Steps Summary
1. Identify RDF connections between source and target Symmetrix arrays
symcfg list -ra all -switched
2. Identify previously used RDF group numbers:
symcfg list -sid 709 -rdfg all
3. Add a dynamic RDF device group
symrdf addgrp -label Group_140 -fibre -sid 709 -rdfg 140 -dir 16d -
remote_sid 774 -remote_dir 16d -remote_rdfg 140
4. Verify that the dynamic RDF group was created successfully
symcfg list -rdfg 140
5. Set dynamic RDF attribute for devices on the local Symmetrix
set dev 0918:091B attribute=dyn.rdf;
symconfigure -sid 709 -file set709rdfattr.cmd -v -noprompt commit
6. Set dynamic RDF attribute on the remote Symmetrix
set dev 072B:072E attribute=dyn.rdf;
symconfigure -sid 774 -file set774rdfattr.cmd -v -noprompt commit
7. Create an R1/R2 device pair text file
8. Add dynamic pairs to the dynamic group
symrdf createpair -file create_pair.cmd -type r1 -sid 709 -rdfg 140 -
invalidate r2 -g dg_rdfg140
9. Change the RDF mode to adaptive copy disk mode
symrdf -g dg_rdfg140 set mode acp_disk -noprompt
10. Query the results
symrdf -g dg_rdfg140 query
11. Perform a full establish operation for device pairs in the group
symqos -g dg_rdfg140 set RDF priority 5 (if during peak hours)
symrdf -g dg_rdfg140 establish -full -noprompt
12. Query device group status and switch back to synchronous mode
symrdf -g dg_rdfg140 query
symrdf -g dg_rdfg140 set mode sync -noprompt
Steps for SRDF
Reference:
EMC Solutions Enabler Symmetrix Array Controls CLI Product Guide
EMC Solutions Enabler Symmetrix SRDF Family CLI Product Guide
1 - Identify RDF connections between source and target Symmetrix arrays
Before creating dynamic RDF groups between two Symmetrix arrays, you must
choose director endpoints. If using fiber protocol, the director endpoints
chosen must be able to see each other through the Fibre Channel fabric to
create the dynamic RDF link. Ensure that the physical connections between the
local RA and remote RA are valid and operational.
Use the following command to list all of the RDF directors available for each
Symmetrix array that is accessible by the host:
On both Symmetrix arrays, run the following:
symcfg list -ra all -switched
Examine the output for both local and remote Symmetrix arrays to identify the
best RDF connection between the two arrays.
It is best practice to choose ports that are lightly populated for the RDF
dynamic group assignment.
2 - Identify previously used RDF group numbers
Execute the following command to identify previously used RDF group numbers:
symcfg list -sid 709 -rdfg all
symcfg list -sid 774 -rdfg all
It is important that you select a RDF group number that was not previously
used
3 - Add a dynamic RDF device group
Adding a dynamic RDF group creates an empty group to which you can add your
dynamic RDF pairs. The symrdf addgrp command is used to build a dynamic RDF
group. A group label (-label option) must be specified when adding a dynamic
group. The -fibre option specifies to use a Fibre Channel protocol. Use the
following example to add a dynamic RDF group for your local and remote
Symmetrix arrays, substituting your appropriate Symmetrix IDs (-sid,
remote_sid), directors (-dir, remote_dir) and RA group numbers (-rdfg, -
remote_rdfg) to add a dynamic RDF group for your local and remote Symmetrix
arrays:
symrdf addgrp -label Group_140 -fibre -sid 709 -rdfg 140 -dir 16d -remote_sid
774 -remote_dir 16d -remote_rdfg 140
Note: It is recommended that you specify the same number for the -remote_rdfg
parameter that that is specified for the -rdg parameter. For optimal
performance, it is also recommended that you configure no more than 6 groups
per switched fibre RA.
The following options may be included with the symrdf addgrp command:
-auto_link_recovery
-remote_auto_link_recovery
Auto link recovery specifies whether to enable the group for auto link
recovery. The default is disabled.
-link_limbo
-rem_link_limbo
Link limbo specifies the length of time to continue checking the local RDF
link status. The range is 0-120 seconds, the default is 10. If the link
status is not Ready after the link limbo time, the devices are made Not Ready
to the link.
-link_domino
-remote_link_domino
Link domino sets the domino mode for the source R1 device, which ensures that
data on the source (R1) and the target (R2) devices are always in sync. The
default is disabled.
Note: The link limbo parameter may be set after the group is created by using
the symrdf set command. The auto link recovery and link domino parameters can
only be set at group creation time. Refer to the SRDF/A and SRDF/A Multi-
Session Consistency on UNIX and Windows EMC Engineering Solutions Guide for
additional information.
4 - Verify that the dynamic RDF group was created successfully
To verify that the dynamic group has been added, re-issue the symcfg list -ra
all -switched command. Verify that the group has been created on the local
and remote RDF directors.
To view RDF group parameters in more detail, use the symcfg list -rdfg
command as shown below:
symcfg list -rdfg 140
Following is an example of what the output you will receive will look like
when you execute this command.
NOTE: This is only an example. The output you receive will correspond to your
configuration.
Symmetrix ID : 000190300709
5 - Set dynamic RDF attribute for devices on the local Symmetrix
To set the dynamic RDF attribute on the chosen devices, create a command file
with the following entries:
set dev 0918:091B attribute=dyn.rdf;
Commit the file by executing the following command:
symconfigure -sid 709 -file set709rdfattr.cmd -v -noprompt commit
6 - Set dynamic RDF attribute on the remote Symmetrix
To set the dynamic RDF attribute on the chosen devices, create a command
file with the following entries:
set dev 072B:072E attribute=dyn.rdf;
Commit the file by executing the following command:
symconfigure -sid 774 -file set774rdfattr.cmd -v -noprompt commit
7 - Create an R1/R2 device pair text file
From your host, create a text file using the vi text editor or other tool to
create a file that contains a list of the R1/R2 device pairs from the devices
you created previously. The following example uses a text file named
create_pair.cmd, which includes a list of R1/R2 devices to be paired between
the local and remote Symmetrix arrays. The R1 devices are listed in the first
column, and the R2 devices created on the remote Symmetrix are listed in the
second column on the same line as their respective R1 source.
0918 072B
0919 072C
091A 072D
091B 072E
Note: Do not use mapped remote devices as candidate R2s without first
checking that they are not in use by a remote host.
8 - Add dynamic pairs to the dynamic group
Use the symrdf createpair command to parse the file called create_pair.cmd
and add the RDF dynamic pairs to the new dynamic device group. The -
invalidate [R1|R2] option is used to mark either the source (R1) or the
target (R2) devices to be invalidated for a full copy when the RDF pair is
created. The example below uses the -invalidate r2 option to mark the tracks
on the target (R2) as invalid in preparation for a full data copy (establish
operation) from the R1 device. Also, a device group is created containing all
of the R1 devices and assigned the group name dg_rdfg140 by using the -g
option.
symrdf createpair -file create_pair.cmd -type r1 -sid 709 -rdfg 140 -
invalidate r2 -g dg_rdfg140
Note: Upon successful execution of the command the device group dg_rdfg140
is created for you.
The target R2 devices must first be set to not ready before attempting to run
the symrdf createpair command and can then be set to ready afterwards by
executing a symrdf ready command as follows:
symrdf -g dg_rdfg140 ready r2 -noprompt
9 - Change the RDF mode to adaptive copy disk mode
After you have created device pairs and added them to a device group, it is
advisable to change the RDF mode for the group to adaptive copy disk mode
(acp_disk) before performing the establish operation. If you allow the RDF
establish to start in synchronous mode, you could create serious I/O latency
issues for the host application. To set the RDF mode to acp_disk, use the
symrdf set mode command as follows:
symrdf -g dg_rdfg140 set mode acp_disk -noprompt
10 - Query the results
Use the symrdf query command to display the RDF properties of the device
group.
symrdf -g dg_rdfg140 query
Check the output to verify that the devices in the group are now in adaptive
copy disk mode.
Following is an example of what the output you will receive should look like
when you execute the query.
NOTE: This is only an example. The output you receive will correspond to the
results of your particular query.
11 - Perform a full establish operation for device pairs in the group
The establish operation can take a long time. It is best practice to launch
this command during non-peak hours of operation to minimize traffic over the
RDF link. The establish operation merges the track tables between the R1 and
the R2 devices. It then enables the RDF link (makes it enabled for read and
write requests) and begins to copy data from the source device to the device
which has been designated as invalid. In this example, the data flow is from
the R1 device to the R2.
Note that if there are no non-peak hours of operation, the symqos command can
be used to minimize the impact of the RDF synchronization for the device
group. Although, depending on the setting, using this command can cause the
establish operation to take a much longer time. To set the priority value
for the device group, type:
symqos -g dg_rdfg140 set RDF priority 5
The priority value range can be set from 1 to a maximum of 16 (prior to
Enginuity 5772, the maximum is 10). Set the value to 0 for no delay or up to
16 for the slowest delay in establishing the RDF device pairs.
Use the symrdf establish command to initiate a full establish operation for
the device group as follows:
symrdf -g dg_rdfg140 establish -full -noprompt
12 - Query device group status and switch back to synchronous mode
Periodically, query the progress of the initial RDF establish operation.
Check to make sure the amount of invalid tracks owed from the R1 to the R2 is
decreasing. This value is visible in the R2 Inv Tracks column. Progress of
the RDF establish operation can be queried by executing a command that looks
like this:
symrdf -g dg_rdfg140 query
Once all of the device tracks have finished copying (i.e., are Synchronized),
you can safely switch the device group back to synchronous mode if desired by
executing a command that looks like this:
symrdf -g dg_rdfg140 set mode sync -noprompt
