SRDF SRA Upgrade

Our SRDF SRA version 10 has been out for some time now which means more customers are beginning to think about upgrading their 9.2 environment. Version 10 supports all the configurations that 9.2 does (you can compare release notes), along with more recent releases of both PowerMax and SRM. This is enabled by the backward...

Authorizations (symauth) with SRDF SRA and SRM Appliance

Our PowerMax arrays have a number of security features that prevent users from performing certain storage activities when they have access through Unisphere, Solutions Enabler, or any other application for that matter. In the early days of the Symmetrix array family, the two features most commonly used were Symmetrix Access Control (Lists), aka symacls, and...

PowerFlex 4.0.1 and VMware SRM

We've released PowerFlex version 4.0.1 which comprises a lot of improvements to the base 4.0 version. If you are currently running version 4.0, I strongly recommend you work with your Dell team to plan an upgrade. Both versions of PowerFlex 4.x still require Dell's assistance to install, so unfortunately you cannot download the software yourself....

PowerFlex with VMware SRM

Now that I've covered replication on the PowerFlex, we can move right into VMware SRM. Like all storage-based replication, PowerFlex has an SRA that integrates with SRM and executes those tasks specific to the PowerFlex. The current version of the SRA is 1.0.0.1 and supports through PowerFlex 3.x. Support for 4.x is currently undergoing certification....

NVMe/TCP and SRDF (with VMware)

I'm not sure this topic requires a full post, but if you don't work with NVMeoF technology much, you may assume that it is just a different way to connect to your storage and everything else functions pretty much the same as it does with FC/iSCSI connectivity. Spoiler - it doesn't. Here I am interested...

SRDF SRA 10.0

Along with the new PowerMax as expected we have a new SRA release, version 10.0. The primary feature of the release is to support Solutions Enabler 10.0 and the new platform - PowerMax 2500/8500. But there are a few items to discuss concerning the release, one a new requirement, the second a bug fix which...

SRM Windows upgrade to SRM Appliance with SRDF SRA

Now that VMware has a number of SRM releases that support the Appliance model (8.3-8.5), more and more customers are taking the leap to move off their Windows implementation. VMware provides a procedure to make the transition which applies to any SRM environment whether it is using an SRA or not. I've been reticent, therefore,...

Multiple SRAs cause SRDF SRA bug in Photon SRM

Not the prettiest title, but hey why beat around the bush with it. One of our European customers hit a bug with our SRDF SRA when they went to add Solutions Enabler array pairs in Photon SRM (Windows SRM is not impacted). It wasn't clear this was a bug as the error is common enough...

The Dell EMC PowerMax and VMware vSphere Configuration Guide

For those customers running on PowerMax, I've published the new The Dell EMC PowerMax and VMware vSphere Configuration Guide which is the replacement for Using Dell EMC VMAX and PowerMax Storage in VMware vSphere Environments. The new TechBook only covers PowerMax integration/best practices with VMware. While the previous doc was over 400 pages, the new...

SRM 8.5

SRM 8.5 was released a couple days ago now (10.5.21) and offers some interesting additions. At the top I'll note that our SRDF SRA 9.2.x is compatible with SRM 8.5. For many point releases, VMware does not significantly alter how SRM works and thus simply brings certification forward from the previous release. Since we support...