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UR configuration operations

Configuring Universal Replicator requires you to understand and follow a configuration workflow.

Configuration workflow

The configuration workflow lists the tasks necessary to prepare your storage systems for Universal Replicator.

You must have Storage Administrator (Remote Copy) role to perform Universal Replicator operations. Be sure to check the prerequisites for each procedure (in "Before you begin"). Some tasks are performed from both primary and secondary storage systems. Other tasks are performed from one or the other.

Perform the following tasks to configure your systems for Universal Replicator operations:

  1. Define the Fibre Channel or iSCSI port attributes. See Defining Fibre Channel or iSCSI port attributes (VSP 5000 series).
  2. Set up remote paths between the primary and secondary storage systems. See Configuring primary and secondary storage systems for UR .
  3. Register journal volumes in a journal. See Creating journals and adding journal volumes .
  4. Assign an MP unit to a journal. See Assigning an MP unit to a journal.

    When you create a 3DC multi-target configuration in which three UR sites are combined, perform this step, and then perform the procedure described in Workflow for 3DC multi-target configuration with three UR sites .

    When you create a 3DC cascade configuration in which three UR sites are combined, perform this step, and then perform the procedure described in Workflow for 3DC cascade configuration with three UR sites .

    A 3DC multi-target configuration with three UR sites and a 3DC cascade configuration with three UR sites are supported in version 90-01-42 or later (VSP 5000 series). When you use journals created using earlier versions in a 3DC multi-target configuration with three UR sites or in a 3DC cascade configuration with three UR sites, split or resynchronize the journals for each mirror, or add pairs to the journals.

    (VSP E series) Before the initial copy operations, you might also want to add more remote paths. See Configuring additional remote paths. You can also specify the number of volumes to copy at one time. For information, see Changing the maximum initial copy activities option.

Workflow for 3DC multi-target configuration with three UR sites

You must create two UR pairs for the two mirrors, create a delta resync pair, and allocate remote command devices to finish creating a 3DC multi-target configuration with three UR sites.

When you create a 3DC multi-target configuration with three UR sites, you must perform the following procedure after step 4 in Configuration workflow .

  1. Create a UR pair for the first mirror in the primary site. Specify from 0 to 3 for the mirror ID when you create a UR pair.
  2. Wait until the UR pair status has changed to PAIR.
  3. Create a UR pair for the second mirror in the primary site. Specify the same master journal volume and P-VOL used for the first mirror. Specify from 0 to 3 for the mirror ID. Assign a mirror ID not used in step 1.
  4. Wait until the UR pair status has changed to PAIR. To create a 3DC multi-target configuration using the delta resync, perform the following procedure from steps 5 to 7.
  5. Create a UR delta resync pair with the S-VOLs in the two secondary sites by doing the following:
    • Specify the S-VOL of the first mirror in the secondary site as the P-VOL.
    • Specify the S-VOL of the second mirror in the secondary site as the S-VOL.
    • Specify from 0 to 3 for the mirror ID. Assign a mirror ID not used in steps 1 and 3.
    NoteSpecify the P-VOL and S-VOL for the delta resync pair for convenience. When you actually perform a delta resync operation, the failover destination site is used as the P-VOL.
  6. Allocate remote command devices for each two mirror IDs in the primary site.
  7. Allocate remote command devices for a mirror ID of the UR delta resync pair in each secondary site.
Note
  • When you delete a UR pair of the first mirror created in step 1 or delete a UR pair of the second mirror created in the step 3, the delta resync mirror's UR pair created in step 5 will also be deleted.
  • Perform the pair operations by using CCI for the 3DC multi-target configuration with three UR sites.

Workflow for 3DC cascade configuration with three UR sites

You must create two UR pairs for the two mirrors, create a delta resync pair, and allocate remote command devices to finish creating a 3DC cascade configuration with three UR sites.

When you create a 3DC cascade configuration with three UR sites, you must perform the following procedure after step 4 in Configuration workflow .

  1. Create a UR pair for the first mirror in the primary site.

    Specify from 0 to 3 for the mirror ID when you create a UR pair.

  2. Wait until the UR pair status has changed to PAIR.
  3. Create a UR pair for the second mirror in the intermediate site.

    Specify the restore journal volume and S-VOL for the master journal volume and P-VOL used in the first mirror. Specify from 0 to 3 for the mirror ID. Assign a mirror ID not used in step 1.

    If the UR pair in the first mirror created in step 1 is suspended before the pair status changes to PAIR, and then if you perform step 3, the UR pair in the second mirror created in step 3 might be suspended due to an error.

    If the UR pair in the first mirror is suspended before the pair status changes to PAIR, resynchronize the UR pair in the first mirror so that the pair status changes to PAIR, and then perform step 3.

  4. Wait until the UR pair status is changed to PAIR. When you set up the delta resync configuration, use the steps from 5 to 7.
  5. Create a UR delta resync pair with the primary and secondary site volumes by doing the following:
    • Specify P-VOL for P-VOL in the primary site of the first mirror.
    • Specify S-VOL for S-VOL in the secondary site of the second mirror.
    • Specify from 0 to 3 for a mirror ID. Assign a mirror ID not used in the step 1 and 3.
  6. Allocate remote command devices for each two mirror IDs in the primary site.

    Allocate remote command devices also for the UR delta resync pair's mirror ID.

  7. Allocate remote command devices for the mirror ID in the intermediate site.
  8. Allocate remote command devices for the mirror ID in the secondary site.
NoteWhen you delete a UR pair of the first mirror created in step 1 or delete a UR pair of the second mirror created in step 3, the delta resync mirror's UR pair created in step 5 will also be deleted.

Defining Fibre Channel or iSCSI port attributes (VSP 5000 series)

Bidirectional ports must be set up on the primary and secondary storage systems for Universal Replicator command and data transfer.

Before you begin

  • Before a Fibre Channel or iSCSI target port can be changed to a bidirectional port, the following must be performed:
    • Disconnect the port from the host.
    • Release all affected pairs.
    • Delete all remote paths from the bidirectional port to the secondary storage system.
    • Remove all cables to the port.
  • Before a Fibre Channel or iSCSI bidirectional port can be changed to target or RCU target, the following must be performed:
    • Release all affected pairs.
    • Delete all remote paths from the bidirectional port to the secondary storage system.
    • After remote paths are deleted, remove the cables connecting the primary storage system to the secondary storage system.
  • To prevent disconnection, limit the number of hosts connected to the target port to 128 or less.

Procedure

  1. In the Explorer pane, expand the Storage Systems tree.

  2. Expand the target storage system tree, and click Ports/Host Groups/iSCSI Targets

  3. In the Ports tab, click the port whose attribute you want to change then click Edit Ports

  4. In the Edit Ports window, select the Port Attribute: Bidirectional. If you need to specify other settings, see the Provisioning Guide.

  5. Click Finish.

  6. In the Confirm window, review the settings, enter a task name, and then click Apply.

Configuring primary and secondary storage systems for UR

You associate the primary and secondary storage systems in the Universal Replicator relationship and define the remote paths between them in one procedure. This procedure must be performed on both primary and secondary storage systems.

To perform this task in CCI, use the raidcom add rcu command and the raidcom modify rcu command.

NoteWhen VSP 5000 series, VSP E990 is connected to VSP E590 or VSP E790, you can also perform remote path operations using HDvM - SN on VSP 5000 series, VSP E990.

Before you begin

  • The primary and secondary storage systems must already be configured for Universal Replicator operations.
  • The data path must be set up.
  • The port attributes on the primary and secondary storage systems must be configured for UR. For details, see Defining Fibre Channel or iSCSI port attributes (VSP 5000 series).
  • The system’s serial number and model will be required during this procedure.
  • A path group ID will be required. This is a group of a maximum of remote paths. .

Procedure

  1. In the Explorer pane, expand the Storage Systems tree.

  2. Expand the target storage system tree, expand Replication, and click Remote Connections.

  3. In the Connections (To) tab, click Add Remote Connection.

  4. In the Add Remote Connection window, for Connection Type, select System.

  5. In the Remote Storage System area, for Model, select the secondary storage system model and number.

    • For VSP 5000 series, select 8

      If the local storage does not display VSP 5000 series (8) in the pull-down menu for Model, enter 8 to specify VSP 5000 series storage.

    • For VSP G1000, VSP G1500, and VSP F1500, select 7
    • For VSP, select 6
    • For VSP G/F350, G/F370, G/F700, G/F900, VSP E series, select 18 (available only if Connection Type is System)
    NoteIf the current storage system is one of the following, VSP E series, VSP G/F350, G/F370, G/F700, G/F900, VSP is not supported as the remote storage system.
  6. For Serial Number, enter the secondary storage system serial numbers (five or six digits).

    Note
    • When using virtual storage machine volumes, make sure to specify the serial number of the physical storage system. The serial number of a virtual storage machine cannot be specified.
    • When the secondary storage system is VSP 5000 series, specify 5 + serial number (6 digits in total) in CCI, or specify the serial number only (5 digits in total) in Device Manager - Storage Navigator.
    • When the secondary storage system is VSP G1x00 or VSP F1500, specify 3 + serial number (6 digits in total) in CCI, or specify the serial number only (5 digits in total) in Device Manager - Storage Navigator.
  7. For Path Group ID, select the ID (00-FF) for the path group you want to use. You can register 1 to 64 path group IDs for each storage system.

  8. For Minimum Number of Paths, select the lowest number of paths between the local storage system and remote storage system (range = 1 to 8). For UR, select 1. If the number drops below this setting, the primary storage system will split the pair.

  9. For Select Type, select the port type.

  10. Select the port used by the local storage system and the remote storage system. If you selected iSCSI for the port type, enter the IP address and the TCP port number of the port on the remote storage system. To add a path, click Add Path. You can add a maximum of eight paths.

    You can add and remove paths later as needed using the Add Remote Paths window. For instructions, see Configuring additional remote paths.
  11. Click Options to enter RIO MIH Time (remote I/O missing interrupt handler), which is the waiting time from when copy starts until when it ends.

    This value applies to the slots which received the request of copying data between storage systems. Exceeding the value causes the data transfer operation to be reported as failed by the system. Valid values range from 10 seconds to 100 seconds, and the default is 15 seconds.
    NoteThe recommended RIO MIH setting for a 3DC cascade configuration is 20 seconds.
  12. Click Finish.

  13. In the Confirm window, review the settings, enter a task name, and then click Apply.

Configuring additional remote paths

You can configure additional remote paths as needed. A maximum of eight remote paths can be configured between storage systems.

To perform this task in CCI, use the raidcom add rcu_path command or the raidcom add rcu_iscsi_port command.

Before you begin

Procedure

  1. In the Explorer pane, expand the Storage Systems tree.

  2. Expand the target storage system tree, expand Replication, and click Remote Connections.

  3. In the Connections (To) tab, select the remote connection where you want to add remote paths.

  4. Click More Actions Add Remote Paths.

  5. For Select Type, select the port type.

  6. Select the port used by the storage system at the primary site and the port used by the storage system at the secondary site. If you selected iSCSI for the port type, enter the IP address and the TCP port number of the port used by the storage system at the secondary site. To add two or more paths, click Add Path.

  7. Click Finish.

  8. In the Confirm window, review the settings, enter a task name, and then click Apply.

Creating journals and adding journal volumes

You create journals and add and configure journal volumes in the same procedure.

For adding journal volumes to an existing journal, see Adding an additional journal volume to an existing journal.

To perform this task in CCI, use the raidcom add journal command and the raidcom modify journal command.

Before you begin

  • Review the following:
  • The journal’s mirror status must be Initial, Active, Stopped, Hold, Holding, or Hold(Failure).
  • The journal cannot be in use.
  • Pair operations involving the journal cannot be in progress.
  • Cache Residency Manager settings cannot be defined for the volumes.
  • Required role: Storage Administrator (Remote Copy).

Procedure

  1. In the Explorer pane, expand the Storage Systems tree.

  2. Expand the target storage system tree, expand Replication, and click Journals.

  3. In the Journals tab, click Create Journals.

  4. In the Create Journals window, for System Type, select Open.

  5. For Journal ID, select a journal ID from the list.

  6. In the Journal Volume Selection box, click the Select Journal Volumes button.

  7. In the Select Journal Volumes dialog box, from the Available LDEVs table, select the journal volumes (one or two) to be registered to the journal, and click the Add button. The volumes are now listed in the Selected Journal Volumes table.

    To remove a volume from the Selected Journal Volumes table, select it and then click Remove. Click OK when finished. If you register two journal volumes at the same time, the volume with the smaller LDEV number is registered as the journal volume, and the other volume is registered as the reserve journal volume.
  8. In the Create Journals window, select a Journal Type Option.

    • Select Standard for journals in UR standalone pairs and pairs in a 3DC configuration.
  9. For MP Unit, you can specify an MP unit. Auto is available when one or more units can be assigned automatically. When Auto cannot be selected, the default is the unit with the lowest number.

  10. For Inflow Control, you can specify whether to restrict the flow of update I/O to the journal volume. Enabling this setting delays the response to hosts. Also, by restricting the inflow of data to one journal, you can allow other journals with higher-priority data unrestricted inflow.

    - Enable restricts inflow. - Disable leaves inflow unrestricted. With Disable selected, if metadata or journal data is full, update I/Os might stop.
  11. For Data Overflow Watch, you can specify the number of seconds for the system to monitor metadata and journal data when the journal volume is full (100%). Range is 0-600 seconds. The default is 60.

  12. For Cache Mode, you can specify whether to store journal data in the cache memory on the secondary side (restore journal).

    - Enable: Journal data will be stored in the cache. When there is insufficient space in the cache, journal data will also be stored into the journal volume. Enable is available only for journal volumes of RAID-5 or RAID-6. - Disable: Journal data will not be stored in cache but in the journal volume. Disable is the only setting possible for non-RAID-5 or RAID-6 journal volumes and external volumes.
    NoteThis setting does not affect master journals unless the CCI horctakeover command is used to change a master journal into a restore journal.
  13. For Timer Type, specify the type of clock used for consistency time. The specified value must be the same for the primary and secondary storage system.

    - System: Uses the mainframe host system clock. The host MVS IOS routine attaches time-stamp information from the time-of-day (TOD) clock to each write I/O operation. The time-stamp is transferred to the primary storage system at the beginning of each I/O operation. - Local: Uses time stamp information from the host I/O time stamping function. The mainframe system clock is not used. - None: Uses time stamp information from the host I/O time stamping function. None is available only when copy direction is reversed, that is, S-VOL-to-P-VOL.
  14. Click Finish.

  15. In the Confirm window, review the settings, enter a task name, and then click Apply.

Assigning an MP unit to a journal

You can assign an MP unit that controls journals.
Note If you want to change MP unit IDs for multiple journals, wait for at least 10 minutes before changing another MP unit ID. In addition, after changing an MP unit ID, if you want to change the ID of the same journal, wait for at least 30 minutes. Waiting 30 minutes minimizes the possibility that changing the journal ownership might fail or that the UR pair might be suspended.

To perform this task in CCI, use the raidcom add journal command.

Before you begin

  • Required role: Storage Administrator (Remote Copy).

Procedure

  1. In the Explorer pane, expand the Storage Systems tree.

  2. Expand the target storage system tree, expand Replication, and click Journals.

  3. In the Journals tab, select the journal you will add the unit to.

  4. Click More Actions Assign MP Unit.

  5. In the Assign MP Unit window, for MP Unit, select a unit.

  6. Click Finish.

  7. In the Confirm window, review the settings, enter a task name, and then click Apply.

Setting the remote replica options

You can set the following options using the Edit Remote Replica Options window:

  • The number of volumes that can be copied concurrently in a single initial copy operation.
  • The amount of time to monitor a path blockade.
  • The amount of time to monitor the SIMs reported by a path blockade.

Setting the maximum initial copy activities option

You can set the number of volumes that can be copied concurrently during pair creation and pair resynchronization using the Edit Remote Replica Options window (range = 1 to 128, default = 64). You can also change this setting later as needed.

To perform this task in CCI, use the raidcom modify remote_replica_opt command.

Before you begin

  • Storage Administrator (Remote Copy) role is required.

Procedure

  1. In the Storage Systems tree, select Replication.

  2. Click Edit Options Remote Replication.

  3. In Copy Type, select UR/URMF.

  4. In Maximum Initial Copy Activities, enter a value from 1 to 128 as the number of volumes that can be copied concurrently during an initial copy operation. For example, if you specify 64 for Maximum Initial Copy Activities and then register 65 pairs concurrently, the local system starts the initial copy operations for the first 64 pairs. The initial copy operation for the 65th pair is started when one of the first 64 pairs becomes synchronized, so that no more than 64 initial copy operations are performed at the same time.

    Note
    • The number of initial copy activities setting might affect the performance of the local storage system depending on the amount of I/O activity and the number of pairs that are registered concurrently.
    • If you specify a large value, the number of pending activities in a remote storage system increases, and the response time of the remote I/Os for the update I/O operations might be affected.
  5. Click Finish.

  6. In the Confirm window, check the settings you made, and then enter the task name in Task Name.

    If you want to open the Tasks window automatically after closing this window, select Go to tasks window for status.
  7. Click Apply.

    The task is registered, and the Tasks window appears if Go to tasks window for status was selected.
  8. You can check the progress of the task on the Tasks & Alerts tab. Click the task name to view details of the task.

Setting the blocked-path monitoring and blocked-path SIM monitoring options

You can set the period of time to monitor a blocked path and the time to monitor SIMs that are reported by a blocked path using the Edit Remote Replica Options window.

You can also change these settings later as needed.

  • Blocked Path Monitoring: range = 2 to 45 seconds
  • Blocked Path SIM Monitoring: range = 2 to 100 seconds

To perform this task in CCI, use the raidcom modify remote_replica_opt command.

Before you begin

  • Storage Administrator (Remote Copy) role is required.

Procedure

  1. In the Storage Systems tree, select Replication.

  2. Click Edit Options Remote Replication.

  3. In Copy Type, select TC/TCMF.

    These values are necessary for setting Blocked Path Monitoring, and are used for TC, TCz, UR, URz, and GAD operations.
  4. In Blocked Path Monitoring, enter a value from 2 to 45 (sec.) as the time to monitor a path blockade.

  5. In Blocked Path SIM Monitoring, enter a value from 2 to 100 (sec.) as the time to monitor SIMs that are reported by a path blockade.

  6. Click Finish.

  7. In the Confirm window, check the settings you made, and then enter the task name in Task Name.

  8. Click Apply.

    The task is registered, and the Tasks window appears if the Go to tasks window for status check box is selected.
  9. You can check the progress of the task on the Tasks & Alerts tab. Click the task name to view details of the task.