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Dell PowerVault MD3200 CLI Guide - Page 65

Enabling the Snapshot Virtual Disk Feature

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Enabling the Snapshot Virtual Disk Feature The first step in creating a snapshot virtual disk is to make sure the feature is enabled on the storage array. You need a feature key to enable the feature. The command for enabling the feature key file is: enable storageArray feature file="filename" where, the file parameter is the complete file path and file name of a valid feature key file. Enclose the file path and file name in quotation marks (" "). Valid file names for feature key files usually end with .key extension. Creating a Snapshot Virtual Disk with User-Assigned Physical Disks Creating a snapshot virtual disk by assigning the physical disks allows you to choose from the available physical disks when defining your storage array configuration. When you choose the physical disks for your snapshot virtual disk, you automatically create a new disk group. You can specify which physical disks to use and the RAID level for the new disk group. Preparing Host Servers to Create an Initial Snapshot Virtual Disk CAUTION: Before you create a new point-in-time image of a source virtual disk, stop any data access (I/O) activity or suspend data transfer to the source virtual disk to ensure that you capture an accurate point-in-time image of the source virtual disk. Close all applications, including Windows Internet Explorer, to make sure all I/O activity has stopped. NOTE: Removing the drive letter of the associated virtual disk(s) in Windows or unmounting the virtual drive in Linux helps to guarantee a stable copy of the drive for the Snapshot. Before creating a snapshot virtual disk, the server has to be in the proper state. To ensure that the host server is properly prepared to create a snapshot virtual disk, you can either use an application to carry out this task, or you can perform the following steps: 1 Stop all I/O activity to the source. 2 Using your Windows system, flush the cache to the source. At the host prompt, type SMrepassist -f and press . See "SMrepassist Utility" in the Owner's Manual for more information. Using the Snapshot Feature 65

Section	Page
About the Command Line Interface	13
How to Use the Command Line Interface	14
Usage Notes	15
CLI Commands	16
Command Line Parameters	18
Formatting Considerations	24
Detailed Error Reporting	24
Exit Status	25
Usage Examples	27
About the Script Commands	29
Script Command Structure	30
Script Command Synopsis	32
Recurring Syntax Elements	34
Usage Guidelines	40
Adding Comments to a Script File	41
Configuring a Storage Array	43
Configuring a Storage Array	44
Determining What is on Your Storage Array	44
Saving a Configuration to a File	47
Using the Create Virtual Disk Command	48
Using the Auto Configure Command	53
Modifying Your Configuration	55
Setting the Storage Array Password	56
Setting Up SMTP and SNMP Alerts	56
Setting the RAID Controller Module Clocks	57
Setting the Storage Array Host Type	57
Setting Modification Priority	58
Assigning Global Hot Spares	59
Using the Snapshot Feature	61
Using Host Servers to Create an Initial Snapshot Virtual Disk	63
Creating a Snapshot Virtual Disk	64
Enabling the Snapshot Virtual Disk Feature	65
Creating a Snapshot Virtual Disk with User-Assigned Physical Disks	65
Preparing Host Servers to Create an Initial Snapshot Virtual Disk	65
Creating the Initial Snapshot Virtual Disk	66
Creating a Snapshot Virtual Disk with Software-Assigned Physical Disks	68
Creating a Snapshot Virtual Disk by Specifying a Number of Physical Disks	69
User-Defined Parameters	70
Names of Snapshot Virtual Disks and Repository Virtual Disks	72
Changing Snapshot Virtual Disk Settings	73
Stopping and Deleting a Snapshot Virtual Disk	74
Re-creating the Snapshot Virtual Disk	75
Preparing Host Servers to Re-create a Snapshot Virtual Disk	75
Re-creating a Snapshot Virtual Disk	76
Using the Virtual Disk Copy Feature	77
Creating a Virtual Disk Copy	78
Enabling the Virtual Disk Copy Feature	79
Determining Virtual Disk Copy Candidates	79
Creating a Virtual Disk Copy	80
Preparing Host Servers to Create a Virtual Disk Copy	80
Copying the Virtual Disk	81
Viewing Virtual Disk Copy Properties	82
Changing Virtual Disk Copy Settings	83
Recopying a Virtual Disk	85
Preparing Host Servers to Recopy a Virtual Disk	85
Recopying the Virtual Disk	86
Stopping a Virtual Disk Copy	87
Removing Copy Pairs	88
Interaction With Other Features	88
Storage Partitioning	89
Snapshot Virtual Disks	89
Maintaining a Storage Array	91
Routine Maintenance	91
Running a Media Scan	91
Running a Consistency Check	93
Resetting a RAID Controller Module	94
Enabling RAID Controller Module Data Transfer	94
Resetting Battery Age	94
Removing Persistent Reservations	94
Synchronizing RAID Controller Module Clocks	95
Locating Physical Disks	95
Performance Tuning	96
Monitoring Performance	96
Changing RAID Levels	97
Changing Segment Size	97
Defragmenting a Disk Group	98
Troubleshooting and Diagnostics	99
Collecting Physical Disk Data	99
Diagnosing a RAID Controller Module	99
Recovery Operations	100
Setting RAID Controller Module Operational Mode	100
Changing RAID Controller Module Ownership	102
Initializing a Physical Disk	102
Reconstructing a Physical Disk	102
Initializing a Virtual Disk	103
Redistributing Virtual Disks	103
Script Commands	105
Command Formatting Rules	106
Firmware Compatability Levels	108
Commands Listed by Function	108
Disk Group Commands	108
Enclosure Commands	109
Host Topology Commands	109
iSCSI Commands	110
Physical Disk Commands	110
RAID Controller Module Commands	111
Session Command	112
Show String Command	112
Snapshot Commands	112
Storage Array Commands	112
Virtual Disk Commands	114
Virtual Disk Copy Commands	115
Commands Listed Alphabetically	115
Activate Storage Array Firmware	115
Autoconfigure Storage Array	115
Autoconfigure Storage Array Hot Spares	118
Check Virtual Disk Consistency	118
Clear Physical Disk Port Statistics	120
Clear Storage Array Configuration	120
Clear Storage Array Event Log	121
Clear Storage Array Firmware Pending Area	121
Clear Virtual Disk Reservations	122
Clear Virtual Disk Unreadable Sectors	122
Create Disk Group	123
Create Host	128
Create Host Group	129
Create Host Port	129
Create iSCSI Initiator	131
Create RAID Virtual Disk (Automatic Physical Disk Select)	131
Create RAID Virtual Disk (Free Capacity Base Select)	134
Create RAID Virtual Disk (Manual Physical Disk Select)	137
Create Snapshot Virtual Disk	141
Create Storage Array Security Key	147
Create Virtual Disk Copy	149
Delete Disk Group	151
Delete Host	152
Delete Host Group	152
Delete Host Port	153
Delete iSCSI Initiator	154
Delete Virtual Disk	154
Diagnose RAID Controller Module	155
Disable Storage Array Feature	157
Download Enclosure Management Module Firmware	158
Download Physical Disk Firmware	160
Download Storage Array Firmware/NVSRAM	161
Download Storage Array Physical Disk Frimware	162
Download Storage Array NVSRAM	163
Enable Disk Group Security	164
Enable RAID Controller Module Data Transfer	165
Enable Storage Array Feature	165
Recopy Virtual Disk Copy	166
Recover RAID Virtual Disk	168
Re-create Snapshot	170
Remove Virtual Disk Copy	173
Remove Virtual Disk LUN Mapping	173
Repair Virtual Disk Consistency	174
Replace Physical Disk	175
Reset RAID Controller Module	176
Reset Storage Array Battery Install Date	177
Reset Storage Array iSCSI Baseline	178
Reset Storage Array SAS PHY Baseline	179
Reset Storage Array Virtual Disk Distribution	179
Revive Disk Group	179
Revive Physical Disk	180
Save Enclosure Log Data	180
Save Physical Disk Channel Fault Isolation Diagnostic Status	181
Save Physical Disk Log	181
Save RAID Controller Module NVSRAM	182
Save Storage Array Configuration	182
Save Storage Array Events	184
Save Storage Array iSCSI Statistics	184
Save Storage Array Performance Statistics	185
Save Storage Array SAS PHY Counts	186
Save Storage Array State Capture	186
Save Storage Array Support Data	186
Set Disk Group	187
Set Disk Group Forced State	188
Set Enclosure Attribute	189
Set Enclosure Identification	189
Set Foreign Physical Disk to Native	190
Set Host	191
Set Host Channel	192
Set Host Group	194
Set Host Port	194
Set iSCSI Initiator	195
Set iSCSI Target Properties	197
Set Physical Disk Channel Status	198
Set Physical Disk Hot Spare	198
Set Physical Disk State	199
Set RAID Controller Module	200
Set Session	204
Set Snapshot Virtual Disk	205
Set Storage Array	207
Set Storage Array Enclosure Positions	211
Set Storage Array ICMP Response	212
Set Storage Array iSNS Server IPv4 Address	213
Set Storage Array iSNS Server IPv6 Address	213
Set Storage Array iSNS Server Listening Port	214
Set Storage Array Learn Cycle	214
Set Storage Array Redundancy Mode	215
Set Storage Array Security Key	216
Set Storage Array Time	217
Set Storage Array Unnamed Discovery Session	217
Set Virtual Disk	218
Set Virtual Disk Copy	223
Show Current iSCSI Sessions	224
Show Disk Group	225
Show Disk Group Export Dependencies	225
Show Disk Group Import Dependencies	226
Show Host Ports	227
Show Physical Disk	227
Show Physical Disk Channel Statistics	230
Show Physical Disk Download Progress	230
Show RAID Controller Module	231
Show RAID Controller Module NVSRAM	232
Show Storage Array	233
Show Storage Array Auto Configure	235
Show Storage Array Host Topology	237
Show Storage Array LUN Mappings	238
Show Storage Array Negotiation Defaults	238
Show Storage Array Unconfigured iSCSI Initiators	239
Show Storage Array Unreadable Sectors	239
Show String	240
Show Virtual Disk	240
Show Virtual Disk Action Progress	242
Show Virtual Disk Copy	242
Show Virtual Disk Copy Source Candidates	243
Show Virtual Disk Copy Target Candidates	244
Show Virtual Disk Performance Statistics	244
Show Virtual Disk Reservations	245
Start Configuration Database Diagnostic	246
Start Disk Group Blink	247
Start Disk Group Defragment	247
Start Disk Group Export	248
Start Disk Group Import	249
Start Enclosure Blink	249
Start iSCSI DHCP Refresh	250
Start Physical Disk Blink	251
Start Physical Disk Channel Blink	251
Start Physical Disk Channel Fault Isolation Diagnostics	252
Start Physical Disk Initialize	253
Start Physical Disk Reconstruction	254
Start Secure Physical Disk Erase	254
Start Storage Array Blink	255
Start Storage Array iSCSI Refresh	255
Start Virtual Disk Initialization	256
Stop Configuration Database Diagnostic	256
Stop Disk Group Blink	257
Stop Enclosure Blink	257
Stop Physical Disk Blink	257
Stop Physical Disk Channel Blink	257
Stop Physical Disk Channel Fault Isolation Diagnostics	258
Stop Snapshot	259
Stop Storage Array Blink	259
Stop Storage Array iSCSI Session	259
Stop Storage Array Physical Disk Firmware Download	260
Stop Virtual Disk Copy	260
Validate Storage Array Security Key	261
Sample Script Files	264
Configuration Script Example 1	264
Configuration Script Example 2	267
CLI Command Updates	270
Updated Commands	270

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Using the Snapshot Feature

Enabling the Snapshot Virtual Disk Feature

The first step in creating a snapshot virtual disk is to make sure the feature is

enabled on the storage array. You need a feature key to enable the feature. The

command for enabling the feature key file is:

enable storageArray feature file="

filename

where, the

file

parameter is the complete file path and file name of a valid

feature key file. Enclose the file path and file name in quotation marks (" ").

Valid file names for feature key files usually end with

.key

extension.

Creating a Snapshot Virtual Disk with User-Assigned Physical Disks

Creating a snapshot virtual disk by assigning the physical disks allows you to

choose from the available physical disks when defining your storage array

configuration. When you choose the physical disks for your snapshot virtual

disk, you automatically create a new disk group. You can specify which

physical disks to use and the RAID level for the new disk group.

Preparing Host Servers to Create an Initial Snapshot Virtual Disk

CAUTION:

Before you create a new point-in-time image of a source virtual disk,

stop any data access (I/O) activity or suspend data transfer to the source virtual

disk to ensure that you capture an accurate point-in-time image of the source

virtual disk. Close all applications, including Windows Internet Explorer, to make

sure all I/O activity has stopped.

NOTE:

Removing the drive letter of the associated virtual disk(s) in Windows or

unmounting the virtual drive in Linux helps to guarantee a stable copy of the drive

for the Snapshot.

Before creating a snapshot virtual disk, the server has to be in the proper state.

To ensure that the host server is properly prepared to create a snapshot virtual

disk, you can either use an application to carry out this task, or you can

perform the following steps:

Stop all I/O activity to the source.

Using your Windows system, flush the cache to the source. At the host

prompt, type

SMrepassist -f <

filename-identifier

and press <Enter>. See "SMrepassist Utility" in

the

Owner’s Manual

for

more information.