EMC Enhances RecoverPoint (and takes it virtual!)

Posted on 30 April 2013 by GeekFluent

Today, EMC announced version 4.0 of RecoverPoint.  The new version brings many exciting new features, my personal favorite being the availability of a virtual version of the RecoverPoint Appliance (RPA).

RecoverPoint is a SAN-based data protection/replication solution.  It works through the use of a specialized RecoverPoint Appliance (RPA) installed on the SAN.  The solution uses “splitters” to take a copy of all data writes and send them to the RPA.  The splitters can be one of three types: array-based (on supported arrays), network-based (on supported switches), or host-based (as device drivers for HBAs in environments not using RecoverPoint-supported arrays or switches).

Depending on the configuration, the RPA can use this duplicate data stream to provide one of three modes of protection: Continue reading →

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EMC Announces VPLEX Metro Express Edition (plus VAAI support)

Posted on 30 April 2013 by GeekFluent

[UPDATE: I’ve edited the post to remove one of the new features that had been mentioned in early pre-announcement briefings.  The features listed now match what’s actually been released.]

Today, EMC announced updates to their VPLEX family of storage virtualization devices, including a new way to purchase it — the VPLEX Metro Express Edition.

What’s a VPLEX?

If you’re not familiar with it, the EMC VPLEX creates a layer of abstraction between physical hosts and storage arrays — it virtualizes the storage.  Doing this provides datacenters with all kinds of flexible options they wouldn’t otherwise have: Continue reading →

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Evolution of Virtualization – The Whiteboard Video

Posted on 24 April 2013 by GeekFluent

I posted before about having fun with whiteboards at VMware PEX, and I posted the draft outline for the “Evolution of Virtualization” whiteboard I did with Gabriel Chapman (@Bacon_Is_King).

Today, Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja) has posted the final version of the video we recorded.  I have to say, the editing makes it look very professional.

For me, improving efficiency and gaining flexibility have always been the driving forces behind virtualization. Continue reading →

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The Evolution of Virtualization — Draft Outline

Posted on 17 April 2013 by GeekFluent

I’ve already written about the Magic Balloon episode of Engineers Unplugged I recorded at VMware PEX, but that wasn’t the topic I was originally invited to record.

The topic I was originally asked to speak to was “The Evolution of Virtualization”.  I was paired with Gabriel Chapman (@Bacon_Is_King), who I’d only known online up until that point.  As I understand it, that episode will be published next week.

In the meantime, I thought I’d share our thought process — what went into preparation for the episode. Continue reading →

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Magic Balloon: A Whiteboarding Creativity Game/Exercise

Posted on 3 April 2013 by GeekFluent

Anybody who knows me knows how much I love whiteboards.  When I run into a fellow whiteboard enthusiast, at some point I end up asking if they know Magic Balloon.

Magic Balloon is a brainstorming-style creativity exercise in the form of a game played on a whiteboard.  I originally learned about Magic Balloon in college when my friend Nat taught it to me.  It’s a fun game to play with your kids or with your crazy friends.  It’s also a great exercise for helping folks who think they aren’t creative or who find themselves unsure what to do with the big empty space of a freshly-erased whiteboard. Continue reading →

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EMC Announces VMAX Cloud Edition

Posted on 26 February 2013 by GeekFluent

Today, EMC announced the Cloud Edition of their signature Symmetrix VMAX storage platform.  Timed to coincide with the VMware Partner exchange conference, there have been rumors about this announcement for a while, but now we’ve got some details.

Release of a product of this nature is another indicator of an overall change that’s been occurring at EMC.  Back in the day, if you wanted to add a new volume to your Symmetrix array, you called EMC Support and they sent an engineer on-site to edit your bin file…  Those days are gone.  EMC’s focus has shifted to user-friendly, easy-to-use management interfaces that no longer require advanced degrees in storage in order to run.  For example, RAID levels — a former staple of EMC conversations — are rarely even mentioned any more.

So, what is it that makes the Cloud Edition different than a regular VMAX?  Here’s what I know: Continue reading →

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Off to VMware Partner Exchange…

Posted on 21 February 2013 by GeekFluent

Next week, I’ll be in Las Vegas for VMware Partner Exchange (PEX) 2013.  This is a conference where VMware focuses on their partners.  It’ll be a great chance for me to hear VMware’s plans for the next year first-hand, and meet with a lot of VMware’s and my partners.

This will be my third Partner Exchange, but my first as an actual attendee.  In 2011 and 2012, I was working at the conference.  In 2011, I presented in the EMC Partner boot camp session and then worked in the EMC booth in the Solutions Exchange giving demos on the then-new EMC VNXe.  In 2012, I was responsible for running EMC’s booth in the Solutions Exchange.

This year, however, Continue reading →

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EMC Isilon Support for 20PB Filesystems

Posted on 1 February 2013 by GeekFluent

Yesterday, EMC announced that Isilon clustered storage can now support a single filesystem up to 20PB in size.

When I read the announcement, my first reaction was “That’s a big deal.”  Then, as I read more and thought about it, my reaction changed to one of “No, actually, not such a big deal, really.”  An hour later, out of the blue it hit me, “Oh, wait — this is a HUGE deal after all.”

I’ll walk you through my thinking in each of the stages and let you decide for yourself.

Continue reading →

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Use Your Windows Laptop to Make a Bootable USB Key for vSphere Installations

Posted on 31 January 2013 by GeekFluent

Have you ever wanted to install ESXi on a host that doesn’t have a CD-ROM drive?  Maybe you also don’t have a TFTP server, so installing over the network isn’t an option either.  I came across this situation at a customer site recently.

It turns out the easiest solution in this situation is to convert a USB thumb drive into a bootable installation key.  VMware’s online documentation describes how to do this.  The thing is, the instructions I could find were for using a Linux system to create the key and my work-issued laptop runs Windows.

It turns out you can use your Windows system to create the installation media, and it’s pretty easy.  This post will walk you through the process. Continue reading →

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EMC Announces Joint Isilon/Syncplicity File Sharing Solution

Posted on 15 January 2013 by GeekFluent

Today, EMC announced the availability of a joint solution for Syncplicity online file sharing with Isilon scale-out storage.

OK, you’re thinking, what does that mean?  What it means is the easy availability of enterprise-class private cloud shared storage.  Yes, private cloud shared storage.  It’s a subtle — yet very significant — distinction.

To explain what I see as the true value of this solution, I’ll need to back up first and describe some related problems, then I’ll come back forward and explain how this solution solves them. Continue reading →

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