Most Recent Dell EMC D-XTR-DY-A-24 Exam Questions & Answers

When connecting a VMware cluster to an XtremIO array using QLogic Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapters (HBAs), the recommended value for the Execution Throttle is typically set to 4096. This setting controls the maximum number of outstanding I/O operations that can be sent to a Fibre Channel port.

Here's how to apply this setting:

Access HBA Settings: Log into the VMware host and access the settings for the QLogic Fibre Channel HBA.

Locate Execution Throttle: Find the parameter for the Execution Throttle within the HBA settings.

Set Value: Change the value of the Execution Throttle to 4096. This is the recommended setting to balance performance and resource utilization.

Save and Apply: Save the changes and apply them to the HBA. A reboot of the host may be required for the changes to take effect.

Verify Configuration: After the host is back online, verify that the new Execution Throttle setting is active and functioning as expected.

Monitor Performance: Monitor the performance of the host and the storage array to ensure that there are no adverse effects from the change.

Consult Official Documentation: For the most accurate and detailed instructions, always refer to the official Dell XtremIO Deploy Achievement document1. This document will provide the authoritative guidance on HBA settings and best practices for connecting to an XtremIO array.

It's important to note that while the value of 4096 is a common recommendation, the optimal setting may vary based on the specific environment and workload. Therefore, it's essential to refer to the latest Dell XtremIO documentation and possibly consult with Dell support for the most current and tailored advice.

For a customer with an 80 TB database that will not benefit from compression and deduplication, and with no projected future growth, the minimum recommended XtremIO X1 offering would be the one that provides at least 80 TB of raw storage capacity.

Based on the options provided:

A . 20 TB 4 X-Brick model

B . 40 TB 4 X-Brick model

C . 10 TB 8 X-Brick model

D . 20 TB 6 X-Brick model

The most suitable option that meets the requirement of providing at least 80 TB of raw storage capacity would be B. 40 TB 4 X-Brick model. This is because each X-Brick in the XtremIO X1 system contributes to the total raw storage capacity, and with a 4 X-Brick model, each X-Brick would need to provide at least 20 TB to meet the 80 TB requirement. Since the 40 TB 4 X-Brick model offers 40 TB per X-Brick, it would exceed the required capacity, ensuring that the customer's needs are met without any shortfall.

For a four X-Brick XtremIO X1 cluster, the total number of Power Distribution Panels (PDPs) that need to be connected to an electrical source is eight. This is based on the standard configuration for a four X-Brick cluster, which typically includes two power supplies per X-Brick and additional power supplies for the InfiniBand switches and other components1.

The process for connecting PDPs involves:

Identifying Power Requirements: Determine the power requirements for each component of the XtremIO X1 cluster, including X-Bricks and InfiniBand switches.

Allocating PDPs: Allocate the necessary number of PDPs based on the power requirements identified.

Connecting to Electrical Source: Connect each PDP to the electrical source, ensuring that the power distribution is balanced and meets the cluster's needs.

Verifying Power Supply: After connecting, verify that all components are receiving adequate power for operation.

Ensuring Redundancy: Ensure that there is redundancy in the power supply to protect against failures.

For a VMware VM running on vSphere 6.5 that will reside on a datastore provisioned from an XtremIO volume, the disk should be presented to the guest as Thick Provisioned, Eager Zero (EZT). This is recommended for the best performance and efficient capacity usage.

Thick Provisioning, Eager Zero: This type of provisioning allocates all the space required for the virtual disk upfront and marks all the space as zeroed. This means that the physical space is reserved and zeroed on the storage array, ensuring that the VM does not have to wait for space to be allocated or zeroed before writing data. This can lead to better performance, especially for I/O-intensive applications1.

XtremIO and EZT: XtremIO arrays are particularly well-suited for EZT because they use inline deduplication and never actually have to zero out physical media. The metadata is kept in memory, and writes are journaled to memory before being saved to SSDs. XtremIO uses VAAI (vStorage APIs for Array Integration) to accelerate zeroing operations, so hosts do not have to write zeros, and the allocation of EZT virtual disks is a very quick operation1.

Performance Considerations: For applications that require low latency, such as databases, using EZT reduces overall latency for the application. Since XtremIO arrays are designed to handle such operations efficiently, the initial zeroing process with EZT, which could take a long time on traditional storage architectures, is significantly faster1.

In conclusion, for ensuring proper performance and capacity usage for a VM on vSphere 6.5 with an XtremIO volume, Thick Provisioned, Eager Zero is the recommended method of disk presentation.