Free Practice Questions for EMC D-XTR-DS-A-24 Exam

The Dell XtremIO X2 XMS is designed with a specific slot for the server’s boot disk. According to the documentation and specifications provided by Dell, the boot disk is located in a designated slot within the system.While the exact slot number is not explicitly mentioned in the snippets provided, the Dell XtremIO design documents, such as the support documentation1, technical whitepapers2, and specification sheets345, contain detailed information about the system architecture and component layout, including where the boot disk is situated.

For a verified and accurate answer, one should refer to the official Dell XtremIO design documents, which provide a comprehensive overview of the system, including detailed diagrams and descriptions of the hardware components and their respective slots. These documents are accessible through Dell’s official support page or technical resources related to the XtremIO X2 product line.

To stay updated with the most recent changes, features, and limits for XtremIO, an administrator should consult theXtremIO Release Notes. These documents are specifically designed to provide users with information about the latest updates, including new features, enhancements, fixed issues, and known limitations that are relevant to the XtremIO storage array systems.

References:

The Release Notes are typically the go-to resource for any updates and changes in the product.They are part of the standard documentation provided by Dell for their products1.

For detailed information on the features and design of XtremIO, the “Dell XtremIO Design Achievement” document provides insights into the product features, functionality, use cases, and configurations2.

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In a Dell XtremIO X2-R system, a four X-Brick cluster configuration includes two InfiniBand Switches1. Each InfiniBand Switch in a multi X-Brick system, such as the X2-R, is included to interconnect the X-Bricks within the cluster. While the specific number of ports is not directly stated in the search results, the configuration implies a high number of ports to support the connectivity between multiple X-Bricks. Based on the available information and typical configurations of such systems, it is reasonable to infer that each InfiniBand Switch would have 36 ports to provide the necessary interconnectivity for a four X-Brick cluster.

References:

The XtremIO X2 Specifications document provides details on system configurations and components, including InfiniBand Switches1.

Additional information on InfiniBand Switches and their role in multi X-Brick systems can be found in the XtremIO X2 Specification Sheet2.

Deduplication on an XtremIO array is a process where redundant data blocks are identified and only unique data is stored. This results in a reduction of the physical storage required, which is referred to as the deduplication ratio. As the deduplication ratio increases, meaning more redundant data is eliminated, the bandwidth effectively increases because less data needs to be transferred over the network.Additionally, latency decreases because the system has to process fewer data blocks, leading to faster response times1.

References:

The Dell EMC XtremIO X2: Next-Generation All-Flash Array document explains that XtremIO’s in-memory deduplication is global across the entire cluster, which means that only unique data is written to the SSDs.This inline deduplication not only saves significant capacity but can also improve performance1.

The Introduction to XtremIO X2 Storage Array document details how the XtremIO X2 Storage Array automatically reduces (deduplicates and compresses) data on the fly, as it enters the system, which reduces the amount of data written to flash, improving the longevity of the media and driving down cost2.

Using XtremIO Virtual Copies (XVC), data can be restored to a production volume without the need to unmount it first. This feature allows for greater flexibility and efficiency in managing data restoration processes.The XVC technology enables the creation of space-efficient snapshots and copies of volumes that can be used for various purposes, including data restoration1.

References:

The XtremIO Snapshots (XVC) Inquiries on Dell Technologies Community Forum provides insights into the capabilities of XVC, including the ability to restore data without unmounting the production volume1.

Additional information on the functionality and usage of XVC can be found in the XtremIO Host Configuration Guide2.

The recommended execution throttle setting for Qlogic adapters, when used with Windows, Linux, and VMware, is typically set to the maximum value to allow for the greatest throughput and performance. The execution throttle setting determines the maximum number of outstanding I/O operations that can be queued to the storage controller.For Qlogic Fibre Channel adapters, especially when the HBA speed is 8GBs or over, the execution throttle can be set to 65,5351. This high setting is used to ensure that the storage array can handle a large number of concurrent I/O requests, which is beneficial in environments with high-performance requirements.

References:

Dell community discussions on Qlogic Fibre Channel adapter settings1.

Knowledgebase articles and documentation on Dell EMC’s official website2.

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For Microsoft Windows servers running MPIO, the optimal path selection policy when connected to an XtremIO cluster is Round Robin. This policy allows for load balancing across all available paths by distributing I/O evenly, which can lead to better performance and utilization of the storage resources.The Round Robin policy ensures that no single path is overloaded with I/O requests, which helps in maintaining consistent performance levels1.

References:

The Dell EMC SC Series: Microsoft Multipath IO Best Practices document provides insights into the recommended path selection policies for optimal performance2.

Additional information on MPIO and path selection policies can be found in the Dell EMC knowledge base articles1.

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When troubleshooting SAN performance problems, a key indicator of a physical issue is a high CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) error count. CRC errors are indicative of corrupt data packets during transmission, which often points to issues such as faulty cables, bad ports, or other physical problems in the network infrastructure. High CRC error counts can lead to retransmissions, reduced throughput, and overall degradation of SAN performance. Addressing the physical components associated with high CRC error counts is essential for restoring optimal SAN operations.

References:

While the specific Dell XtremIO Design document was not available, general SAN troubleshooting guidelines and best practices indicate that CRC errors are a critical metric to monitor for physical connectivity issues1.

Additional resources on SAN performance troubleshooting can be found in the support documentation for the XtremIO Family on Dell’s official website2.

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