Can i do a vgexport from a Integrity Virtual partition

[Amit Jindal_1]

Hi my project is planning to have an Integrity blade BL870C and are in the planning phase, I have a question regarding vgexport.

Let's suppose I have a VG of 100GB within a guest O.S, can i do a vgexport to make the VG visible at a different system if they are connected via same SAN. The other system is a normal npar.

The purpose is to export the VG to a different system and do a dd copy of the LV's from production ( raw db files ) to clone a DB. We are doing this on normal npar/vpar, but I am worried how will it work on a guest O.S.

[Tim Nelson]

I do not see why not. The guest is like any other server.

You will need to present the device to the both servers and set the attribute to shared.
or
after copy and export, remove the device from VGuest1 and present to Vguest2 then import.

[Amit Jindal_1]

Thanks Tim for the quick reply, but my requirement is to export the VG from a VM guest O.S to a npar ( a different system ) not a VM guest O.S.

Currently the storage team will present the production mirror LUNS to a staging server and development system LUNS are also presented and after a vgexport from development system we can dd copy the production LV's to our develpment VG on the staging server, and back do a vgimport to original development system. Thus we get the exact replica of production database ( raw LV'S ) on to developmnent server and do our System test and dev. But will it work same way in Virtual machine ?

[Tim Nelson]

You will have to test as I have not done it.

The steps would be something like this:

1) export the vg from the VGuest

2) present it and import it to the other host

I do not think that the Vhost will care that this lun is presented to another host I assume you are using device backing stores.

It may be possible that you would have to delete the backingstore on the VHost for the VGuest. Again because you are not using LVM backing stores I do not think the VHost will care though...

Pick out some of the white papers from here http://docs.hp.com/en/vse.html#HP%20Integrity%20Virtual%20Machines

I initially see an SG cluster that is 1/2 IVM and 1/2 physical. So the same idea should work on your plan.

Unless someone here has actually done what you are trying, you will just have to set it up and try it.

[Torsten.]

You talk about virtual partitions (vPars) and virtual machines - caution, they are very different, don't mix the names!

What do you really have?

I assume it's vPars (because of your earlier threads), right?

[Amit Jindal_1]

Not sure if I have mixed the terms ( vm / vpars ) here in this question but my question is straight forward:

From a guest O.S ( development system ) within ( IVM Integrity Virtual machine not vpar ) can I do a vgexport to present the LUNS to a different server which is a normal npar. This is required for database cloning purposes. The entire VG is presented to a different npar server with production mirror as well, so a dd copy of the raw LV'S can be done from prod vg to development system.
After the dd copy is over back vgimport has to be done on development system which is a guest O.S ( ivm ). - Let me know in case of any more details

[melvyn burnard]

My first question is, how is the backing store presented to the VM?
Did you use a LUN, or an LVol, or a file system?
If you used the Lvol or file system then this will not work.
If you used a physical LUN, then this MAY work, but I have never tested this, and realy do not know, but as you have used the Guest OS to create a VG structure on a LUN, then it is possible that this is capable of being done.

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom,

Yes you can export it.

For another system to use it there needs to be a PATH to it via some media, scsi, fiber.

You should try it with a guest OS that is test, not production. Always good to have a sandbox.

SEP

[Amit Jindal_1]

Hi , I haven't got the new system yet ( BL480C with IVM guest OS ), still planning phases, we will use a LUN as a backing store. This is a essential requirement for me to present the entire VG from a VM guest OS to a regular npar ( non IVM system ).

Currently what I am doing is, doing a vgexport from my development system ( npar ) to another staging system where production VG ( mirror LUNS ) is also made visible and then doing a dd copy of the lvols which are RAW db lvol's. My worry is can i continue to do the same thing from a IVM ( guest O.S ).

[Amit Jindal_1]

Thanks Melvyn / Steven for your answers , so can i assume that this can be done. Just to summarize i am again putting my requirements, sorry i can't test it as this is in planning phase, pre purchase considerations which we are discussing before implementing IVM.

PRODUCTION : around 500 GB spread across 5 VG's with each pv of 14 GB.

To be Development ( planned ) : Integrity VM Guest OS with 5 VG's ( each pv of 50 GB ), so each VG will have 2 pv's ( have to use different pv size than production as there is a limit of max 30 number of presented pv's ( luns ) to a guest O.S) .
The DB is in raw LV format. The production mirror LUNS and the development server LUNS are visible to a common staging server ( npar ). So export these VG's from the IVM guest O.S to the staging server and do a dd copy of the lv's, and bring it back intact.

[Sharma Sanjeev]

Hi Ranjit

IVM is just new Server for you
you can do the same thing

Regards
Sanjeev

[Torsten.]

It must be possible, if the type of backing store for the HPVM is the whole disks.

Remember, according to the manual you can even create Virtual-to-Physical Clusters - this means the HPVM hands over the data VG to a "normal" physical server and vice versa.

see also

http://docs.hp.com/en/T2767-90105/ch11s02.html#physical_virtual_cluster

[Amit Jindal_1]

Thanks a lot to all of you for your answers.
As my project in in planning phases i will again trouble you to get your feedback for some or other tech query as i am new to IVM side.