Storage for dummies…

I still can’t get over the way people perceive storage administrators as having nothing to do all day.

Between managing the NAS, trying to keep some sembelance of order to the chaos that users like to impose on their environment, managing the backup infrastructure (multiple configuration changes for every server that’s added or removed from the environment) manging the Tier-2 storage (Clariion – in my case that’s the easiest part, the Clariion is nothing more than 2TB of NAS storage (self managing) and 18 terabytes of Veritas Dumparea), the Tier-1 storage (Symmetrix) for the rest of it.

Just for the record, managing a Celerra NAS with 250-350 users is a full time job.  Managing a Veritas Netbackup environment is a full time job, managing a storage array is a full time job.  (Managing two is two full-time jobs)

To all the management-types out there reading this.  Don’t underestimate how much your “storage guy” does during the day, and when they come to you saying they need some help, get them some help.

Or they’ll leave.  Pure and simple.  And storage people *ALWAYS* have a place to go.