For architects and engineers designing PowerFlex software-defined storage solutions — covering hyper-converged and disaggregated architectures, Protection Domains, Fault Sets, Storage Pools, NAS Filesystems, and integration with backup and security ecosystems.
Master PowerFlex foundations, solution design methodology, object configuration, node/volume setup, and integration troubleshooting to design resilient software-defined storage solutions.
Module 01
PowerFlex Foundations
›PowerFlex product portfolio — VxFlex OS, PowerFlex appliance, PowerFlex rack; HCI and disaggregated deployment model comparison; hardware and software component inventory
›Architecture deep-dive — SDS (Storage Data Server) local storage contribution; SDC (Storage Data Client) kernel driver; MDM cluster quorum management; metadata distribution
›Deployment models — HCI converged (compute and storage co-located); disaggregated (separate compute and storage layers); two-layer vs. single-layer topologies
›PowerFlex networking — front-end (management), back-end (SDS replication), and storage data networks; MTU 9000 jumbo frames; NIC bonding best practices
›PowerFlex nodes — Gen 14/15 server compatibility; minimum node counts per Protection Domain; node roles in HCI vs. disaggregated mode
Module 02
PowerFlex Solution Design
›Aligning solution to requirements — gather workload specifications: IOPS, throughput, capacity, latency SLA; map workloads to Protection Domain and Storage Pool granularity
›Design data collection — current infrastructure questionnaire; application I/O profiling; growth projections; TCO modelling
›Capacity planning — raw vs. usable capacity with 2-copy replication overhead; over-provisioning ratio for thin volumes; reserve headroom for protection rebuild
›Performance design — Storage Pool granularity types: fine, medium, basic; chunk size impact on sequential vs. random I/O; flash vs. hybrid pool design guidance
›Fault domain design — Protection Domains for isolation; Fault Sets for rack-aware placement; anti-affinity replication partners across racks
›Design validation — validate with the PowerFlex Sizer tool; review BOM; confirm BoM against workload SLA thresholds; generate design documentation
Module 03
PowerFlex Objects Configuration
›Protection Domain creation — isolation boundary for fault containment; associating SDS nodes to a Protection Domain; PD naming conventions
›Fault Set configuration — enable rack-aware replication; add SDS nodes to Fault Sets; verify data placement rules with scli --query_all_volumes
›Storage Pool creation — select granularity (fine/medium/basic); enable zero-fill padding; configure spare capacity percentage; monitor SDS capacity distribution
›SDS configuration — add SDS with storage paths; configure SDS IP addresses for front-end, back-end, and SDS-SDS communication; bandwidth limits; SDS add device
›NAS configuration — NAS cluster setup on dedicated NAS nodes; NAS gateway or embedded NAS; VLAN assignment; PowerFlex Manager NAS configuration wizard
Module 04
PowerFlex Nodes and Volumes Configuration
›PowerFlex node add — add SDS nodes online without downtime; capacity rebalance after add; monitor rebuild progress in PowerFlex Manager
›Volume creation — thin provisioning default; specify Storage Pool, Protection Domain, size; volume name and UID generation
›Volume replication — async replication with Consistency Groups; RPO target configuration; journal volumes for replication; activate/pause/failover replication
›Volume protection — snapshot creation and management; volume cloning; snapshot tree; auto-snapshot policies with retention period
›NAS Filesystem creation — associated NAS cluster and NAS pool; NFS and SMB export creation; access control (NFS export options; SMB share permissions)
›Volume QoS — per-volume IOPS limit and bandwidth throttle; SDC priority for mixed workloads; burstable IOPS configuration
Module 05
Solutions Integration and Troubleshooting
›Security integration — RBAC with PowerFlex Manager; user roles (Admin, StorageAdmin, Monitor); LDAP/AD integration; TLS certificate management; audit logging
›Backup and restore — snapshots for application-consistent backup; integration with Dell Data Protection (PowerProtect); script-based snapshot management; restore from snapshot
›Cluster troubleshooting methodology — health check with scli --query_all_sds, --query_all_volumes, --query_cluster; interpret alert severity levels
›SDS fault isolation — SDS enter/exit maintenance mode; verify device I/O with scli --query_device; SDS removal and clean-up
Earn the D-PWF-DS-23 Dell Proven Professional certification and validate your ability to architect resilient, software-defined PowerFlex storage solutions for enterprise workloads.