Thoughts on CCNA-DC 640-916 Exam
Posted: November 19, 2013 Filed under: Certifications | Tags: 640-911, 640-916, ccna data center, ccna datacenter, ccna-dc, cisco ccna dc, datacenter exam 1 CommentIntroducing Cisco Data Center Technologies
I’m happy to report that I just passed the second CCNA Data Center exam. I’d like to take a moment and record my thoughts on it.
As many know, the exams went public less than a year ago in December of 2012. I’ve followed those interested in the entire Cisco Data Center program like Tony Bourke (@tbourke) of DataCenterOverlords.com, Chris Wahl (@ChrisWahl) of the WahlNetwork.com, Andy Schmid (@andytschmid) and the PacketPushers.net dudes to get an idea of what to expect. I was also up against a timeline to get CCNA-DC certified in order re-up my CCNA for another three years.
Upgrading NetApp Data ONTAP with HFS
Posted: November 18, 2013 Filed under: NetApp, Storage | Tags: 7-mode, data ontap, dataontap, hfs, NetApp, ontap, upgrade 7-mode, upgrade 7mode, upgrade data ontap, upgrade dataontap, upgrade netapp, upgrade ontap Leave a commentI wanted to take a quick moment to document the awesomeness that is a quick and easy upgrade of Data ONTAP 7-mode with HFS. HFS is a lightweight web server that’s run as an executable and lets you quickly and easily transfer your Data ONTAP images from a Windows machine to the FreeBSD-based NetApp operating system. I can’t take credit for finding this gem of the storage admin. That goes to Mike Mills (@MikeasaService) who found this while we were implementing NetApp systems in a war zone. Thanks, Mike! Of course, if you’re a Mac-man (or gal, but that doesn’t really roll of the tongue as nicely) or a Linux dude, you can easily mount the /etc/software directory using NFS in which case you don’t need a web server. But I digress…on to the steps!
Download Data ONTAP image – from the NetApp Support site (support.netapp.com) and follow the prompts and be sure to download the correct version, in this case, 7-mode
NetApp FAS2240-2 with DS4246 Expansion Disk Shelf Design
Posted: November 17, 2013 Filed under: NetApp, Storage | Tags: 2240-2, aggregate design, design document, fas design, fas2240, fas2240 design, fas2240-2, netapp design, raid design, raid type, storage design, storage networking, storage networking design 22 CommentsI recently had the opportunity to design and implement NetApp’s entry-level storage solution for a client and I’d like to take this chance to share my approach to the design decisions. One reason for posting this is to help others that may be contemplating similar designs. I know there are a lot of talented and experienced engineers out there that may come across this and I encourage you to comment on this design. I look forward to learning from your experiences and at the same time I hope mine can help others. I should note that the hardware purchased was outside the scope of this design as the decision had already been made, hardware ordered and shipped. Also, common sense says that I’ve changed hostnames and IP addresses to protect the innocent.
The hardware specifications include
| Feature | FAS2240-2 |
| Controller Form Factor | Single enclosure HA; 2 controllers in a 2U chassis |
| Memory | 6 GB per controller |
| CPU | Dual Core Intel Xeon C3528 @1.73 GHz, HT enabled |
| Onboard I/O: 6 Gb SAS | 2 |
| Onboard I/O: 1 GbE | 4 |
| Mezzanine I/O: 10 GbE | 2 |