DellEMC has really made it easy for current and potential customers to learn about their products. I recently began looking into Data Domain and found a free self-paced course and a free download of the Data Domain virtual appliance.

The course is called " Data Domain Fundamentals "(Course Number MR-1WP-DDFUND) and is pretty hardcore at times when it comes to speeds and feeds type of info. There are sections that discuss in great detail the model numbers, number of disks, etc. of the various devices. I recommend this course to anyone who's a server / storage admin / engineer / architect who might be taking on a Data Domain project. Application admins who use only the Data Domain Boost functionality might get overwhelmed if hardware isn't their jam.

The course estimates an hour and a half to complete, but it took me quite a bit longer. There were a few times when I went back to hear sections again, watch animations, etc. The course has excellent controls, so it's easy to jump around and go back if you think you missed something.

There's a mini exam offered towards the end of the course. From what I could tell, there's no reward nor penalty for passing or failing the quiz.

For those who learn better by doing, DellEMC makes a free Data Domain Virtual edition appliance (https://www.emc.com/products-solutions/trial-software-download/data-domain-virtual-edition.htm) available for VMware and Hyper-V virtualization platforms. There are also options to purchase the appliance in AWS and Azure.

A brief overview video of the Data Domain Virtual Edition of the can be found here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtGUQumlesA). The video is about seven minutes in length.