The SNIA Storage Network Foundations exam will certify that the successful candidate has knowledge of general storage networking concepts, components and basic ability to work on a storage network implementation team.
Experience and Training Required:
- Experience in IT and/or storage networking operations
- Advanced computer skills and knowledge in at least one operating system
- An understanding of the overall storage networking concepts
- Ability to explain and recognize key storage networking components and technologies
- A familiarity with storage networking products and solutions
- A familiarity with standard configuration tools
- Ability to describe storage network backup, recovery, and business continuance
- Technical skills as a team member to implement storage network solutions
The SNIA certification’s curriculum consists of the following modules, and the exam will contain questions from each of these modules.
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Basic Storage Technology
This SNIA certification module contains data classification and storage evolution, and core elements of a data center infrastructure and their requirements. It also deals with the importance and benefits of an ILM strategy, and tries to explain the big picture - how data is evolving. Other elements covered include physical and logical components of the host, connectivity and storage, including key protocols and options.
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Disk Technology
The second module of SNIA certification preparation will cover components of a disk drive includes function, logical constructs of a physical disk, factors affecting disk drive performance, common RAID levels, understanding RAID levels based on performance and availability considerations, and components and benefits of an intelligent storage system. This module will also discuss the benefits, limitations and management considerations of direct attached storage, plus the different types of disks available, that is, FC, SATA and SAS, and their benefits, limitations, etc.
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SCSI
It will talk about SCSI architecture and addressing schemes. The module will deal with the SCSI protocol, communication and stack as part of the SNIA certification curriculum.
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FC SAN
This module will discuss the storage area network (SAN) including the benefits, the best environment for SAN use, SAN components, topologies, connectivity options and zoning, the FC protocol stack, addressing, flow control and classes of service. It will consist of the various SAN topologies, that is, direct connect, FC-AL, switched, core edge, etc. This SNIA certification module will also comprise the FC protocols, that is, FC, FCIP and their stack.
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NAS
Covers networked attached storage (NAS), including the benefits of and best environment for NAS use, NAS components, protocols, implementation options and management considerations. This SNIA certification module also includes details of CIFS and NFS protocols.
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IP Storage
This module requires that SNIA certification aspirants master IP storage area network (IP SAN), including the benefits of and best environment for IP SAN use and the basic architecture of iSCSI, FCIP and FCoE.
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Virtualization
Comprises of storage virtualization concepts — SAN virtualization, NAS virtualization and data center virtualization.
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Storage Management
This SNIA certification module deals with the storage security framework and various security domains; security implementation in SAN, NAS and IP-SAN networking; the monitoring of various storage infrastructure components; storage management activities and challenges, besides storage management initiatives.
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Data Management
The data management module of SNIA certification talks about backup procedures which are in place for protecting data.
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Continuity Management
This module of SNIA certification comprises of business continuity measurement, terminologies and planning; backup consideration, purposes and granularity; backup methods, architecture and topologies; and technologies in SAN and NAS environments. It will also cover local replication: uses and considerations, including host- and array-based local replication technologies; and synchronous and asynchronous remote replication, including various host- and array-based remote replication technologies.