Test 114: IBM Systems Storage Implementation for Entry/Midrange DS Series v1

1. General knowledge and customer requirements

1. Determine the proper set up for a customer's DS3000, DS4000, and DS5000 in regards to space, power and cooling
2. Understand the impact of disk-drive technology, RAID levels and disk configuration in a current customer's environment (host types, OSes, applications) and how they meet customer expectations for capacity, performance and RAS
3. Read and analyze the preplanning documentation (e.g., TDA (previously SAPR) guides, pre-installation checklists, solution diagrams) to determine that the capacity, performance and RAS meet the customer's expectations.

2. Resources and tools

1. Using Technical Documentation: Given a task, identify and utilize the appropriate resources to complete the task successfully (e.g., technical documents, online help, checklists, etc).
2. When using the IBM support process (including warranty support, support line, Tech Express, RTS), identify and gather the necessary support information (e.g., collect all support data, shell data, etc.) and implement an action plan (e.g., replacing parts, etc.).
3. Install and use the set of available tools (e.g., bandwidth estimator, storage calculator, Exchange Estimator, Storage Sizing Estimator for Oracle, Disk Magic) and analyze their output to create more robust installations. (FYI - Disk Magic is not available for DS3000)

3. Physical installation of DSx

1. Using best practices, demonstrate the proper: 1) cabling scheme for the DS3000, DS4000, and DS5000 system hardware configuration (e.g., identifying the controller port, understanding the drive channel/loop scheme and expansion tray intermix), 2) expansion tray numbering, 3) power-up sequence and 4) port and controller IP address configuration.
2. Integrate or migrate new hardware into an existing DS3000, DS4000, and DS5000 storage system, including controllers, expansion units, drives, ESMs and SFPs. (FYI - There is a drive migration guide for DS4000, but not for DS3000) Need to understand how drive import and export work.
3. Integrate replacement parts into an existing DS3000, DS4000, and DS5000 storage system, including controllers, expansion units, drives, ESMs and SFPs.

4. Storage Manager configuration and installation

1. After developing a management scheme (in-band/out-band), install the necessary Storage Manager components (including client, agent, utilities and multi-path/failover driver) to implement the scheme.
2. Demonstrate the various processes for adding subsystems to the Storage Manager GUI (automatic, manual and restore) in a routed/firewalled network.
3. Configure systemwide settings of the subsystem using the CLI and/or the Enterprise Management Window (EMW) including e-mail alerts, SNMP and SMTP.

5. Host-specific configuration

1. Identify the DS5000, DS4000 or DS3000 host multipathing/failover requirements (e.g., RDAC, MPIO, DMP, PVLINKS, AVT) and SAN configuration requirements for a customer's operating system environment (e.g., SVC, VMWare ESX, clustering, boot from SAN, AIX, Windows, Linux). (Emphasis on the DS5000).

6. Subsystem configuration

1. Use the DS5000 (and DS4000, DS3000) Subsystem Management Window (SMW) to configure global controller settings (e.g., enclosure order, default host type, enclosure ID, media scan, name, passwords, clock sync, and enclosure alarms)
2. Use DS3000, DS4000, and DS5000 Subsystem Management Window (SMW) to identify the premium feature identifier, generate premium feature keys, install and activate the features
3. Use the Storage Manager to configure DS5000 (and DS4000, DS3000) subsystem RAID levels, arrays, LUNs, stripe sizes, media scan and hot spares using customer-gathered data.
4. Given a scenario, using the Subsystem Management Window (SMW) mapping view, create host groups and define storage partitioning using customer-gathered data (e.g., booting, clustering).
5. Identify and analyze the impact of the solution components (e.g., OS, SM, HBA, driver, multipath driver) system upgrade to controller firmware, NVSRAM code, ESM firmware, drive firmware to create a correct upgrade plan.
6. Upgrade DS5000 (or DS4000, DS3000) firmware to include, controller, ESM and drives.
7. Demonstrate basic cache-parameter tuning (e.g., various cache flush, write-ahead multiplier, cache mirroring, fill flush, write caching, write-caching multiplier).
8. Demonstrate when and how to use controller dynamic features (e.g., RAID migration, segment size, capacity expansion, volume expansion, dynamic mode switching).
9. Demonstrate when and how to use controller copy services (e.g., flash copy, volume copy, enhanced remote mirroring).
10. Describe the RSM capabilities and benefits

7. Problem determination

1. Monitor system health: Demonstrate how to use the functions and/or components (e.g., Recovery Guru, LEDs, MEL log, etc.) that are examined on a periodic basis to assess the overall health of a DS3000, DS4000, and DS5000 system.
2. Analyze system functions (e.g., alerts, alarms, LEDs, logs, Recovery Guru, component touch points), interpret the data, then determine the proper course of action (i.e., call IBM support, resolve the problem yourself, etc.) to assess basic subsystem health.
3. Analyze system functions, interpret the data (e.g., performance monitor, MEL log), then identify and assess basic subsystem performance characteristics: design issues vs. component failures, workload balance [controller ownership, logical drive distribution, array defrag].
4. Understand the parameters under which you would use the advanced recovery menu to revive, reconstruct, or initialize an array, LUN, or drive.