EMC E20-393 Practice Test Questions, EMC E20-393 Exam Dumps

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A Guide to the E20-393 Exam: Dell EMC Unity Fundamentals and Installation

The E20-393 Exam was the official certification test for the "Specialist - Implementation Engineer, Unity Solutions Version 2.0" credential from Dell EMC. Passing this exam certified that a professional possessed the necessary hands-on skills to install, configure, and manage Dell EMC Unity and Unity All-Flash systems. It was a rigorous validation of an engineer's ability to deploy these powerful unified storage arrays in a customer environment according to best practices, ensuring a stable, performant, and resilient storage infrastructure.

While the E20-393 Exam itself is now considered a legacy certification as Dell has evolved its training and certification programs, the underlying technology and skills it covered are more relevant than ever. Dell EMC Unity systems, including the latest Unity XT models, are a popular choice for mid-range enterprise storage. The fundamental principles of implementing block and file storage, configuring data protection, and performing system administration remain the core competencies for any storage professional working with this platform.

This five-part series will serve as a detailed guide to the key knowledge domains of the E20-393 Exam. We will use its structure as a framework to build a comprehensive understanding of how to implement a Dell EMC Unity system from the ground up. This first part will focus on the foundational concepts of the Unity platform, its architecture, and the initial steps of physical installation and system initialization.

Dell EMC Unity Architecture Overview

A candidate for the E20-393 Exam needed a solid understanding of the Unity system's hardware and software architecture. Unity is a "unified" storage array, meaning it is designed to serve both block-level storage (for applications like databases and virtual machines) and file-level storage (for user shares and home directories) from a single platform. This is achieved through a dual Storage Processor (SP) architecture, which provides high availability.

Each Storage Processor, or SP, is an independent server within the array's chassis, containing its own CPU, memory, and I/O ports. The two SPs run in an active-active configuration, meaning they both serve I/O traffic simultaneously. If one SP fails or needs to be taken offline for maintenance, the other SP automatically takes over all of its resources and continues serving data, a process known as a non-disruptive failover. The E20-393 Exam required a clear understanding of this core high-availability design.

The software running on the SPs is the Unity Operating Environment (OE). This is a purpose-built, hardened Linux-based operating system that manages all the storage services. A key feature is the move to an HTML5-based management interface called Unisphere, which was a major improvement over the Java-based Unisphere of previous generations.

Understanding Unity Hardware Components

The E20-393 Exam required an implementation engineer to be able to identify and understand the purpose of the various hardware components. The main chassis is the Disk Processor Enclosure (DPE). The DPE contains the two Storage Processors, as well as the initial set of disk drives. It also houses the power supplies and cooling modules for the system.

To expand the storage capacity beyond the DPE, additional enclosures called Disk Array Enclosures (DAEs) can be connected. These DAEs hold more disk drives and are connected to the DPE via SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) cables on the backend. An engineer needed to know the correct cabling procedures to ensure proper connectivity and redundancy.

The front end of the system consists of the various I/O ports for host connectivity. Unity arrays can be equipped with a variety of I/O modules to support different protocols. This includes Ethernet ports for iSCSI block storage and NAS file storage, and Fibre Channel ports for Fibre Channel block storage. The E20-393 Exam would expect a candidate to be able to identify these different port types and their intended use.

Physical Installation and System Racking

The first hands-on task for an implementation engineer, and a key process for the E20-393 Exam, is the physical installation of the Unity array. This involves carefully unboxing the equipment and installing the DPE and any DAEs into a standard data center rack. This must be done following proper safety procedures and best practices for airflow and weight distribution.

Once the enclosures are securely mounted in the rack, the next step is cabling. This includes connecting the power supplies to redundant Power Distribution Units (PDUs). It also involves connecting the SAS cables between the DPE and the DAEs for backend storage connectivity. Finally, the engineer must connect the management ports and the front-end data ports to the appropriate network switches.

Proper cabling is crucial for the system's performance and availability. For example, the management ports for both SPs must be connected to the customer's management network. The front-end data ports must be connected to the correct storage network, whether it is an Ethernet network for iSCSI/NAS or a Fibre Channel SAN. The E20-393 Exam emphasized the importance of following the documented best practices for all these connections.

The Initial Configuration Wizard

After the physical installation is complete, the E20-393 Exam required an engineer to know how to perform the initial system initialization. This is done using a tool called the Connection Utility, which is run from a laptop connected to the same network as the Unity's management ports. The Connection Utility automatically discovers the new, unconfigured Unity array on the network.

Once the array is discovered, the utility launches the Initial Configuration Wizard in a web browser. This wizard provides a simple, step-by-step process to configure the basic system settings. The engineer will be prompted to accept the license agreement, set a new password for the administrator and service accounts, and configure the network settings for the management interface, including the IP addresses for both SPs.

The wizard also guides the engineer through configuring the DNS and NTP (Network Time Protocol) servers, which are essential for proper system operation. Finally, it will prompt the engineer to configure the initial storage pools, which are the aggregates of physical disks from which all storage will be provisioned. Successfully completing this wizard is the final step in bringing the Unity system online.

Navigating the Unisphere Management Interface

With the initial configuration complete, all further management of the Unity array is done through the HTML5-based Unisphere interface. A candidate for the E20-393 Exam needed to be completely proficient in navigating and using this interface. Unisphere provides a modern, dashboard-driven view of the entire storage system, making it easy to monitor health, capacity, and performance at a glance.

The Unisphere interface is organized logically into categories on the left-hand navigation pane. These categories include System, Storage, Access, Data Protection, and Events. For example, under the "Storage" category, an engineer can find sub-sections for managing storage pools, block storage (LUNs), and file storage (NAS servers and file systems). Under the "Access" category, they can manage host connectivity.

The interface is task-oriented, meaning that common workflows like provisioning a new LUN or creating a new file share are guided by simple wizards. It also provides detailed performance charts and a comprehensive alerting system. A key part of preparing for the E20-393 Exam was spending significant hands-on time in the Unisphere GUI to become familiar with the location of every feature and setting.

Introduction to Block Storage Concepts

Block storage is one of the two main types of storage provided by a Dell EMC Unity array, and mastering its implementation was a major part of the E20-393 Exam. Block storage provides access to raw volumes of storage, known as Logical Unit Numbers (LUNs), to a server or "host." The host's operating system sees this LUN as a local disk drive that it can format with its own file system (like NTFS for Windows or VMFS for VMware) and use for its applications.

This type of storage is ideal for performance-sensitive, structured data workloads. The most common use cases are for databases, email servers like Microsoft Exchange, and virtualization platforms like VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V. The E20-393 Exam required an implementation engineer to be an expert in the entire end-to-end process of provisioning block storage, from creating the underlying storage pools to presenting the LUNs to the application hosts.

This part of the series will focus exclusively on the implementation of block storage on a Unity system. We will cover the creation of storage pools and the role of FAST VP. We will then delve into the creation of LUNs and the two primary block access protocols, iSCSI and Fibre Channel, that an engineer needed to master for the E20-393 Exam.

Configuring Storage Pools and FAST VP

All storage resources in a Unity array are provisioned from a storage pool. A storage pool is an aggregation of a set of physical disk drives. A candidate for the E20-393 Exam needed to understand that there are two main types of pools: Traditional Pools and Dynamic Pools. Traditional pools were the standard in earlier generations, while Dynamic Pools, introduced in Unity, offer greater flexibility and efficiency.

When creating a pool, the administrator can mix different types of drives (e.g., high-performance SAS, high-capacity NL-SAS, and Flash/SSD drives). This is where the Fully Automated Storage Tiering for Virtual Pools (FAST VP) feature comes into play. FAST VP automatically moves data between these different tiers of storage within a single pool based on how frequently it is accessed.

For example, "hot" or frequently accessed data will be automatically relocated to the high-performance Flash tier, while "cold" or rarely accessed data will be moved to the high-capacity NL-SAS tier. This ensures that the most active data gets the best performance, while optimizing the use of the more expensive flash storage. The E20-393 Exam required a solid understanding of how to create and manage these tiered pools.

Creating and Managing LUNs

Once a storage pool is created, the next step is to provision a Logical Unit Number, or LUN. A LUN is a logical volume of a specific size that is carved out of the storage pool. An engineer taking the E20-393 Exam needed to be an expert in the LUN creation process within Unisphere. This involves selecting the storage pool, giving the LUN a name, and specifying its size.

During creation, the engineer must also decide whether the LUN will be "thin" or "thick" provisioned. A thick LUN pre-allocates all of its specified capacity from the pool immediately. A thin LUN, on the other hand, consumes space from the pool only as data is actually written to it. Thin provisioning is more space-efficient, but it requires the administrator to carefully monitor pool capacity to ensure it does not run out of space.

Unity also has a feature called FAST Cache. This is an optional, secondary cache that uses a set of dedicated SSDs to extend the system's primary DRAM cache. Data that is frequently accessed but is not hot enough to be promoted to the Flash tier by FAST VP can be promoted to the FAST Cache. The E20-393 Exam would expect a candidate to understand the difference between FAST VP and FAST Cache.

Configuring iSCSI Host Access

After a LUN is created, it needs to be made accessible to a host. One of the two primary block protocols for this, and a key topic for the E20-393 Exam, is iSCSI. iSCSI is a protocol that allows for the transport of SCSI block commands over a standard Ethernet network. This makes it a very popular and cost-effective choice for building a Storage Area Network (SAN).

The first step in configuring iSCSI access on the Unity is to create iSCSI interfaces on the array's Ethernet ports. These are the IP addresses that the hosts will connect to. The next step is to configure the host itself. On the host, the engineer must configure the iSCSI initiator software, providing it with the IP addresses of the Unity's iSCSI interfaces (the targets).

Once the host can see the Unity array, the final step is to register the host in Unisphere. This involves providing the host's iSCSI Qualified Name (IQN), which is its unique identifier on the iSCSI network. After the host is registered, the LUN can be presented to it. This process of configuring the array, the host, and the final LUN presentation was a critical hands-on skill for the E20-393 Exam.

Configuring Fibre Channel Host Access

The second primary block protocol, and an equally important topic for the E20-393 Exam, is Fibre Channel (FC). Fibre Channel is a high-speed network protocol that is purpose-built for storage traffic. It requires a dedicated network infrastructure, including Fibre Channel switches and Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) in the servers. While more expensive than iSCSI, it has traditionally been favored for the most performance-critical enterprise applications.

The process for configuring FC access is conceptually similar to iSCSI but uses different identifiers. Instead of IP addresses and IQNs, Fibre Channel uses World Wide Names (WWNs). Every HBA port on a host and every FC port on the Unity array has a unique WWN. An essential part of setting up an FC SAN is a process called "zoning," which is done on the FC switches. Zoning is like creating a firewall rule that specifies which host WWNs are allowed to communicate with which Unity WWNs.

Once the zoning is configured on the switches, the Unity array will be able to see the hosts. The implementation engineer would then register the host in Unisphere, which would automatically discover its WWNs. After the host is registered, the LUN can be presented to it. The E20-393 Exam required an engineer to understand this entire process, including the critical role of zoning on the fabric switches.

Using Host Groups for Simplified Management

In an environment with many servers that have identical storage requirements, such as a cluster of VMware ESXi hosts, managing LUN access on a per-host basis can be tedious and error-prone. To simplify this, Unity provides a feature called Host Groups (sometimes referred to as Consistency Groups). A candidate for the E20-393 Exam needed to know how to use this feature to improve administrative efficiency.

A Host Group, as the name implies, is a collection of individual host objects in Unisphere. Instead of presenting a LUN to each host one by one, an administrator can present the LUN to the entire Host Group in a single operation. The Unity system will then automatically handle the task of making that LUN visible to every host that is a member of the group.

This not only saves time during the initial provisioning but also greatly simplifies ongoing management. If a new host is added to the cluster, the administrator simply needs to add it to the Host Group, and it will automatically gain access to all the LUNs that have been presented to that group. This is a best practice that the E20-393 Exam would expect an implementation engineer to know and use.

Introduction to Unified Storage and NAS

In addition to providing block storage, a core feature of the Dell EMC Unity platform is its ability to serve file-level storage. This is what makes it a "unified" array. File storage, also known as Network Attached Storage (NAS), allows multiple clients to access shared files and folders over a standard Ethernet network. This is the type of storage used for home directories, departmental shares, and other unstructured data. The E20-393 Exam required an implementation engineer to be just as proficient in file storage as they were in block storage.

The key difference between file and block storage is that with file storage, the Unity array manages the file system itself. Clients do not get raw block access; instead, they access the data through file-sharing protocols like SMB (for Windows clients) or NFS (for Linux and UNIX clients). The array is responsible for managing the directory structure, file permissions, and user access.

This part of our series will focus on the complete workflow for implementing file storage services on a Unity system. We will cover the creation of NAS Servers, the provisioning of file systems, and the configuration of both SMB and NFS protocols for client access. These were all essential, hands-on skills for any candidate taking the E20-393 Exam.

Creating and Managing NAS Servers

The first step in configuring file services on a Unity array is to create a NAS Server. A NAS Server is a logical entity that provides the network identity and configuration for a set of file systems. A candidate for the E20-393 Exam needed to understand that a NAS Server is essentially a virtualized file server that runs on top of the Unity's Storage Processors. A single Unity array can host multiple NAS Servers, allowing for the creation of logically isolated, multi-tenant file-serving environments.

When creating a NAS Server, the implementation engineer must assign it to a specific Storage Processor and configure its network interfaces. This includes assigning one or more IP addresses that clients will use to connect to the file shares. The engineer must also configure the NAS Server's sharing protocol settings, specifying whether it will serve SMB, NFS, or both.

A critical step for SMB environments is joining the NAS Server to an Active Directory domain. This allows the NAS Server to integrate with the existing Windows security infrastructure, using AD users and groups for authentication and authorization. The E20-393 Exam would expect an engineer to know this process and to be able to troubleshoot common AD integration issues.

Provisioning File Systems

Once a NAS Server has been created, the next step is to create one or more file systems that will be hosted by that server. A file system is a logical storage unit, carved from a storage pool, that contains the actual directory tree and files. A candidate for the E20-393 Exam needed to be an expert in the process of creating and managing these file systems through the Unisphere interface.

The creation process involves selecting the NAS Server that will host the file system, choosing the underlying storage pool, giving the file system a name, and specifying its size. Just like with LUNs, file systems can be thin provisioned, which means they only consume space from the pool as data is written. This provides greater storage efficiency but requires careful capacity monitoring.

After a file system is created, it can be extended or shrunk as needed. An important feature for file systems is the ability to enable and configure quotas. Quotas allow an administrator to limit the amount of storage space that a specific user or a directory tree can consume. The E20-393 Exam required knowledge of how to set up and manage these user and tree quotas to control storage consumption.

Configuring SMB Shares for Windows Clients

For Windows clients, the standard file-sharing protocol is SMB (Server Message Block), also commonly known as CIFS (Common Internet File System). After creating a file system on a NAS Server that is joined to Active Directory, an implementation engineer must create SMB shares to make the data accessible. A key skill for the E20-393 Exam was knowing how to create and secure these shares.

Creating an SMB share involves giving the share a name (which is what users will see when they browse the network) and pointing it to a specific directory path within the file system. The most critical part of the configuration is setting the share-level permissions. These permissions determine which Active Directory users and groups are allowed to access the share and what level of access they have (e.g., Full Control, Change, or Read).

It is important to understand that security in an SMB environment is a combination of two layers: the share-level permissions and the file-level NTFS permissions on the actual files and folders. An administrator must manage both layers to create a secure environment. The E20-393 Exam would expect a candidate to understand this dual-permission model and how to configure both aspects correctly.

Configuring NFS Exports for Linux/UNIX Clients

For Linux and UNIX clients, the standard file-sharing protocol is NFS (Network File System). The E20-393 Exam required an engineer to be proficient in configuring NFS access on a Unity array. The process is conceptually similar to creating SMB shares, but the terminology and security model are different. Instead of a "share," you create an "NFS export."

An NFS export is created on a specific directory path within a file system. The key part of the configuration is defining the access controls. In NFS, access is typically controlled based on the IP address or hostname of the client machine. An administrator would configure the export to grant specific levels of access (e.g., read-only or read-write) to a list of trusted hosts.

NFS also has its own permissions model for files and directories, which is based on traditional UNIX-style user, group, and other permissions (read, write, execute). The Unity NAS Server can be configured to handle user identity mapping between the NFS and Windows worlds, which is an advanced topic. A candidate for the E20-393 Exam needed to have a solid understanding of the fundamental process of creating an NFS export and configuring its host-based access controls.

Introduction to Data Protection

A core responsibility of a storage administrator, and a critical knowledge domain for the E20-393 Exam, is data protection. While high-availability features protect against hardware failures, a comprehensive data protection strategy is needed to guard against other threats, such as accidental data deletion, data corruption, or a site-wide disaster. The Dell EMC Unity platform includes a rich, integrated suite of features to address these challenges.

These features can be broadly categorized into local protection and remote protection. Local protection involves creating point-in-time copies of data that are stored on the same array, providing a rapid way to recover from logical errors. Remote protection involves copying data to a second Unity array at a different physical location, which is essential for disaster recovery (DR). The E20-393 Exam required an implementation engineer to be an expert in configuring and managing both types of protection.

This part of our series will provide a deep dive into the data protection capabilities of the Unity platform. We will explore the snapshot technology that provides local protection, and the powerful replication features that enable disaster recovery. We will also cover how these features are managed through simple, policy-based protection schedules.

Local Protection with Snapshots

The foundation of local data protection on a Unity array is the snapshot. A snapshot is an instantaneous, point-in-time, read-only or read-write copy of a storage resource, such as a LUN or a file system. A key concept for the E20-393 Exam was understanding that Unity snapshots are based on redirect-on-write technology. This means they are extremely space-efficient and have a very low performance overhead.

When a snapshot is taken, the array essentially freezes the original data blocks. When a write comes in to change one of those blocks, the array does not overwrite the original block. Instead, it redirects the new write to a new location in the storage pool and updates the pointers. The snapshot continues to point to the original, unchanged data blocks. This makes snapshot creation almost instantaneous.

Snapshots have two primary use cases. First, they can be used for rapid, short-term recovery. If a user accidentally deletes a file or a database becomes corrupted, an administrator can quickly restore the entire file system or LUN from a recent snapshot. Second, snapshots can be mounted to a separate host to provide a stable, point-in-time copy of the data for backups or for development and testing purposes. The E20-393 Exam would test on both of these scenarios.

Configuring Protection Policies and Schedules

While snapshots can be taken manually, a best practice, and a key feature for the E20-393 Exam, is to automate their creation using Protection Policies. A Protection Policy allows an administrator to define a schedule for how frequently snapshots should be taken and how long they should be retained. For example, a "Gold" policy might take a snapshot every hour and retain the snapshots for 24 hours. A "Bronze" policy might only take one snapshot per day and retain it for a week.

Once a policy is created, it can be applied to any number of storage resources. All LUNs or file systems that are assigned the "Gold" policy will automatically have snapshots taken and managed according to that schedule. This policy-based approach dramatically simplifies the management of data protection across a large environment and ensures that protection is applied consistently.

These policies are also used to configure replication, which we will discuss next. A single policy can define both the local snapshot schedule and a remote replication schedule. A candidate for the E20-393 Exam needed to be proficient in creating these policies and applying them to storage resources to meet different service level agreements (SLAs).

Remote Protection with Asynchronous Replication

For disaster recovery, the E20-393 Exam required a deep knowledge of Unity's native replication capabilities. Replication involves copying data from a storage resource on a primary Unity array to a corresponding resource on a secondary Unity array at a remote DR site. The most common type of replication is asynchronous replication.

In asynchronous replication, the primary array sends data to the secondary array at defined intervals. When an application writes data on the primary array, the write is acknowledged immediately. The data is then queued up and sent to the remote site during the next synchronization cycle. This means there is a small lag between the primary and secondary sites, so in a disaster, there is a risk of losing the most recent few minutes of data.

This type of replication is very efficient and can work over long distances with standard network connections. An implementation engineer preparing for the E20-393 Exam needed to know the entire process for setting it up. This includes establishing a replication connection between the two arrays, creating the replication session for a LUN or file system, and monitoring its health and synchronization status.

Implementing Synchronous Replication

For mission-critical applications that cannot tolerate any data loss (a Recovery Point Objective, or RPO, of zero), the E20-393 Exam covered the use of synchronous replication. In synchronous replication, when an application writes data to the primary array, the write is not acknowledged back to the application until it has been successfully written on both the primary array and the remote secondary array.

This process guarantees that the primary and secondary sites are always in perfect sync. If a disaster were to strike the primary site, the secondary site would have an identical, up-to-the-millisecond copy of the data. However, this zero data loss guarantee comes at a cost. It requires very low-latency, high-bandwidth network connections between the two sites, which typically limits its use to metropolitan distances.

The configuration of synchronous replication is more complex and has a greater performance impact on the application. A candidate for the E20-393 Exam needed to understand the specific requirements and trade-offs of this technology and know when it was the appropriate choice for meeting a business's stringent DR requirements.

Failover and Failback Procedures

A critical part of any disaster recovery plan, and a key piece of knowledge for the E20-393 Exam, is understanding the failover and failback procedures. A failover is the process of activating the replicated copy of the data at the DR site after a disaster has occurred at the primary site. In Unisphere, this is a planned operation that involves promoting the secondary LUN or file system to a production state and redirecting the application hosts to the DR site.

The Unity replication software provides tools to test a failover without impacting the ongoing replication. This allows an organization to regularly test and validate its DR plan without causing any downtime. An implementation engineer needs to be familiar with this test procedure.

Once the primary site has been repaired, a failback procedure is initiated to return operations to their normal state. This involves synchronizing any changes that were made at the DR site back to the primary site and then gracefully failing back the production workload. The E20-393 Exam would expect an engineer to have a clear, conceptual understanding of this entire DR lifecycle.

Introduction to System Administration

The final set of skills that an implementation engineer must master, and a crucial domain of the E20-393 Exam, encompasses the ongoing administration, monitoring, and maintenance of the Dell EMC Unity array. The job is not over once the storage has been provisioned. A diligent administrator is responsible for proactively monitoring the system's health and performance, managing its capacity and efficiency, and performing routine maintenance tasks like software upgrades to ensure the long-term stability and reliability of the storage infrastructure.

This proactive management is what separates a simple installer from a true implementation specialist. The Unity platform provides a comprehensive set of tools within the Unisphere interface to support these activities. The E20-393 Exam validated that an engineer was proficient in using these tools to maintain a healthy and optimized storage environment according to Dell EMC's best practices.

This concluding part of our series will cover these essential day-to-day administration and maintenance topics. We will explore the monitoring and alerting capabilities of Unisphere, the storage efficiency features, the process for performing non-disruptive upgrades, and the use of the command-line interface for scripting and automation.

Monitoring System Health and Performance

A core task for any storage administrator, and a key topic for the E20-393 Exam, is monitoring. The Unisphere dashboard provides a high-level, at-a-glance view of the system's health, capacity utilization, and performance. An administrator should start their day by reviewing this dashboard to quickly identify any potential issues.

For more detailed analysis, Unisphere provides a comprehensive set of performance charts and metrics. An administrator can view historical and real-time data for the overall system, as well as for individual components like Storage Processors, LUNs, and file systems. Key metrics to monitor include IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second), throughput (MB/s), and latency (response time). The E20-393 Exam would expect a candidate to be able to use these charts to identify performance bottlenecks.

Unisphere also has a robust alerting system. The system will automatically generate alerts for a wide range of events, from hardware failures to capacity thresholds being exceeded. An administrator preparing for the E20-393 Exam needed to know how to configure the system to send out notifications for these alerts via email or SNMP traps, ensuring that they are immediately aware of any critical issues.

Managing Storage Efficiency with Data Reduction

Modern storage arrays include features to improve storage efficiency and reduce the total cost of ownership. The E20-393 Exam required an engineer to understand the Data Reduction features available in Dell EMC Unity All-Flash systems. Data Reduction is a process that combines compression and data deduplication to reduce the amount of physical disk space that data consumes.

Compression works by using algorithms to store data in a more compact form. Deduplication works by identifying and eliminating duplicate blocks of data across a storage resource. Unity's implementation of Data Reduction is inline, meaning that the process happens in real-time as data is written to the array, which provides immediate space savings.

An administrator can enable or disable Data Reduction on a per-LUN or per-file-system basis. While it provides significant space savings, the process does consume some CPU cycles on the Storage Processors. A candidate for the E20-393 Exam needed to understand these trade-offs and know how to monitor the data reduction savings being achieved on the system.

Performing Non-Disruptive Upgrades (NDU)

Keeping the storage system's software up to date is a critical maintenance task. The E20-393 Exam required an implementation engineer to be an expert in the process of upgrading the Unity Operating Environment (OE). One of the key benefits of the Unity platform's dual Storage Processor architecture is its ability to perform these upgrades non-disruptively, a process known as a Non-Disruptive Upgrade (NDU).

The NDU process is managed through a simple wizard in Unisphere. The administrator first uploads the new software package to the array. The wizard then guides them through a pre-upgrade health check to ensure the system is in a healthy state to proceed. The upgrade process itself is fully automated. It upgrades one Storage Processor at a time.

While one SP is being upgraded and rebooted, the other SP takes over all of its resources and continues to serve I/O. Once the first SP is back online with the new software, the process is repeated for the second SP. This ensures that there is no downtime for the hosts and applications that are accessing the storage. The E20-393 Exam would expect an engineer to be confident in performing this critical maintenance procedure.

Conclusion

While the Unisphere GUI is the primary management tool for most day-to-day tasks, the E20-393 Exam also required familiarity with the Unity Command Line Interface, known as UEMCLI. UEMCLI is a powerful tool that allows an administrator to perform almost any configuration or management task that is available in the GUI, but from a command line.

This is particularly useful for automation and scripting. An administrator can write scripts that use UEMCLI commands to automate repetitive tasks, such as provisioning a large number of LUNs or creating multiple file shares. This can save a significant amount of time and reduce the potential for human error compared to performing the same tasks manually through the GUI.

UEMCLI can be run from a management station that has network connectivity to the Unity array. A candidate for the E20-393 Exam did not need to be a scripting expert, but they were expected to be familiar with the basic syntax of UEMCLI commands and to know how to use it to query information about the system and to perform basic configuration tasks.

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