How IBM Exam Codes Worked
IBM used a C-prefix followed by a four-digit family number and a sequence number. The family number identified the product area: C4040 covered Power Systems, C4090 covered storage, C4120 covered PureFlex converged systems, C2090 covered information management including DataStage, and C2010 covered service management products such as Maximo and Tivoli.
Within a family, exams were often split by role. The Power Systems track used a shared core exam plus operating-system-specific branches, and the storage and PureFlex families each paired a sales exam with a technical one.
Certification Tiers
IBM credentials of this period ran from Specialist through Expert, with separate titles for sales and technical roles. Solution Developer and Deployment Professional titles indicated hands-on technical credentials, while Sales Specialist and Sales Expert indicated commercial ones.
Several exams counted toward more than one certification. The Power Systems common core exam, for example, fed three separate credentials depending on which branch exam accompanied it.
What Happened to These Product Lines
The clearest break was the January 2014 announcement that IBM would sell its x86 server business to Lenovo, completing later that year. That moved most of the hardware behind PureFlex converged systems out of IBM entirely.
Power Systems stayed with IBM and continues through successive processor generations. Storage products were consolidated and repeatedly rebranded. DataStage and Maximo remain current IBM products under evolved names and delivery models.
Where the Paths Lead Today
There is no conversion or credit from a retired version-locked IBM certification to a current one. Where a product still exists, IBM certifies on its present release, and current requirements should be verified with IBM directly since its certification catalogue is dynamically generated and changes.
For credentials whose products were sold or discontinued, the transferable value is the underlying discipline rather than the product knowledge: total cost of ownership analysis for the sales credentials, and cross-domain troubleshooting and architectural reasoning for the technical ones.
All Guides
C2010-590: IBM Tivoli Storage Manager V6.3, Now IBM Storage Protect
C2010-590 was IBM Tivoli Storage Manager V6.3 Implementation: 105 minutes, 65 questions, 64 percent to pass.
C2010-570: IBM Maximo Asset Management V7.5 Implementation
C2010-570 was IBM Maximo Asset Management V7.5 Implementation: 105 minutes, 66 questions, 69 percent to pass.
C2010-501: IBM Maximo Asset Management V7.5
C2010-501 was the Maximo infrastructure exam: 90 minutes, 57 questions, and a 71 percent passing score, the highest of the Maximo family.
C4120-783: IBM PureFlex Technical Support V2
C4120-783 was IBM PureFlex Technical Support V2: 75 minutes, 45 questions, 66 percent to pass.
C4120-782: IBM PureFlex Systems Sales V2, Retired
C4120-782 was IBM PureFlex Systems Sales V2: 90 minutes, 50 questions, 66 percent to pass.
C4090-456: IBM XIV Storage System Technical Solutions V4
C4090-456 was IBM XIV Storage System Technical Solutions V4: 105 minutes, 70 questions, 65 percent to pass.
C4090-455: High Volume Storage Fundamentals V3
C4090-455 was High Volume Storage Fundamentals V3: 105 minutes, 73 questions, 68 percent to pass, the most demanding of IBM's storage exams.
C4090-450: Midrange Storage Sales V1
C4090-450 was Midrange Storage Sales V1: 90 minutes, 60 questions, 65 percent to pass.
C4040-124: Power Systems with POWER7 and IBM i Sales Skills
C4040-124 was the IBM i branch of IBM's Power Systems sales track: 60 minutes, 44 questions, and a 70 percent passing score, the highest in the family.
C4040-123: Power Systems with POWER7 and AIX & Linux Sales Skills
C4040-123 was the AIX and Linux branch of IBM's Power Systems sales track: 60 minutes, 42 questions, 61 percent to pass.
C4040-122: Power Systems POWER7 Common Sales Skills
C4040-122 was the shared core exam in IBM's Power Systems sales track: 75 minutes, 52 questions, 63 percent to pass, counting toward three credentials.
C2090-303: IBM InfoSphere DataStage v9.1, and Why This One Aged Well
C2090-303 was IBM InfoSphere DataStage v9.1: 90 minutes, 67 questions, 59 percent to pass, leading to IBM Certified Solution Developer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are old IBM C-series certifications still valid?
No. Exams such as the C4040, C4090, C4120 and C2090 series are version-locked to products and releases that have since been superseded, and the exams are no longer offered. IBM does not publish a consolidated retired-exam list with retirement dates, so confirming a specific exam's status usually means checking IBM's current catalogue for the equivalent track rather than looking up the old code.
Did IBM sell the products these exams covered?
Some of them. IBM sold its x86 System x server business to Lenovo in a deal announced in January 2014, which covered most of the hardware behind the PureFlex converged systems. IBM's Power Systems line was not part of that sale and continues today through POWER8, POWER9 and POWER10. Storage products were consolidated and rebranded within IBM rather than sold.
Which of these products still exist?
Several. IBM DataStage is still current, now within IBM's modern data platform. IBM Maximo continues as IBM Maximo Application Suite. Tivoli Storage Manager was renamed IBM Spectrum Protect and later IBM Storage Protect. Power Systems, AIX and IBM i all remain current. XIV was consolidated into IBM's broader storage portfolio and no longer exists as a distinct brand.
How do I find the details of a retired IBM exam?
IBM published a tests-by-number table listing each exam's name, duration, question count, passing score, and the certifications it counted toward, along with per-exam pages carrying objectives and recommended courses. Those pages are no longer live but survive in web archives, and they are far more reliable than third-party exam listing sites, which frequently misstate what an exam covered.
What does this IBM Certifications section cover?
IBM's certification program used C-prefixed exam codes across Power Systems, storage, converged infrastructure, data integration and service management. Many of those exams are retired and version-locked to products that have since been renamed, superseded, or in one case sold to another company. This guide covers what each exam was and where the path leads now.