To Dell Support - Help with MD3000i

[Scott R. Ehrlich]

Sorry to spam the list, but I know Dell Support people are active on it, 
too:

I've spent more time than I should, trying to go the last mile on a new 
MD3000i storage device, trying to get snapshots completely configured - 
the 3000i is connected to a PowerEdge 2950 server.

I have the Premium Features envelope and code, and entered it a while ago.
The Premium Features section of MD Storage manager shows snapshots and 
virtual disk copy are both enabled.

It seems to me, the MD Storage Manager was designed to enable snapshot 
capability, partition a RAID to let the admin figure out how much disk 
space is needed (I allocated 50 GB for a RAID), assign that space for 
snapshots, then the Storage Manager stops there.  It is apparently up to 
me to use the SMcli command line to enable actual preservation of data to 
the snapshot?

I used Dell's web support form to inquire, and a tech said as far as I've 
gone is as far as they would have been able to help me, that I'm on my 
own.   I find that hard to believe.  For the price we paid for the box, 
and the extra for the snapshot capability, and the fact it is a Dell 
product, I have to believe Dell can walk me through as far I as I need to 
get to complete the configuration.

I need to learn how to get the system to schedule snapshots, and whatever 
else is involved.   Is Virtual Disk Copy the function that actually does 
this?   Documentation is not completely clear to me.   I have the Dell CLI 
documentation in hard copy, and am fighting to understand how/if it 
interfaces with snapshots, and proper implementation of the CLI syntax.

Someone from Dell, please write me directly to help me get to the finish 
line.   I cannot believe I actually need to write this list to get such 
answers.  I think Dell should have been able to do it from my email to 
them when I submitted my request to the web form.

Thanks.

Scott