I'm new to the EMC world and looking for some documentation to get me started managing CX4s and VNXs. I have been managing NetApp and various other storage systems for years but have little knowledge of EMC products. My solutions usually don't involve EMC products because of my lack of education and experience with them. From an outsider looking in, the EMC white papers, downloads, etc. are so huge it's hard to know where to start.

I'm not looking to read a 1000 page PDF on every model of EMC out there. Just trying to see if there are any simplified documents out there for the experience storage admin trying to learn how to get around in the EMC world. Thanks for any advice in advance.

I have some pretty basic questions like, what tools, if any can help me with an upgrade path for my flare code. What version should I be running, etc.

The whole "domain" theory is new to me. Can I create a new domain and add all my CX and VNX arrays to it? Are there flare code dependencies to make this happen? What ports would I need opened on a firewall to manage arrays in different locations?

Is Unisphere the new version of Navisphere? If so can I manage everything through unisphere and just forget about navisphere?

I am regularly asked to generate a report that has server to LUN/Volume mappings and their sizes. The only thing I have found so far is under reporting and it generates separate reports for each option checked. e.g. Attached Servers and LUNs are two separate reports that I really need to be one. In NetApp I can just ssh in and do a df and get the volumes and luckily the server names are in the volume name. However, the old EMC admin created 150+ LUNs names LUN#

Generally my first response to someone posting this kind of thing would be RTM or how about trying a search. But... the emc site is HUGE and I'm afraid I don't know the proper questions to ask to get a search result of any use.

Any tools I should get installed? Books I can buy? Reporting tools you guys use? Alerting tools, etc. call home options for autosupport? Geesh, I sound like a moron asking all these Qs. Sorry guys.