responsibilities