PowerProtect DD System Administration

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PowerProtect DD System Administration

Course Overview

This 4-day intensive course provides the technical foundation for administering Dell PowerProtect DD (formerly Data Domain) systems. As the industry standard for deduplication storage, PowerProtect DD is critical for reducing storage footprints and ensuring high-speed backup and recovery. This program balances theoretical lecture with high-impact lab exercises to prepare students for real-world production environments.

Students will explore the mechanics of the Data Domain File System (DDFS) and learn to optimize data ingestion using specialized protocols like DD Boost. The course also covers advanced protection strategies, including site-to-site replication, Cloud Tiering for long-term retention, and robust security features like Retention Lock to protect against ransomware.

Audience Profile

• Storage Administrators responsible for managing protection storage.

• Backup Specialists tasked with improving deduplication ratios and backup windows.

• IT Professionals seeking to understand hardware-accelerated data protection.

• Support Engineers involved in monitoring and maintaining DD series appliances.

Learning Objectives

Domain 1: System Connectivity and Networking

• Configure Ethernet and Fibre Channel interfaces for optimal data flow.

• Implement link failover, aggregation (LACP), and VLAN tagging.

• Verify hardware health and perform non-disruptive system upgrades.

Domain 2: Data Ingestion and Management

• Deploy CIFS/SMB and NFS shares for traditional file-based access.

• Master the use of MTrees to organize data and manage logical quotas.

• Utilize snapshots and FastCopy for efficient data manipulation without increasing storage consumption.

Domain 3: Performance Acceleration with DD Boost

• Explain the benefits of DD Boost (Distributed Segment Processing) in reducing network overhead.

• Integrate DD Boost with leading backup software (e.g., Networker, Avamar, Veritas).

• Perform and monitor high-speed backup and recovery workflows.

Domain 4: Advanced Protection and Cloud Integration

• Configure Replication (MTree, Directory, and Collection) for disaster recovery.

• Implement Dell Cloud Tier to move aging data to public, private, or hybrid clouds for long-term archival.

• Configure Virtual Tape Libraries (VTL) for legacy environment support.

Domain 5: Security and Multi-Tenancy

• Implement Secure Multi-Tenancy (SMT) to isolate data for different business units or clients.

• Enforce data security using Retention Lock, Data Sanitization, and Encryption.

• Conduct capacity planning and monitor file system cleaning processes to maintain peak performance.