Course Duration  : 2 Day - Face-To-Face Instructor-led Workshop 
Course Fee : Available upon request
Course Location  : TLC (Karachi), Customer On-site, and Online 
Course Code : TN165
Deliverables : Comprehensive Student Guide and Workshop Certificate 

On-site workshops can also be conducted for customers in Lahore, and Islamabad

PURPOSE:
This course is designed to provide you all what is needed to understand Storage Area Network. 

This two day face-to-face instructor led class is designed to develop SAN storage technology skills and strategies associated with managing the explosive growth of business data across the enterprise in today's networked economy. This storage training course is vendor neutral and it makes the students completely familiar with lot of technologies surrounding SAN storage and various complex issues and solutions.

AUDIENCE:
This course is intended for resources who:

  • Want to start their career as Storage Pre Sales Specialists.
  • Want to develop skills as Storage Consultants and Systems Integrators.
  • Senior IT Managers who want to refresh their knowledge in storage technologies.
  • Technology vendors and their Business Partners.
  • End-users to expand their knowledge enabling them to better communicate with their storage vendors during presales cycle, preparing RPFs etc.
  • Technology sales people who want to change their profession from other technology discipline to storage sales professionals.
PREREQUISITES:
Participants should have basic level of understandings of Information Technology. 

COURSE OUTLINE 
Unit 1 – Introduction to Storage Area Network
  • What is a Storage Area Network?
  • The importance of standards –The role of SNIA.
  • Compliance with the standards –Interoperability.
  • Definition of a SAN.
  • SAN Architecture –Supporting Heterogeneous Environment.
  • How a SAN Works and Understand Fibre Channel.
  • Fiber Versus Fibre –Fibre Channel protocol.
  • Protocols supported by SAN –FC SAN and IP SAN.
  • Fibre Channel Adapter Interface Bus Speed –FC HBA’s
  • What is Gen 6 Fibre Channel?
  • Why Fibre Channel and why we need a SAN?
  • Fibre Channel components.
  • Fibre Channel storage array under a HA environment.
  • Understanding Block Level Storage & its applications
  • Understand SAN benefits.
  • SAN –A high speed data transfer between hosts.
  • Types of SAN Applications.
  • Major SAN market players.
Unit 2 – SAN Building Blocks and Data Protection 
  • Defining SAN components and their use.
  • Components found in the server.
  • Components found in the SAN fabric.
  • SAN ports and naming convention.
  • Fibre Channel consists of the following layers.
  • Fibre Channel port names and 3 parts of SAN.
  • Looking at the Logical Unit Numbers (LUN).
  • Understanding igroupand LUN.
  • Information you require to create a LUN.
  • Understanding storage array.
  • Understand why Data Protection is important?
  • Explaining RAID, RAID benefits & RAID types.
Unit 3 – Prerequisites for Planning, Designing and 
Architecting a SAN Solution
  • Looking at Fibre Channel protocols.
  • Understanding Multi-mode and Single-mode fiber.
  • Understanding the role of Latency in SAN.
  • Understanding the role of Attenuation in light of Latency.
  • Storage Area Network –Fibre Vs. Copper Media.
  • Fiber drawbacks that cannot be ignored.
  • Understanding the Role of TOGAF.
  • The four essential pillars of TOGAF Architecture Framework.
  • Storage Area Network Architecture Defined.
  • Understand the SAN Ecosystem.
  • Reduce cost and minimize risk –Improve Services.
  • Concepts behind storage efficiency technologies.
  • SAN Planning –An essential component from designing POV.
  • Knowing your infrastructure –Servers & Application POV.
  • Consideration prior investing in new SAN solution.
Unit 4 – Understand SAN Design Topologies
  • Connecting two different networks –IP and FC.
  • Fibre Channel SAN Topologies.
  • Fibre Channel Topologies –Point to Point Topology.
  • Fibre Channel Topologies –“FC-AL” and “FC-SW” Topologies.
  • Fabric Switch Vs. Hub Comparison.
  • How an Arbitrated Loop Hub works.
  • How a Switched Fabric works.
  • Switched Fabric –Traditional Topology –Single Switch Topology.
  • Understand Inter Switch Links (ISLs).
  • Switched Fabric –Traditional Topology –Cascaded and Ring Topology.
  • Switched Fabric –Traditional Topology –Mesh Topology.
  • Switched Fabric –Tiered Topology –Edge Core Topology.
  • Switched Fabric –Tiered Topology –Edge Core Edge Topology.
Unit 5 – Understnd whats make a SAN Stop 
and SAN Troubleshooting
  • Discovering what causes SAN problems.
  • Staying out of trouble.
  • Knowing the limits.
  • Monitoring your SAN.
  • Understand Change Management role.
  • Following general guidelines to avoid poor SAN design.
  • Other SAN configuration issues to watch.
  • SAN –Things to consider.
  • Problem determination.
  • SAN problem pointers that may help –Switch & Array.
  • The role of Diagnostics Port feature in SAN Fabric Switches.
  • D-port Guidelines and Restrictions.
  • The role Zoning in regards to SAN Troubleshooting.
  • Basic replication performance troubleshooting.
  • General Troubleshooting Hints and Tips. 

 

 

 Unit 6 –  Disaster Recovery Planning for SAN
  • Data Protection Overview & Data Protection Strategy.
  • Comparison of Data Protection Methods and Business Continuity Management.
  • Crafting a disaster recovery plan.
  • 7 things your IT disaster recovery plan should cover
  • Fibre Channel SAN Array HA/DR design configuration.
  • Fibre Channel SAN Array HA/DR Architecture.
  • The two main sides of Data Protection (Backup & Restore).
  • Successful Recovery Operations –Backup Data Consistency
  • Important consideration from Data Recovery point of view
  • Disaster recovery objectives –RPO & RTO.
  • Synchronous and Asynchronous data replication.
  • Methods used for using Data Replication Services
  • Pros & Cons of Data Replication services.
  • Best practices for using Data Replication Services.
  • Network Bandwidth and Replication.

    • The importance of bandwidth, distance, and latency. 
Unit 7 – SAN Backup Methodologies
  • Understanding the importance of backup.
  • Able to describe LAN free Backup
  • Understand Server free or Serverless Backup.
  • Network Backup Speed for performing backups.
  • Backup Restore and Types of Backups –Full Backup.
  • Pros and Cons to the use of Daily Full Backups.
  • Types of Backups –Incremental Backup.
  • Pros and Cons to the use of Incremental Backups.
  • Types of Backups –Differential Backup.
  • Pros and Cons to the use of Differential Backups.
  • A comparison of different backup operations.
  • Backup Restore Conclusion.
Unit 8 – Booting into your SAN
  • Understand what is SAN Boot.
  • Benefits of SAN Boot.
  • Some of the drawbacks of SAN Boot.
  • Host Bus Adapter (HBA) configuration for SAN Boot.
  • Zoning Consideration following best practices.
  • What are WWNNs and WWPNs –Concepts
  • Using Multipathing is an integral component of SAN Boot.
  • Multiple SAN Boot Configuration.
  • Basic SAN Boot procedure.
  • List of requirements and guidelines for SAN Boot
  • The SAN boot process –Six Steps.
  • The SAN boot process –Choosing the right Host Bus Adapter.
  • The SAN boot process –Booting into the SAN the right way.
  • Recommendations for tracing SAN Boot problem. 
Unit 9 – Using Point-in-Time Copy
  • Understanding what a “Point-in-Time” copy.
  • Understanding six general types of snapshot technologies.
  • Copy-on-write, Redirect-on-write, Clone or split-mirror, Copy-on-write (COW) with background copy.
  • Incremental, and Continuous data protection (CDP).
  • Understanding the storage Snapshot Technology.
  • Snapshots as a part of your Backup Strategy.
  • Pros and Cons to the use of snapshots.
  • Best practices for using Snapshots.
  • Backup Vs. Snapshot.
Unit 10 – Approaches to SAN Management
  • The need for SAN Management practices.
  • SAN Management Overview.
  • Traditional Practices for SAN Management
  • Understanding the need for SAN Management practices.
  • Knowing your installed SAN components.
  • Get a focus on your Business vs. Storage.
  • Go from “Component” management to System” management.
  • What does the SAN Management Framework offers you.
  • SAN Management Automation.
  • Using a “framework” of software to handle it all.
  • What does a good SAN Management framework do for you?
  • SAN Switch features and Advanced Web Tools.
  • Advanced Performance Monitoring.
  • Advanced Security and Zoning
  • Fabric Manager and Fabric Watch.
  • Advanced Applications for Fabric Mgmt.
Unit 11 – SAN Best Practices and General Guidelines
  • Best Practice defined.
  • Applying best practices across SAN Building Blocks.
  • Zoning from Best Practices Point of View.
  • Zone element Naming Conventions.
  • Understand why to keep Disk and Tape traffic separate.
  • Performance and Metrics from Best Practices Point of View.
  • The use of Logical Unit Number Masking –LUN Masking.
  • Interoperability –A subject that needs attention!
  • Cabling Best Practices.
  • SAN Best

 

List of IBM AIX Operating System 
Short-Term Courses

AIX System Configuration Devices & AIX System Storage Overview

AIX Disk Storage Management & Recovery Procedures

AIX Performance Monitoring & Management

Understanding & Managing AIX ODM (Object Data Manager)

Security for Power Systems AIX

AIX Software Installation Maintenance & Backup & Restore

Working with Logical Volume Manager & File System Administration

AIX Error Monitoring & System Dump Facility & AIX Scheduling

AIX Security & User Administration