Storage DevOps: A Great Adventure - The Prelude

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I recently came to the realization that I just CAN'T do it all. 
The past year I have been trying to:

• Get Field Specific Certs
• EMC Storage
• VMWare DCV & NSX
• Learn Everything I can about Storage (EMC Specifically)
• Learn all I can about Python, Perl, & several other programming languages popular in the DevOps world
• Learn ALL I can pertaining to the DevOps way of life and the mentality behind it

This, in turn, has left me run ragged after a year of constant 100% balls to the wall action. Due to this I had to pull away for a week or so and lay everything out on the table to re-priortize & focus my goals to be a bit more realistic and reachable (It's all about those baby steps).

I've done some initial research and digging into what DevOps truly is and what impact it has within Storage. 
Below is what, in my opinion & Point of View, I have unearthed:

• Definition: Automating Tasks for a layer of hardware that would otherwise be an arduous task manually, which more than likely will also result in inconsistent results
• 3 Steps/Layers
• Monitor/Reporting (This is where I sit today): Using APIs/CLI to pull information out of the system and formatting that data into a usable report
• This is the least intrusive place to start your journey into the DevOps world
• Move/Add/Change: Using APIs/CLI to create or adjust config within the layer of hardware
• This is your 2nd step in this crazy world because it is a little more intrusive in nature and means you need some experience and insight before implementing
• Full Automation: 
• This is the Big Daddy of them all because you are giving the hardware full reign to roll with the punches and even self heal

As I mentioned in the list above, I have done some work within the Monitor/Reporting Layer for the last 6-8 Months. My Co-Worker and I have built a Suite of Modules that gives us some crucial insight & even predict (Yes! We have a Crystal Ball) into all of our Storage arrays across the enterprise. This work has saved our ass multiple times and has been well worth our investment in time and effort. That being said, at its' base we are using basic CLI commands to poll the arrays and there is nothing wrong with that but my goal here is to build on that foundation and move into the API side of things.

Moving forward, I plan to focus on the more trending side of the Storage world and that is pretty obviously the Monitoring, Reporting, Move/Add/Change, & ultimately the Full Automation of Storage thru APIs (as the hook into the arrays) & Python (as the programming language to make it all happen).

Please Join me in my adventure down the Storage DevOps Rabbit Hole and let's see what we can create.

Special Thanks

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• Ryan Booth (@that1guy15) for helping mentor me and push me in the right direction
• TheNetworkCollective for your PodCast on Network Automation (Inspiration)
• Episode 10 - Grassroots Automation
• Paul Martin (@rawstorage) for your in depth conversation on VMAX APIs thru Python
• Bowie Poag for ushering me into & opening my eyes to the possibilities in Monitoring/Reporting of Storage

EMC World 2016: My Newbie Take - Summary

EMC World Aftermath

I quickly realized that at EMC World you better get ready to be overwhelmed! My Head was spinning so hard after the conference was completely over that I didn't know which way was up!

I was told before I went that I would have to "Choose Wisely" once I got there as to what I would give my attention to. Whether it be Breakout Sessions, vLabs, General Sessions, Mingling with the natives, or even the Expo. This didn't prepare me at all for what was to come.

As you can see, I was able to keep up with Day 1 of EMC World but I quickly was overwhelmed with all of the activities and events going on. I had to pick and choose carefully what breakout sessions fit our future needs the best, as well as juggle the vLabs as best as possible. All this while going to the keynotes and trying to socialize with everyone that I felt like I should.

All that being said, I enjoyed every minute of it and wouldn't take it back for anything. I appreciated everything byte of information I was able to download into my tiny brain and the full experience that came along with it.

I especially appreciate everything that our EMC Guys did for us during this trip down and all the hard work they put into helping us navigate through EMC World the best they could and knew how!

All in all, this was a great experience for me and I feel that having this knowledge and opportunity will help propel my career forward by leaps and bounds!