The three-day Xsan Administration course focuses on deploying storage area networks. Students configure, performance tune, and troubleshoot a storage area network using Apples Xsan tools. The course also covers storage resource management and data protection. A combination of lecture and hands-on exercises provides practical real-world experience. A portion of the final class day is available for assisted exploration and scenario testing.
Who should attend? This class is for system administrators, network engineers, analysts, and IT professionals who are responsible for analyzing business and technical requirements and architecting, implementing, or maintaining storage networking solutions using the Xsan solution.
Prerequisites Students should have the following prerequisite knowledge prior to attending this course:
• Basic storage knowledge
• Basic network knowledge
• Basic Mac OS X Server File Services and Directory Services knowledge
Apple Certified System Administration Certification Successful completion of the Xsan Administration 1.4 Exam (9L0-610) earns 3 credits towards the Apple Certified System Administrator (ACSA) certification. A total of 7 credits is required for the ACSA certification.
Course Overview
Xsan Overview: Compares direct-attached storage with networked storage using NAS and SAN. Introduces Fibre Channel.
SAN Components: Covers Fibre Channel components such as HBAs, cabling and connector types, switches, and RAID sets.
Fibre Channel: Covers point-to-point, arbitrated loop, and fabric topologies, addressing and naming, including World-Wide Node Name (WWNN) and World-Wide Port Name (WWPN).
Xsan Metadata : Details the implementation and configuration of the Xsan file system.
Xsan Volumes:Covers the Xsan Admin graphical tool as well as command-line tools.
Data Management: Covers the issues which arise in dealing with the large amount of data typical in a SAN. Information lifecycle management, backup, and quotas are all covered.
Xsan Planning and Maintenance: Discusses the considerations of building an Xsan infrastructure, including bandwidth. Volume maintenance and modifications are covered.
Challenge: Use the skills learned in the course to configure an Xsan environment to meet a given set of requirements. Includes time for assisted exploration and scenario testing.
