D-ISM-FN-23 Questions and Answers

A big data ecosystem leverages advanced processing and management techniques to handle large volumes of unstructured data, such as social media posts, videos, and sensor data. This enables organizations to derive valuable insights and make informed decisions. By applying methods like distributed computing and machine learning, businesses can extract meaningful patterns, trends, and relationships from data that traditional systems cannot efficiently manage.

References:

• Dell EMC Education Services

As previously mentioned, scale-out NAS architecture supports the dynamic expansion of the storage environment by incorporating additional nodes. Each node enhances the system's overall storage capacity and performance capabilities. This model ensures that storage can scale out efficiently to accommodate growing data volumes and changing business requirements, providing flexibility and resilience.

References:

• Dell EMC Education Services: Information Storage and Management (ISM) V5 course materials
• Dell Technologies scale-out NAS solutions documentation

The purpose of the policy engine in a data archiving environment is to automate the process of moving the appropriate data from primary storage into archive storage. It does this by monitoring data access patterns in primary storage and automatically moving the data that is least accessed into an archive storage device. This process allows for more efficient use of primary storage and also reduces storage costs.

The disk service time of a hard disk drive (HDD) is calculated using several factors:

• Seek Time: The time it takes for the read/write head to move to the track where the data is stored.
• Rotational Latency: The time it takes for the platter to rotate and position the correct sector under the read/write head.
• Data Transfer Rate: The speed at which data can be read from or written to the disk once the read/write head is in position.

Together, these factors determine the overall performance and speed of the HDD in accessing and retrieving data.References: Dell Information Storage and Management V5 documents.

The correct sequence of steps to perform a data recovery operation is as follows:

• Backup client requests backup server for datastore services.
• Backup server instructs storage node to load backup media in the backup device.
• Backup server scans backup catalog to identify the client and data to be restored.
• Data is read and sent to the backup client.This sequence ensures that the appropriate data is identified and restored efficiently.References:

• Dell EMC Information Storage and Management V5, Module on Data Backup and Recovery

In Fibre Channel networks, an E_port (Expansion port) is used to connect two FC switches. The "X" in the exhibit indicates a connection between two FC switches, representing an E_port, which allows the creation of larger fabrics by linking multiple switches.

References: Dell EMC ISM V5 Module 4, "Fibre Channel SAN," details the different types of FC ports and their functions.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) is a set of IEEE standards that provide a lossless Ethernet network for Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE). DCB enhances Ethernet networks to support the lossless delivery of storage traffic and other high-priority data by incorporating features like Priority-based Flow Control (PFC) and Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS). These features ensure that storage traffic, such as FCoE, can be transmitted reliably over Ethernet without packet loss.References:= Dell Information Storage and Management V5 course materials

In Continuous Data Protection (CDP), the amount of space allocated for the journal determines how long the system can retain recovery points. The journal stores changes to data, and a larger journal can hold more changes over a longer period, thus allowing for recovery to a point further back in time. Therefore, the length of time the recovery points can go back is directly influenced by the journal size.References: Dell Information Storage and Management V5, Data Protection and Replication,Dell Certification Resource

Target-based deduplication is recommended when there are concerns about application server performance and long backup windows. In this approach, deduplication is performed on the target storage system, offloading the deduplication process from the application servers. This minimizes the impact on server performance and reduces the backup window. Additionally, target-based deduplication allows organizations to retain their existing backup applications without significant modifications.

References:

• Dell Information Storage and Management V5 course materials, section on deduplication
• Dell EMC documentation on target-based deduplication

Data archiving involves moving data that is no longer actively used to a separate storage system designed for long-term retention. The purpose of data archiving is to free up primary storage space, reduce costs, and ensure that inactive data is stored securely and can be retrieved when needed. Fixed content refers to data that does not change over time, such as historical records, logs, or finalized reports. By transferring this fixed content to archive storage, organizations can maintain the availability of valuable data without occupying high-performance primary storage resources.

References:

• Dell EMC Information Storage and Management V5 Course, Module 5: Backup, Archive, and Replication.
• Dell EMC ISM V5 Student Guide, Page 120-121.

In storage systems, "block-based" storage refers to the storage of data in fixed-sized blocks. Each block is identified by a unique address and can be individually accessed and modified. Block storage is typically used in SAN (Storage Area Network) environments and is well-suited for databases and virtual machine file systems where high performance and low latency are critical. The "X" in the exhibit likely indicates a storage type that offers these characteristics, pointing towards block-based storage.References: Dell Information Storage and Management V5, Types of Storage Systems,Dell Certification Resource

The "variability" characteristic of big data refers to the changing and often unpredictable nature of the data and its context. Variability highlights the need for systems to adapt and understand the context in which the data is used to extract meaningful information. This is crucial for making accurate and timely decisions based on data that can vary greatly in form and meaning depending on the situation.References: Dell Information Storage and Management V5, Big Data Characteristics,Dell Certification Resource

The image illustrates a typical network connectivity setup where clients are connected to servers via an Ethernet switch, and the servers are connected to storage systems through an iSCSI target and an FC switch. This setup is representative of compute to storage connectivity, where the servers (compute) access storage resources.

References:

• Dell EMC Information Storage and Management V5 course material, Module on Networked Storage - SAN.

Cloud tiering is a technology that automatically moves inactive or infrequently accessed data from high-performance primary storage to lower-cost secondary storage, such as cloud-based object storage. This process is based on policies that are defined by the IT administrator. Cloud tiering is a part of the secondary storage tier, which is typically used for storing inactive or infrequently accessed data that does not require the high performance or low latency of primary storage. The primary storage tier is used for storing active or frequently accessed data that requires high performance and low latency. The application tier is used for hosting applications and services, while the policy tier is used for defining and enforcing data management policies. Reference: Section 4.4 Secondary Storage Tier, page 239.

Parity-based RAID protection uses fewer physical drives than mirroring to provide the same level of data protection. It does this by using error correction codes to detect and correct errors in the data. This allows for a much more efficient use of storage capacity, as it only requires the same amount of storage capacity as the actual data, rather than requiring twice the storage capacity as with mirroring. Additionally, parity RAID systems have the advantage of being able to recover from drive failures without having to wait for the data to be rewritten to the remaining drives, as is the case with mirroring.

In a software-defined networking (SDN) architecture, the infrastructure layer is responsible for data packet forwarding or dropping. This layer includes the physical network devices (such as switches and routers) and the software that controls them. It receives instructions from the control layer, which makes decisions about how traffic should be managed based on policies and network conditions. The infrastructure layer then implements these decisions, forwarding packets to their destinations or dropping them if necessary, ensuring efficient and secure data transmission across the network.

References:

• Dell EMC Information Storage and Management V5 Course, Module 6: Cloud Computing and Virtualization.
• Dell EMC ISM V5 Student Guide, Page 145-146.

VMware AirWatch is a mobile device management (MDM) solution that enables employees to enroll their mobile devices in an enterprise environment. It provides secure access to enterprise resources by ensuring that devices are compliant with the organization's security policies. This product supports a wide range of mobile devices and allows administrators to manage thedevices, applications, and data securely.References: Dell Information Storage and Management V5, Mobile Device Management,Dell Certification Resource

A Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a physical or logical subnetwork that contains and exposes an organization's external-facing services to a larger, untrusted network, typically the Internet. The purpose of a DMZ is to add an additional layer of security to an organization's local area network (LAN); an external attacker only has access to equipment in the DMZ, rather than any other part of the network. This mechanism secures internal assets while allowing Internet-based access to selected resources.

References:

• Dell EMC Information Storage and Management V5 documentation.
• Dell Certification Overview

NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) uses an embedded PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) controller to connect hosts to M.2 storage devices. This direct connection allows for high-speed data transfer and low latency, making NVMe suitable for performance-intensive applications.

References:

• Dell EMC Information Storage and Management V5, Module: Storage Technologies

The VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) tagging protocol supports a maximum of 4096 VLANs. This is because the VLAN tag field in an Ethernet frame is 12 bits long, which allows for 2^12 (4096) unique VLAN IDs.

References:

• Dell EMC Information Storage and Management V5, Module: Storage Networking

The Transport layer (Layer 4) of the OSI reference model provides logical end-to-end connections, sequencing, and data integrity. This layer is responsible for delivering data across network connections, ensuring that the data is transferred accurately and reliably. It handles error correction, data flow control, and retransmission of lost or corrupted data packets. Examples of protocols operating at this layer include TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol).References:= Dell Information Storage and Management V5 course materials

The Dell EMC ViPR Controller is a software-defined storage (SDS) platform that abstracts, pools, and automates a data center’s physical storage infrastructure. It provides a unified storage management platform that simplifies storage provisioning, improves utilization, and automates storage workflows. ViPR Controller supports heterogeneous storage environments, making it a versatile solution for modern data centers.References: Dell Information Storage and Management V5, Software-Defined Storage Solutions,Dell Certification Resource

This is because CNA adapters can support both FC and Ethernet traffic over a single cable2, reducing the need for separate host adapters for each protocol. The other options do not seem to be direct benefits of using FCoE protocol.

• Scale-out NAS: Scale-out NAS architecture allows the addition of nodes to the NAS cluster seamlessly. Each node contributes to the overall capacity and performance of the system.
• Data Striping: Data is striped across multiple nodes, which enhances performance and enables efficient data protection using mirroring or parity.
• Advantages: This method provides high availability, scalability, and performance improvements as the workload is distributed across multiple nodes.

References: Dell ISM V5 Course, Module on NAS Solutions and Scale-Out NAS.

IoT optimizes city transportation infrastructure maintenance by providing real-time data and analytics. Sensors and connected devices can monitor various aspects of the transportation infrastructure, such as traffic flow, road conditions, and public transportation usage. This data allows city officials to make informed decisions regarding maintenance schedules, infrastructure improvements, and resource allocation, ultimately leading to a more efficient and effective transportation system.

References:

• Dell EMC Information Storage and Management (ISM) v5, Module on IoT and Smart Cities, with specific examples of transportation infrastructure optimization.

In a data archiving environment, the archive agent is responsible for scanning primary storage to identify files that need to be archived. The agent looks for files based on specific criteria such as age, size, and access frequency, then initiates the archiving process by moving or copying the files to the archive storage. This helps in managing storage efficiently by freeing up space on primary storage.References: Dell Information Storage and Management V5 documents, ExamTopics.

This is an example of an image-based data protection method. With image-based data protection, a proxy server regularly takes Point-in-Time (PIT) snapshots of the virtual machine (VM) that is being protected. These snapshots are then stored in a secure location, allowing the user to quickly restore access to the VM in the event of a hardware failure. This type of data protection is effective for preserving the state of the VM, as well as any data stored on it, making it a reliable and secure way to protect data.

Operation management in the context of storage management ensures that services and service levels are delivered per Service Level Agreements (SLAs). It encompasses various processes that monitor, control, and manage the storage infrastructure's operations to ensure it meets the predefined service levels. This involves performance management, capacity management, and ensuring data availability and integrity. By continuously monitoring the system and taking proactive measures, operation management ensures that the storage environment adheres to the agreed SLAs, providing the required performance, availability, and capacity.

References: Dell Information Storage and Management V5 course material -Dell Education

Information availability in a modern data center environment is defined by three key parameters: Reliability, Accessibility, and Timeliness.

• Reliability refers to the system's ability to function correctly and consistently over time.
• Accessibility ensures that the data is available when needed.
• Timeliness means the data can be retrieved and used within the required time frame.

References:

• Dell Information Storage and Management V5 course materials, section on information availability
• Dell EMC documentation on data center information availability

FCIP (Fibre Channel over IP) is used to extend Fibre Channel networks over IP networks. It connects local Fibre Channel SANs to remote Fibre Channel SANs, enabling long-distance connectivity and disaster recovery solutions.

References: Dell EMC ISM V5 Module 7, "Storage Network Connectivity," provides details on FCIP and its use cases.

In the provided diagram, the selected backup architecture component labeled as receiving backup data from the hypervisor is a storage node. Storage nodes are responsible for storing and managing backup data, and they often work in conjunction with backup servers and clients to provide a comprehensive backup solution. They handle the storage and retrieval of backup data and may also be involved in tracking and managing metadata associated with the backups.References: Dell Information Storage and Management V5 documents, ExamTopics. ​

A software-defined data center (SDDC) is an architecture that extends virtualization concepts such as abstraction, pooling, and automation to all of the data center's resources and services. In an SDDC, IT resource components like computing, networking, storage, and security are all virtualized, except for the commodity hardware used to create resource pools. This virtualized environment enables more efficient resource management and scalability.

References:

• Dell EMC Information Storage and Management V5 documentation.
• Dell Certification Overview

In a NAS environment, the Common Internet File System (CIFS) provides a public or open variation of the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol. CIFS is designed to allow file sharing over a network and is built on the TCP/IP protocol. It enables users to access files on remote systems as if they were on their local machines, supporting file sharing, printing, and various network services.

References:

• Dell Information Storage and Management V5 course materials, section on NAS protocols
• Dell EMC documentation on CIFS

Pre-integrated systems are vendor-provided solutions that combine compute, network, storage, and management functions as a single engineered solution. This approach is also known as a converged infrastructure or a hyper-converged infrastructure. The vendor provides pre-configured, pre-tested hardware and software components that work together seamlessly. The pre-integrated system reduces the complexity of building and deploying IT infrastructure, while also improving performance, scalability, and reliability. This approach is different from a DIY (do-it-yourself) approach, where an organization builds its infrastructure from individual components, and a DCaaS (Data Center as a Service) approach, where the organization outsources its entire data center to a third-party provider. Reference: Section 1.7 Converged Infrastructure, page 62.

Upon receiving a service provisioning or management request, orchestrated operations trigger the appropriate workflow. Orchestration involves automating the arrangement, coordination, and management of complex computer systems, middleware, and services. It ensures that the necessary resources are provisioned and managed efficiently in response to user requests.

References:

• Dell Information Storage and Management V5 course materials, section on service provisioning and management
• Dell EMC documentation on orchestration in data centers

Seek time, Rotational latency, and Data transfer rate are the three factors that govern the overall performance of a hard disk drive (HDD). Seek time is the time required by the read/write head to move to the correct location on the disk, rotational latency is the time required by the disk platter to rotate to bring the desired sector under the read/write head, and data transfer rate is the speed at which data can be transferred between the disk and the buffer (or cache) memory [1]. Bandwidth, RAID level, and I/O operations per second are not factors that govern HDD performance.

In Fibre Channel (FC) networking, the port types are crucial for understanding the connections between devices. The "X" in the exhibit represents an F_port. An F_port, or Fabric port, is a port on a switch that connects to an N_port, or Node port, which is typically on a host or storage device. This setup facilitates communication within the storage area network (SAN).

References:

• Dell EMC Information Storage and Management (ISM) Version 5.0, Chapter on Storage Networking Technologies

• RAID 6 Array: RAID 6 uses double parity for data protection, which means two disks' worth of capacity is used for parity information.
• Capacity Calculation: In a RAID 6 array with four disks, each 200 GB, the usable data storage capacity is calculated as follows:Total Disk Capacity=4×200 GB=800 GBTotal Disk Capacity=4×200 GB=800 GBUsable Capacity=Total Disk Capacity−Parity Disk Capacity=800 GB−2×200 GB=400 GBUsable Capacity=Total Disk Capacity−Parity Disk Capacity=800 GB−2×200 GB=400 GB

References: Dell ISM V5 Course, Module on RAID Configurations and Data Protection.

VM hardening involves changing the default settings of virtual machines (VMs) to improve security. This process includes disabling unnecessary services, applying patches, and configuring security policies to protect against vulnerabilities and attacks.

References: Dell EMC ISM V5 Module 10, "Security and Virtualization," discusses the importance of VM hardening and specific practices.

VMware vRealize Orchestrator is a workflow automation solution designed to automate and coordinate the service delivery and operational functions in a storage infrastructure. It provides pre-defined workflows that simplify complex IT processes and integrate with other VMware products and third-party systems, enabling streamlined operations and improved efficiency.References:= Dell ISMv5 Course Module 7: Storage Infrastructure Management.

Unified storage systems allow for the management of both file and block data in a single system, leading to better storage utilization. By consolidating different types of data, storage resources can be more efficiently allocated, reducing the amount of stranded or unused capacity and optimizing overall storage utilization.

References:

• Dell EMC Information Storage and Management V5, Module: Storage Systems

Under the Platform as a Service (PaaS) model, the consumer is responsible for managing applications and data. The service provider manages the underlying infrastructure, including servers, storage, networking, and the platform (runtime, middleware, and operating system). This allows consumers to focus on developing and running applications without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.References:

• Dell EMC Information Storage and Management V5, Module on Cloud Services and Deployment Models

Storage system-based replication creates a point-in-time copy of the source data, allowing for the ability to restore the data from the snapshot. All the snapshots created from a source volume should be the same size for the most efficient use of storage space. Taking multiple snapshots does not necessarily improve the performance of the source volume.

The exhibit shows a process where data is being transferred between a control storage system and a remote storage system. This process represents data migration, which involves moving data from one storage system to another. This can be part of upgrading to new storage technology, balancing storage loads, or disaster recovery planning.

References:

• Dell EMC Information Storage and Management (ISM) Version 5.0, Chapter on Data Protection Solutions

• Total Operational Hours (Monday to Friday): 12 hours/day * 5 days = 60 hours
• Failure Times:
• Total Failure Hours (Monday to Friday): 2 + 5 + 3 + 3 = 13 hours
• Availability Calculation:Availability=(Total Operational Hours−Failure HoursTotal Operational Hours)×100Availability=(Total Operational HoursTotal Operational Hours−Failure Hours​)×100Availability=(60−1360)×100=70Availability=(6060−13​)×100=70

References: Dell ISM V5 Course, Module on Availability and Performance Management.

Data shredding is a method of data destruction that goes beyond simple deletion. It involves overwriting the data on a storage device multiple times with random data to ensure that the original data cannot be recovered. This process is used to securely erase sensitive information and protect against data breaches and unauthorized access.References: Dell Information Storage and Management V5 documents, ExamTopics.

Cyber recovery is a process of restoring critical data and systems in the event of a cyber attack. This goal of this process is to ensure that a copy of the data is always available, even if the original data has been corrupted or compromised. This can be done by isolating a copy of the data and keeping it separate from the original. This ensures that the data is always available should a cyber attack occur, allowing the business to quickly restore the original data and continue operations.

Migrating to a modern data center offers several benefits, one of which is reducing administration complexity and application downtime to consistently meet Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Modern data centers use advanced technologies such as automation, orchestration, and virtualization to streamline management processes and improve the reliability and availability of applications. This leads to reduced downtime, easier management, and the ability to meet or exceed SLAs more consistently.

References: Dell Information Storage and Management V5 course material -Dell Education

• Multi-Site Remote Replication Solution: This type of solution is implemented to provide redundancy and high availability by replicating data across multiple geographic locations.
• Importance: The primary goal is to ensure that data protection is not compromised in the event of a single site failure, which can be due to various reasons like natural disasters, power outages, or other catastrophic events.
• Data Protection: By having multiple sites, data remains accessible and protected even if one site becomes non-operational, thus ensuring business continuity and disaster recovery.

References: Dell ISM V5 Course, Module on Remote Replication and Data Protection Strategies.