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Host Presentation of EVA External Storage LUNs/VDISKS that are used as BusinessCopy SVOLs

 
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Alzhy
Honored Contributor

Host Presentation of EVA External Storage LUNs/VDISKS that are used as BusinessCopy SVOLs

Our External Storage XP/Config since the epoch has always been:

2 FPs on HSV A connecting to 2 CHiP Ports on the XP. Likewise the same for HSV B. We then present VDISKS to the XP12K and use these LUNs as SVOLs to XP Native disks.

We primarily use BusinessCopy for Database Clones (Oracle). These LUNs hosted through the XP12000 are presented as native XP disks to the servers (even if the disks are really pointint to VDISKS on the EVA hooked up as External Storage).

The scheme has worked for years until now that we've added new environments which I suspect are already stressing the EVA to XP connection mainly due to the virtual presentation of the EVA disks via the XP12K...

My question now is -- Can I present the EVA disks that serve as BusinessCopy SVOLs direct to the servers and bypass the XP12000 as the virtualization node? My reason is such thet the bandwidth between the EVA and XP12K are used solely for the disk resynchs (paircreates and pairresyncs) --- but colleaugues are questioning such connetions will most likely destroy / affect the resynch-ability of the SVOLS... is this a true assertion?


TIA.

Hakuna Matata.
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krusty
Honored Contributor
Solution

Re: Host Presentation of EVA External Storage LUNs/VDISKS that are used as BusinessCopy SVOLs

Hi Alzhy,

I see what your trying to do here, and you may be correct in in your thinking. However is is not supported. From the "External Storage" link on SPOCK:

- Do not directly host access any external storage volume that is mapped as an XP24000/XP12000/XP12000/XP100000/SVS200 external volume.

You may want to use Performance Advisor to prove your theory. Look for Cache Write Pendings on that CLPR, or heavy I/O on the CHA port Do you have a CLPR for the EVA? It may not be the XP causing the performance bottleneck. That's usually the first thing everyone thinks, but if it's setup correctly and the LUN isn't subject to heavy I/O loads the hosts shouldn't even know it's "behind an XP"

Cheers,

Curt
"In Vino Veritas"
Alzhy
Honored Contributor

Re: Host Presentation of EVA External Storage LUNs/VDISKS that are used as BusinessCopy SVOLs

Thanks Kurt,

Yes our EVAs are on tier own CLPR and we do have Perf Advisor. The ES/XP ports indeed show it is saturated (averaging >70%).

The issue stems from the fact that the SVOLs (EVA) virtualized by the XP12K is subjected to heavy IO as the LUNS are clones of very large production DBs.

Our storage consultant never mentioned that directly presenting EVA Vdisks that are mapped as SVOLS to hosts is not allowed.


But I guess for one time clones -- i.e. -- to get baseline clones of StandBy DBs this should work.
Hakuna Matata.
Alzhy
Honored Contributor

Re: Host Presentation of EVA External Storage LUNs/VDISKS that are used as BusinessCopy SVOLs

Follow up Question then (still chasing our ASE on these questions):

Can I use BusinessCopy to do "One Time Clones" or Disk Array Migrations?

In such a case, of course the EVA (or other suported external storage array) LUN mapped as SVOL will need to be presented direct to the host from the EVA array.

TIA again.
Hakuna Matata.
krusty
Honored Contributor

Re: Host Presentation of EVA External Storage LUNs/VDISKS that are used as BusinessCopy SVOLs

Hi Alzhy,

You may want to look into Snapshot technology. This takes a point in time copy of the data, rather than keeping a clone updated as with the stadard Business Copy solution. Snapshots are part of the licensing for Business Copy. Talk to your ASM about it....

Sincerely,

Curt
"In Vino Veritas"
Alzhy
Honored Contributor

Re: Host Presentation of EVA External Storage LUNs/VDISKS that are used as BusinessCopy SVOLs

Yeah.. but it will still require the maped external storage LUNs to be presened via the XP12K -- right?

All I really want to find out right now is if we can use BCOPY to perform one time clones to EVA Disks as SVOLs. And once split, those SVOLS are depresented to the XP12000 and the VDISKS directly presented to the hosts and have the data still intact.

Hakuna Matata.