Dell PowerMax and VMAX Family Solutions Design D-PVM-DS-23

Solutions Design

For professionals positioning or designing PowerMax and VMAX All Flash solutions — array configuration, Virtual Provisioning, TimeFinder SnapVX, SRDF replication, virtualized environments, and capacity sizing.

Virtual Provisioning TimeFinder SnapVX SRDF/S SRDF/A SRDF/Metro Open Replicator Unisphere for PowerMax BCSD Tool VMAX Sizer Workload Planning Business Continuity VMware / vSphere

What You Will Learn

Six PowerMax/VMAX Design Modules

Master Dell PowerMax and VMAX All Flash solution design — positioning, Virtual Provisioning, TimeFinder SnapVX, SRDF replication modes, virtualized environments, and capacity sizing.

Module 01

PowerMax and VMAX All Flash Features

›Compare and contrast PowerMax and VMAX All Flash models — PowerMax 2500/8500 vs VMAX 250F/450F/950F; NVMe vs SAS SSDs; per-model throughput and capacity tiers
›Position PowerMax and VMAX All Flash solutions for enterprise use cases — mission-critical OLTP, AI/ML workloads, mainframe, and cloud-ready storage
›Identify PowerMax and VMAX management tools — Unisphere for PowerMax (GUI/REST); Solutions Enabler (CLI/SYMAPI); CloudIQ for cloud-based monitoring
›Explain Virtual Provisioning concepts — SRP (Storage Resource Pool) as thin-provisioned shared pool; TDEV (Thin Device) creation; capacity reclamation with SRDF
›Describe device and port management concepts — Front-End Adapter (FA) ports for host connectivity; Back-End Director (DA) ports for drive communication; RDF Directors for replication links

Module 02

Business Continuity

›Overcoming business continuity challenges — RTO and RPO requirements; active-active vs active-passive DR topologies; cost vs performance trade-offs
›Describe remote replication network connectivity options — IP (iSCSI/FCIP), dark fibre, DWDM, leased line for SRDF replication links; bandwidth and latency requirements per SRDF mode
›Identify SRDF features and solutions — SRDF/S (Synchronous): zero data loss, RPO=0, write acknowledgement after R2 commit; SRDF/A (Asynchronous): near-zero RPO, minimal performance impact; SRDF/Metro: active-active stretched storage, both sites serve I/O simultaneously
›SRDF group concepts — RDF groups define replication pairs between arrays; concurrent SRDF for dual-site fan-out; cascade SRDF for multi-hop replication
›Business continuity testing — SRDF/S planned failover; testing with Establish/Split/Restore cycle; non-disruptive DR test with SRDF/A test hop

Module 03

Open Replicator and Replication

›Describe TimeFinder SnapVX concepts — pointer-based snapshots stored on the source array; up to 256 concurrent SnapVX snapshots per device; zero-copy snapshot creation
›Perform TimeFinder SnapVX operations using management tools — Unisphere Create Snapshot; Solutions Enabler symdg command; snap link to create writable clone from snapshot
›SRDF/S architecture and design considerations — synchronous write-order fidelity; distance limitations (under 200 km at 4 ms RTT); use cases for financial and healthcare zero-loss environments
›RDF/A architecture and design considerations — delta set journal captures write deltas; transmission on configurable cycle time (30s default); ideal for long-distance DR over WAN links
›SRDF/Metro architecture and design considerations — dual-active L/R devices; Witness (third site quorum) or Bias mode for site failure detection; active/active load distribution and transparent failover

Module 04

Virtualized Environments

›Describe administrative tasks for virtualized environments — datastore provisioning via VMFS or NFS on PowerMax; SRDF-based datastore replication to DR site
›Replicating and recovering a datastore — SRDF/Metro or SRDF/A replication of VMware datastores; Site Recovery Manager (SRM) integration for automated VM failover and failback
›Key considerations for implementing PowerMax in virtualized environments — multipathing (MPIO/PowerPath) configuration; ESXi queue depth sizing for high-I/O workloads; VAAI integration for offloaded storage operations
›VM-aware storage management — CloudIQ for per-VM latency monitoring; vVol support on PowerMax for per-VM storage policy enforcement (optional advanced configuration)
›Live migration and storage vMotion — cross-datastore VM migration while maintaining SRDF protection; considerations for concurrent migrations during replication cycles

Module 05

Design and Sizing for PowerMax and VMAX All Flash

›Monitor PowerMax SRPs, compliance, and data reduction — SRP utilization dashboards in Unisphere; data reduction ratio (dedup + compression) monitoring; subscription vs allocated capacity
›Perform Workload Planning activities with Unisphere for PowerMax — historical performance analytics; what-if modelling; performance baseline for capacity planning decisions
›Identify design options and best practices — SRP design: one vs multiple SRPs; front-end port zoning best practices; SRDF link bandwidth calculation based on change rate and RPO
›Provide overview and data collection techniques for BCSD — data collection using SolutionsEnabler to export performance and configuration data; BCSD input parameters
›Design SRDF solutions with BCSD — Business Continuity Solution Designer tool: select SRDF mode, input workload, generate link bandwidth sizing, RTO/RPO modelling report
›Create PowerMax and VMAX sizing and upgrade solutions with VMAX Sizer — VMAX Sizer tool: input IOPS, capacity, host count; generate recommended model, SRP, and front-end port configuration

Module 06

Unisphere for PowerMax

›Describe architecture and key features of Unisphere for PowerMax — web-based management console; REST API back-end (RESTAPI gateway); role-based access control; multi-array management from single pane
›Install Unisphere for PowerMax — Unisphere for PowerMax as virtual appliance (OVA); embedded Unisphere on the array; standalone Unisphere server deployment for multi-array environments
›Navigate the Unisphere interface — dashboard overview; storage groups, masking views, and port groups for host access; alerts and event log; performance and capacity dashboards
›Perform administrative tasks using Unisphere for PowerMax — create storage groups and volumes; manage host initiator registrations; configure masking views; perform SRDF failover and establish operations; run SnapVX snapshots

Full Curriculum

6-Module D-PVM-DS-23 Programme

Complete PowerMax/VMAX design curriculum — from features and Virtual Provisioning through SRDF replication modes, virtualized environments, capacity sizing, and Unisphere management.

›Compare PowerMax and VMAX All Flash models and position for enterprise use cases
›Identify PowerMax and VMAX management tools: Unisphere, Solutions Enabler, CloudIQ
›Explain Virtual Provisioning concepts: SRP pools, TDEV creation, capacity reclamation
›Describe device and port management: FA ports, DA ports, RDF Directors

›Overcoming business continuity challenges: RTO/RPO requirements and DR topologies
›Remote replication network connectivity options for SRDF: IP, dark fibre, DWDM
›Identify SRDF features: SRDF/S (zero RPO), SRDF/A (async, low impact), SRDF/Metro (active-active)
›SRDF group concepts, concurrent SRDF, and business continuity testing procedures

›TimeFinder SnapVX concepts: pointer-based snapshots, up to 256 per device
›Perform TimeFinder SnapVX operations: Unisphere create/link, Solutions Enabler commands
›SRDF/S architecture: synchronous write fidelity, distance constraints, financial use cases
›SRDF/A: delta set journal, cycle time configuration, long-distance WAN replication
›SRDF/Metro: active-active dual-L/R devices, Witness quorum, transparent failover

›Describe administrative tasks: datastore replication and recovery with SRDF
›Key considerations: MPIO/PowerPath, ESXi queue depth, VAAI integration
›VM-aware monitoring: CloudIQ per-VM latency, vVol policy enforcement
›Live migration with SRDF protection: storage vMotion considerations

›Monitor SRPs, compliance, and data reduction ratios in Unisphere
›Perform Workload Planning: historical analytics, what-if modelling
›Identify design options: SRP design, port zoning, SRDF link bandwidth calculation
›Design SRDF solutions with BCSD: input workload, generate RPO/RTO report
›Create sizing solutions with VMAX Sizer: IOPS/capacity inputs, model recommendation

›Architecture: web-based GUI, REST API gateway, multi-array management, RBAC
›Install Unisphere: OVA virtual appliance or embedded on-array deployment
›Navigate interface: dashboards, storage groups, masking views, port groups
›Administrative tasks: volumes, host masking, SRDF failover, SnapVX operations

Live Training

Live Instructor

Mon–Fri · Weekend batches

Recording

Live class recording included

30 Days

1.5 hrs/day weekday · 3 hrs weekend

Course Materials

Study notes and resources

Tech Support

Call / WhatsApp support

Working Hours

Mon–Fri · 9 AM – 6 PM

Enroll Now Download Brochure

Have Questions?

Chat with our Dell-certified PowerMax trainers instantly.

WhatsApp Us

Dell PowerMax & VMAX

Solutions Design

Six PowerMax/VMAX Design Modules

6-Module D-PVM-DS-23 Programme

Ready to Design Dell PowerMax Solutions?