Using IBM FlashSystem V9000
In this chapter, you learn how to operate IBM FlashSystem V9000 in your business environment. The chapter uses the graphical user interface (GUI) and the command-line interface (CLI) to demonstrate how to monitor the system and work with volumes, managed disks, hosts, and user security.
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Note: This chapter refers to both AC2 and AC3 control enclosure models. Where fundamental differences exist between the two models, images of both control enclosures are included. Where no significant differences exist, only the AC2 model is shown, but the action and resulting display are the same on an AC3 control enclosure based IBM FlashSystemV9000
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This chapter includes the following topics:
•Pools menu
8.1 Overview of FlashSystem V9000 management tool
The IBM FlashSystem V9000 can be managed from either the built-in GUI, which is a web browser-based management tool, or from the CLI.
You must use a supported web browser to be able to manage the IBM FlashSystem V9000 by using the GUI. For a list of supported web browsers, see the IBM FlashSystem V9000 web page at IBM Knowledge Center:
Select Configuring → Configuration details → Initializing the system → Checking your web browser settings for the management GUI.
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JavaScript: You might need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Additionally, if you are using Firefox, under Advanced JavaScript Settings, click Disable or replace context menus and allow cookies.
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8.1.1 Access to the GUI
To log in to the GUI, point your web browser at the IP address that was set during the initial setup of the IBM FlashSystem V9000. The login window opens (Figure 8-1).
Figure 8-1 Login window: Default is superuser and passw0rd (with a zero)
8.1.2 GUI home window: Single building block system
After you log in, the Monitoring → System window opens, which is the home window. This chapter describes each component of the GUI and provides examples.
There are now two models of the control nodes, the AC2 and the new AC3 model. Figure 8-2 on page 323 shows the AC2 control enclosures above and below the AE2 storage enclosure.
The GUI home window (Figure 8-2 on page 323) represents a system with a single building block. That is a system with two AC2 control enclosures and one AE2 storage enclosure.
Figure 8-2 System view: AC2 control enclosure based single building block
The GUI home window shown in Figure 8-3 represents an IBM FlashSystem V9000 system with a single building block, containing two AC3 control enclosures and one AE2 storage enclosure.
Figure 8-3 System view: AC3 control enclosure based single building block
To navigate the home window, complete the following steps:
1. By clicking the yellow arrow in the lower right corner of the IBM FlashSystemV9000 depiction, the image turns around and shows the system from the back. By moving the mouse to each individual port or device, more information is displayed (Figure 8-4).
Figure 8-4 Back view of an AC2 control node based single system
Figure 8-5 shows the rear view of an AC3 control node based single building block.
Figure 8-5 Rear view of an AC3 control node based single building block
2. To view the frontside view properties for the device, point the mouse to the device, right-click, and select Properties (Figure 8-6).
Figure 8-6 Select the storage expansion and right-click for properties
The system property window opens (Figure 8-7).
Figure 8-7 Expansion enclosure properties
8.1.3 GUI home window: Multiple building block system
For systems containing more than a single IBM FlashSystem V9000 building block or more than a single AE2 storage enclosure in the cluster, the GUI home window displays differently. When opening the GUI after logging in, a single IBM FlashSystem V9000 is depicted. This immediately animates into a new depiction of all installed components in the managed entity, as shown in Figure 8-8.
Figure 8-8 System view: with multiple scalable building blocks
The system shown in the GUI in Figure 8-8 has eight IBM FlashSystem V9000 AC2 control enclosures and eight AE2 storage enclosures.
The system shown in the GUI in Figure 8-9 on page 327 has two IBM FlashSystem V9000 AC3 control enclosures, one AE2 storage enclosure and one Model 12F expansion enclosure.
Figure 8-9 System View of AC3 control nodes with AE2 flash storage and 12F expansion enclosure
Hover the mouse over the individual items, and more information is provided. For example, point the mouse at the first controller node in io_grp0 (Figure 8-10).
Figure 8-10 Mouse over node 1 in iogroup io_grp0
By clicking the selected node, the node properties window opens (Figure 8-11).
Figure 8-11 Control enclosure 1 selected in the GUI
Hover the mouse over control enclosure1 and right-click. A menu is displayed (Figure 8-12).
Figure 8-12 Configure control enclosure 1 menu displays
Control enclosure 1 can also be visually rotated by using the twisted-arrow icon, so that the back view is displayed. From the back view, the status of each individual I/O port can be monitored.
Figure 8-13 shows the back of the AC2 control enclosure and the interface connections.
Figure 8-13 Control enclosure 1: AC2 rear view
Figure 8-14 shows the back of the AC3 control enclosure and the interface connections.
Figure 8-14 Control enclosure 1: AC3 rear view
Figure 8-15 shows the back of the Model 12F expansion enclosure and the layout of the SAS interface connections per canister.
Figure 8-15 Model 12F expansion enclosure: Rear view
Information of individual ports can be displayed by pointing the mouse to the port of interest (Figure 8-16).
Figure 8-16 Control enclosure 1: AC2 rear-side view with FC-port information displayed
Figure 8-17 shows the back of the Model AC3 control enclosure and layout of the Fibre Channel interface connections.
Figure 8-17 Control enclosure 1: AC3 rear view and FC port information
For iSCSI-enabled ports, the iSCSI IP address is displayed (Figure 8-18).
Figure 8-18 Control enclosure 1: AC2 rear view with iSCSI information
8.1.4 Layout of GUI
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Note: This section refers to both AC2 and AC3 control enclosure models. Where fundamental differences exist between two models, images of both control enclosures are included. Where no significant differences exist, only the AC2 model is shown, but the action and resulting display are the same on an AC3 control enclosure based V9000.
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The GUI has multiple functions (Figure 8-19) for navigating through the management tool. Several of those functions are described in this list:
•Actions
This button has a list of menu items and is only visible from the Monitoring System view. You can also reach actions by right-clicking anywhere in the window.
•Function icons
You can directly access various functions.
•Component status indicators
These indicators provide more detailed information about the existing configuration of the IBM FlashSystem V9000 solution.
•User security key and help
The user security key shows which user is currently logged in to the GUI. Click the question mark (?) help icon to get information about licenses, current system code level and serial number, and access to the IBM FlashSystem V9000 page in IBM Knowledge Center.
•Capacity, performance, and health indicators
Get instant status of capacity, overall performance and current health.
•Overview
Shows the number of external MDisks, arrays, pools, volumes, and hosts, and provides a link for managing each of these items.
Figure 8-19 Home window layout for IBM FlashSystem V9000 overview
The overview window shows the number of external MDisks, arrays, pools, volumes, and hosts, and provides a link for management (Figure 8-20). For each item in the overview window, a link is provided. The link opens the appropriate menu to configure the selected item.
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Figure 8-20 Overview window
8.1.5 Function icons
Each function icon offers various menu options. Click an icon to open its branch-out menu (Figure 8-21 on page 334). The function icons are as follows:
•Monitoring
•Pools
•Volumes
•Hosts
•Copy Services
•Access
•Settings
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The Settings menu: Details about the settings menu and its various options are provided in Chapter 9, “Configuring settings” on page 405.
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Figure 8-21 Function icons
8.1.6 Capacity, performance, and health indicators
These indicators show real-time values of the current IBM FlashSystem V9000 system (Figure 8-22).
Figure 8-22 Status indicators
The status indicators show the following information:
•Running tasks:
– Currently ongoing tasks
– Recently completed tasks
An example of running tasks is shown in Figure 8-23. If you click one of the running tasks, more information about the task is displayed.
Figure 8-23 Running tasks
•Capacity:
– Used gigabytes
– Installed gigabytes
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Note: Use the up and down arrows. Click the up arrow to see the Allocated capacity comparison; click the down arrow to see the Virtual capacity comparison.
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•Performance:
– Bandwidth (in MBps)
– I/O per second (IOPS)
– Latency, in microseconds (ms)
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Note: To view the detailed performance windows, hover the cursor over any of the three areas in the performance pod. For more detail, you can hover your cursor over any of the other components of IBM FlashSystem V9000.
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•Health:
– Healthy (green)
– Warning or degraded (yellow) and a link to Monitoring → Events is provided
– Error (red) and a link to Monitoring → Events is provided
– Upgrade status percentage
•Status alerts:
– Current unread alerts
– Current unfixed events
An example of status alerts is shown in Figure 8-24.
Figure 8-24 Status alert
8.1.7 See which user is logged in, get help, and get overview information
This part of the window (Figure 8-25) can be used for these tasks:
•User security
See which user is currently logged in and change password.
•Help
Get context-sensitive help, get current code level and serial number.
•Overview
Access the main functions through the Overview.
Figure 8-25 Systems general parameters
8.1.8 System details
The central part of the window enables you to get more deeply into the details for all parts of the IBM FlashSystem V9000. Hover your cursor over an object and click to get details. Some objects also support right-click (Figure 8-26).
Figure 8-26 Front view selection
Figure 8-27 Rear view selection
8.2 Actions menu
In the home window, you can click Actions (Figure 8-21 on page 334) to see a list of actions or right-click anywhere in the GUI to get a list of actions.
You can retrieve and update the following information from the Actions menu (Figure 8-28):
•Rename System
Changes the host name and iSCSI IQN name.
•Update System
Provides a link to the firmware update wizard.
•Power Off
Power off entire system.
Figure 8-28 Actions menu
8.2.1 Rename System
You can rename your IBM FlashSystem V9000 by using the GUI and the CLI.
Using the GUI to rename the system
To change the system name, select Actions → Rename System. In the Rename System window, enter the new name and click Rename (Figure 8-29).
Figure 8-29 System rename
After the system is renamed, the Modify System Properties window opens and displays the Task completed message (Figure 8-30). The window also shows the CLI command that the system used to make the change. Review this for future use and click Close.
Figure 8-30 System Rename CLI command
Using the CLI to rename the system
When the system is renamed by using the GUI, commands are run on the system. In the preceding example, the system name was changed by using the GUI, and the Modify System Properties window opened to indicate the CLI commands that the system used to change system properties.
Example 8-1 shows CLI commands to rename the system (for clarity, the output is shortened).
Example 8-1 System name change using CLI
IBM_FlashSystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>svctask chsystem -name test_change
IBM_FlashSystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>svcinfo lssystem
....
name test_change
....
8.2.2 Update System
For updating IBM FlashSystem V9000 code, concurrent upgrade is the default way to upgrade the IBM FlashSystem V9000 system. All components of the system are upgraded including the AC2 and AC3 controllers, the AE2 storage enclosures and the expansion enclosures, if present. Performance is affected during heavy I/O load.
The details of the firmware update process, including concurrent upgrade, are covered in 9.5.3, “Update software” on page 455.
8.2.3 Power Off
The IBM FlashSystem V9000 can be turned off through the Actions menu. The power off function ensures that the system is turned off securely so that data is preserved.
This action powers down the AC2 or AC3 control enclosures, the AE2 storage enclosures, and, if present, the expansion enclosures.
After you select Actions → Power Off → System, a message is displayed in the Power Off System window (Figure 8-31). The message describes what will happen. To confirm the action, enter a confirmation code to prevent an accidental power-off cycle of the device.
Figure 8-31 Power off confirmation window
8.3 Monitoring menu
The Monitoring > System window is the default home for the IBM FlashSystem V9000 GUI. The Monitoring menu has three options:
•System
Default GUI entry point.
•Events
Messages, alerts, and recommended actions/fix procedures.
•Performance
Review overall system performance in a five-minute window.
8.3.1 System
Figure 8-32 System home window
8.3.2 Events
The health status indicator can be green (healthy), yellow (degraded or warning), or red (critical), as shown in Figure 8-33. For more details about events that caused the status to change, click Events on the Monitoring menu.
Figure 8-33 Events start menu
At any time, you can click the question mark (?) help icon (Figure 8-34) to get context-sensitive details.
Figure 8-34 Get help on events
Figure 8-35 shows the Monitoring > Events window where the mode is Show All. In this mode, all events, including messages, warnings, and errors, are displayed.
Figure 8-35 Show All events mode
Figure 8-36 Mode change to Show All
Changing the Events view
You might want more or less information displayed in the Monitoring > Events window. To change the default view, right-click the menu bar or click the check mark icon in the upper-right corner of the Monitoring > Events window (Figure 8-37). A panel opens that lists items to display. Select the items you want to view.
.Figure 8-37 Change events view
Ordering events
To change the order of the data that is listed in the Monitoring > Events window, click any column header (Figure 8-38). For example, click the Status column to display the order by event status.
Figure 8-38 Events ordering example
Events Actions menu
Use the Actions menu (Figure 8-39) to select any of these actions, depending on the
view choice:
view choice:
•Run Fix Procedure
This starts the Directed Maintenance Procedure (DMP), which can help you correct the error. See “Directed maintenance procedure” on page 346.
•Mark as Fixed
This marks the event as fixed without running the DMP (force mode). If this mode is used and the fault re-occurs, then a new DMP will be created
•Filter by Date
Filters events by date and time stamp.
•Show entries within
Shows only events from the last minutes, hours, or days.
•Reset Date Filter
Resets filtering by date when set.
•Clear Log
Clears the displayed events, but events are still in the support package if needed.
•Properties
Displays the details for one event, same as clicking the event.
As an example, view only events that are newer than 2 hours (Figure 8-39).
Figure 8-39 Actions menu
Search string
If you want to see a specific string within the events, click Filter (Figure 8-40).
Figure 8-40 Filter menu
You are then prompted for the search string. Matched data is highlighted (Figure 8-41).
Figure 8-41 Filter result
Save data to CSV
To save any event data as a CSV file (even after filtering), click the Save icon (Figure 8-42).
Figure 8-42 Save event data to local disk
Directed maintenance procedure
Various ways are available to discover that your system needs attention in a warning or error situation. If call home is configured on your system, which is advised, IBM Support is notified directly from the system, and IBM contacts the system administrators for corrective actions.
The system administrator might also be in the list of email recipients and therefore is notified directly and immediately from the system as soon as an alert is sent. Another way of getting alert notifications is through Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) alerts.
When the system administrator logs in to the IBM FlashSystem V9000 GUI, a Status Alerts window opens in the lower-right corner. Hover over the Status Alerts icon (X) to see the unresolved alerts (Figure 8-43 on page 347). Information also indicates approximately how long the alert has existed (for example 33 minutes).
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Note: A good practice is to review the DMP alerts on a regular basis, and proactively remove those alerts that can be corrected.
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Figure 8-43 Status Alerts
By clicking the alert number, you are redirected to the event window, and you can run the fix for the error. To do that, click Run Fix, or you can right-click the alert event and select Run Fix Procedure (Figure 8-44).
Figure 8-44 Two choices to fix the alerts
The fix procedure begins. Follow the procedure (Figure 8-45).
Figure 8-45 Fix procedure example
8.3.3 Performance
This section highlights several performance monitoring techniques, using the GUI or the CLI.
Real-time performance monitoring with the GUI
To open the Performance window (Monitoring > Performance), select Performance from the Monitoring menu as shown in (Figure 8-46).
Figure 8-46 Performance menu selection
The Performance Monitoring window (Figure 8-47 on page 349) is divided into four sections that provide utilization views for the following resources:
•CPU Utilization. Shows CPU usage for the following items:
– System %
– Compression (when enabled) %
•Volumes. Shows the overall volume utilization with the following fields:
– Read
– Write
– Read latency
– Write latency
• Interfaces. Shows the overall statistics for each of the available interfaces:
– Fibre Channel
– iSCSI
– SAS
– IP Replication
•MDisks. Shows the following overall statistics for the MDisks:
– Read
– Write
– Read latency
– Write latency
Figure 8-47 Real time performance graph
You can also view performance statistics for each of the available control enclosures of the system (Figure 8-48).
Figure 8-48 Change statistics from all control enclosures to one specific control enclosure
Another possibility is to change the metric between MBps or IOPS (Figure 8-49).
Figure 8-49 Change data from IOPS to MBps
On any of these views, you can hover the cursor at any point in the timeline (Figure 8-50) to see the exact value and when it occurred. As soon as you place your cursor over the timeline, a dotted line with the various values gathered are displayed.
Figure 8-50 How to get details
For each resource, you can view various values by selecting the check box next to a value. For example, for the MDIsks view (Figure 8-51 on page 351), the four available fields are selected:
•Read
•Write
•Read latency
•Write latency
Figure 8-51 All curves selected
Regarding performance, the latency numbers are especially of interest. MDisk latency is latency between the IBM FlashSystem V9000 control enclosure and its storage enclosure. Volume latency is latency between a connected host and the IBM FlashSystem V9000 control enclosures. If a system administrator of a connected host sees slow disk connectivity, that is reflected in the volume latency.
IBM FlashSystem V9000 shows system overall performance in terms of IOPS, MBps, and latency numbers in a time frame of 5 minutes. If there is a need for additional information, for example to monitor if a specific volume has latency, or to investigate why a connected host experienced performance problems at a given time, IBM offers advanced performance and capacity management and monitoring tools using IBM Spectrum Control (formerly IBM Tivoli Storage Productivity Center).
For more information about IBM Spectrum Control, see the following web page:
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Note: The home window (Figure 8-22 on page 334) provides a high-level view of the performance in the performance pod:
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Real-time performance monitoring with the CLI
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Note: In this section, the term node is sometimes used and can refer to either a control, storage, or expansion enclosure.
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The lsnodestats and lssystemstats commands are available for monitoring the statistics through the CLI.
The lsnodestats command (Example 8-2) provides performance statistics for the nodes that are part of the system (note that the output is truncated and shows only part of the available statistics). You can also specify a node name in the command to limit the output for a specific node.
Example 8-2 The lsnodestats command output
IBM_FlashSystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>lsnodestats
node_id node_name stat_name stat_current stat_peak stat_peak_time
1 BB1N1_NODE_01 compression_cpu_pc 8 8 150305140356
1 BB1N1_NODE_01 cpu_pc 1 2 150305140251
1 BB1N1_NODE_01 fc_mb 0 29 150305140251
1 BB1N1_NODE_01 fc_io 225 685 150305140156
This example shows statistics for the node BB1N1_NODE_01 members of system ITSO_V9000. The following columns are displayed:
node_id ID of the current node.
node_name Name of the node.
stat_name Name of the statistic field.
stat_current Current value of the statistic field.
stat_peak Peak value of the statistic field in the last 5 minutes.
stat_peak_time Time that the peak occurred.
The lssystemstats command (Example 8-3) lists the same set of statistics as the lsnodestats command lists, but represents all nodes in the system.
Example 8-3 The lssystemstats command output
IBM_FlashSystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>lssystemstats
stat_name stat_current stat_peak stat_peak_time
compression_cpu_pc 0 8 150305141858
cpu_pc 1 2 150305141843
fc_mb 0 9 150305141718
fc_io 437 657 150305141843
The values for these statistics are calculated from the node statistics values as follows:
Bandwidth Sum of bandwidth of all nodes.
Latency Average latency for the cluster, which is calculated by using data from the whole cluster, not an average of the single node values.
IOPS Total IOPS of all nodes.
CPU percentage Average CPU percentage of all nodes.
Table 8-1 The lssystemstats and lsnodestats statistics field name descriptions
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Field name
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Unit
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Description
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cpu_pc
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Percentage
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Utilization of node CPUs
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fc_mb
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MBps
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Fibre Channel bandwidth
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fc_io
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IOPS
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Fibre Channel throughput
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sas_mb
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MBps
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SAS bandwidth
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sas_io
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IOPS
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SAS throughput
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iscsi_mb
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MBps
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IP-based Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) bandwidth
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iscsi_io
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IOPS
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iSCSI throughput
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write_cache_pc
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Percentage
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Write cache fullness. Updated every 10 seconds.
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total_cache_pc
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Percentage
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Total cache fullness. Updated every 10 seconds.
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vdisk_mb
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MBps
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Total VDisk bandwidth
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vdisk_io
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IOPS
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Total VDisk throughput
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vdisk_ms
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Milliseconds
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Average VDisk latency
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mdisk_mb
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MBps
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MDisk (SAN and RAID) bandwidth
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mdisk_io
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IOPS
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MDisk (SAN and RAID) throughput
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mdisk_ms
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Milliseconds
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Average MDisk latency
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drive_mb
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MBps
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Drive bandwidth
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drive_io
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IOPS
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Drive throughput
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drive_ms
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Milliseconds
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Average drive latency
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vdisk_w_mb
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MBps
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VDisk write bandwidth
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vdisk_w_io
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IOPS
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VDisk write throughput
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vdisk_w_ms
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Milliseconds
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Average VDisk write latency
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mdisk_w_mb
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MBps
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MDisk (SAN and RAID) write bandwidth
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mdisk_w_io
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IOPS
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MDisk (SAN and RAID) write throughput
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mdisk_w_ms
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Milliseconds
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Average MDisk write latency
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drive_w_mb
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MBps
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Drive write bandwidth
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drive_w_io
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IOPS
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Drive write throughput
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drive_w_ms
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Milliseconds
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Average drive write latency
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vdisk_r_mb
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MBps
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VDisk read bandwidth
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vdisk_r_io
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IOPS
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VDisk read throughput
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vdisk_r_ms
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Milliseconds
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Average VDisk read latency
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mdisk_r_mb
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MBps
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MDisk (SAN and RAID) read bandwidth
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mdisk_r_io
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IOPS
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MDisk (SAN and RAID) read throughput
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mdisk_r_ms
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Milliseconds
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Average MDisk read latency
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drive_r_mb
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MBps
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Drive read bandwidth
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drive_r_io
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IOPS
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Drive read throughput
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drive_r_ms
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Milliseconds
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Average drive read latency
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8.4 Pools menu
Storage pools consist of managed disks (MDisks) that are grouped into storage pools. An MDisk consists of all physical flash modules, within a storage enclosure, which are grouped in RAID 5 sets forming a fault tolerant RAID set.
An MDisk can also be a disk volume, which is presented to IBM FlashSystem V9000 by an external storage device, for example the IBM Storwize V7000.
An MDisk can also be a disk volume, which is included in the IBM FlashSystem V9000 by an internally managed storage device, for example the model 12F, 24F, or 92F expansion enclosures
The tasks that you do with pools are to create new and manage existing storage pools.
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Note: Although the following storage pool examples show the operations using the AE2 storage enclosures, the operations equally work with the expansion enclosure drives or the externally virtualized storage arrays or storage systems.
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The Pools menu has five menu options:
•Pools
Review, create, and manage storage pools.
•Volumes by Pool
Review and manage volumes based on which pool they reside in.
•Internal Storage
Review internal storage flash modules.
•MDisks by Pool
Review managed disks (MDisks) based on which pool they are associated with.
•System Migration
Perform storage migration actions for data from externally virtualized storage.
8.4.1 Opening the Pools menu
Figure 8-52 Pools menu
8.4.2 Storage pools
The default storage pools in IBM FlashSystem V9000 are created by the storage enclosures (and expansion enclosures if present) that are discovered during system initialization and setup. More storage pools can be created from the GUI, and MDisks can be assigned or unassigned from these pools by using the GUI.
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Note: Although these storage pool examples show the operations using the AE2 storage enclosures, the operations equally work with the expansion enclosure drives or the externally virtualized storage arrays or storage systems.
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Storage pools can also be deleted from the configuration. That however requires that no volumes are dependent of the storage pool to be deleted.
In the Pools > Pools view (Figure 8-53), review the existing storage pools. This example has a single storage pool named mdiskgrp0.
Figure 8-53 Pools view
Right-click any storage pool and select Properties (Figure 8-54).
Figure 8-54 MDisk pool properties
Figure 8-55 shows the properties for the mdiskgrp0 MDisk pool. An important consideration to remember about MDisk pools is that volumes can be migrated between only MDisk pools with the same extent size. In this example, the extent size is 1.00 gibibyte (GiB).
Figure 8-55 MDisk pool properties
If MDisk pools have different extent sizes, and a volume must be migrated from one to the other, an alternative to migrating volumes is that a mirrored volume copy can be created. When the mirror copies are in sync, the original mirror copy can be deleted, and then the volume moved to the other MDisk pool.
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Important: Volumes can be migrated only between MDisk pools with the same extent size.
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Create an MDisk and add it to a storage pool
This section demonstrates how to create one extra MDisk and how to add it to a storage pool.
Before you start, select Pools → Internal Storage to see if any available flash modules exist, (Figure 8-56). In the output, notice that flash modules 0 - 7 in enclosure ID 1 are available as candidate drives. Other flash modules in enclosure ID 2 are already in use by mdisk0.
Figure 8-56 Internal storage with candidate flash modules
Figure 8-57 shows the candidate drives for the storage enclosures and also those available in the optional expansion enclosure.
Figure 8-57 Internal storage with candidate drives in both flash modules and expansion enclosure drives
Complete these steps:
1. Open the CLI to configure the new array. Log in as a user with admin rights, for example as superuser (Example 8-4).
Example 8-4 Create MDisk from candidate drives in enclosure ID 1
IBM_FlashSystem:PE_V9K-2_Cluster:superuser>svctask mkarray -enclosure 1
mdisk, id [1], successfully created
IBM_FlashSystem:PE_V9K-2_Cluster:
Arrays in IBM FlashSystem V9000 are built from whole storage enclosures and all available drives are used to create one RAID 5 array. One flash module in each storage enclosure is configured as a spare drive.
2. Check the result from the array creation process (Example 8-5).
Example 8-5 Check drives and MDisks (output shortened for clarity)
IBM_FlashSystem:PE_V9K-2_Cluster:superuser>lsdrive
id status error_sequence_number use tech_type capacity mdisk_id mdisk_name member_id enclosure_id slot_id node_id node_name
0 online member sas_ssd 1.0TB 1 mdisk2 0 1 3
1 online member sas_ssd 1.0TB 1 mdisk2 1 1 4
2 online member sas_ssd 1.0TB 1 mdisk2 2 1 5
3 online member sas_ssd 1.0TB 1 mdisk2 3 1 6
4 online member sas_ssd 1.0TB 1 mdisk2 4 1 7
5 online member sas_ssd 1.0TB 1 mdisk2 5 1 8
6 online member sas_ssd 1.0TB 1 mdisk2 6 1 9
7 online spare sas_ssd 1.0TB 1 10
8 online member sas_ssd 960.0GB 0 mdisk0 0 2 4
9 online member sas_ssd 960.0GB 0 mdisk0 1 2 5
10 online member sas_ssd 960.0GB 0 mdisk0 2 2 6
11 online member sas_ssd 960.0GB 0 mdisk0 3 2 7
12 online member sas_ssd 960.0GB 0 mdisk0 4 2 8
13 online spare sas_ssd 960.0GB 2 9
IBM_FlashSystem:PE_V9K-2_Cluster:superuser>lsmdisk
id name status mode mdisk_grp_id mdisk_grp_name capacity ctrl_LUN_# controller_name UID tier encrypt enclosure_id
0 mdisk0 online array 0 mdiskgrp0 3.7TB ssd
1 mdisk2 online unmanaged_array 6.2TB ssd
IBM_FlashSystem:PE_V9K-2_Cluster:superuser>
3. Return to the GUI and in the Pools > Internal Storage view (Figure 8-58), you now see that what were previously candidate drives are now member drives of mdisk2.
Figure 8-58 The mdisk2 was created
4. To add the newly created MDisk to an existing storage pool, select Pools → MDisks by Pools. The Pools > MDisks by Pools view is displayed (Figure 8-59).
Figure 8-59 MDisks by Pools shows one unassigned MDisk
5. Select the unassigned MDisk, mdisk2. Either select mdisk2 and select Actions → Assign, or right-click mdisk2 and then select Assign, as shown in Figure 8-60.
Figure 8-60 Select mdisk2 and assign to storage pool
By using the Actions option, you can also see more properties of the MDisk, and additional settings can be applied.
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Tip: A good practice is to rename the MDisk so that the name reflects the source of the MDisk, for example Enclosure1_1TB.
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6. Select the pool that you want to expand. This example has only a single MDisk pool. Select it and click Assign (Figure 8-61).
Figure 8-61 Assign mdisk2 to the pool
MDisk pool mdiskgrp0 is now expanded and contains two MDisks, including the newly created mdisk2 (Figure 8-62).
Figure 8-62 The MDisk pool has been expanded
8.4.3 Volumes by Pool
Figure 8-63 Viewing the volumes by storage pools
To retrieve more information about a specific storage pool, select any storage pool in the Name column. The upper-right corner of the panel (Figure 8-64 on page 362) contains the following information about this pool:
•Status
•Number of MDisks
•Number of volume copies
•Whether Easy Tier is active on this pool
•Site assignment
•Volume allocation
•Capacity
Figure 8-64 Detailed information about a pool
Figure 8-65 Mdisks by pools
Select the pool that you want to work with and click the plus sign (+) icon, which is the “expand” button. Because you clicked the plus sign to expand the view, Figure 8-66 shows a minus sign, which is the “collapse” button. This panel displays the MDisks that are present in this storage pool.
Figure 8-66 MDisks present in a storage pool
8.4.4 Creating storage pools
Complete the following steps to create a storage pool:
Figure 8-67 Selecting the option to create a new storage pool
2. The Create Pool dialog opens. Specify a name for the storage pool. If you do not provide a name, the system automatically generates the name Poolx, where x is the ID sequence number that is assigned by the IBM FlashSystem V9000 internally. We type in the name V7000_SAS_10K, because the available MDisks comes from external storage Storwize V7000.
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Storage pool name: You can use letters A - Z (uppercase) and a - z (lowercase), numbers 0 - 9, and the underscore (_) character. The name can be 1 - 63 characters in length and is case-sensitive. It cannot start with a number or the pattern mdiskgrp because this prefix is reserved for IBM FlashSystem V9000 internal assignment only.
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3. (Optional) You can specify the extent size (the default is 1 GiB), and then click Create (Figure 8-68).
Figure 8-68 Create Pool
As mentioned previously volumes can only be migrated between MDisk pools with the same extent size, so it is good practice to keep the same extent size in all volumes when possible.
4. Now that the storage pool is created and is still empty, you need to assign disks to it. In the Pools > MDisks by Pool view (Figure 8-69), with no MDisk pool selected, select Actions → Discover Storage.
Figure 8-69 Discover storage
This demonstration maps four external volumes, originating from Storwize V7000 and configured for IBM FlashSystem V9000 (Storwize V7000 to IBM FlashSystem V9000). These are now discovered as unassigned MDisks.
Next, complete the following steps to specify the MDisks that you want to associate with the new storage pool:
1. Select the MDisks that you want to add to this storage pool.
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Tip: To add multiple MDisks, press and hold the Ctrl key and click selected items.
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Figure 8-70 Assign MDisks to storage pool
Figure 8-71 Select pool and assign disks
4. Close the task completion window.
In the storage pools panel (Figure 8-72), the new storage pool is displayed, it contains four MDisks and has a capacity of 1.95 TiB.
Figure 8-72 Mdisks added successfully to new storage pool
Additional disks can be added to the pool at any time. With regards to adding more disks to a pool containing disks from external storage devices, only include disks from the same storage device in the pool. The exception is when IBM Easy Tier is needed to control automatic tiering, then IBM FlashSystem V9000 disks can be added to the pool and tier level can be selected for the disks.
The Modify Tier dialog opens (Figure 8-73) and can be used to control tier level within a storage pool.
Figure 8-73 Modify Tier for Mdisks
When Easy Tier is enabled and a storage pool contains MDisks with different tier levels, then IBM FlashSystem V9000 runs analysis daily and moves data to the appropriate tier depending on load levels for the data. Most accessed data is moved to faster disks, and less used data to slower disks.
8.4.5 Renaming a storage pool
To rename a storage pool, complete the following steps:
Figure 8-74 Renaming a storage pool
2. Enter the new name that you want to assign to the storage pool and click Rename (Figure 8-75). A good practice is to name the pools so that the source of the pool is reflected in the name. This example uses V9000_internal_1 because the storage pool exists on the IBM FlashSystem V9000 internal drives in enclosure 1.
Figure 8-75 Changing the name for a storage pool
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Storage pool name: You can use letters A - Z (uppercase), a - z (lowercase), numbers 0 - 9, the hyphen (-), and the underscore (_) character. The name can be 1 - 63 characters in length. However, the name cannot start with a number, hyphen, or underscore.
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8.4.6 Deleting a storage pool
A storage pool can only be deleted if no volumes are dependent of the pool, so if a pool is to be deleted, first all volumes must be migrated to other pools.
To delete a storage pool, select the pool that you want to delete and then click Actions → Delete (Figure 8-76). Alternatively, you can right-click directly on the pool that you want to delete and get the same options from the menu.
Figure 8-76 Delete Pool option
The storage pool deletes without the need for confirmation, and the MDisks within it become unassigned, as shown in Figure 8-77.
Figure 8-77 Disk pool is deleted, and MDisks within it are now unassigned
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Note: IBM FlashSystem V9000 does not allow you to delete pools that contain active volumes.
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8.4.7 System Migration
IBM FlashSystem V9000 offers powerful migration tools. External storage devices in non-virtualized environments can be unmapped from the host that uses them. They can be mapped to IBM FlashSystem V9000 and migrated into IBM FlashSystem V9000 storage.
The only downtime needed for the host using the external storage device is a single restart during which the volume is remapped to IBM FlashSystem V9000, which imports the volume and maps it to the host as an image-mode disk. IBM FlashSystem V9000 then starts migrating the data in the external volume and meanwhile the host can continue operation.
When IBM FlashSystem V9000 completes the migration, the administrator finalizes the process, the connection to the external storage volume is disconnected, and the migration is complete.
Figure 8-78 Enter System Migration wizard
The procedure for migrating external storage into IBM FlashSystem V9000 is similar to the procedure for IBM SAN Volume Controller, and is described in Implementing the IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller with IBM Spectrum Virtualize V7.6, SG24-7933.
Before you attach an external storage system to IBM FlashSystem V9000, always check for supported hardware and driver versions in the IBM SSIC:
8.5 Volumes menu
This topic provides information about managing volumes by using the Volumes menu.
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Note: The storage pools examples in this section illustrate operations with the AE2 storage enclosures. The operations equally work with expansion enclosure drives, externally virtualized storage arrays, or storage systems.
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You can use the GUI or use the CLI svctask mkvdisk command to create a volume. After volumes are created, they can be mapped to a host by using the mkvdiskhostmap command.
The volumes are built from extents in the storage enclosure arrays called MDisks in the IBM FlashSystem V9000, and the volumes are presented to hosts as logical units that the host sees as external disks called VDisks in the IBM FlashSystem V9000. This section describes the Volumes menu and its options.
The Volumes menu has three options:
•Volumes
•Volumes by Pools
•Volumes by Host
8.5.1 Opening the Volumes menu
Move the cursor over the Volumes function icon to open the Volumes menu (Figure 8-79).
Figure 8-79 Navigate to the Volumes menu
8.5.2 Volumes window
Click Volumes to open the window shown in Figure 8-80. You can create, expand, rename, and delete volumes, or you can review the properties of the volume.
Figure 8-80 Volumes window that shows all volumes
Multiple selections
You can select multiple items by using the Shift or Ctrl key:
•To select a range of items in a list, click the first item in the range, press and hold the Shift key, and then click the last item in the range. All the items in between those two items are selected.
Figure 8-81 shows multiple selections in a range. (This page is displayed after you select Pools → Volumes by Pool.)
Figure 8-81 Multiple selections (in a range) by using the Shift key
•To select multiple items that are not in a range, click an item, press and hold the Ctrl key, and click the other items that you want (Figure 8-82).
Figure 8-82 Multiple selections (not in a range) by using the Ctrl key
Creating a volume by using the GUI
To create a volume, select Create Volumes from the Volumes menu. You can select the Basic or Mirrored volume type, or click Custom to get a preset volume type with all available options. Figure 8-83 shows the Create Volumes view.
Figure 8-83 Create volume
Figure 8-84 shows the Custom option to create a volume.
Figure 8-84 Create volume: Custom
Specify the relevant information in each section of customized details. Be sure to include the MDisk group to which the volume will be associated. Make sure that the MDisk group has enough capacity available for the planned new volumes.
For this demonstration (Figure 8-84 through Figure 8-87 on page 373), specify a quantity of 4 volumes, the requested capacity (80 GiB), and the name of each volume, which is ITSOx (where x is an index from 0 to 3).
Figure 8-85 shows the Volume Details section.
Figure 8-85 Volume Details
Figure 8-86 shows the Volume Location section.
Figure 8-86 Volume location
You can format the volume; this operation writes zeros to the volume. Depending on the volume size, this formatting operation can take a long time (Figure 8-87).
Figure 8-87 Formatting option (write zeros)
Click Create (as shown in Figure 8-84 on page 372).
The Create Volumes task window opens (Figure 8-88).
Figure 8-88 Create Volumes task window
The wizard creates four volumes of 80 GiB each. The resulting volumes can be reviewed on the volumes menu (Figure 8-89). Because the formatting option was selected, the volume will be available to the host only after the formatting operation completes.
Figure 8-89 Create volume formatting
The newly created volumes have no host mappings at the time of their creation. Host mapping can be done from the Volumes → Volumes by Host window. For the instructions to map volumes to a host, see “Mapping volumes” on page 380.
Creating a volume by using the CLI
The CLI can be used for creating volumes. CLI commands run faster than GUI commands, and you might prefer using the CLI.
Example 8-6 shows volume creation by using the CLI. More or fewer parameters can be applied to the mkvdisk command. This example specifies the minimum required.
Example 8-6 Create a volume by using the CLI
IBM_Flashsystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>mkvdisk -mdiskgrp V9KFLASH -size 15 -unit gb -name ITSO_4
Virtual Disk, id [8], successfully created
IBM_Flashsystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>lsvdisk
id name IO_group_name status capacity vdisk_UID
0 WIN2008_1 io_grp0 online 40.00GB 0020c24000000000
1 WIN2008_2 io_grp0 online 50.00GB 0020c24001000000
2 WIN2008_3 io_grp0 online 50.00GB 0020c24002000000
3 WIN2008_4 io_grp0 online 39.99GB 0020c24003000000
4 ITSO0 io_grp0 online 15.00GB 0020c24004000000
5 ITSO1 io_grp0 online 15.00GB 0020c24005000000
6 ITSO2 io_grp0 online 15.00GB 0020c24006000000
7 ITSO3 io_grp0 online 15.00GB 0020c24007000000
8 ITSO_4 io_grp0 online 15.00GB 0020c24008000000
IBM_Flashsystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>
Performing actions on volumes
Various actions can be done with volumes from the Volumes window. Click Actions to access these operations (Figure 8-90), or you can right-click the volume name, which opens a list of operations that can be performed to the volume.
Figure 8-90 Actions on a single volume
Figure 8-91 shows the properties of the volume, such as volume name and its capacity. Each volume has a unique ID (UID) that can be discovered from the host side as a property of the logical unit. The volume is currently not mapped to a host.
Figure 8-91 Properties of a volume
A volume can be expanded while it is online, therefore maintaining full functionality to the connected hosts. However, not all operating systems allow concurrent expansion of their disks, so always be sure that the operating system supports it. An alternative to expanding the disk is to create and map a new disk for the host.
Expanding a volume that is mapped to an AIX host
When more than one volume is selected, the actions available for the volumes are reduced to only Expand and Delete (Figure 8-92).
Figure 8-92 Expand a volume
Figure 8-93 shows that the volume was expanded to a size of 50 GiB.
Figure 8-93 Expand volume to 50 GB
The resulting Volumes window displays the new capacity (Figure 8-94).
Figure 8-94 Four volumes expanded
The IBM FlashSystem V9000 supports dynamically expanding the size of a virtual disk (VDisk) if the AIX host is using AIX version 5.2 or later.
The AIX chvg command has options to expand the size of a physical volume that the Logical Volume Manager (LVM) uses without interruptions to the use or availability of the system. For more information, see the AIX V7.1 documentation about operating system and device management:
Expanding a volume that is mapped to a Microsoft Windows host
You can use the GUI and the CLI to dynamically expand the size of a volume that is mapped to a Microsoft Windows host.
After expanding the volume, using the same procedure as shown in the previous examples (Figure 8-92 on page 377 and Figure 8-93 on page 377) for Windows, start the Computer Management application and open the Disk Management window under the Storage branch.
If the Computer Management application was open before you expanded the volume, use the Computer Management application to issue a rescan command. You see the volume that you expanded now has unallocated space at the right side of the disk:
•If the disk is a Windows basic disk, you can create a new primary or extended partition from the unallocated space.
•If the disk is a Windows dynamic disk, you can use the unallocated space to create a new volume (simple, striped, or mirrored) or add it to an existing volume.
Shrinking a volume
Volumes can be reduced in size, if necessary. The shrink volume option is provided through only the CLI, not the GUI.
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Attention: If the volume contains data, do not shrink the size of the disk. Shrinking a volume destroys the data.
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When shrinking a volume, consider the following information:
•Shrinking a volume removes capacity from the end of the volume’s address space. If the volume was used by an operating system (OS) or file system, predicting what space was used might be difficult. The file system or OS might depend on the space that is removed, even if it is reporting a high amount of free capacity.
•If the volume contains data that is used, do not attempt under any circumstances to shrink a volume without first backing up your data.
You can use the shrinkvdisksize CLI command to shrink the physical capacity that is allocated to the particular volume by the specified amount.
The shrinkvdisksize command uses this syntax:
shrinkvdisksize -size capacitytoshrinkby -unit unitsforreduction vdiskname/ID
Example 8-7 shows the shrinking of a volume. The volume is called a vdisk in the CLI.
Example 8-7 Shrink a volume (VDisk)
IBM_Flashsystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>lsvdisk
id name IO_group_name status capacity vdisk_UID
0 WIN2008_1 io_grp0 online 50.00GB 0020c24000000000
1 WIN2008_2 io_grp0 online 50.00GB 0020c24001000000
2 WIN2008_3 io_grp0 online 50.00GB 0020c24002000000
3 WIN2008_4 io_grp0 online 50.00GB 0020c24003000000
IBM_Flashsystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>shrinkvdisksize -size 10 -unit gb WIN2008_1
IBM_Flashsystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>lsvdisk
id name IO_group_name status capacity vdisk_UID
0 WIN2008_1 io_grp0 online 40.00GB 0020c24000000000
1 WIN2008_2 io_grp0 online 50.00GB 0020c24001000000
2 WIN2008_3 io_grp0 online 50.00GB 0020c24002000000
3 WIN2008_4 io_grp0 online 50.00GB 0020c24003000000
IBM_Flashsystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>
Mapping volumes
Click Volumes to open the Volumes view window.
This example shows four volumes named ITSO_1, ITSO_2, ITSO_3, and ITSO_4 that will be mapped to host ITSO. Highlight all four volumes and click Actions → Map to Host (or right-click and select Map to Host), as shown in Figure 8-95.
Figure 8-95 Map Volumes to Host
Figure 8-96 Map Volumes: Select the host ITSO
Figure 8-97 shows the Modify Mappings window and that the CLI commands for mapping the volumes are being run.
Figure 8-97 Map Volumes: CLI commands display
The Volumes by Host window now shows that the four ITSO volumes are mapped and online (Figure 8-98).
Figure 8-98 Volumes mapped to host ITSO
Mapping a volume by using the CLI
Mapping volumes is faster when you use the CLI, which is useful for administrators. Volumes can be mapped by using the svctask mkvdiskhostmap command.
Example 8-8 shows how a volume is mapped to a host by using the CLI.
Example 8-8 Map volume by using the CLI
IBM_Flashsystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>svctask mkvdiskhostmap -force -host 0 4
Virtual Disk to Host map, id [4], successfully created
IBM_Flashsystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>lsvdiskhostmap 4
id name SCSI_id host_id host_name vdisk_UID IO_group_id IO_group_name
4 ITSO_5 4 0 ITSO 0020c24004000000 0 io_grp0
IBM_Flashsystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>
For mapping volumes by using the CLI, you can use the logical number for the host and use the logical number for the volume. These logical numbers can be discovered by using the following commands:
•lshost: Shows defined hosts and their status.
•lsvdisk: Shows defined volumes and their preferences.
Unmapping volumes
When deleting a volume mapping, you are not deleting the volume itself, only the connection from the host to the volume. For example, if you mapped a volume to a host by mistake or if you want to reassign the volume to another host, click Volumes → Volumes by Host. Select the volume or volumes that you want to unmap, and then right-click and select Unmap from Host (Figure 8-99).
Figure 8-99 Unmap volumes from host
The Unmap from Hosts window opens to indicate that the two selected volumes will be unmapped (Figure 8-100).
Figure 8-100 Unmapping volumes final step
By unmapping the volumes as shown in Figure 8-99 and Figure 8-100, the volumes are made unavailable to the host. If data on the volumes is to be preserved, the host must unmount the disk before the volume is unmapped so that the connection to the disk is closed correctly by the host. No data is left in the host cache when unmap occurs.
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Note: Before unmapping a volume from a host, the host must unmount the connection to the disk or I/O errors occur.
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Migrating volumes
Volumes can be migrated from one storage pool to another if the storage pool has the same extent size. Volume migration is a nondisruptive action and has no effect on connected hosts.
Volume migration is feasible in many situations. For example, if a volume needs higher performance, it can be moved to a storage pool with faster MDisks. Also, when storage is being decommissioned, simply move volumes away from that storage pool, after which the pool can be deleted and the storage device decommissioned.
To migrate a volume to another storage pool, select one or more volumes and click Actions (or right-click and then click Migrate to Another Pool), as shown in Figure 8-101.
Figure 8-101 Migrate to another pool
The IBM FlashSystem V9000 now provides a list of possible target pools. In this example, only a single pool is available. Select the pool and click Migrate (Figure 8-102).
Figure 8-102 Select new target pool
The volume migrates without any interruption to the hosts that are using the volume. Volume migration is a background task that might take time, depending on the size of the volume, the performance of the storage pools, and the load on the volume.
Figure 8-103 shows running tasks, which can be viewed from anywhere in the GUI.
Figure 8-103 Running tasks
At anytime, you can click on a task (1 Migration) to display the task progress (Figure 8-104).
Figure 8-104 Migration in progress
8.5.3 Volumes by Pool
Selecting Volumes → Volumes by Pool is functionally identical to selecting Volumes → Volumes, as explained in 8.5.1, “Opening the Volumes menu” on page 369. Figure 8-105 shows a view of the window.
Figure 8-105 Volumes by Pool view
8.5.4 Volume by Host
Selecting Volumes → Volumes by Host is functionally identical to selecting Volumes → Volumes, as explained in 8.5.1, “Opening the Volumes menu” on page 369. Figure 8-106 shows a view of the window.
Figure 8-106 Volume by Hosts view
8.6 Hosts menu
Host objects associate one or more host bus adapter (HBA) worldwide port names (WWPNs) or InfiniBand IDs with a logical object. You can use the GUI or the mkhost CLI command to create a logical host object.
You can then use the created host to map volumes (also called virtual disks or VDisks) to hosts by using the GUI or the mkvdiskhostmap CLI command.
The Hosts menu has four options:
•Hosts
•Ports by Host
•Host Mappings
•Volumes by Host
8.6.1 Opening the Hosts menu
In the GUI, use the Hosts menu to manage hosts. Navigate to the Hosts window from the GUI by selecting Hosts → Hosts (Figure 8-107).
Figure 8-107 Navigate to Hosts
Adding a host
The process of creating a host object includes specifying the host name and selecting ports for the host.
The IBM FlashSystem V9000 models support Fibre Channel (FC), Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), and iSCSI protocols.
The IBM FlashSystem V9000 detects which type of interface card is installed, and Add Host wizard automatically adjusts to request the host port type for the actual model. For example, this can be the FC worldwide port name (WWPN) or the iSCSI initiator name or iSCSI qualified name (IQN).
Figure 8-108 shows the Hosts view where the configured hosts are displayed. This example shows one defined host, ITSO.
Figure 8-108 Hosts panel showing already configured hosts
Each connected host initiator port must be zoned to all AC2 or AC3 control enclosure connections that are on the SAN fabric that see the IO group your LUN belongs to, enabling multipathing on the same fabric. If not, the host reports as Degraded. The risk of having a host with degraded paths is that the host might loose access to storage if a control enclosure fails or a reboot that then can cause unplanned downtime.
The IBM FlashSystem V9000 uses redundant AC2 or AC3 control enclosures. The control enclosures might reboot due to several reasons, such as power outage, system failure, firmware update, and more.
Hosts in a IBM FlashSystem V9000 configured with FC interface cards
To create a host object, click Add Host in the upper-left of the Hosts panel. The Add Host window opens (Figure 8-109). Type the name of the new host (Exchange1 in this example) and select a WWPN in the Fibre Channel Ports area. Any WWPNs that are zoned to the system, but not already in use by a configured host, are displayed as shown in Figure 8-109.
Figure 8-109 Add ports to the new host
If no WWPNs are displayed, the No candidate HBA ports were found message is displayed. In that case, either the WWPN is already used for another host object or the host has not been zoned correctly to the IBM FlashSystem V9000.
Add the host WWPNs by clicking the plus sign (+). For this example, use only two configured WWPNs for the Exchange1 host. Click Add Port to List (Figure 8-110).
Figure 8-110 Add new host with two WWPNs
The newly created host Exchange1 is now online with the newly defined ports.
All WWPNs in a host object are mapped to the virtual disks.
You can now manage and examine the newly created host. These are the choices when you click the Actions menu for a host (Figure 8-111):
•Rename
•Modify Volume Mapping (add or remove volumes visible by this host)
•Duplicate Volume Mappings (duplicate volume mappings to another host)
•Import Volume Mappings (import volume mappings from another host)
•Modify type (generic, HP/UX, and others)
•Unmap All Volumes (remove all mapped volumes to this host)
•Properties (view properties of the host)
Figure 8-111 View status of host ports
Creating a host by using the CLI
To create a host through the CLI, use the svctask mkhost and svctask addhostport commands (Example 8-9).
Example 8-9 Create host and add one more port
IBM_Flashsystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>svctask mkhost -fcwwpn 5005076801300004 -force -name ITSO
Host, id [1], successfully created
IBM_Flashsystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>svctask addhostport -fcwwpn 50050768013A0004 -force ITSO
IBM_Flashsystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>lshost
id name port_count iogrp_count status
0 test 1 1 offline
1 ITSO 2 1 offline
IBM_Flashsystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>lshost ITSO
id 1
name ITSO
port_count 2
type generic
mask 1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
iogrp_count 1
status offline
WWPN 50050768013A0004
node_logged_in_count 0
state offline
WWPN 5005076801300004
node_logged_in_count 0
state offline
IBM_Flashsystem:ITSO_V9000:superuser>
The svctask addhostport command must be run one time for every host port that you want to define for your host object.
Hosts in a IBM FlashSystem V9000 configured with iSCSI interface cards
To determine which iSCSI hosts already exist, open the Hosts menu and click Hosts (described in 8.6.1, “Opening the Hosts menu” on page 386).
Review the hosts (Figure 8-112). To create a new host, click Add Host.
Figure 8-112 Review iSCSI hosts from the Hosts panel
In the Add Host dialog (Figure 8-113), specify the host name and the iSCSI IQN name obtained from the iSCSI hosts iSCSI initiator software at the host to be connected.
Click Add to create the host.
Click Add to create the host.
Figure 8-113 Create iSCSI host
Figure 8-114 shows the hosts, including the newly created Win2008_File_SRV host.
Figure 8-114 New iSCSI host created
The new host does not yet have any volume mappings. Volume mappings for iSCSI hosts can be created in the same way as volume mappings for FC and FCoE systems, which is demonstrated in “Mapping volumes” on page 380.
As described in “Creating a host by using the CLI” on page 389, any single host must be able to communicate with both IBM FlashSystem V9000 AC2 or AC3 control enclosures. If not, hosts are not able to perform path failover in case of an AC2 or AC3 control enclosure reboot, which might cause unplanned downtime because the iSCSI host loses access to storage.
That means that an iSCSI-attached host must have its iSCSI initiator software configured so that each of its iSCSI initiators connects to at least one iSCSI target port on each AC2 or AC3 control enclosure.
For more information about how to configure host connectivity, see Chapter 7, “Host configuration” on page 255.
8.6.2 Ports by Hosts
The Hosts → Ports by Hosts selection is functionally identical to Volumes → Volumes by Host as explained in 8.5.1, “Opening the Volumes menu” on page 369. Figure 8-115 shows the Ports by Hosts window.
Figure 8-115 Ports by Hosts
8.6.3 Host Mappings
The Hosts → Host Mappings selection is functionally identical to mapping volumes as explained in “Mapping volumes” on page 380. Figure 8-116 shows the window.
Figure 8-116 Hosts Mapping
8.6.4 Volumes by Host
The Hosts → Volumes by Host selection is functionally identical to the Volumes → Volumes by Host, as explained in 8.5.1, “Opening the Volumes menu” on page 369. See Figure 8-117.
Figure 8-117 Volumes by Host
8.7 Copy Services menu
IBM FlashSystem V9000 provides Copy Services functions so that you can copy data from one system to another system.
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Note: The copy services examples in this section illustrate operations with AE2 storage enclosures. The operations equally work with expansion enclosure drives, externally virtualized storage arrays, or storage systems.
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Figure 8-118 shows the options in the Copy Services menu.
Figure 8-118 Copy Services menu
These menu options are described in 8.7.1, “FlashCopy” on page 393 through 8.7.5, “Partnerships” on page 398.
The Copy Services functions are as follows:
•IBM FlashCopy
You can either create point-in-time copies on a system, or create a point-in-time data copy on another system.
•Metro Mirror
Provides a consistent copy of a source volume on a target volume. Data is written to the target volume synchronously after it is written to the source volume, so that the copy is continuously updated.
•Global Mirror
Provides a consistent copy of a source volume on a target volume. Data is written to the target volume asynchronously, so that the copy is continuously updated, but the copy might not contain the most recent updates if a disaster recovery operation is performed.
•Consistency groups
A consistency group is a container for FlashCopy mappings, Global Mirror relationships, and Metro Mirror relationships. You can add many mappings or relationships to a consistency group, but FlashCopy mappings, Global Mirror relationships, and Metro Mirror relationships cannot be in the same consistency group. When you use a consistency group, you can complete copy operations on the entire group rather than the individual mappings.
Valid combinations of FlashCopy and Metro Mirror or Global Mirror functions
You can have both the FlashCopy function and either Metro Mirror or Global Mirror operating concurrently on the same volume. However, constraints exist regarding how these functions can be used together.
The next section provides an overview of the following Copy Services functions:
•FlashCopy
•Consistency Groups
•FlashCopy Mappings
•Remote Copy
•Partnerships
For more details about specific Copy Services functions and menus, see these resources:
•The “SAN Volume Controller operations using the GUI” topic in Implementing the IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller with IBM Spectrum Virtualize V7.6, SG24-7933
8.7.1 FlashCopy
The FlashCopy function creates a point-in-time copy of data, stored on a source volume, to a target volume.
In its basic mode, the IBM FlashCopy function copies the contents of a source volume to a target volume. Any data that existed on the target volume is lost and is replaced by the copied data. After the copy operation completes, the target volumes contain the contents of the source volumes as they existed at a single point in time, unless target writes have been processed.
The FlashCopy function is sometimes described as an instance of a time-zero copy (T 0) or point-in-time copy technology. Although the FlashCopy operation takes some time to complete, the resulting data on the target volume is presented so that the copy appears to have occurred immediately, and all data is available immediately. If needed, data that is still in the process of being copied can be accessed from the source.
Although a difficult task is to make a consistent copy of a data set that is constantly updated, point-in-time copy techniques help solve this problem. If a copy of a data set is created using a technology that does not provide point-in-time techniques and the data set changes during the copy operation, the resulting copy might contain data that is not consistent. For example, if a reference to an object is copied earlier than the object itself and the object is moved before it is copied, the copy contains the referenced object at its new location, but the copied reference still points to the previous location.
More advanced FlashCopy functions allow operations to occur on multiple source and target volumes. FlashCopy management operations are coordinated to provide a common, single point-in-time for copying target volumes from their respective source volumes. This creates a consistent copy of data that spans multiple volumes. The FlashCopy function also enables multiple target volumes to be copied from each source volume. This can be used to create images from different points in time for each source volume.
In its basic mode, the IBM FlashCopy function copies the contents of a source volume to a target volume. Any data that existed on the target volume is lost and is replaced by the copied data
Incremental FlashCopy mappings
In an incremental FlashCopy, the initial mapping copies all of the data from the source volume to the target volume. Subsequent FlashCopy mappings only copy data that has been modified since the initial FlashCopy mapping. This reduces the amount of time that it takes to re-create an independent FlashCopy image. You can define a FlashCopy mapping as incremental only when you create the FlashCopy mapping.
FlashCopy partner mappings
You can create a mapping to mirror an existing incremental FlashCopy mapping. The resulting pair of mappings is called partners. A mapping can have only one partner. For example, if you have volume A and volume B with two mappings (mapping 0 from volume A to volume B and mapping 1 from volume B to volume A), mapping 0 and mapping 1 are partners.
Incremental FlashCopy mappings share the metadata for recording changes. Therefore, if one mapping in a mirrored pair (partnership) is incremental, the other mapping becomes incremental automatically and remains incremental until it is deleted.
For more details, see the IBM FlashSystem V9000 pages in IBM Knowledge Center:
8.7.2 Consistency Groups
A consistency group is a container for FlashCopy mappings, Global Mirror relationships, and Metro Mirror relationships. You can add many mappings or relationships to a consistency group, but FlashCopy mappings, Global Mirror relationships, and Metro Mirror relationships cannot appear in the same consistency group. When you use a consistency group, you can complete copy operations on the entire group rather than the individual mappings.
FlashCopy consistency groups
The consistency group is specified when the mapping is created. You can also change the consistency group later. When you use a consistency group, you prepare and start that group rather than the individual mappings. This process ensures that a consistent copy is made of all the source volumes. Mappings to control at an individual level are known as stand-alone mappings. Do not place stand-alone mappings into a consistency group because they become controlled as part of that consistency group.
When you copy data from one volume to another, the data might not include all that you need to use the copy. Many applications have data that spans multiple volumes and requires that data integrity is preserved across volumes. For example, the logs for a particular database are usually on a different volume than the volume that contains the data.
Consistency groups address the problem of applications having related data that spans multiple volumes. In this situation, IBM FlashCopy operations must be initiated in a way that preserves data integrity across the multiple volumes. One requirement for preserving the integrity of data being written is to ensure that dependent writes are run in the intended sequence of the application.
You can set the autodelete attribute for FlashCopy consistency groups. If this attribute is set to on, the consistency group is automatically deleted when the last mapping in the group is deleted or moved out of the consistency group.
Metro Mirror and Global Mirror consistency groups
You can group Metro Mirror or Global Mirror relationships into a consistency group so that they can be updated at the same time. A command that is issued to the consistency group is simultaneously applied to all of the relationships in the group.
Metro Mirror or Global Mirror relationships can be based on loose or tight associations. A more significant use arises when the relationships contain volumes with a tight association. A simple example of a tight association is the spread of data for an application across more than one volume. A more complex example is when multiple applications run on different host systems. Each application has data on different volumes, and these applications exchange data with each other. In both examples, specific rules exist as to how the relationships can be updated. These rules ensure that the set of secondary volumes contain usable data. The key property is that these relationships are consistent.
Metro Mirror or Global Mirror relationships can belong to only one consistency group; however, they do not have to belong to a consistency group. Relationships that are not part of a consistency group are called stand-alone relationships. A consistency group can contain zero or more relationships. All relationships in a consistency group must have matching primary and secondary systems, which are sometimes referred to as master and auxiliary systems. All relationships in a consistency group must also have the same copy direction and state.
Metro Mirror or Global Mirror relationships cannot belong to the same consistency group. A copy type is automatically assigned to a consistency group when the first relationship is added to the consistency group. After the consistency group is assigned a copy type, only relationships of that copy type can be added to the consistency group. Global Mirror relationships with different cycling modes cannot belong to the same consistency group. The type and direction of the relationships in a consistency group must be the same.
The system supports the following types of relationships and consistency groups:
•Metro Mirror
•Global Mirror without change volumes (cycling mode set to None)
•Global Mirror with change volumes (cycling mode set to Multiple)
If necessary, you can change the copy type of a remote-copy relationship or consistency group without re-creating the relationship or consistency group with the different type. For example, if the latency of the long-distance link affects host performance, you can change the copy type to Global Mirror to improve host performance over high latency links. Change volumes are available for only Global Mirror relationships and consistency groups and are created when Global Mirror operates with the multiple cycling mode. With the multiple cycling mode, changes are tracked and copied to intermediate change volumes. Changes are transmitted to the secondary site periodically to lower bandwidth requirements.
Possible relationship directions are as follows:
•Intrasystem
•From local system to remote system
•From remote system to local system
For more details, see the “Consistency groups” topic in the IBM FlashSystem V9000 web pages:
8.7.3 FlashCopy mappings
A FlashCopy mapping defines the relationship between a source volume and a target volume.
The FlashCopy feature makes an instant copy of a volume at the time that it is started. To create an instant copy of a volume, you must first create a mapping between the source volume (the disk that is copied) and the target volume (the disk that receives the copy). The source and target volumes must be of equal size.
A mapping can be created between any two volumes in a system. The volumes do not have to be in the same I/O group or pool. When a FlashCopy operation starts, a checkpoint is made of the source volume. No data is actually copied at the time a start operation occurs. Instead, the checkpoint creates a bitmap that indicates that no part of the source volume has been copied. Each bit in the bitmap represents one region of the source volume. Each region is called a grain.
After a FlashCopy operation starts, read and write operations to the source volume continue to occur. If new data is written to the source or target volume, the existing data on the source is copied to the target volume before the new data is written to the source or target volume. The bitmap is updated to mark that the grain of the source volume has been copied so that later write operations to the same grain do not recopy the data.
During a read operation to the target volume, the bitmap is used to determine if the grain was copied. If the grain was copied, the data is read from the target volume. If the grain was not copied, the data is read from the source volume.
For more details, see the “FlashCopy mappings” topic in the IBM FlashSystem V9000 web pages:
8.7.4 Remote copy
Metro Mirror and Global Mirror are two types of remote-copy operations that you can use to set up a relationship between two volumes, where updates made to one volume are mirrored on the other volume. The volumes can be on either the same system (intrasystem) or on two different systems (intersystem).
Although data is written to only a single volume, the system maintains two copies of the data. If the copies are separated by a significant distance, the Metro Mirror and Global Mirror copies can be used as a backup for disaster recovery. A prerequisite for Metro Mirror and Global Mirror operations between systems over Fibre Channel connections is that the SAN fabric to which they are attached provides adequate bandwidth between the systems. SAN fabrics are not required for IP-only connections.
For both Metro Mirror and Global Mirror copy types, one volume is designated as the primary and the other volume is designated as the secondary. Host applications write data to the primary volume, and updates to the primary volume are copied to the secondary volume. Normally, host applications do not run I/O operations to the secondary volume.
The system supports the following types of relationships and consistency groups:
•Metro Mirror
•Global Mirror without change volumes (cycling mode set to None)
•Global Mirror with change volumes (cycling mode set to Multiple)
If necessary, you can change the copy type of a remote-copy relationship or consistency group without re-creating the relationship or consistency group with the different type. For example, if the latency of the long-distance link affects host performance, you can change the copy type to Global Mirror to improve host performance over high latency links. Change volumes are only available for Global Mirror relationships and consistency groups and are created when Global Mirror operates with the multiple cycling mode. With the multiple cycling mode, changes are tracked and copied to intermediate change volumes. Changes are transmitted to the secondary site periodically to lower bandwidth requirements.
The Metro Mirror and Global Mirror functions support the following operations:
•Intrasystem copying of a volume, in which both volumes belong to the same system and I/O group within the system.
•Intersystem copying of a volume, in which one volume belongs to a system and the other volume belongs to a different system.
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Note: A system can participate in active Metro Mirror and Global Mirror relationships with itself and up to three other systems.
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•Intersystem and intrasystem Metro Mirror and Global Mirror relationships can be used concurrently on the same system.
•Bidirectional links are supported for intersystem relationships. This means that data can be copied from system A to system B for one pair of volumes while copying data from system B to system A for a different pair of volumes.
•The copy direction can be reversed for a consistent relationship.
•You can change the copy type for relationships and consistency groups between Metro Mirror and Global Mirror with or without change volumes.
•Consistency groups are supported to manage a group of relationships that must be kept synchronized for the same application. This also simplifies administration, because a single command that is issued to the consistency group is applied to all the relationships in that group.
•The system supports a maximum of 8192 Metro Mirror and Global Mirror relationships per system.
Consider the following terms and their definitions:
•Metro Mirror
Metro Mirror is a type of remote copy that creates a synchronous copy of data from a primary volume to a secondary volume. A secondary volume can either be on the same system or on another system.
•Global Mirror
The Global Mirror function provides an asynchronous-copy process. When a host writes to the primary volume, confirmation of I/O completion is received before the write operation has completed for the copy on the secondary volume.
•Global Mirror change volume
Global Mirror change volumes are copies of data from a primary volume or secondary volume that are used in Global Mirror relationships. Using change volumes lower bandwidth requirements by only addressing the average throughput and not the peak.
•Remote-copy consistency groups
You can group Metro Mirror or Global Mirror relationships into a consistency group so that they can be updated at the same time. A command that is issued to the consistency group is simultaneously applied to all of the relationships in the group.
•Remote-copy relationships
Metro Mirror and Global Mirror relationships define the relationship between two volumes: a master volume and an auxiliary volume.
For more details, see IBM Knowledge Center:
8.7.5 Partnerships
Partnerships can be used to create a disaster recovery environment or to migrate data between systems that are in different locations. Partnerships define an association between a local system and a partner system.
Before a Metro Mirror or Global Mirror relationship or consistency group can be created with a remote system, a partnership between the two systems must be established. If Global Mirror or Metro Mirror relationships or consistency groups exist between two remote systems, those systems must maintain their partnership. Each system can maintain up to three partnerships, and each partnership can be with a single partner system. As many as four systems can be directly associated with each other.
Systems also become indirectly associated with each other through partnerships. If two systems each have a partnership with a third system, those two systems are indirectly associated. A maximum of four systems can be directly or indirectly associated.
The control enclosures within the system must know not only about the relationship between the two volumes but also about an association among systems.
To establish a partnership between two systems, you must create the partnership using the Create Partnership dialog on both systems. For example, to establish a partnership between system A and system B, run the dialog from system A and specify system B as the partner system. At this point, the partnership is partially configured and is sometimes described as one-way communication. Next, run the dialog on system B and specify system A as the partner system. When this operation completes, the partnership is fully configured for two-way communication between the systems.
For details about system partnership states, creating remote-copy partnership over an IP connection, and also establishing Metro Mirror and Global Mirror partnerships over Fibre Channel, Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) connections, see the IBM FlashSystem V9000 information in IBM Knowledge Center. See IBM Knowledge Center:
Backing up data: IBM lab-services based task
Data must be backed up in the following scenarios:
•If an existing fixed building block is being added to one or more new scaled building blocks to create a scaled system, all customer data must be backed up before the installation process begins, to prevent loss of all data.
•If an existing scaled system is being upgraded to add more scalable building blocks, and a new level of software will be loaded, all customer data must be backed up before the software update.
For more details about backing up data and Copy Services, see the “Copy Services functions” topic in IBM Knowledge Center:
8.8 Access menu
Several roles of user access to the IBM FlashSystem V9000 are managed through the Access menu (Figure 8-119 on page 400). The access levels are divided by role. You can also assign multiples users to a user group, then a role can be assigned to the user group.
The Access function has two menu options:
•Users: Select this to define users, group users, and user roles.
•Audit log: Tracks action commands that are issued through an SSH session or through the management GUI.
8.8.1 Users
Select Users from the Access menu (Figure 8-119).
Figure 8-119 Navigate to Users menu
Figure 8-120 shows the Users menu. Here, you can create and delete users, change and remove passwords, and add and remove SSH keys. You can also add a user group to the predefined groups. Predefined user groups are named with the user role in the group.
Figure 8-120 Users window
You can get contextual help at any time by clicking the question mark (?) icon (Figure 8-121).
Figure 8-121 Help example
Click Create User to open the window shown in Figure 8-122. You can enter the name of the user and the password, and load the SSH key (if the SSH key was generated). You can choose to use either SSH or a password for CLI authentication. Without a password defined, the user is unable to use the GUI.
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Note: You must have superuser authority to create users.
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Figure 8-122 Create User window
You can assign the following roles to your user groups:
•Security administrator
Users can manage all functions of the system, including managing users, user groups, and user authentication. Users who have the security administrator role can run any system commands from the CLI, but cannot run the sainfo and satask commands from the CLI. Only the superuser ID can run the sainfo and satask commands.
•Administrator
Users can manage all functions of the system except those that manage users, user groups, and authentication. Users who have the administrator role can run the system commands that the security administrator users can run from the CLI, except for commands that deal with users, user groups, and authentication.
•Copy operator
Users can start and stop all existing FlashCopy, Metro Mirror, and Global Mirror relationships. Users who have the copy operator role can run the system commands that administrator role users can run that deal with FlashCopy, Metro Mirror, and Global Mirror relationships.
•Monitor
Users have access to all system viewing actions. Users who have the monitor role cannot change the state of the system or change the resources that the system manages. Monitor role users can access all information-related GUI functions and commands, back up configuration data, and change their own passwords.
•Service
Users can set the time and date on the system, delete dump files, add and delete control and storage enclosures, and shut down the system.
Figure 8-123 shows a local user Christophe is created and is configured with a password to use for authenticating to the system. When user Christophe opens his SSH client and points it to the IP address of the system to which he is granted access, he is prompted for the user name and password. If the user is required to authenticate by using an SSH key pair, you instead enter the path for the public key in the field SSH Public Key.
.Figure 8-123 User with password and SSH key
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Note: The Password and Verify Password fields are used for GUI access. If a password is not configured, the user is not able to log in to the GUI. For a demonstration of how to create a public/private key by using PuTTy, see 13.3.2, “Creating connections” on page 623.
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8.8.2 Audit log
An audit log documents actions that are submitted through the management GUI or the CLI. You can use the audit log to monitor user activity on your system. The audit log entries provide the following information:
•The sequence of the command
•The date and time when the action or command was submitted on the system
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Note: When logs are displayed in the CLI, the time stamps for the logs are the system time. However, when logs are displayed in the management GUI, the time stamps are translated to the local time where the web browser is running.
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•The name of the user who performed the action or command
•The IP address of the system where the action or command was submitted
•The results of the action or command
•Parameters and command submitted
•The object identifier that is associated with the action or command
The main window of the audit log supports navigation (Figure 8-124). By clicking any column, you can order the full log.
Figure 8-124 Different navigation options
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