How do you zeroize an EMC Symmetrix DMX 1000 storage array?

I suppose zeroing would take a lot of time coz it means replacing every bit of information to zero. It would be better if you cleared symmaskdb database and unmap all devices. This would clear all information.

Clearing symmaskdb only unmaps the LUNs/metas from the hosts - it doesn't reinitialise the array, all data remains on the SAN. (>Does anyone know how to from the command line destroy the info on this SAN so it can be turned in?  Thanks.  I don't need to just delete the data but also reinitialize or zeroize the whole SAN.).

I don't remember seeing Procedure generator.  I can't believe this thing isn't more user friendly.

The Service Laptop is meant for EMC Engineering people - customer configuration is usually done via EMC Control Center or SymmCLI or the newer cut-down Symm Config product whose name I've forgotten.

The reason you can't see the Procedure Generator is that you aren't logged in as a CE. You can comprehensively break a Symm from the Service Laptop in CE mode if you don't know what you're doing.

So reinitializing the array is meant for only EMC Engineers?  It seems like a fairly low level use.  After customers put data onto an array if they decide to use the array for something else they have to pay EMC PSO?  Sounds shady to me.  So many other arrays this is a simple command from the command line.  I don't understand why this is any different.

So back to your comment.  Using the SymmCLI commands but just running them from the service laptop, is there a way to blow away the data on the array or not?

Is the CE account a standard password and if so what is the default?

You can zeroise all your metas by running something like DBAN (http://www.dban.org) to zero all the data at the host level - and you can use DOD standard data erasure if you wish. If you want to zero the data at the array level, then a VTOC or certified EMC data destruction service is what you need. It certainly isn't shady.

If you are disposing of the Symm, use DBAN to destroy the data at the host level - the paid version will produce a certificate to prove that it's been done. There is no need to destroy the metas, RAID groups or VCMDB - the VCMDB contains some information such as host WWNs and IIRC the name of the Symm itself

>So back to your comment.  Using the SymmCLI commands but just running them from the service laptop, is there a way to blow away the data on the array or not?
Yes - but you can't do it from the service laptop as you don't have privileged access. You can delete metas and so on using SymmCLI commands from a host running Solutions Enabler, such as the host running EMC Control Center, or you can delete metas from EMC Control Center - whichever you are more comfortable with. I'd recommend running a host-level data erase first, though.

>Is the CE account a standard password and if so what is the default?
You do not have access to the CE account. It is only available to EMC personnel - end of story I'm afraid. I will not provide the passwords. Please do not ask.

So in regards to DBAN....Can I run this disk from the service laptop?  Wouldn't it also delete the service laptop hard disk?  The DBAN way looks like it will achieve what I need it to, but I want to make sure I understand what it is doing so I don't do something I can't take back;-)

After booting from the DBAN disk how would it recognize the array and destroy the data?  Thanks.