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Dell PowerProtect DD Deploy 2023 study materials
Dell PowerProtect DD Deploy 2023 study resources

Dell PowerProtect DD Deploy 2023: Networking Configuration and Connectivity

Dell PowerProtect DD Deploy 2023 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Networking Configuration and Connectivity

What this domain covers

Expect questions on interface roles, link aggregation, VLAN tagging, routing and MTU, plus the verification commands that prove a path is actually usable for backup traffic rather than merely pingable.

Interfaces and addressing

  • On most models the first pair of 1 GbE ports carries management (System Manager, SSH, Autosupport, DDMC); the 10/25 GbE ports carry backup and replication data.
  • Keep management and data on separate subnets; never push multi-terabyte streams through the management port.
  • Each interface needs an address and mask, and the system needs a default gateway plus static routes for any additional networks. Changing an interface IP requires updating clients, DDMC and any replication context that references it.

Aggregation, VLANs and MTU

  • 802.1Q VLAN tagging is done by creating a virtual interface bound to a physical port with a VLAN identifier, so the switch port must be configured as a trunk.
  • LACP (802.3ad) provides both throughput and redundancy and must be matched on the switch side; a failover-only aggregate gives redundancy without added throughput. Ports in one aggregate must be the same speed.
  • Jumbo frames (MTU 9000) improve DD Boost throughput but must be configured end to end: client NIC, every switch hop, and the DD interface. A single 1500-byte hop breaks 9000-byte writes even though small pings succeed.
  • DD Boost over Fibre Channel needs zoning between the host HBA and the DD FC port plus correct device access groups; it does not use IP routing at all.

Verification

  • net show config to confirm addresses, masks, MTU and aggregation state.
  • net show hardware for link status and speed of every port.
  • Ping with a large payload and the do-not-fragment flag to prove a 9000-byte path end to end.
  • net show stats for errors, drops and throughput on the data interfaces.

Worked example

A customer enables MTU 9000 on the DD data interface and on the backup server, but the access switch between them stays at 1500. Small control traffic works, so the backup starts, then fails during large transfers with timeouts. The reasoning: the DF-flagged test packet is dropped at the switch. The fix is to set 9000 on every hop, or revert the DD and client to 1500 - do not leave a partial configuration.

Traps that cost marks

  • Turning on jumbo frames on the appliance only.
  • Configuring LACP on the DD while the switch ports remain in access mode instead of a port channel.
  • Using the management interface for DD Boost because it is the only port that already has an IP.
  • Forgetting that a subnet change invalidates the replication peer entry and any DDMC registration.