VMAX TB and best practices

I've just completed the latest update to the VMAX/VMware TechBook, a tome (I can be derogatory since it's mine) of some 400 plus pages that explains how best to use VMware on the various VMAX/VMAX3/VMAX AFA arrays. You can find it here. When customers ask me about best practices, a link to this doc is...

RecoverPoint 5.1 for VMAX3/AFA

The previously announced version 5.1 of RecoverPoint that supports VMAX3/VMAX All Flash is now available for download here. I covered the RP capability with VMAX3/AFA in this post in May. Just a quick reminder that this is an asynchronous solution for local and/or remote replication, protects at the storage group level, and works with the current RP...

SRDF SRA and SRM 6.5 support

Customers will be happy to learn that the SRDF SRA which supports VMware SRM 6.5 is now GA. SRDF SRA 6.3 is released in conjunction with our newest HYPERMAX OS Q2 2017 release which was announced at Dell EMC World. You can get the SRA here. As I've noted in other posts, our SRA is tied to our VMAX...

vRA and VVols redux

About a year ago I published a post on integrating vRealize Automation 7 (vRA) with VVols. At that time the implementation was really a manual process because VMware had not created a Storage Policy Based Management (SPBM) package for vRA 7, only version 6. In September of last year VMware finally updated the SPBM package...

RecoverPoint with VMAX3/All Flash…and SRM

Dell EMC today announced the impending availability of RecoverPoint (RP) 5.1 which is built for use with VMAX3 and VMAX All Flash (I'm just going to use VMAX3 from here forward). You may recall that RP is available on VMAX2 but can only be attached to a VMAX3 via VPLEX. I have a paper that actually uses both...

5977 HYPERMAX OS Q2 2017

In conjunction with Dell EMC World, we have announced our latest HYPERMAX OS release (the software that runs on the VMAX3/VMAX All Flash). I'm never quite sure of the naming for these releases, but this one does not have the usual "SR" designation which is defined as a service release. If I were comparing it...

Uninstall the VSI plug-in

I mean who wants to do that? Well turns out lots of people. I've had my share of battling with the VSI plug-in but I expect it with all my development environments. It has come to my attention, though, that many customers also experience the joy of trying to uninstall the plug-in. This is a typical, frustrated...

VMAX CP for Log Insight rebrand

When Dell took over EMC, there were a number of sub-company names created for the purposes of distinguishing products across our portfolio. While the company as a whole is known as Dell Technologies, the division I work for retained the EMC name so we are known as Dell EMC (hence my banner). (This is not...

SRDF SRA, SRDF-AU and VCSA

Today we have some good news for those of our customers who use VMware SRM, the SRDF SRA, and the vCenter Virtual Appliance. Let's start with some background information for context, though I am going to assume the reader is familiar with these technologies already. The EMC SRDF SRA is the Storage Replication Adapter which integrates...

VMAX VVol replication with RP4VM

Our VVol implementation has been out for well over a year now and we've had our share of customers wanting to take the technology for a spin. When VMware first introduced support in vSphere 6 - what is known as VVol 1.0 and VASA 2.0 - they did not offer replication capabilities for array vendors....