data protection in a robo environment with emc vnx and vnxe series arrays deployment guide · lab,...

Data Protection in a ROBO Environment with EMC VNX and EMC VNXe Series Arrays Product Name Version Number Deployment Guide H10601

Data Protection in a ROBO Environment with EMC VNX and VNXe Series Arrays Deployment Guide

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Copyright © 2012 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved.

Published April, 2012

EMC believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. The information is subject to change without notice.

The information in this publication is provided as is. EMC Corporation makes no representations or warranties of any kind with respect to the information in this publication, and specifically disclaims implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Use, copying, and distribution of any EMC software described in this publication requires an applicable software license.

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Part Number H10601


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Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction .......................................................................17

ROBO environment ....................................................................................... 18

Challenges ........................................................................................................... 18

Data protection in a ROBO environment ............................................................... 18

Type of data protected ......................................................................................... 18

Use case .............................................................................................................. 18

File system replication ......................................................................................... 19

Deployment steps ......................................................................................... 21

Setup data protection in a ROBO environment .............................................. 22

Chapter 2 Environment Setup ............................................................23

Setup a ROBO environment ........................................................................... 24

VNX setup at the core ........................................................................................... 24

VNXe edge setup .................................................................................................. 25

Chapter 3 Replicating a VNXe shared folder to a remote VNX ...............27

Overview of CIFS share replication ................................................................ 28

Configure connectivity between VNXe and VNX .................................................... 28

Create destination file system on VNX .................................................................. 28

Create replication session .................................................................................... 29

Chapter 4 Monitor ROBO and Recommendations ................................31

Monitor a ROBO environment ........................................................................ 32

Unisphere Remote ............................................................................................... 32

Recommendations ........................................................................................ 36

Replication session .............................................................................................. 36

Recommendations for the core............................................................................. 36

Recommendations for the edge ............................................................................ 38

General recommendations ................................................................................... 40

Chapter 5 Local Data Protection .........................................................41

Protect data locally ....................................................................................... 42

Snapshots ........................................................................................................... 42

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Protect data locally at the edge ............................................................................ 42

Protect data locally at the core ............................................................................. 42

Chapter 6 Disaster Recovery ..............................................................45

Disaster recovery .......................................................................................... 46

Switchover ........................................................................................................... 46

Failover ................................................................................................................ 46

Appendix A Network Procedures ...........................................................47

Configure LACP on VNX ................................................................................. 48

Configure LACP on VNXe ............................................................................... 50

Configure connectivity between VNXe and VNX ............................................. 52

Create a VNX network interface ..................................................................... 59

Appendix B Storage Procedures ............................................................63

Create storage pools ..................................................................................... 64

Create storage pool for file-level access ............................................................... 64

Add drives to performance pool .................................................................... 71

Create a CIFS share ....................................................................................... 74

Configure shared folder server ............................................................................. 75

Create a shared folder .......................................................................................... 79

Create a destination file system .................................................................... 82

Appendix C Data Protection Procedures ................................................87

Create a replication session .......................................................................... 88

Allocate SavVol space to a file system .......................................................... 91

Switchover the replication session from VNXe to VNX ................................... 92

Reverse the replication session from VNX to VNXe after a switchover ........... 96

Failover a replication session from VNXe to VNX ........................................... 97

Reverse a replication session from VNX to VNXe after a failover .................. 100

Local data protection on VNXe .................................................................... 100

Protect data at the core ............................................................................... 104

Appendix D Monitoring and Management Procedures ...........................109

Deploy and configuring Unisphere Remote ................................................. 110

Download Unisphere Remote ............................................................................. 110

Launch and configure Unisphere Remote ........................................................... 113

Configure VNXe for Unisphere Remote ........................................................ 114

Enable performance logging ....................................................................... 116

Monitor VNX Data Mover utilization ............................................................ 117

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Monitor SP utilization ................................................................................. 119

Monitor disk IOPS ....................................................................................... 120

Retrieve and open archive files on VNX ....................................................... 122

Retrieve archives ................................................................................................ 122

Open archives .................................................................................................... 123

Monitor replication sessions ....................................................................... 124

Appendix E Validated Solution .............................................................127

Validated solution....................................................................................... 128

Solution architecture.......................................................................................... 128

Edges ................................................................................................................. 129

Core ................................................................................................................... 129

Servers .............................................................................................................. 130

Switches ............................................................................................................ 130

Results ............................................................................................................... 130

Appendix F Deployment Flow Chart ......................................................133

Detailed deployment flowchart ................................................................... 134

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Figures

Figure 1. ROBO topology ................................................................................... 19 Figure 2. Deployment steps .............................................................................. 21 Figure 3. Unisphere Remote Dashboard ............................................................ 33 Figure 4. Unisphere alert levels ......................................................................... 34 Figure 5. Unisphere Remote VNXe systems list ................................................. 34 Figure 6. Customize the Unisphere Remote dashboard ..................................... 36 Figure 7. Replications for File ............................................................................ 38 Figure 8. VNXe network activity ......................................................................... 39 Figure 9. Control network traffic and RPO .......................................................... 39 Figure 10. List the PCI devices on a Data Mover .................................................. 48 Figure 11. VNX LACP status ................................................................................. 49 Figure 12. VNXe More configuration .................................................................... 50 Figure 13. VNXe Advanced Configuration ............................................................ 51 Figure 14. Create link aggregate .......................................................................... 51 Figure 15. View replication connections .............................................................. 52 Figure 16. Add replication connection ................................................................. 53 Figure 17. Add Replication Connection Wizard—Specify System Information ...... 54 Figure 18. Add Replication Connection Wizard—Specify Interfaces ..................... 54 Figure 19. Add Replication Connection Wizard—Results ..................................... 55 Figure 20. Replications ....................................................................................... 56 Figure 21. List of replication sessions ................................................................. 56 Figure 22. Create replication session .................................................................. 57 Figure 23. Specify VNXe details for replication .................................................... 57 Figure 24. Replication connections on VNX ......................................................... 58 Figure 25. Test VNXe to VNX connectivity ............................................................ 58 Figure 26. Complete replication connection ........................................................ 59 Figure 27. Unisphere network settings ................................................................ 59 Figure 28. Create new network interface ............................................................. 60 Figure 29. Network interface details .................................................................... 61 Figure 30. Network interface list ......................................................................... 61 Figure 31. Storage > Storage Pools ...................................................................... 64 Figure 32. Create storage pool ............................................................................ 65 Figure 33. Verify storage pool creation ................................................................ 65 Figure 34. LUN list ............................................................................................... 66 Figure 35. Create LUN ......................................................................................... 66 Figure 36. Specify LUN properties ....................................................................... 67 Figure 37. Verify LUN creation ............................................................................. 67 Figure 38. Storage Groups .................................................................................. 68 Figure 39. Connect LUNs to storage groups ......................................................... 68

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Figure 40. Add LUNs to storage groups ............................................................... 69 Figure 41. Storage > Storage Pools ...................................................................... 70 Figure 42. List storage pools ............................................................................... 70 Figure 43. System > Storage Pools ....................................................................... 71 Figure 44. Configure Disks .................................................................................. 72 Figure 45. Disk Configuration Wizard .................................................................. 73 Figure 46. Disk selection ..................................................................................... 74 Figure 47. Shared Folder Server Settings location ............................................... 75 Figure 48. Shared Folder Server wizard ............................................................... 76 Figure 49. Shared folder server network settings ................................................ 77 Figure 50. Shared Folder Types page ................................................................... 78 Figure 51. Shared Folders wizard location ........................................................... 79 Figure 52. Select the shared folder pool .............................................................. 80 Figure 53. Advanced shared folder options ......................................................... 81 Figure 54. Shared folder protection ..................................................................... 82 Figure 55. Storage Configuration ......................................................................... 82 Figure 56. List file systems .................................................................................. 83 Figure 57. Create file system ............................................................................... 83 Figure 58. File system properties ........................................................................ 84 Figure 59. Verify file system creation................................................................... 84 Figure 60. Mount properties ................................................................................ 85 Figure 61. Configure replication .......................................................................... 88 Figure 62. Select replication destination ............................................................. 89 Figure 63. Configure replication synchronization ................................................ 89 Figure 64. Replication path selection .................................................................. 90 Figure 65. Replication configuration summary .................................................... 91 Figure 66. Replication failover............................................................................. 93 Figure 67. Confirm replication failover ................................................................ 93 Figure 68. Replication session details ................................................................. 94 Figure 69. List replication sessions ..................................................................... 94 Figure 70. Start replication session at a remote site ............................................ 95 Figure 71. Replication session properties ........................................................... 95 Figure 72. Initiate switchover .............................................................................. 96 Figure 73. Verify replication switchover ............................................................... 96 Figure 74. Reverse replication session ................................................................ 96 Figure 75. Confirm reverse replication direction .................................................. 97 Figure 76. Verify reverse replication on VNXe ...................................................... 97 Figure 77. Failover replication ............................................................................. 98 Figure 78. Confirm failover .................................................................................. 98 Figure 79. Verify failover ..................................................................................... 98 Figure 80. Start replication after failover ............................................................. 99 Figure 81. Replication settings ............................................................................ 99 Figure 82. Shared Folders ................................................................................. 100 Figure 83. Snapshots tab .................................................................................. 100 Figure 84. Take snapshots ................................................................................ 101 Figure 85. Snapshot retention ........................................................................... 101 Figure 86. Modify protection schedule .............................................................. 102 Figure 87. Modify snapshot schedule ............................................................... 103 Figure 88. List file systems ................................................................................ 104 Figure 89. Create Checkpoint ............................................................................ 105 Figure 90. Checkpoint properties ...................................................................... 105

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Figure 91. Checkpoint schedule -VNX ............................................................... 106 Figure 92. Customize schedule properties - VNX .............................................. 107 Figure 93. Select the OVF template ................................................................... 111 Figure 94. Unisphere Remote virtual machine name ......................................... 111 Figure 95. Select datastore for the Unisphere Remote virtual machine .............. 112 Figure 96. Unisphere Remote virtual machine network settings ........................ 112 Figure 97. Unisphere Remote Configuration ...................................................... 113 Figure 98. Unisphere Remote—Security Policy .................................................. 114 Figure 99. Management Settings ...................................................................... 114 Figure 100. Management Connections ................................................................ 115 Figure 101. Unisphere Remote Configuration—system details ............................ 115 Figure 102. Statistics for Block ........................................................................... 116 Figure 103. Start data logging ............................................................................. 117 Figure 104. Statistics for File ............................................................................... 117 Figure 105. Monitor Data Mover utilization ......................................................... 118 Figure 106. Data Mover utilization—all Data Movers ........................................... 118 Figure 107. Select Data Movers to view ............................................................... 119 Figure 108. Data Mover utilization—selected Data Movers .................................. 119 Figure 109. SP utilization .................................................................................... 120 Figure 110. Monitor disk IOPS ............................................................................. 121 Figure 111. Retrieve archive ................................................................................ 122 Figure 112. Select archive file ............................................................................. 123 Figure 113. Open archive .................................................................................... 123 Figure 114. Select time range to view .................................................................. 124 Figure 115. Mirrors and Replications................................................................... 124 Figure 116. Replication status ............................................................................ 125 Figure 117. Solution architecture ........................................................................ 128 Figure 118. Replication sessions met the designated RPO .................................. 131 Figure 119. VNXe Data Mover utilization ............................................................. 131 Figure 120. Deployment flowchart ...................................................................... 134 Figure 121. Deployment flowchart (continued) .................................................... 137

Figures


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Tables

Table 1. Protection options ............................................................................ 102 Table 2. Server specifications ........................................................................ 110

Tables


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Preface

As part of an effort to improve and enhance the performance and capabilities of its product line, EMC from time to time releases revisions of its hardware and software. Therefore, some functions described in this guide may not be supported by all revisions of the software or hardware currently in use. For the most up-to-date information on product features, refer to your product release notes.

If a product does not function properly or does not function as described in this document, please contact your EMC representative.

Note: This document was accurate as of the time of publication. However, as information is added, new versions of this document may be released to the EMC Online Support website. Check the website to ensure that you are using the latest version of this document.

Purpose This document describes how to use EMC® VNXe® and VNX® arrays to protect data in a Remote Office Branch Office (ROBO) environment.

Audience This document is intended for internal EMC personnel, EMC partners, and customers.

Scope This document covers the design and implementation for data protection in a ROBO environment using EMC VNXe and VNX array-based replication technologies. It also provides guidance, recommendation and best practices for protecting and monitoring such an environment.

Related documents The following documents, located on Powerlink.com, provide additional, relevant information. Access to these documents is based on the login credentials. If you do not have access to the following documents, contact your EMC representative:

Data Protection in a ROBO Environment – Reference Architecture

EMC VNXe Series Storage Systems: A Detailed Review

EMC VNX Series – Specification Sheet

EMC® Unisphere® Remote Installation Guide

EMC® Celerra® Network Server Command Reference Manual 6.0

Preface


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EMC® Celerra® Network Server Version 6.0.41: Using Celerra Replicator

Remote Replication for File Systems Using Celerra Replicator

Terminology The following terms will help in understanding the behavior of file system replication sessions.

Term Definition

Interconnect A interconnect defines the communication path between a given Data Mover pair located within the same array or on different arrays.

The interconnect must be established in each direction between the VNX DM and VNXe SP before a replication session can be created. This ensures communication between the Data Mover pair representing the source and destination.

The Data Mover interconnects between a VNXe and a VNX are established when a replication session is created from the VNXe to the VNX. This procedure is explained in detail in Chapter 3.

Source file system For remote replication, the source file system is the object on the source Data Mover from which all the data changes are replicated.

Destination file system For remote replication, the destination file system is the object on the destination Data Mover to which all the data changes are replicated

Recovery Point Objective (RPO)

RPO describes the maximum acceptable amount of data loss, measured in units of time in case there is an outage. For example, RPO can be 1 hour, 1 day etc.

Recovery Time Objective (RTO)

RTO describes how long a business process can be down before consequences are unacceptable.

Replication Feature that produces a read-only, point-in-time copy of the source file system. The service periodically updates the copy to make it consistent with the destination file system.

Checkpoint A checkpoint (known as snapshot on VNXe) is a point-in-time, logical image of a Production File System (PFS). A checkpoint is a file system and is also known as a checkpoint file system or an EMC SnapSure file system. A checkpoint can be used to restore the PFS to the time the checkpoint was taken. It can also be used to provide read access for test purposes without disrupting the original PFS

SavVol (VNX) or Protection space (VNXe)

Volume associated with the file system where the checkpoint data is stored.

Note: The SavVol space on the VNXe is known as Protection space

Data Mover Hardware component which has a CPU, memory and I/O ports. It enables CIFS and NFS protocols on the VNX.

NOTE: VNXe does not have a physical Data Mover.

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Term Definition

Storage processor Hardware component which has a CPU, memory and I/O ports. It enables CIFS, NFS and iSCSI protocols on the VNXe. The SP on the VNX enables iSCSI and FC protocols.

Dvols LUNs that are provisioned to VNX file are known as dvols. The dvol (disk volume) is the basis for the Automatic Volume Management (AVM) system in the VNX file environment.

Preface


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Chapter 1 Introduction

This chapter presents the following topics:

ROBO environment .................................................................................. 18

Deployment steps ................................................................................... 21

Setup data protection in a ROBO environment .......................................... 22

Introduction


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ROBO environment This chapter explains what data protection in a remote office branch office (ROBO) environment is, and how to use EMC VNXe and VNX arrays and their array-based replication features to configure data protection for a ROBO environment.

Challenges Today, numerous organizations have geographically-dispersed sites which create, process, and store data locally. Loss of data at any site could result in economic loss for the organization. Therefore, data must be continually protected to ensure the organization functions smoothly.

Protecting data at geographically-dispersed locations at a single common remote site, and maintaining copies of it is the best way to approach this challenge. However, managing and monitoring the flow of data from multiple locations becomes difficult.

This guide explains how to overcome all these challenges by using EMC VNXe and VNX storage arrays to protect data locally as well as at a core site. EMC VNX e and VNX storage arrays also provide simplified management for the whole environment.

Data protection in a ROBO environment A ROBO environment typically is an edge-core topology where edge nodes are deployed at remote sites to provide local computing resources. For the scenario presented in this document, the edges are storage arrays. These remote storage arrays at the edge need to protect their data. This protection can be achieved by replicating all local data to a single storage array at a centralized location (core site). Multiple edge sites will simultaneously replicate their data to the same core site.

Edge storage Low cost VNXe storage arrays are used at the edges. They provide user friendly interfaces and wizards which make storage management easy and do not require the IT administrator to have significant storage expertise.

Core storage A VNX storage array is used at the core site because the VNX series systems are very powerful and can support the heavy load that generated by the numerous ongoing replication sessions directed to it. Based on the number of edge nodes and the load generated by them, the model of the VNX required may vary.

Type of data protected This paper focuses on protecting file-level data like CIFS shares on remote VNXe systems. CIFS is the most common file sharing protocol over a local area network. It allows users to manipulate files as if they are on their local computers, but in this case they are located on a CIFS server on the VNXe.

Use case A typical use case for data protection in a ROBO environment is when a customer has VNXe storage systems installed at many remote sites to store data locally, and wants to periodically maintain a backup of the data at a centralized location in case there is

Introduction


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an outage at any remote site. Monitoring all the VNXe arrays from a centralized location is an integral part of such a use case.

For example, ABC Corporation has stores located all over the world and wants to backup and protect its CIFS shares via replication. Figure 1 shows the ROBO topology for ABC Corporation.

Figure 1. ROBO topology

File system replication Data from the remote VNXe is replicated to the core VNX through file system replication. File system replication copies and transfer data to the remote VNX at the file system level.

Before setting up a complex ROBO environment, it is important to understand how the underlying replication technology works to manage safe and consistent data replication. This chapter describes VNX file system replication between a single source and destination pair. This type of replication relationship must be established between each edge site in the environment and the core site.

Introduction


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Understand the replication process Replication uses internal checkpoints to ensure the availability of the most recent point-in-time copy. As discussed earlier, The VNX array can create a logical point-in-time view of a file system called a checkpoint or snapshot. Checkpoints are based on SnapSure technology and are visible to replication users, but users cannot manage them.

When copying data from a source that is changing, it is possible that the data at the remote site could be different from the data at the source. The use of a checkpoint as the replication source avoids this problem. Using VNX Snapsure, available on the EMC Online Support Website, provides more information about using checkpoints as a replication source.

Network clients continue to read and write to the source object through a Data Mover at the source site during the replication process. The replication process does not interrupt normal operations.

Introduction


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Deployment steps Figure 2 shows the steps to configure data protection in a ROBO environment from start to finish.

Setup Core

Setup Edge

Establish Edge-Core

Communication

Monitor

Evaluate Next Session

Placement

Figure 2. Deployment steps

Introduction


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Setup data protection in a ROBO environment The following steps need to be carried out in order to setup, manage and maintain the ROBO environment. These steps can also be seen as a detailed index to navigate through this guide.

1. Prepare the edges and the core. Chapter 2 explains the base setup required at the edges and the core to implement data protection. It provides guidance on the type of drives to use (storage pools, RAID groups etc), network configuration, and sizing layout information for both types of sites.

2. Create a replication session between a CIFS share on the VNXe at the edge and the destination file system at the Core. Chapter 3 provides detailed instructions on how to establish connections between the two arrays, how to create the destination for the source storage and how to trigger a replication session.

Note: Complete this step for each VNXe in the ROBO environment.

3. Monitor the replication session to verify that it is functioning properly. It is also necessary to know if any hardware components are overloaded, and if another one needs to be provisioned for deploying additional replication sessions in the future. Chapter 4 provides information on how to scale replication sessions, and maintain, manage, and monitor the edge and core sites.

4. Protect the data at the edge and core sites. Chapter 5 provides information about implementing array-based snapshots to provide a customized level of data protection.

5. Chapter 6 provides information on how to recover from different disaster scenarios which may affect an edge site. This chapter tells how to bring the destination file system online at the core for clients to access in case the source CIFS share is unavailable, and how to sync back new data generated at the core to the edge.


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Chapter 2 Environment Setup

This chapter presents the following topic:

Setup a ROBO environment ...................................................................... 24

Environment Setup


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Setup a ROBO environment This chapter provides guidance on laying out the groundwork for a ROBO replication environment. It provides information about how to set up the VNX at the core with specific steps to select drives, create LUNs, and set up the network. It also provides details about selecting drives and setting up the network at the edges.

VNX setup at the core In the EMC Solutions lab, we validated the profile described in Appendix E. For that configuration we found that 50GB of data change per hour for 20 CIFS share could be accommodated with 30 SAS drives for primary storage, and 10 NL-SAS drives in the SavVol pool. This equates to two shelves of 15 SAS drives and one shelf of 10 NL-SAS drives.

Configure the VNX drives and network to receive replication traffic before replicating any data to the VNX. The specific requirements for this array depend on the amount of data that comes in from the edge nodes.

Drive and pool setup The minimum performance requirement for the destination pool depends on the replication schedule, the number of simultaneous inbound connections, and the aggregate data change rate for those sessions. EMC recommends configuring the destination pool with 15k RPM SAS drives.

Based on the validated solution it is recommended to have entire 15 drive SAS shelves dedicated to destination file systems. Every 15 drive shelf would be configured in to a storage pool.

Create the pool from three 4+1 RAID 5 groups and provision 15 LUNs in the pool to maximize performance.

The LUNs are provisioned to the VNX file as dvols.

Appendix B details the steps to create the storage pool, create the LUNs, and provision them to the VNX.

Setup a SavVol The SavVol area keeps track of changed data in a VNX for file checkpoint. For replication, this area is used so that only changed data blocks must be transmitted and so that updates to the core can be rolled-back if an error occurs.

The SavVol for the destination file systems should be placed on NL-SAS drives. It is possible to provision destination file systems from other drive types, but this solution was validated by using NL-SAS drives for SavVol space. NL-SAS drives provide greater capacity-to-cost benefits.

Configure the NL-SAS drives in a 10-drive 8+2 RAID group. Provision the RAID group with disks from a single shelf. There cannot be more than one 10-drive 8+2 RAID group per shelf.

Create 10 LUNs on the 10-drive RAID group for maximum performance.

The LUNs are provisioned to the VNX file as dvols.

Environment Setup


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Appendix B details the steps to create the storage pool, create the LUNs, and provision them to the VNX.

Chapter 4 provides more information about the limits on provisioning file systems and SavVol space from the pools created above.

VNX network setup Each VNX Data Mover needs two 10 GbE iSCSI I/O modules to handle the network traffic of many VNXe systems simultaneously replicating data to the VNX.

Each 10 GbE iSCSI I/O module has two 10 GbE iSCSI ports, for a total of four ports per Data Mover. Configure link aggregation on the VNX and the switch to balance the network traffic equally across all four ports.

Appendix A provides more information about configuring link aggregation.

VNXe edge setup Each edge node in the environment may have a slightly different configuration, depending on the requirements at each individual edge site. However, some aspects of the configuration must be the same at each site to make the ROBO solution applicable.

Software version Each VNXe the ROBO environment must have VNXe Operating Environment version 2.2 or later. The Unisphere Remote tool that provides a common monitoring interface for all remote systems requires this software version as a minimum. The replication process works with earlier versions of the software, but the monitoring capability will not be available.

Drive and pool setup Create the source file systems on the VNXe on 15K RPM SAS drives for maximum performance. Configure the drives as a Performance pool. A Performance pool is a system-defined pool that binds disks in a RAID 5 (4+1) configuration for VNXe3100 or a RAID 5 (6+1) configuration for VNXe3300.

It is possible to use other types of drives, but the performance characteristics will be different. This solution was validated with 15k RPM SAS drives in a RAID 5 configuration with Performance pool storage profile.

Note: SAS drives are also a good choice for most I/O-intensive applications.

Setup protection space Protection space on a VNXe is analogous to SavVol space on a VNX. By default, the protection space is allocated from the same storage pool where the file system resides. This setting is acceptable for the VNXe.

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VNXe network setup In a ROBO environment, the network bandwidth available for replication is limited by the type of WAN connection available to the site.

Although it is unlikely that replication over WAN will overload a single 1 GbE port, it is possible that local users of the system may need more aggregate bandwidth. In order to achieve this there are two options.

Add 10 GbE connections (VNXe3300 only).

The 1 GbE, or 10 GbE links on the VNXe array can be combined into a link aggregate by using LACP. Appendix A provides details on how to configure LACP.


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Chapter 3 Replicating a VNXe Shared Folder to a Remote VNX


Overview of CIFS share replication ............................................................ 28

Replicating a VNXe Shared Folder to a Remote VNX


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Overview of CIFS share replication This chapter explains how to replicate a VNXe shared folder to a remote VNX. The chapter assumes that a VNXe shared folder server and a VNXe CIFS share have already been created by following the steps in Appendix B. The Unisphere management interfaces on the VNXe and the VNX can manage CIFS replication without the need for additional software.

The steps mentioned below configure replication between one VNXe CIFS shared folder and a particular VNX. These steps need to be carried out for every CIFS share to be replicated.

The steps to replicate a CIFS share from a VNXe to a remote VNX are:

1. Configure connectivity between the VNXe and the VNX control station.

2. Create and configure a destination file system on the VNX

3. Create and configure the replication session between the VNXe and the VNX.

Configure connectivity between VNXe and VNX Establish connectivity between the VNXe at the edge site and the VNX at the core site. Each system must be able to validate that the other exists. Appendix A provides detailed instructions to configure connectivity between a VNXe and the VNX at the core site.

Create destination file system on VNX Create the destination file system on the VNX. Data from the VNXe is periodically replicated to this file system, so that any changes to the source data are applied on the destination file system as well.

Note: If this is not the first session that is being configured, use the information in Chapter 4 to determine where to place the new destination file system. Appendix F provides a detailed flowchart that depicts how to expand an existing deployment.

Appendix B provides detailed steps to create a destination file system on a VNX for replicating a VNXe CIFS share.

Note: The destination file system must be exactly the same size as the source CIFS share, and must be configured for read-only access.

Note: On VNX and VNXe systems, protection space is allocated on the same storage pool where the file system resides. However, for the core VNX, EMC recommends that the SavVol space for the destination file system reside on a separate pool or RAID group. The typical configuration for the SavVol space is a 10-drive 8+2 RAID 6 group on NL-SAS drives. Appendix C provides instructions to allocate the SavVol space on a separate storage pool or RAID group.



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Note: EMC recommends deploying a maximum of 256 replication sessions on a single VNX. Configure additional VNX systems at the core site if more replication sessions are required. Chapter 4 provides more information and recommendations about monitoring and expanding the ROBO environment.

Create replication session After completing steps 1 and 2, the next step is to create a replication session between the VNXe and the VNX. Appendix C provides instructions to create and initiate the replication session.



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Chapter 4 Monitor ROBO and Recommendations

This chapter presents the following topics:

Monitor a ROBO environment ................................................................... 32

Recommendations ................................................................................... 36

Monitor ROBO and Recommendations


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Monitor a ROBO environment A ROBO environment is expected to be very large, and monitoring each edge node individually can be a difficult task. This chapter provides details on how to monitor all the edge VNXe nodes in the ROBO environment from a central location, and provides recommendations and guidance on how to configure a ROBO environment so as to avoid problems which may occur later.

Unisphere Remote Unisphere Remote is a network application that enables administrators to remotely monitor the status and resources of multiple VNXe systems that reside on a common network. The Unisphere Remote server runs within a VMware virtual environment that includes at least one ESX server, and obtains aggregate status, alert, and storage usage information from the VNXe systems on the network.

The Unisphere Remote server is deployed as a VMware application. It is delivered, installed, and configured as an OVF file.

OVF is an open, extensible, platform-independent, packaging and distribution format for virtual machines. The Unisphere Remote server OVF provides a complete specification for the virtual machine, including a list of required virtual disks and virtual hardware configuration information.

Unisphere Remote enables users to:

Launch a Unisphere management interface for individual VNXe systems from Unisphere Remote by using the Link and Launch feature.

Monitor over 1000 VNXe systems from a single interface

View aggregate alerts, health and capacity and CPU usage data for multiple systems.

Control access to the monitoring interface by setting up local Unisphere Remote users, or integrating existing LDAP-enabled users and groups.

Organize views of VNXe nodes in logical ways such as by location, type, or department.

Deploy Unisphere Remote Appendix D provides the steps to configure and deploy Unisphere Remote.

The EMC Unisphere Remote Installation Guide, available on the EMC Online Support website, provides more information on how to set up high availability for Unisphere Remote in a virtual environment.

Configure VNXe for Unisphere Remote Appendix D provides the steps to configure the edge VNXe systems for Unisphere Remote.



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Monitor edge VNXe systems through Unisphere Remote After the VNXe systems are configured for Unisphere Remote, they appear in the Unisphere Remote GUI as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Unisphere Remote Dashboard

Unisphere Remote allows users to create dashboards that can be customized with the following panels:

The list of systems being managed

For a ROBO environment, this panel can list all the systems that are participating in the edge-to-core replication.

The storage capacity of each system

This panel enables the administrator to monitor the storage capacity of each VNXe system in the ROBO environment, and take proactive measure if a system starts to run low on space.

The average CPU utilization of each system.

This panel displays the CPU utilization for each VNXe in the ROBO environment. With this information, users can identify performance bottlenecks.

Note: EMC recommends maintaining an average CPU utilization of less than 70% for VNXe systems in a ROBO environment.

Application capacity on each system

This panel displays specific storage information about the space that is consumed by storage provisioned for specific applications.

Alerts from each system

This panel display alerts whenever there are software or hardware issues that require attention on any of the edge VNXe systems. For example, it will display alerts if an SP fails, a storage resource is almost full, there are problems with the storage resource, there are problem with communication



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with the core, or any problem with the replication sessions configured on that node.

Alerts are categorized based on severity. Figure 4 lists the different levels of alerts.

Figure 4. Unisphere alert levels

Link and launch capability The Link and Launch feature in Unisphere Remote allows users to open a Unisphere session for an individual VNXe system by clicking on its management IP address in the Storage Systems list.

Even though Unisphere Remote is meant to be a monitoring tool, the link and launch feature gives users some ability to manage the VNXe systems.

Figure 5. Unisphere Remote VNXe systems list

Individual systems Click on the hostname for a VNXe system to view the System Information window for that system.

The System Information window provides a summary of the entire system along with tabs for

Alerts – All alerts for that particular system

Contact information – Contact information for an administrator at a remote site in case the administrator monitoring from Unisphere Remote notices a problem and wants to notify the remote site about it.

Latest statistics – All latest statistics for the VNXe.



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The Unisphere Remote demo, available on the EMC Online Support website, provides more information about using Unisphere Remote.

Monitor the core VNX The Unisphere dashboard for VNX can be customized with the following panels:

System Information – This panel displays general system information

System Alerts – This panel displays all software and hardware warnings, errors, and informational alerts about the VNX.

Storage Capacity Summary – This panel displays a pie chart of the different areas where the storage on the system is being used.

Storage Pools for File – This panel displays information about the storage pools that are presented to the VNX for File

Storage Pools – This panel displays information about storage pools created at the VNX for Block level.

RAID Group Capacity – This panel displays capacity information for the RAID groups on the system.

Note: Monitor the available RAID group capacity at all times. A lack of free space can cause replication sessions to stop.

Storage Status – This panel displays the status of the LUNs on the system.

Storage Resources – This panel displays information about different storage resources such as disks, storage pools. LUNs, storage groups, and folders in a single panel.

Host Allocation – This panel displays information about how much storage each host is using.

Complete the following steps to customize the dashboard:

1. Click Customize.

2. Select a panel and then click Add.

3. Repeat Step 2 to add additional panels.



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Figure 6. Customize the Unisphere Remote dashboard

Recommendations This section provides guidance on how to set up a ROBO environment, defines a replication session and how it should be configured in the ROBO environment, provides recommendations on when to deploy a new Data Mover, and on when to deploy a new VNX at the core.

Replication session In order to provide proper guidance, a replication session is defined with the following elements:

Two GB of data change per hour at the edge VNXe.

RPO of one hour

Hourly snaps at the edge VNXe with a retention period of seven hours

Daily snaps for the destination file system with a retention period of one week.

Recommendations for the core The following recommendations apply to monitoring and managing the core VNX:

Deploy a new storage pool for destination file systems The maximum IOPS limit for destination file system drives is 190. If the average number of IOPS on the destination file system pool exceeds 190, deploy a new pool for destination file systems.

Note: A destination file system pool consists of 15 X 15K RPM SAS drives with 15 LUNs provisioned on it. Appendix B describes how to deploy a storage pool.

Monitor destination file system IOPS Appendix D describes how to monitor the IOPS on a destination file system.



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Deploy a new storage pool for a SavVol location The maximum IOPS limit for SavVol drives is 90. If the average number of IOPS on the destination file system pool exceeds 90, deploy a new SavVol pool.

Note: A SavVol pool consists of 10 NL-SAS drives in a RAID 6 (8+2) configuration with 10 LUNs provisioned on it. Appendix B describes how to deploy a storage pool for a SavVol.

Monitor SavVol IOPS Appendix D describes how to monitor the IOPS on a SavVol.

Recommended Data Mover usage A Data Mover can support a total of 50 replication sessions based on the definition of a replication session in Appendix C.

However, if the replication RPO is not being met, such as if the replication session cannot synchronize all the changes to the destination file system within an hour, then either the RPO needs to be altered or a new Data Mover must be deployed for all future replication sessions.

Appendix D describes how to monitor the RPO of the replication sessions.

Deploy a new Data Mover for all future replication sessions if the Data Mover utilization is consistently over 70%, even if the RPO target is being met.

Monitor Data Mover usage Appendix D describes how to monitor Data Mover usage.

Recommended SP usage Deploy a new VNX for all future replication sessions if the SP utilization is consistently over 70%, even if the RPO target is being met.

Monitor SP usage Appendix D describes how to monitor SP usage.

Verify RPO is met The Replication Session List window in VNX Unisphere provides information on whether the RPO is being met. The ’last sync time’ column displays the time the last set of changes was copied from the source to the destination. If this time is within the RPO, it means the RPO is being met.



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Figure 7. Replications for File

Monitor RPO Appendix D describes how to monitor the RPO for all the replication sessions. It also describes how to determine if the replication sessions are healthy.

Recommendations for the edge Review the following recommendations for VNXe systems at the edge sites.

SP utilization The VNXe average SP utilization should not be above 70%.

Use the CPU Utilization panel in Unisphere to view the SP utilization.

Network activity The VNXe Network Activity graph provides valuable information about the replication sessions.

Complete the following steps to view the Network Activity graph.

1. Log into Unisphere.

2. Select System Performance.



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3. Select Transmitted SP A and Transmitted SP B.

Figure 8. VNXe network activity

The graph shows that the system is transferring data every hour and then the network traffic slows down after the data transfer is complete. This implies that the RPO is being met.

A graph that looks like a straight, horizontal line implies that the system is continuously transmitting data and that the RPO is not being met.

Note: These recommendations apply only when there is a single active replication session on the system.

Alter network traffic The network traffic can be manipulated by altering the RPO. The RPO is inversely proportional to the amount of network traffic. If the RPO is configured to be very small, the network will be busy trying to synchronize with the destination at smaller intervals. This causes increased network traffic. If the RPO is large, then the network traffic is lower as data will is synchronized less frequently, over longer intervals.

1. Complete the following steps to adjust the RPO:


3. Select Storage > Shared Folders > Shared Folder Details.

4. Move the scroll bar left or right to adjust the RPO.

The window also provides information about the effect the chosen RPO will have on performance, network traffic, and protection space requirements.

Figure 9. Control network traffic and RPO



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General recommendations Stagger replication sessions.

When a replication session is configured, the first copy to the destination file system is a full-copy. Multiple simultaneous full-copies are bandwidth-intensive and may take a significant amount of time. During the full copy, the source system will still be serving requests, and because of the copy on first write principle, all the new data will be written to the VNXe protection space. This may result in a lot of data that needs to be copied to the protection space even after the full-copy is complete.

Monitor system utilization

Check system utilization values after adding each session to understand where the next replication session should be configured. For example, after adding a replication session, the IOPS on the destination storage pool disks increase from 190 to 215. Since the recommended maximum average IOPS for SAS drives is 230, deploy the next replication session on a new storage pool. Similarly, if the Data Mover or SP utilization is near the threshold limit, a new Data Mover or storage system is required.

Standby Data Mover

Maintain a standby Data Mover in case a primary Data Mover fails. A standby can keep replication sessions active if a primary Data Mover goes offline.

Monitor SavVol Capacity

Monitor the utilization of the NL-SAS RAID groups which contain the SavVols for the file systems. If the SavVol becomes full, no more data can be transmitted, and the replication sessions will get stuck.

Appendix D describes how to monitor SavVol capacity.

Utilize local data protection at the core.

Appendix C describes how to configure local data protection for the core VNX.

Delete temporary snapshot

After changing the SavVol location of a file system by following the steps in Appendix G, delete the temporary snapshot as soon as initial sync is started.

Use flow chart to deploy sessions

Refer to the detailed flow chart in Appendix F to deploy a new edge system or replication session in a ROBO environment.

Replication limits

A VNX can handle up to 256 concurrent replication sessions. If the environment has more than 256 active sessions, another VNX is required

If there are more than 256 active sessions, the replication sessions will queue, and the RPO will not be met.


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Chapter 5 Local Data Protection


Protect data locally .................................................................................. 42

Local Data Protection


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Protect data locally This chapter describes how to configure local protection for source data on the edge VNXe systems, and replicated data at the core VNX. Local data protection adds an additional layer of protection on top of the replication to make the ROBO environment even more robust.

Note: The terms checkpoint and snapshot are the same in this context.

Snapshots A snapshot is a point-in-time, logical image of a Production File System (PFS). A snapshot is a file system, and is also known as a checkpoint file system or an EMC Snapsure file system. A snapshot can be used to restore the PFS to the time the snapshot was taken. It can also be used to provide read and write access for test purposes without disrupting the original PFS. Array-based snapshots can be used to protect data at both the edge and core sites.

Appendix C provides details on how the snapshot feature was used to protect data at the edges and at the core.

Protect data locally at the edge Snapshots enable users to protect data locally for short periods of time to guard against data corruption and other problems. The fact that the snapshots are local allow for faster recovery times. Snapshots can be configured to run automatically on a user-defined schedule, or taken manually at any time. This solution uses a snapshot schedule for each VNXe CIFS share in the ROBO environment.

Note: There should be enough protection space available to store the snapshot and support the rate of data change.

Appendix C provides instructions to configure local data protection at an edge site, and Appendix E describes the snapshot schedule that was used at the edges in the validation of this solution.

Protect data locally at the core Organizations may want to retain data for analysis and compliance reasons for longer periods of time. Array-based snapshots and other backup technologies can provide local data protection at the core.

Snapshots can be configured to run automatically on a user-defined schedule, or taken manually at any time.

Note: Snapshots of the destination file systems use the same SavVol space as the replication sessions. A file system can only have one SavVol associated with it. Verify that the SavVol has sufficient space for both the local data protection and the replication sessions.

Appendix E describes the snapshot schedule that was used at the core in the validation of this solution.



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Data backup at the core The following documents provide additional information on EMC data backup:

Configure NDMP backup on Celerra.

EMC Celerra Backup to Disk with Veritas NetBackup.



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Chapter 6 Disaster Recovery


Disaster recovery ................................................................................... 46

Disaster Recovery


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Disaster recovery This chapter describes methods to bring data online at the core VNX so it can take the place of an edge VNXe system if the VNXe is down.

Switchover A switchover is a planned reversal of the replication session, where the destination file system synchronizes with the source file system and the replication session stops with no data loss. The status of the destination object becomes read/write and the status of the source object becomes read-only.

Use case ABC Corporation has an edge site which is undergoing renovation. The renovation process requires electricity to the entire site be cut off for two hours. With prior notice of the shutdown, ABC Corporation can perform a switchover of the CIFS share to the core without any data loss. When the outage is complete, normal operation can be resumed by reversing the replication session. This copies the new and changed data back to the edge and makes it read-write at the edge and read-only at the core.

Appendix C provides instructions to perform a switchover and reverse the replication back to the source.

Failover A failover is a reversal of the replication session, with possible data loss, in response to an unplanned emergency scenario where the source has become unavailable. After the failover operation, the status of the destination object becomes read/write. When communication is re-established between the source and destination, the status of the source object becomes read-only.

Use case ABC Corporation has a branch office which gets affected by a natural disaster. As a result, the entire site loses power. At this time, ABC can perform a failover with of the potential for some data loss depending on when the last sync completed, and failover access to the core site. After the power to the site comes back online, the source will become read-only. New and changed data can be applied back to the source by reversing the replication session.

Appendix C provides instructions to perform a failover and reverse the replication back to the source.


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Appendix A Network Procedures

This appendix presents the following topics:

Configure LACP on VNX ............................................................................ 48

Configure LACP on VNXe .......................................................................... 50

Configure connectivity between VNXe and VNX ......................................... 52

Create a VNX network interface ................................................................ 59

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Configure LACP on VNX This section describes how to configure LACP on VNX.

Complete the following steps to configure LACP on VNX:

1. Log into the Control Station with the username nasadmin.

2. Run the following command:

server_sysconfig <Data_Mover_name> -pci

This command lists all the PCI devices for that the specified Data Mover. If the 10 GbE I/O modules are installed correctly, they will appear as shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10. List the PCI devices on a Data Mover

fxg-<X>-<Y> is the device name. Where X is the slot number and Y is the port on the I/O module in that slot.

Each port that appears in the list must be added to the link aggregate.

3. Run the following command to create the link aggregate:

server_sysconfig <move_name> -virtual –name <link_name> -create trk –option “device=<device1>, <device2>, <device3>, <device4> protocol =lacp lb=ip”

Where <link_name> is the name assigned to the LACP aggregated trunk and <device1>, <device2>, <device3>, and <device4> are the names of the four 10 GbE that comprise the LACP aggregated trunk, and lb is the load balancing mechanism. Load balancing should be set to load balance based on IP because that is the way the ROBO environment sessions are distributed on the Data Mover.

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For example:

Server_sysconfig server_3 –virtual –name trk0_lacp –create trk –option “device=fxg-2-0,fxg-2-1,fxg-3-0,fxg-3-1 protocol=lacp lb=ip”

4. Run the following command to verify all the ports are functional, and the LACP works properly:

server_sysconfig <mover name> -virtual -info <link_name>

For example:

server_sysconfig server_3 –virtual –info

Figure 11. VNX LACP status

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Configure LACP on VNXe This section describes how to configure LACP on VNXe when more than one network interface is available.

Complete the following steps to configure LACP on VNXe:

1. Select Settings > More configuration

Figure 12. VNXe More configuration

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2. Select Advanced Configuration.

Figure 13. VNXe Advanced Configuration

3. In the IO Modules pane, select a port to add to the link aggregate.

Note: VNXe limits link aggregation to eth2 for base ports, and eth10 for I/O modules ports.

4. Select Aggregate with eth2 or Aggregate with eth10.

5. Click Apply Changes.

Figure 14. Create link aggregate

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Link aggregation is complete.

Configure connectivity between VNXe and VNX This section describes how to establish connectivity between the VNXe and VNX for CIFS replication.

Complete the following steps to establish network connectivity between a VNXe and the VNX:

1. Verify that the VNXe and the VNX Control Station are on the same subnet.

2. From the VNXe Unisphere interface, select Hosts > Replication Connections.

Figure 15. View replication connections

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3. Click Add Replication Connection. The Add Replication Connection Wizard appears.

Figure 16. Add replication connection

4. Specify the remote system details:

a. In the System Type list box, select Celerra or VNX.

b. In the IP Address field, type the VNX Control Station IP address

c. In the System Name field, type the hostname of the VNX Control Station.

d. In the Passphrase field, type a passphrase for the replication connection.

e. In the Confirm Passphrase field, type the passphrase a second time.

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f. Click Next.

Figure 17. Add Replication Connection Wizard—Specify System Information

5. Specify the VNXe network interfaces to use to communicate with the VNX:

a. In the SP A list box, select a network interface or leave the selection as System Selected to let the VNXe automatically select a network interface.

b. In the SP B list box, select a network interface or leave the selection as System Selected to let the VNXe automatically select a network interface.

c. Click Next.

Figure 18. Add Replication Connection Wizard—Specify Interfaces

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6. Review the summary information and then click Finish. The Results window appears.

The Results window shows the progress as the VNXe creates the connection to the VNX.

The VNXe attempts to verify the connection to the VNX after it is established. It will fail with the error message shown in Figure 19 because a connection to the VNXe needs to be established on the VNX.

Figure 19. Add Replication Connection Wizard—Results

7. Log into Unisphere on the VNX.

Note: A network interface on the VNX is required. Configure one if none already exist. Create a VNX network interface describes how to create a network interface on the VNX.

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8. Select Data Protection > Replications.

Figure 20. Replications

9. From Click Celerra Network Servers.

Figure 21. List of replication sessions

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10. Click Create.

Figure 22. Create replication session

11. Specify the VNXe details:

a. In the Celerra Network Server Name field, type the VNXe hostname.

b. In the Address field, type the VNXe management IP address.

c. In the Passphrase field, type the same passphrase as on the VNXe-to-VNX connection.

d. Click OK.

Figure 23. Specify VNXe details for replication

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12. Verify the VNXe appears in the Replication Celerra Network Servers list.

Figure 24. Replication connections on VNX

13. Click Continue on the VNXe system.

Figure 25. Test VNXe to VNX connectivity

Note: The Celerra network server on the VNX could have been added prior to creating the connection from the VNXe Unisphere user interface. In this case, the message to create and verify the connection on the VNX will be bypassed. To avoid this error message on the VNXe, add the VNXe to the Replication Celerra Network Servers list on the VNX before configuring the connection from the VNXe to the VNX.

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The connection between the VNXe and the VNX is established.

Figure 26. Complete replication connection

Create a VNX network interface This section describes how to create a network interface on a VNX.

Complete the following steps to create a VNX network interface:


2. Select Settings > Network..

Figure 27. Unisphere network settings

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3. Click Create. The Create Network Interface window box appears.

Figure 28. Create new network interface

4. Specify the network interface details:

a. In the Data Mover list box, select the Data Mover on which to create the interface.

b. In the Device Name list box, select the physical port for the interface.

c. In the IP Address field, type an IP address for the interface.

d. In the Name field, type a name for the interface.

e. In the Netmask field, type the netmask for the interface.

f. In the MTU field, optionally type an MTU size for the interface.

g. In the VLAN ID field, optionally type a VLAN ID for the interface.

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h. Click OK.

Figure 29. Network interface details

The new interface appears in the Interfaces list.

Figure 30. Network interface list

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Appendix B Storage Procedures


Create storage pools ................................................................................ 64

Add drives to performance pool ............................................................... 71

Create a CIFS share .................................................................................. 74

Create a destination file system ............................................................... 82

Storage Procedures


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Create storage pools This section describes how to create a storage pool for file-level access on a VNX. A VNX storage system can either be a gateway system with the Data Movers and the backend storage are treated as separate systems and managed individually through separate user interfaces, or a unified system where the Data Movers and the backend storage are treated as a single unit and managed from a single user interface.

The steps to create a storage pool for file-level access are:

1. Create a storage pool or RAID group for block-level access.

2. Create a LUN on the block-level storage pool.

3. Provision the LUN to the Data Mover.

4. Create a storage pool for file-level access from the LUN.

Create storage pool for file-level access Complete the following procedure to create a storage pool for file-level access on a VNX system.

Create a storage pool for block-level access Complete the following steps to create a storage pool for block-level access.

1. Log in to Unisphere management interface for the SP on a VNX gateway system, or log in to the Unisphere management interface for the Control Station for a VNX integrated system.

2. Select the storage system.

3. Select Storage > Storage Pools.

Figure 31. Storage > Storage Pools

4. Click Create. The Create Storage Pool window appears.

5. Specify the storage pool details:

a. Select Pool or RAID Group.

Select Pool to create a destination file system, or RAID Group to create SavVol space.

b. In the RAID Type list box, select a RAID template.

c. Select the number of disks to be used.

Select 15 for destination file system pool. Select 10 for SavVol space.

d. Select the appropriate number of SAS drives or NL-SAS drives.

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For destination file systems, use 15 SAS drives from the same shelf. For SavVol space, use 10 NL-SAS drives from the same shelf.

e. Optionally, click Advanced to change the advanced features.

f. Click Apply.

Figure 32. Create storage pool

The block-level storage pool appears on the Pools tab or the RAID Group tab, depending on the pool type.

Figure 33. Verify storage pool creation

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Create a LUN block-level storage pool Complete the following steps to create a LUN on the block-level storage pool:

1. Select Storage > LUNs.

Figure 34. LUN list

2. Click Create.

Figure 35. Create LUN

3. Specify the LUN details:

a. Select Pool or RAID Group to match the storage pool type for the block-level storage pool created in Create a storage pool for block-level access.

b. In the RAID Type list box, select the appropriate RAID Type for the pool.

c. In the Storage Pool for new LUN list box, select the storage pool created in Create a storage pool for block-level access.

d. In the User Capacity list box, select MAX.

e. In the Number of LUNs to create list box, select 10 for SavVol space, or 15 for destination file systems.

f. Click Advanced.

g. Select the SP that will own the LUN.

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h. Click Apply.

Figure 36. Specify LUN properties

The new LUN appears under the list of LUNs on the system.

Figure 37. Verify LUN creation

LUNs on NL-SAS drives are all assigned to the same SP by default. The LUN ownership and current control for these LUNs must alternate between the SPs.

4. Change the ownership and current owner of the NL-SAS LUNs:

a. Right-click the LUN and then select Properties.

b. Change the default owner and then click Apply.

c. Right click the LUN again and then click Trespass. Trespass will transfer control of the LUN to the peer SP.

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d. Repeat steps a-c to change the ownership of another LUN.

Provision LUNs to the Data Mover Complete the following steps to provision LUNs to the Data Mover:

1. Select Hosts > Storage Groups.

Figure 38. Storage Groups

2. Select the Data Mover.

3. Click Connect LUNs.

Figure 39. Connect LUNs to storage groups

4. From the Available LUNs list, expand the SP that owns the LUN created in Create a LUN block-level storage pool and then select that LUN.

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5. Click Add.

Figure 40. Add LUNs to storage groups

The LUN is moved to the Selected LUNs list.

6. Click OK.

Create storage pool for file-level access on the LUN provisioned to the Data Mover Complete the following steps to create a storage pool for file-level access on the LUN that was provisioned to the Data Mover.

1. For a VNX gateway system, log in to the Unisphere interface for the Control Station.

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2. Select Storage > Storage Configuration > Storage Pools.

Figure 41. Storage > Storage Pools

The LUNs provisioned to the VNX for file in Provision LUNs to the Data Mover appear in the list of storage pools for file.

LUNs that were provisioned on SAS drives for destination file systems have the same pool name as the block-level storage pool from which they were provisioned. No further action is required to create a storage pool for destination file systems.

LUNs that were provisioned for SavVol space are added to the system-defined clarata_r6 pool. This is a CLARiiON RAID 6 pool on SATA drives.

Figure 42. List storage pools

3. Create a user-defined pool from the clardata_r6 pool for SavVols:

a. Select Storage Pools > Create. The Create Storage Pool Wizard appears.

b. Select Meta Volumes.

c. In the Name field, type a name for the storage pool.

d. In the Description field, optionally type a description for the storage pool.

e. Select the all the Dvols that were created in Provision LUNs to the Data Mover in the order they are listed that were created and added.

f. Click Finish.

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Add drives to performance pool This section describes how to add SAS drives to a performance storage pool on the VNXe.

1. Log in to the VNXe Unisphere interface.

2. Select System > Storage Pools.

Figure 43. System > Storage Pools

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3. Click Configure Disks.

Figure 44. Configure Disks

4. Select Manually add disks to an existing pool.

5. Select Performance Pool from the list box.

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6. Click Next.

Figure 45. Disk Configuration Wizard

Note: Make sure that no disks already in use elsewhere exist in this pool. If the performance pool is not empty, then select Manually create a new pool and by Disk Type. Use SAS drives and RAID 5 to configure the pool.

7. Select the number of drives to add to the pool. The drives are available in multiples of 7 for a VNXe3300 and in multiples of 5 for a VNXe3100.

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8. Click Next.

Figure 46. Disk selection

9. Verify the summary information is correct and then click Finish.

The system adds the selected drives to the storage pool.

Create a CIFS share This section describes how to create a Common Internet File System (CIFS) share on the VNXe. The steps required to create a CIFS share:

1. Configure a shared folder server

2. Create a shared folder

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Configure shared folder server Complete the following steps to create a shared folder server:

1. Log in to Unisphere as an administrator.

2. Select Settings > Shared Folder Server Settings. The Shared Folder Server Settings page appears.

Figure 47. Shared Folder Server Settings location

3. Click Add a Shared Folder Server. The Shared Folder Server wizard appears.

4. Specify the details for the shared folder server:

a. In the Server Name field, type a name for the shared folder server.

b. In the Storage Processor list box, select the default storage processor. This storage processor is responsible for the requests to the shared folder. It is a best practice to balance the activity between the two storage processors on the system.

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5. Click Next. The Shared Folder Server page appears.

Figure 48. Shared Folder Server wizard

6. Specify the network interface for the new shared folder server:

a. In the IP Address field, type the IP address of the shared folder server.

b. In the Subnet Mask field, type the subnet mask.

c. In the Gateway field, type the gateway for the shared folder server.

d. Click Show advanced.

e. In the Ethernet Port list box, select the port number associated with the shared folder for the VLAN.

f. In the VLAN ID field, select the applicable VLAN ID with which the shared folder is associated.

Note: VLAN ID values range from 0 to 4095.

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7. Click Next. The Shared Folder Types page appears.

Figure 49. Shared folder server network settings

8. Choose the type of shares the shared folder server supports:

a. Select Windows shares (CIFS).

b. In the Windows Domain list box, select the Windows domain name and type the IP address.

c. Click Add. The IP address appears in the DNS Servers field.

d. In the User Name field, type the user name.

e. In the Password field, type the password.

Note: It is a best practice to join the CIFS server to the local domain and use Active Directory authentication instead of setting up local users on the storage array.

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9. Click Next. The Server Summary page appears.

Figure 50. Shared Folder Types page

10. Verify the details and then click Finish. The shared folder server appears in the Shared Folder Server Settings page.

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Create a shared folder Complete the following steps to create a shared doler:

1. In Unisphere, select Storage > Shared Folders. The Shared Folder Storage

window appears.

Figure 51. Shared Folders wizard location

2. Click Add Share. The Shared Folder Wizard appears.

3. Select Create a new shared folder.

Note To modify the existing shared folders, select Select an existing shared folder.

4. Click Next.

5. Specify the shared folder details:

a. In the Name field, type a name of the shared folder.

Note: Provide a name that makes it easy to identify the shared folder later.

b. In the Description field, optionally type the description of the share.

6. Click Next.

7. Specify the storage details for the shared folder:

a. Select the pool from the list.

b. In the Size field, type the allocated size and then select the unit of measure from the list box to the right.

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8. Click Next. The Configure Shared Folder Attributes page appears.

Figure 52. Select the shared folder pool

9. Specify the attributes for the shared folder:

a. Select Windows shares (CIFS).

b. Select the other options based as required. OpLocks is selected by default.

Note: The Deduplication and Compression feature increases file storage efficiency by eliminating redundant data from the files stored in the storage resource to save storage space and cost.

Note: The VNX File-Level Retention (FLR) feature provides a way to set file-based permissions to limit write access to the files for a specific period of time. In this way, FLR can ensure the data integrity during that period by creating an unalterable set of files and directories. FLR prevents files from being modified or deleted by NAS clients and users.

After the File Level Retention option is selected for a Windows shared folder, it cannot be cleared. FLR is not recommended for this scenario.

Note: Opportunistic file locks (OpLocks) allow CIFS clients to buffer file data locally before sending it to a server. CIFS clients can work with files locally and periodically to communicate changes to the VNXe platform rather than communicate every operation over the network to the VNXe platform. By default, OpLocks is selected in the wizard. This feature is enabled by default for Windows (CIFS) shared folders.

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Unless the application handles critical data or has specific requirements that make this mode of operation unfeasible, EMC recommends the use of OpLocks.

10. Click Next. The Configure Windows Share page appears.

Figure 53. Advanced shared folder options

11. Type a name for the share.

The users access the shared folder that is on the network to access the data.

12. Click Next. The Configure Protection Storage Size page appears.

13. Select the required protection configuration.

Select one of the following options:

Configure protection storage, do not configure a snapshot protection schedule – This option allocates protection space for replication snapshots but does not configure an automatic schedule to take snapshots of the shared folder.

Configure protection storage, protect data using snapshot schedule – This option allocates protection space for replication snapshots and allows the user to configure a schedule for the VNXe to take snapshots automatically. The protection schedule can specify when to take snapshots of the shared folder and the duration of time to retain it.

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14. Click Next. The Summary page appears.

Figure 54. Shared folder protection

15. Verify the details and then click Finish.

Create a destination file system This section describes how to create a destination file system on the core VNX.

A storage pool and a network interface are required on the VNX to create a destination file system.

If no storage pools or interfaces exist, follow the steps in Create storage pools and Create a VNX network interface to create a storage pool and a network interface.

1. Log into Unisphere

2. Select Storage > Storage Configuration.

Figure 55. Storage Configuration

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3. Click File Systems.

Figure 56. List file systems

4. Click Create. The File System Creation Wizard appears.

Figure 57. Create file system

5. Specify the file system details:

a. Select Storage Pool.

b. In the File System Name field, type a name for the file system.

c. In the Storage Pool list box, select the storage pool to create the file system from.

d. In the Storage Capcity (MB) field, type the storage capacity of the file system.

Note: Specify the capacity in megabytes (MB.) The file system must be the same size as the source file system that is being replicated from the VNXe.

e. In the Data Mover (R/W) list box, select the Data Mover that will own the file system.

Note: The selected Data Mover must have an interface defined on it.

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f. Click OK.

Figure 58. File system properties

Once the File system has been created it will appear on the File Systems tab.

6. Click Mounts.

Figure 59. Verify file system creation

7. Right-click the destination file system and then click Properties. The Mount Properties window for the destination file system appears.

8. Select Read Only.

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9. Click OK.

Figure 60. Mount properties

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Appendix C Data Protection Procedures


Create a replication session ..................................................................... 88

Allocate SavVol space to a file system ...................................................... 91

Switchover the replication session from VNXe to VNX ............................... 92

Reverse the replication session from VNX to VNXe after a switchover ......... 96

Failover a replication session from VNXe to VNX ....................................... 97

Reverse a replication session from VNX to VNXe after a failover ................. 100

Local data protection on VNXe ................................................................. 100

Protect data at the core ............................................................................ 104

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Create a replication session This section describes how to create a replication session between an edge VNXe and the core VNX.

Note: Allocate SavVol space to a file system describes how to verify that the SavVol for the destination file system is provisioned on a different storage pool or RAID group.

1. Log into Unisphere on the VNXe.

2. Click Storage.

3. Click Shared Folders.

4. Select the shared folder (CIFS share) to replicate and then click Details.

5. Select Replication > Configure Replication to a Remote System. The Create Session Wizard Appears.

Figure 61. Configure replication

6. Specify the destination:

a. In the Destination System list box, select the core VNX.

b. In the Storage Resource list box, select the destination file system on the VNX.

Note: From the VNX Unisphere interface, select Storage > Storage Configuration > File systems to bring up a list of file systems on the VNX. Right-click the destination file system and then click Properties to see the file system ID.



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c. Click Next.

Figure 62. Select replication destination

7. Click Show advanced.

This page provides the ability to change the intervals when the destination storage resource will synchronize with the source storage resource. The default value is one hour. The synchronization can also be triggered manually.

Change the settings as desired and then click Next.

Figure 63. Configure replication synchronization

8. Click Show advanced.



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a. In the Source Interface list box, optionally select a network interface on the VNXe to use for the replication session. Leave the value as System Selected to let the VNXe automatically determine an interface to use.

b. In the Destination Interface list box, optionally select a network interface on the VNXe to use for the replication session. Leave the value as System Selected to let the VNXe automatically determine an interface to use.

c. Click Next.

Figure 64. Replication path selection



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9. Verify the summary information and then click Finish.

Figure 65. Replication configuration summary

Allocate SavVol space to a file system By default, the SavVol space for replication or snapshot protection for a file system comes from the same storage pool or RAID group where the file system resides. For the ROBO environment, EMC recommends that the the destination file systems reside on SAS drive storage pools, and the SavVol space on NL-SAS drive RAID groups.

This section describes how to change the default SavVol location for the file system and provision it on a separate RAID group.

A file system can only have one SavVol locations. If a file system snapshot is taken manually, and the destination storage for that snapshot is specified as a different pool or RAID group from the one where the file system resides, then all subsequent snaps of that file system will be provisioned to that storage pool or RAID group.

To change the SavVol location: 1. Manually initiate a temporary snapshot that specifies the new location.

2. Delete the temporary snapshot after replication is configured.



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Create temporary snapshot Complete the following steps to create a temporary snapshot:

1. Log in to the VNX control station CLI as nasadmin.

2. Then run the following command:

fs_ckpt { <fs_name> | id=<fs_id> -name <name> -Create

size=<integer>{T | G | M | %}] pool=<pool> -option automount=no

Where:

<fs_name | fs_id> – The name or file system ID of the destination file system.

<name> –The name of the checkpoint or snapshot being created.

<integer>{T | G | M | %}] – The integer value of the size of the new SavVol location. T, G and M imply TB, GB and MB. This size should account for additional protection space for the file system which may be required by a snapshot schedule.

<pool> – The name of the pool or RAID group on which to provision the SavVol space and create the snapshot

automount= no – Set this option to no, because the snapshot will be deleted after configuring replication.

Note: The only purpose of this snapshot is to change the location of the default SavVol location for the file system to a location on a different pool or RAID group.

The snapshot is created, and the system recognizes the new location of the SavVol space.

Delete temporary snapshot Run the following command to delete the temporary snapshot:

nas_fs –delete <fs_name>

Where <fs_name> is the name of the temporary snapshot. Since the automount option was set to no when the snapshot was created, it does not need to be unmounted before deletion.

Switchover the replication session from VNXe to VNX This section explains how to switch over a replication session from an edge VNXe to the core VNX.

From the Replication tab of the Shared Folder Details window, click Failover. This stops the replication relationship and then synchronizes the source storage resource to the destination storage resource. After this is done, the status of the destination object status becomes read/write and the status of the source object becomes read-only.

1. Log into Unisphere on the VNXe.

2. Select Storage > Shared Folders > Shared Folder Detail > Replication.



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3. Click Failover.

Figure 66. Replication failover

4. Click OK.

Figure 67. Confirm replication failover



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After a few minutes, Unisphere displays the status of the replication session in the Replication tab of the Shared Folder details page as Failed over.

Figure 68. Replication session details


6. Select Data Protection > Mirrors and Replications > Replications for File.

Figure 69. List replication sessions

The Status column displays the replication status as Switched Over.



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7. Select this replication session and then click Start.

Figure 70. Start replication session at a remote site

8. If desired, change the replication settings.

9. Click OK.

Figure 71. Replication session properties



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10. Click OK.

Figure 72. Initiate switchover

The switchover is complete. The replication session will start after a few minutes, with the VNX as the source and the VNXe as the destination.

Figure 73. Verify replication switchover

Reverse the replication session from VNX to VNXe after a switchover This section describes the steps to reverse a replication session from a VNX to a VNXe, this reverts the source and destination roles back to the original configuration.

This process will make the VNXe the source and the VNX the destination.

1. Select the replication session, and then click the Reverse button.

The status of the destination object becomes read/write and the source object becomes read-only, as it was in the original configuration.

Figure 74. Reverse replication session



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2. Click OK.

Figure 75. Confirm reverse replication direction

After a few minutes, Unisphere for VNXe will display the Replication Role of the replication session as Source.

Figure 76. Verify reverse replication on VNXe

The switchover and reverse between the VNXe and VNX is complete.

Failover a replication session from VNXe to VNX This section describes how to fail over a replication session.

A failover is a reversal of the replication session, with possible data loss, in response to an unplanned emergency scenario where the source becomes unavailable. After the failover operation, the status of the destination object becomes read/write. When communication is re-established between the source and destination, the status of the source object becomes read-only

Complete the following steps to failover the replication session from a VNXe to the VNX:


2. Select Data Protection > Replication for File.



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3. Select the replication session, and then click Failover.

This cancels any data transfer that is in progress, and processes and marks the destination object as read/write so that it can serve as the new source object. When the original source object is reachable again, the status of the original destination object returns to read-only.

Figure 77. Failover replication

4. Click OK.

Figure 78. Confirm failover

The Status column displays the status of the replication session as Failed Over.

Figure 79. Verify failover

This scenario assumes that the original source object is available again, and starts the replication relationship with the VNX as the new source.



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5. Select the replication session and then click Start.

Figure 80. Start replication after failover

6. If desired, change the replication settings.

7. Click OK.

Figure 81. Replication settings

8. Click OK.

The failover is complete. The replication session will start after a few minutes.

The VNX is now the source, and the VNXe is the destination.



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Reverse a replication session from VNX to VNXe after a failover Reverse the replication session after a failover to return the source and destination back to their original configuration.

The steps in Reverse the replication session from VNX to VNXe after a switchover describe how to reverse a replication session after a failover.

Local data protection on VNXe This section describes how to configure local data protection on an edge VNXe system.

Complete the following steps to configure local data protection on a VNXe:


2. Select Storage > Shared Folders.

Figure 82. Shared Folders

3. Select a CIFS shared folder to protect.

4. Click Snapshots.

Figure 83. Snapshots tab



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Snapshots can be taken manually on demand, or a schedule can be configured to automatically take snapshots at regular intervals.

5. Initiate the snapshot:

a. To take a snapshot manually:

i. Click Take Snapshot Now.

Figure 84. Take snapshots

ii. In the Name field, optionally type a new name for the snapshot.

The default name for the snapshot is the local time of the web browser that is running the Unisphere session.

Keep For—Specify the number of days or hours that you want to retain the snapshot. When the retention period expires, the snapshot is automatically destroyed and cannot be recovered. The default retention period is 7 days.

iii. In the Keep For field and list box, optionally set a new retention period for the snapshot.

The default retention period is seven days.

iv. Click OK.

Figure 85. Snapshot retention

Note: Wait at least 15 minutes before taking another snapshot.



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b. To configure a snapshot schedule:

i. Click Modify Protection.

Figure 86. Modify protection schedule

ii. Click Customize Schedule. Schedule rule controls (Modify, Remove, and Add a New Rule) appear for the selected schedule.

iii. In the field, type a name for the protection schedule.

If the field is left blank, the system automatically assigns a name for the protection schedule.

iv. Table 1 lists the options to change or remove existing rules, or create new rules

Table 1. Protection options

Task Steps

Remove a rule Click Remove.

Modify a rule

1. Click Modify.

2. Select the new type of rule.

3. Select the frequency of the snapshot operation. This configures the hourly interval between snapshots. The minimum interval between snapshots is four hours.

4. Specify the time of day at which the snapshot occurs. There is a maximum of two snapshot operations per day.

5. Specify the duration to keep the snapshot.

6. Click Modify Rule.



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Add a rule

1. Click Add a New Rule.

2. Select a rule type.

3. Specify the interval between snapshots.

4. Specify the time of day at which the snapshot occurs.

5. Specify the duration to keep the snapshot.

6. Click Add Rule.

Note: The maximum number of rules that can be associated with a protection schedule is four.

Figure 87. Modify snapshot schedule

Note: The size of the recommended protection reserve adjusts according to the frequency of snapshots that the schedule requires, and the length of time the snapshots are kept.

6. Click Next.

7. Approve the recommended protection reserve size or specify a new one.

8. Click Next.

9. Review the summary information and then click Finish.



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Complete the following steps to restore the CIFS share from a snapshot: 1. Select a snapshot with which to restore the CIFS share.

2. Click Restore.

Protect data at the core Complete the following steps to protect replicated data on the core VNX:


2. Select Storage Configuration > File Systems.

Figure 88. List file systems



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3. Right-click a file system and then select Checkpoints > Create Checkpoint.

Figure 89. Create Checkpoint

4. Specify the checkpoint details:

a. In the Choose Data Mover list box, select a Data Mover.

b. In the Production File System list box, select a production file system

c. Select the Data Mover which will have access to the checkpoint.

d. In the Checkpoint Name field, type a name for checkpoint.

e. Click OK.

Figure 90. Checkpoint properties



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Create a snapshot schedule for the destination file system. 1. Select Storage > Storage Configuration > File Systems.

2. Right-click a file system and then select Checkpoints > Create Schedule.

Figure 91. Checkpoint schedule -VNX

3. Specify the schedule details.



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4. Click OK.

Figure 92. Customize schedule properties - VNX

Note: It is possible to run a script on the VNX Control Station to create schedules for multiple file systems at the same time with the nas_ckpt_shed command. The EMC® Celerra® Network Server Command Reference Manual 6.0, available on the EMC Online Support website, provides more information about this command.



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Appendix D Monitoring and Management Procedures


Deploy and configure Unisphere Remote .................................................. 110

Configure VNXe for Unisphere Remote ...................................................... 114

Enable performance logging ..................................................................... 116

Monitor VNX Data Mover utilization .......................................................... 117

Monitor SP utilization .............................................................................. 119

Monitor disk IOPS ................................................................................... 120

Retrieve and open archive files on VNX ..................................................... 122

Monitor replication sessions .................................................................... 124

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Deploy and configure Unisphere Remote This section describes how to deploy and configure Unisphere Remote to manage multiple VNXe storage arrays.

Unisphere Remote requires the following resources:

Access to a VMware server that is running vCenter 4.0 or later

VNXe systems running the VNXe Operating Environment version 2.2 or later

At least one 64 bit-compatible server with the specifications listed in Table 2:

Table 2. Server specifications

Component Base Configuration Recommended Configuration

CPU 2 4

Memory 4GB >8GB

Network Interfaces 1 1

Storage 20GB >40GB

Download Unisphere Remote Complete the following steps to download Unisphere Remote 1.0:

1. In a web browser window, go the VNXe support page on the EMC website at www.EMC.com/vnxesupport.

2. Click Downloads.

3. Click VNXe3100.

4. Select Unisphere Remote 1.0 Operating Environment from the list of downloads.

5. After the download, open the vSphere Client and log in to the vCenter server.

6. In the vSphere Client, select the server Unisphere Remote will be deployed on.

7. Select File > Deploy OVF Template.

8. The Deploy OVF Template Wizard runs.

9. Click Browse.



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10. Locate and select the OVA file for Unisphere Remote and then click Next.

Figure 93. Select the OVF template

11. Verify the OVF template details are correct and then click Next.

12. Specify a name to show in the vSphere system inventory and then click Next.

Figure 94. Unisphere Remote virtual machine name



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13. Select a datastore on which to store the virtual machine files and then click Next.

Figure 95. Select datastore for the Unisphere Remote virtual machine

14. Select Thick or Thin as the format for the virtual disks and then click Next.

Note: EMC recommends the Thick provisioned format.

15. Select the for the template to use and then click Next.

16. Enter the network settings for the Unisphere Remote virtual machine and click Next:

a. In the mgmt_gateway field, type the default gateway IP address for the management interface.

b. In the mgmt_ip field, type the IP address for the management interface.

c. In the mgmt_netmask field, type the netmask IP address for the management interface.

Figure 96. Unisphere Remote virtual machine network settings

17. Confirm the settings, and then click Finish.

The Unisphere Remote virtual machine appears in the left pane of the vSphere Client under the selected server.



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Launch and configure Unisphere Remote Complete the following steps to configure the Unisphere Remote server:

1. Wait one to three minutes for the virtual machine to start.

2. Complete the following steps to launch the Unisphere Remote GUI:

a. Browse to the IP address given during deployment.

b. Log in with the appropriate username and password.

Note: Unisphere Remote ships with the default username admin, and password Password123#. EMC recommends changing the password.

The Unisphere Remote GUI opens.

3. Select Settings > Unisphere Remote Configuration.

Figure 97. Unisphere Remote Configuration

4. From the Unisphere Remote Configuration window, configure the following:

a. Security policy

On the Security Policy panel, select Manual verification (least secure) or Automatic verification (most secure).

Manual verification only requires the IP address of the Unisphere Remote server, and the Unisphere Remote administrator, must verify the system manually.



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Automatic verification configures a server hash and challenge phrase and provides it to the VNXe. The system automatically verifies the identities of the both the server and the VNXe when the VNXe registers with the server.

Figure 98. Unisphere Remote—Security Policy

b. Server Name (optional)

c. DNS servers (optional)

d. NTP servers (optional)

The configuration of Unisphere remote is complete.

Configure VNXe for Unisphere Remote This section describes how to set up a VNXe array at the edge to be monitored through Unisphere remote.

Complete the following steps to allow the VNXe to be managed by Unisphere Remote:

1. From the VNXe Unisphere Dashboard, select Settings > Management Settings.

Figure 99. Management Settings



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2. Click Network.

Figure 100. Management Connections

3. In the Unisphere Remote Configuration window:

a. Select Configure this VNXe for Unisphere Remote.

b. In the Unisphere Remote IP field, type the IP address of the Unisphere Remote Server.

c. Select Use additional security information from my Unishphere Remote.

d. In the Unisphere Remote Server hash field, type the hash that was shown during the configuration of the Unisphere Remote Server.

e. In the Challenge phrase field, type the challenge phrase that was shown during the configuration of the Unisphere Remote Server.

Figure 101. Unisphere Remote Configuration—system details

The configuration of the VNXe for Unisphere Remote is complete.

Note: The Unisphere Remote documentation, available on the EMC Online Support website, provides more information on Unisphere Remote Server high availability, Unisphere Remote backup and recovery, and how to add more Unisphere remote users.



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Enable performance logging Performance logging must be enabled in order to monitor and evaluate the performance of the VNX SPs, disks, and LUNs. Enabling performance logging starts the collection of performance data on the VNX, and stores it to a data file known as a .NAR file.

Complete the following steps to enable performance data logging on the VNX:

1. Select System > Statistics for Block.

2. Click Performance Data Logging.

Figure 102. Statistics for Block

3. Specify the logging details:

a. In the Real Time Interval field, type 60.

b. In the Archive Interval field, type 60.

c. Select Periodic Archiving.

If Periodic Archiving is not selected, the system will not archive the performance data.

Note: Every archive file has a particular number of data points it can store. This number is based on the time interval specified for data logging. If data is being collected for a longer period of time, a new archive file will be created after saving the old one. To analyze performance in this case, the archive files need to be merged. Click Merge Archives in the Archive Management window to merge the archives for analysis.

d. Click Start.

e. Click OK.



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This enables the collection of performance data.

Figure 103. Start data logging

Monitor VNX Data Mover utilization Complete the following steps to monitor Data Mover utilization:

1. Select System > Statistics for File.

Figure 104. Statistics for File



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2. Click Data Mover.

Figure 105. Monitor Data Mover utilization

3. The Data Mover statistics window appears. The graph displays the following information:

Utilization for all Data Movers on the VNX

Memory usage for all Data Movers on the VNX

Figure 106. Data Mover utilization—all Data Movers

4. Complete the following steps to view utilization and memory usage information for a specific Data Mover:

a. Right-click the graph and then click Select Stats.

b. Deselect All Data Movers Combined.

c. Select a specific Data Mover to view.

d. Click OK.



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Figure 107. Select Data Movers to view

The graph shows the utilization for the selected Data Mover or Data Movers only.

Figure 108. Data Mover utilization—selected Data Movers

Monitor SP utilization Performance data logging must be enabled before SP utilization can be monitored on the VNX.

Enable performance logging describes how to enable performance data logging.

There are two ways to monitor SP utilization, live or offline. Live monitoring provides real-time data, and offline monitoring allows users to collect data for a specified time period and analyze it later.

1. Complete the following steps to view SP utilization data:

a. To view live SP utilization data:

i. From the Performance Charts window, click Performance Detail. The Performance Detail window appears.

ii. Click SP.

iii. Select SP A and SP B.



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iv. Select Utilization (%).

Figure 109. SP utilization

The system displays the utilization data for SP A and SP B at the interval that was specified when performance data logging was configured.

v. Right-click the graph and then select Save As to save the output of the graph as a .CSV file.

vi. The plotted data can be averaged to get the average SP utilization.

Note: Allow the system to collect performance data for at least one hour before calculating the average SP utilization.

When performance logging and archiving is enabled, the system saves the performance data to an archive file on the SP.

b. To collect and analyze offline SP utilization data:

Retrieve the archive file from the SP.

Note: Allow the system to collect performance data for at least one hour before retrieving the archive file.

Retrieve and open archive files on VNX provides instructions to retrieve and open the archive file.

Monitor disk IOPS Performance data logging must be enabled before disk IOPS can be monitored on the VNX.

Enable performance logging describes how to enable performance data logging.

There are two ways to monitor disk IOPS, live or offline. Live monitoring provides real-time data, and offline monitoring allows users to collect data for a specified time period and analyze it later.



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1. Complete the following steps to view disk IOPS data:

a. To view live disk IOPS data:

i. From the Performance Charts window, click Performance Detail. The Performance Detail window appears.

ii. Click Storage Pool.

iii. Select Pools to view destination file system disk IOPS, or RAID Groups to view SavVol disk IOPS.

iv. Expand the pool or RAID group to view the specific disks.

v. Select the disks to monitor.

vi. Select Total Throughput (IO/s)

Figure 110. Monitor disk IOPS

The system displays the IOPS for the selected disk at the interval that was specified when performance data logging was configured.

vii. Right-click the graph and then select Save As to save the output of the graph as a .CSV file.

viii. The plotted data can be averaged to get the average disk IOPS.

Note: Allow the system to collect performance data for at least one hour before calculating the average disk IOPS.

When performance logging and archiving is enabled, the system saves the performance data to an archive file on the SP.



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b. To collect and analyze offline disk IOPS data:

Retrieve the archive file from the SP.

Note: Allow the system to collect performance data for at least one hour before retrieving the archive file.

Retrieve and open archive files on VNX provides instructions to retrieve and open the archive file.

Retrieve and open archive files on VNX If the periodic archiving option for performance data logging is enabled, the system will write the performance data to a .NAR archive file. Let the system log performance data for at least one hour, and then retrieve and open the .NAR file to view the archived performance data.

Retrieve archives Complete the following steps to retrieve the archive file:


2. Click Retrieve Archive.

Figure 111. Retrieve archive

3. From the Archives On SP list, select the archive to retrieve.

4. In the Save File(s) As field, specify a location to save the archive file.

5. Click Retrieve.



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Figure 112. Select archive file

6. Open the archive file to analyze it.

Open archives Complete the following steps to open the archive file:


1. Click Open Archive.

Figure 113. Open archive

2. Select the NAR file that was retrieved in Retrieve archives.

3. Click Open.

4. Specify a start time and an end time for the graph.

5. Click OK. The Performance Summary window appears.



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Figure 114. Select time range to view

6. Right-click any graph and then select Performance Detail.

Monitor replication sessions Complete the following steps to monitor replication sessions on the VNX.

1. Select Data Protection > Mirrors and Replications.

Figure 115. Mirrors and Replications

The Replication window shows all the replication sessions that are configured in the ROBO environment and are replicating to the VNX.

It displays the name of every replication session along with the replication status and the last time it was synchronized with the source. It also provides information about the file system it is replicating to, and the Data Mover where the file system resides.



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If there is any problem with the replication session, the system displays the error in the Status column.

Figure 116. Replication status



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Appendix E Validated Solution

This appendix presents the following topic:

Validated solution ................................................................................... 128

Validated Solution


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Validated solution This appendix describes the validated ROBO and the reasons behind the recommendations that have been made in this guide.

Solution architecture Figure 117 shows the solution that was configured, tested and validated.

Figure 117. Solution architecture

Validated Solution


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Edges The 100 edge sites of the ROBO environment were emulated by 10 VNXe3300 systems.

Network Each VNXe3300 SPs used a single 10 Gb Ethernet port for network traffic.

File systems Each VNXe3300 had 10 250 GB file systems configured on it. The file systems were divided between both SPs to balance the load.

File systems were created with the system-defined performance storage pool profile.

Each file system had a replication session configured to the core VNX.

Protection schedules Checkpoint schedules were configured to take snapshots of the file system at the following intervals:

Every hour, and retained for 7 hours to simulate the busy 8 hours of a typical work day

Every 8 hours, and retained for 2 days to simulate daily snaps and retaining them for almost a week.

RPO for every session was set to one hour.

Load generation A typical user file system workload was generated on every file system by using the I/O tool called Vdbench.

A continuous active load was generated on every file system which resulted in a data change of 2.25 GB per hour.

Core A single VNX5700 was used at the core.

Data Movers The VNX has four physical Data Movers. Three were active and one was configured as a standby. Only two Data Movers were used in the ROBO configuration.

Network Each Data Mover had two two-port 10 GbE iSCSI I/O modules installed on them. These four ports were configured with link aggregation to load-balance all of the incoming replication sessions.

Destination FS Destination file systems were created on a single VNX for file storage pool. The storage pool was provisioned from 15 LUNs in a 15-drive SAS storage pool on VNX for block.

Each destination FS pool contained the destination file systems for one VNXe3300. Each pool consisted of 10 destination file systems.

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SavVol for destination FS The SavVol pools where the destination file systems were created were provisioned from 10 LUNs. The LUNs were provisioned from a RAID 6 (8+2) storage group.

Each SavVol pool contained the SavVol space for two VNXe systems. Each SavVol pool held the SavVol space for 20 destination file systems.

Protection schedule Checkpoints of the destination FS were taken every 8 hours and retained for 2 days to simulate daily snaps kept for approximately a week.

Servers Five Dell R710 servers were used to generate the client load for this solution. These servers were running the I/O tool Vdbench, which was used to populate data and generate user workloads on the file systems. Each server was generating load on 20 file systems concurrently.

Switches Two Brocade 8000 switches were used to validate this solution. Each brocade switch was connected to one VNX Data Mover and 5 VNXe 3300 systems.

Results The validation testing produced the following results:

All 100 sessions were replicated successfully and maintained an RPO of one hour.

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Figure 118. Replication sessions met the designated RPO

With a 2.25GB per hour rate of data change, the storage pool with the destination file systems was able to hold 10 250 GB file systems.

With a 2.25 GB per hour rate of data change, the NL-SAS RAID group for the SavVol was able to handle the SavVol space for 20 replication sessions. This SavVol space also included the space necessary for a snapshot schedule which stored snap data daily for up to a week.

50 active replication sessions caused the Data Mover to reach approximately 35% utilization.

Figure 119. VNXe Data Mover utilization

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SP utilization scaled up for every 10 sessions that were added. For 50 replication sessions configured on each SP, the SP utilization was approximately 3


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Appendix F Deployment Flow Chart

This appendix presents the following topic:

Detailed deployment flowchart ................................................................. 134

Deployment Flowchart


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Detailed deployment flowchart Figure 120 and Figure 121 show the steps involved in configuring data protection in a ROBO environment along with centralized management from start to finish.

Figure 120. Deployment flowchart



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Figure 121. Deployment flowchart (continued)



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