Dell Proven Professional · Foundations · D-PE-FN-23
Dell PowerEdge
Foundations
Build a solid foundation in Dell PowerEdge server technologies — covering server types, RAID storage, iDRAC management, networking, virtualisation, server maintenance, benchmarking, and security best practices.
Build your PowerEdge expertise — from server types, RAID, and iDRAC through server networking, virtualisation, maintenance, benchmarking, and enterprise security best practices.
Module 01
Introduction to Servers
›Server types — rack (1U/2U/4U R-series), tower (T-series), blade (M-series), and modular (MX-series); form factor trade-offs for density, cooling, and management overhead
›Storage components — HDDs (SAS/SATA/NL-SAS), SSDs (SAS SSD, SATA SSD, NVMe), storage bays (hot-plug vs tool-less), BOSS card (Boot Optimised Storage Solution for OS boot)
›iDRAC UI navigation — accessing iDRAC9 web interface (default IP 192.168.0.120), storage menu (dashboard → storage → physical disks, virtual disks, PERC controllers)
›RAID concepts — RAID 0 (stripe, no redundancy), RAID 1 (mirror), RAID 5 (stripe with parity, minimum 3 disks), RAID 6 (dual parity), RAID 10 (stripe of mirrors); write penalty for RAID 5/6
›Virtual disk creation — using iDRAC9 UI to create virtual disk (select PERC controller, disk selection, RAID level, strip size, read/write policy), and monitoring rebuild progress
›Server system setup — accessing System Setup (F2 at POST), configuring BIOS settings (boot sequence, hyperthreading, power management, Secure Boot), and rebooting into setup mode
›OS installation — attaching ISO via iDRAC Virtual Media, booting from virtual ISO, installing Windows Server 2022, and configuring initial OS settings post-install
Module 02
Server Networking
›Server roles — web server, database server, application server, file server, domain controller; each with different CPU/RAM/network I/O profiles and HA requirements
›Network Daughter Cards (NDC) — NDC slot on PowerEdge motherboard for LOM (LAN on Motherboard), NDC card types (quad-port 1G, dual-port 10G/25G), PCIe NIC slots for additional interfaces
›IP addressing — IPv4 (classful vs classless, CIDR notation), IPv6 basics, subnet calculation, static vs DHCP address assignment, and configuring static IP via iDRAC or OS
›Network services — DNS (name resolution), DHCP (dynamic addressing), NTP (time synchronisation), SNMP (monitoring), and their role in server infrastructure management
›Virtualisation — hypervisor types (Type 1: VMware vSphere/ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V; Type 2: VirtualBox), VM components (vCPU, vRAM, vNIC, VMDK), and benefits (consolidation, isolation, live migration, HA)
Module 03
Server Maintenance
›Server components — hot-plug vs cold-plug components (HDDs, PSU, fans), FRU (Field Replaceable Unit) procedures, and ESD (electrostatic discharge) precautions
›Server management applications — iDRAC9 (out-of-band, always-on), iDRAC Service Module/iSM (in-band OS-level integration), OpenManage Enterprise (OME: centralised multi-server management), OpenManage Essentials, and Redfish API
›Server power distribution — redundant PSU operation (active/active vs active/standby), hot-swap PSU replacement procedure, power capping via iDRAC, and UPS/PDU integration for power redundancy
›Server environments — data centre requirements (ambient temperature 18–27°C, humidity 40–60% RH), hot aisle/cold aisle containment, server orientation in rack, and cable management best practices
›Benchmarking — tools for performance measurement (SPECcpu for compute, SPECjbb for Java workloads, Iometer for storage IOPS/throughput, iperf for network throughput), establishing baselines and detecting degradation
›Troubleshooting — using iDRAC System Event Log (SEL), LCD fault codes, POST error codes, iDRAC hardware alerts, OS-level event logs, and Dell SupportAssist for automated diagnostics
›Change management — change request process, configuration baseline documentation, rolling back firmware updates, and verifying system health post-change
Module 04
Server Security
›Server security definition — physical security (rack locks, data centre access control), OS hardening (disabling unused services, minimal install), firmware security (Secure Boot, iDRAC lockdown mode, signed firmware updates)
›Implementing server security — iDRAC security features: role-based access control (Administrator, Operator, ReadOnly), MFA/two-factor authentication (TOTP), IP range filtering, certificate-based authentication, and audit log review
›Backup plans — 3-2-1 rule (3 copies, 2 media types, 1 offsite), backup window planning, backup software selection (Dell PPDM, Veeam, Commvault), and integration with tape libraries vs disk targets
›Storage security — SED (Self-Encrypting Drives) with PERC controller key management, RAID as resilience not security, secure drive erasure (cryptographic erase for SSD, DOD 7-pass for HDD), and drive disposal procedures
›Analysing storage solutions — comparing DAS (Direct Attached Storage) vs SAN (Fibre Channel/iSCSI) vs NAS (NFS/CIFS); use cases, cost considerations, and performance trade-offs for PowerEdge deployments
Technologies You Will Master
iDRAC9
RAID / PERC
Lifecycle Controller
OpenManage Enterprise
iDRAC Service Module
BOSS Card
NDC / NIC
NVMe SSD
Secure Boot
SED Encryption
vSphere ESXi
Hyper-V
Benchmarking
Redfish API
Hot-Plug PSU
Server Security
iDRAC9
RAID / PERC
Lifecycle Controller
OpenManage Enterprise
iDRAC Service Module
BOSS Card
NDC / NIC
NVMe SSD
Secure Boot
SED Encryption
vSphere ESXi
Hyper-V
Benchmarking
Redfish API
Hot-Plug PSU
Server Security
Full Curriculum
4-Module D-PE-FN-23 Programme
Complete PowerEdge Foundations curriculum — from server hardware, RAID, and iDRAC through networking, virtualisation, maintenance, benchmarking, and security.
›Identify storage components — SAS/SATA/NVMe drives, hot-plug drive bays, BOSS card (M.2 SSD for OS boot), PERC RAID controller (H-series: H350/H755/H965), and SAS HBA for direct pass-through
›Navigate to storage menu using iDRAC UI — accessing iDRAC9 web console, navigating Storage → Physical Disks / Virtual Disks / Controllers, viewing health indicators and drive LED status
›Explain RAID concepts — RAID 0 (stripe, max performance, no redundancy), RAID 1 (mirror, 50% capacity), RAID 5 (distributed parity, min 3 disks, single drive failure tolerance), RAID 6 (dual parity), RAID 10 (best performance + redundancy)
›Create virtual disk using iDRAC UI — selecting PERC controller, choosing physical disks, selecting RAID level, strip size (64K–1MB), read policy (Adaptive Read Ahead), write policy (Write Back vs Write Through), and monitoring rebuild
›Explain server system setup — BIOS System Setup (F2): boot sequence, BIOS passwords, hyperthreading, CPU power management (maximum performance vs OS-controlled), Secure Boot enable/disable, and network PXE boot
›Reboot into system setup, create RAID, attach virtual media, install Windows — full end-to-end OS installation lab using iDRAC Virtual Console and Virtual Media to attach ISO and deploy Windows Server
›Distinguish between server roles — web (Apache/IIS, outbound HTTP/HTTPS), database (SQL Server/Oracle, high IOPS local storage), application, file server (SMB/NFS, high throughput), and domain controller (low latency, dedicated NIC recommended)
›Differentiate Ethernet cables and speeds — Cat6a (10G over copper), SFP+ DAC cable (10G short-range), QSFP28 (100G); standards: 1000BASE-T, 10GBASE-SR, 25GBASE-CR; NIC auto-negotiation and duplex mismatch troubleshooting
›Describe IP protocols and addressing — IPv4 CIDR (subnet masks, /24 = 256 hosts), IPv6 (link-local, global unicast), configuring static IP via iDRAC Network Settings; DNS A/AAAA records, default gateway, VLAN ID on host NIC
›Network services — DHCP server role, DNS forward/reverse zones, NTP synchronisation (stratum hierarchy), SNMP v3 (OID, MIB, traps for hardware alerts), and their integration with server management tools
›Network Daughter Card (NDC) — understanding NDC slot (dedicated mezzanine slot on PowerEdge motherboard), available NDC options (quad-port 1G, dual-port 10G/25G OCP 3.0 NICs), and PCIe add-in card options for additional ports
›Virtualisation and benefits — Type 1 hypervisors (VMware ESXi, Hyper-V, KVM), VM resource isolation, vMotion/Live Migration for zero-downtime maintenance, HA (restart VMs on host failure), and NIC teaming (bonding) for VM network redundancy
›Differentiate server components — hot-plug components (HDD, PSU, fan modules: replaceable without power-off), cold-plug (PCIe cards, DIMMs, CPUs require power-off); FRU replacement with ESD wrist strap
›Identify server management applications — iDRAC9 (out-of-band, accessible even when host OS is down), iDRAC Service Module/iSM (in-band, provides OS-level data to iDRAC), OpenManage Enterprise (web console for managing hundreds of servers), OME Modular (for MX chassis)
›Describe server power distribution — dual PSU operation modes (active/active load-sharing vs active/standby), hot-swap PSU replacement procedure, iDRAC power capping (Power Budget), and PDU integration for per-outlet monitoring
›Explain server environments — ASHRAE thermal guidelines (A2: 10–35°C ambient), hot aisle/cold aisle containment, in-row cooling, blanking panels to prevent hot air recirculation, and humidity controls (40–60% RH non-condensing)
›Understand server troubleshooting — System Event Log (SEL) in iDRAC, POST beep codes, LCD amber fault code lookup, OS blue screen analysis, SupportAssist diagnostics (ePSA), and engaging Dell ProSupport
›Manage server configuration and change management — capturing baseline configuration (iDRAC export system profile), change request process, firmware update rollback (iDRAC → Firmware and Settings → Rollback), and verifying health post-change
›Define server security — CIA triad (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability) applied to server infrastructure; threat categories (physical theft, firmware attacks, OS exploitation, insider threat)
›Implement server security — Secure Boot (UEFI firmware verifies boot loader signature), iDRAC lockdown mode (prevents changes from host OS), signed firmware updates only, iDRAC IP filtering (restrict management access by IP range), and BIOS password
›Understand data backup — backup types: full (complete copy), incremental (changes since last backup), differential (changes since last full); RTO (Recovery Time Objective) vs RPO (Recovery Point Objective) definitions
›Backup plans — 3-2-1 strategy: 3 copies of data, 2 different media types, 1 offsite copy; scheduling backup windows during off-peak hours; testing restore procedures quarterly
›Analyse storage solutions — DAS (Direct Attached Storage: simplest, no sharing, limited scalability), SAN (Fibre Channel: high performance, block access, expensive), iSCSI SAN (block over IP, lower cost), NAS (file access via NFS/CIFS, easy sharing); PowerEdge deployment scenarios for each
Earn the D-PE-FN-23 Dell Proven Professional certification and validate your understanding of PowerEdge server hardware, iDRAC, RAID, networking, virtualisation, maintenance, and security fundamentals.