EMC VPLEX

About EMC VPLEX

VPLEX is an EMC technology that provides a virtual storage system and access to data in the private cloud. A VPLEX can be implemented on Cisco UCS Director through a pod deployment such as Vblock, or as a standalone device. VPLEX has the following capabilities:

  • Uses a single interface for a multi-vendor high-availability storage and compute infrastructure to dynamically move applications and data across different compute and storage locations in real time, with no outage required. VPLEX combines scaled clustering with distributed cache coherence intelligence within the same data center, across a campus, or within a specific geographical region. Cache coherency manages the cache so that data is not lost, corrupted, or overwritten.

  • Dynamically makes data available for organizations. For example, a business can be sustained through a failure that would have traditionally required outages or manual restore procedures.

  • Presents and maintains the same data consistently within and between sites, and enables distributed data collaboration.

  • Establishes itself between ESX hosts that act as servers for virtual machines (VMs) and storage in a storage area network (SAN) where data can be extended within, between, and across pods.

EMC VPLEX Technology

EMC VPLEX encapsulates traditional physical storage array devices and applies three layers of logical abstraction to them. The logical relationships of each layer are shown in the Figure below.

Figure 1. VPLEX Logical Storage Structures



VPLEX uses extents to divide storage volumes. Extents can be all or part of the underlying storage volume. VPLEX aggregates extents and applies RAID protection in the device layer. Devices are constructed using one or more extents.

At the top layer of the VPLEX storage structures are virtual volumes, which are created by underlying devices and inherit their size. A virtual volume can be a single contiguous volume that is distributed over two or more storage volumes.

VPLEX exposes virtual volumes to hosts that need to use them with its front-end (FE) ports, which are visible to hosts. Access to virtual volumes is controlled through storage views. Storage views act as logical containers that determine host initiator access to VPLEX FE ports and virtual volumes.

VPLEX can use a Local or Metro external hardware interface depending on the network implementation described in the following sections. For more information on VPLEX solutions for VPLEX Local or Metro see the Data Center Interconnect Design Guide for Virtualized Workload Mobility with Cisco, EMC, and VMware.

VPLEX Local

Use VPLEX Local when homogeneous or heterogeneous storage systems are integrated into a pod and data mobility is managed between the physical data storage entities.

VPLEX Local has the following attributes:
  • Up to four engines
  • Up to 8000 logical unit numbers (LUNs)
  • Single site
  • Single pod

VPLEX Metro

Use VPLEX Metro when access and data mobility is required between two locations that are separated by synchronous distances. VPLEX Metro allows a remote site to present logical unit numbers (LUNs) without needing physical storage for them. VPLEX Metro configurations help users to transparently move and share workloads, consolidate a pod, and optimize resource utilization across pods.

VPLEX Metro has the following attributes:
  • One to eight engines
  • Up to 16,000 LUNs
  • Two sites
  • Up to 100 kilometers

VPLEX Clustering Architecture

VPLEX uses clusters to break the boundaries of the pod and allow servers of multiple pods to have concurrent read and write access to shared block storage devices. The VPLEX cluster, shown in the Figure below is scalable. You can add up to four engines and connect multiple clusters to form a VPLEX Metro configuration. The engine is responsible for virtualizing the input and output stream and for connecting to hosts and storage using Fibre Channel connections to transfer data. VPLEX Metro currently supports up to two clusters in the same pod to provide nondisruptive data mobility, heterogeneous storage management, and improved application availability.
Figure 2. VPLEX Cluster Configuration



Managing the VPLEX Storage System for a Pod

The VPLEX virtual storage system technology for accessing data in the private cloud is associated with and supported by a pod. Cisco UCS Director collects data through the VPLEX Element Manager API and connects to the VPLEX server through HTTPS. After you establish a VPLEX account and associate a pod with a VPLEX cluster (made up of one, two, or four engines in a physical cabinet), you can configure, manage, and monitor the following VPLEX features in Cisco UCS Director:

  • Cluster inventory of ESX hosts and reports for two or more VPLEX directors that form a single fault-tolerant cluster and that are deployed as one to four engines.

  • VPLEX engine inventory and reports for an engine that contains two directors, management modules, and redundant power.

  • Director inventory and reports for the CPU module(s) that run GeoSynchrony, the core VPLEX software. Two directors are in each engine; each has dedicated resources that can function independently.

  • Port inventory and reports for Fast Ethernet ports and initiator ports.

  • VPLEX (local, metro, or global) data cache report for the temporary storage of recent writes and recently accessed data.

  • Storage volume inventory and reports for a logical unit number (LUN) exported from an array.

  • Extent management (create, delete, report) for a slice (range of blocks) of a storage volume.

  • Device management (create, delete, attach/detach mirror, report) for a RAID 1 device whose mirrors are in geographically separate locations.

  • Virtual volume management (create, modify, delete, report) for a virtual volume that can be distributed over two or more storage volumes that are presented to ESX hosts.

  • Storage views management (create, modify, delete, report) for a combination of registered initiators (hosts), front-end ports, and virtual volumes that are used to control host access to storage.

  • Recovery point for determining the amount of data that can be lost before a given failure event.

For more information about VPLEX use cases, see the EMC VPLEX Metro Functional Overview section of the Cisco Virtualized Workload Mobility Design Considerations chapter in the Data Center Interconnect Design Guide for Virtualized Workload Mobility with Cisco, EMC, and VMware.

Adding an EMC VPLEX Account

Procedure
    Step 1   Choose Administration > Physical Accounts.
    Step 2   On the Physical Accounts page, click Multi-Domain Managers.
    Step 3   Click Add.
    Step 4   On the Add Account screen, choose EMC VPLEX from the Account Type drop-down list and click Submit.
    Step 5   On the second Add Account screen, complete the following fields:
    Name Description

    Account Name field

    A unique name that you assign to this account.

    Description field

    A description of this account.

    Server IP field

    		The IP address of the VPLEX server.

    Use Credential Policy checkbox

    Check this check box if you want to use a credential policy for this account rather than enter the username and password information manually.

    Credential Policy drop-down list

    If you checked the Use Credential Policy check box, choose the credential policy that you want to use from this drop-down list.

    This field is only displayed if you choose to use a credential policy.

    Username field

    The username that this account uses to access the VPLEX server. This username must be a valid account in the VPLEX server.

    This field is not displayed if you chose to use a credential policy.

    Password field

    The password associated with the username.

    This field is not displayed if you chose to use a credential policy.

    Protocol drop-down list

    You must use the https transport type protocol.

    Port field

    The port used to access the VPLEX server. Port 443 is the default secure HTTPS port.

    Connection Timeout (Seconds) field

    The length of time in seconds that Cisco UCS Director will wait to establish a connection to the VPLEX server before timing out.

    The default value is 30 seconds. The valid values are from 0 to 1800. An empty field or a value of 0 is interpreted as an infinite timeout.

    Socket Read Timeout (Seconds) field

    The length of time in seconds that Cisco UCS Director will wait for data from the VPLEX server before timing out.

    The default value is 30 seconds. The valid values are from 0 to 1800. An empty field or a value of 0 is interpreted as an infinite timeout.

    Contact field

    The email address that you use to contact the administrator or other person responsible for this account.

    Location field

    The location of the contact.

    Step 6   Click Submit.

    Cisco UCS Director tests the connection to the EMC VPLEX server. If that test is successful, it adds the VPLEX account and discovers all infrastructure elements in the storage system that are associated with that account. This discovery process and inventory collection cycle takes few minutes to complete.

    The polling interval configured on the System Tasks tab on the Administration > System window specifies the frequency of inventory collection. For more information about configuring the polling interval, see the Cisco UCS Director Network Devices Management Guide.

    System Requirements

    Component Requirement

    Networking

    Two Cisco Nexus 5000/5500 or 7000 Series switches

    Two Cisco UCS 6100 or 6200 Series Fabric Interconnects

    Cisco Nexus 1000V switch

    Computing

    One or multiple Cisco UCS chassis with modules that have two Fabric Extenders per chassis

    Storage

    EMC VNX, VMAX, Vblock, or VSPEX storage systems

    Cisco UCS Director

    See the Compatibility Matrix for all supported versions.

    Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent

    See the Compatibility Matrix for all supported versions.

    Cisco UCS Director—resource reservation

    2 GB memory and minimum 3000-GHz CPU

    Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent—resource reservation

    2 GB memory and minimum 2000-GHz CPU

    VMware (vCenter Server/ESXI/ESXi/vSphere, or Microsoft Hyper-V Manager) server

    See the Compatibility Matrix for all supported versions.

    Assigning a Pod to a Cluster

    You must also create a pod with each VPLEX cluster (1 and 2).

    Procedure
      Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
      Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
      Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device that you want.
      Step 4   Choose Clusters and click the cluster that you want to assign to the pod.
      Step 5   Click Assign to Pod.
      Step 6   In the Assign Pod to Cluster page, complete the required field:
      Name Description

      Select Pod drop-down list

      Choose a pod type. This can be one of the following:

      • Default Pod

      • VSPEX

      • Generic

      • Vblock
      Step 7   Click Submit.
      Step 8   Repeat the previous steps to assign a pod to the other cluster.

      Unassigning a Pod from a Cluster

      Procedure
        Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
        Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
        Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
        Step 4   Choose Clusters and click the cluster you want.
        Step 5   Click Unassign Pod.
        Step 6   In the Unassign Pod from Cluster page, click Submit to unassign the pod from the cluster.

        Viewing VPLEX Engines

        The duel VPLEX engines provide cache and processing power with redundant directors that each include two input and output (I/O) modules per director and one optional WAN COM I/O module for use in a VPLEX Metro configuration.
        Procedure
          Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
          Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
          Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
          Step 4   Choose Engines. Information displays for the VPLEX engines, such as the serial numbers, engine IDs, and operational status.
          Step 5   To view specific information about a specific engine, click on the engine and click View Details. Information about the director, director ID, port, hostname, cluster, and so on, is displayed.

          Rediscovering a Storage Array

          Rediscover a storage array to view recently zoned and masked storage that has been presented to VPLEX.

          Procedure
            Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
            Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
            Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
            Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
            Step 5   Choose Storage Arrays.
            Step 6   Click on a storage array.
            Step 7   Click Rediscover.
            Step 8   In the Rediscover Storage Array screen, click Submit.

            Storage Volume Claiming

            Storage volumes are logical unit numbers (LUNs) that are exported from an array. The claim process ensures that only relevant storage volumes can be processed when presented to the VPLEX cluster.

            Claiming a Storage Volume

            Procedure
              Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
              Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
              Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
              Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
              Step 5   Choose Storage Volumes.
              Step 6   Click Claim.
              Step 7   In the Claim Storage Volume screen, complete the required fields, including the following:
              Name Description

              New name field

              The user-defined name to be applied to the storage volume.

              Thin Rebuild check box

              Check the check box to set the LUN to thin provisioning upon rebuilding. Thin provisioning allocates what is needed while taking advantage of the dynamic thin allocation capabilities of the back-end storage volume.

              Note   

              The actual storage allocated on a back-end storage volume is a function of the written portions of the storage volume, rather than the advertised capacity of the storage volume.

              Application Consistent check box

              Check the check box to allow the importation of existing LUNs that are one-to-one representations of existing storage volumes. These volumes can be easily imported by a host after removing VPLEX from the data path. The ability to easily move from virtualized to nonvirtualized disk storage is the main advantage to this approach. This approach limits the usable extent size to that of the underlying storage volume and imposes upper level limits on device layout and construction.

              Step 8   Click Submit.

              Unclaiming a Storage Volume

              Storage volumes are logical unit numbers (LUNs) that are exported from an array. Unclaim storage volumes that are no longer relevant for processing by the VSPEX cluster.

              Procedure
                Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                Step 5   Choose Storage Volumes.
                Step 6   Choose the storage volume that you want to unclaim.
                Step 7   Click Unclaim.
                Step 8   In the Unclaim Storage Volume screen, click Submit to unclaim the storage volume.

                Extents

                VPLEX uses extents to divide storage volumes. Extents can be all or part of the underlying storage volume. VPLEX aggregates extents and applies RAID protection in the device layer. Devices are constructed using one or more extents and can be combined into more complex RAID schemes and device structures as wanted.

                Extents should be sized to match the desired capacity of the virtual volume. If the storage volume that you want to use for an extent is larger than the desired virtual volume, you should create an extent that is the size of the desired virtual volume.

                Note

                Do not create smaller extents and then use devices to concatenate or stripe the extents.

                Creating an Extent

                You can create an extent for a storage volume and specify its capacity.

                Procedure
                  Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                  Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                  Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                  Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                  Step 5   Choose Extents.
                  Step 6   Click Create.
                  Step 7   In the Create Extent screen, complete the required fields, including the following:
                  Name Description

                  Storage Volume field

                  Click Select. In the Select dialog box, chose a storage volume name and click Select.

                  Size (GB) field

                  The size of the extent in gigabytes.

                  Extent Count field

                  The number of extents for this storage volume.

                  Step 8   Click Submit.

                  Deleting an Extent

                  Procedure
                    Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                    Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                    Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                    Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                    Step 5   Choose Extents.
                    Step 6   Choose the appropriate extent to delete.
                    Step 7   Click Delete.
                    Step 8   In the Delete Extent screen, click Submit to confirm your deletion.

                    VPLEX Storage Devices

                    A VPLEX storage device is made up of a single block storage device that uses storage from the VPLEX cluster. The following types of VPLEX devices are available:

                    • RAID-0—Provides a performance-oriented striped or dispersed data mapping technique.

                    • RAID-1—Provides a mirroring data mapping technique to keep two (or more) devices in an identical state at all times. If one device fails, the operating system (OS) can continue, using the remaining disk(s).

                    • Concatenated RAID—Shows that data is concatenated across a linear collection of disks.

                    Creating a VPLEX Storage Device

                    Procedure
                      Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                      Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                      Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                      Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                      Step 5   Choose Devices.
                      Step 6   Click Create.
                      Step 7   In the Create Device screen, complete the required fields, including the following:
                      Name Description

                      Type of Device drop-down list

                      Choose the type of storage device:

                      • RAID-0

                      • RAID-1

                      • Concatenated RAID

                      Select Extents field

                      Click the Select button. In the Select screen, choose one or more extents to create this local device and click Select. An extent is a slice (range of blocks) of a storage volume.

                      Device Name field

                      The name of this single block storage device that is unique across all clusters.

                      Stripe Depth drop-down list

                      Choose how large you would like the stripe depth to be. The block size is 4 kilobytes.

                      Step 8   Click Submit.

                      Mirroring a VPLEX Storage Device

                      When a VPLEX storage device is mirrored, it creates a single view of storage data and makes this data accessible immediately to the host. This process eliminates the need for host-based mirroring, which saves the host CPU processing resources and increases high availability for critical applications.

                      Procedure
                        Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                        Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                        Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                        Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                        Step 5   Choose Devices.
                        Step 6   Click Attach Mirror.
                        Step 7   In the Attach Local/Remote Mirror screen, complete the required fields, including the following:
                        Name Description

                        Mirror Type drop-down list

                        Choose the type of storage device:

                        • Local—Local storage device.

                        • Remote—Remote storage device.

                        Mirror Device button

                        Click the Select. In the Select dialog box, choose the device that is to be attached to the VPLEX storage device as a mirror and click Select.

                        Step 8   Click Submit.

                        Viewing a VPLEX Storage Device

                        You can view VPLEX storage device information such as its total capacity in gigabytes, whether it is local or global (remote), if a rebuild is allowed, and whether it is RAID 1, RAID 0, or RAID C (concatenated).
                        Procedure
                          Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                          Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                          Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                          Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                          Step 5   Choose Devices.
                          Step 6   Click View Details.
                          Step 7   Click Submit.

                          Detaching a Mirror from a VPLEX Storage Device

                          Procedure
                            Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                            Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                            Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                            Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                            Step 5   Choose Devices.
                            Step 6   Click Detach Mirror icon.
                            Step 7   In the Detach Local/Remote Mirror dialog box, click Select. In the Select dialog box, choose the name of the mirrored device and click Submit to remove it from the VPLEX storage device.

                            Deleting a VPLEX Storage Device

                            You can delete a single block storage device that uses storage from the cluster.

                            Procedure
                              Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                              Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                              Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                              Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                              Step 5   Choose Devices.
                              Step 6   Choose the appropriate device to delete.
                              Step 7   Click Delete.
                              Step 8   In the Delete Device dialog box, click Submit to confirm your deletion.

                              Consistency Groups

                              Volumes are protected by consistency groups. If two data sets are dependent on one another (such as a database and a database log), they should be part of the same consistency group.

                              Virtual volumes are added to a consistency group when a consistency group is created. A consistency group ensures that there is application-dependent write consistency of application data on distributed virtual volumes within the system if a disaster occurs. The properties of the consistency group are then immediately applied to the added volumes.

                              Use the following guidelines for consistency groups:

                              • Only volumes with visibility and storage-at-cluster properties that match those properties of the consistency group can be added to the consistency group.

                              • The maximum number of volumes in a consistency group is 1000.

                              • You should group together volumes used by the same application or host in a consistency group.

                              • Only volumes with storage at both clusters (distributed volumes) are allowed in remote consistency groups.

                              • If any of the specified volumes are already in the consistency group, these volumes are skipped.

                              • When you initiate a detach rule for a consistency group, it takes 5 seconds to suspend the nonpreferred cluster and maintain input and output functions on the preferred cluster.

                              Creating a Consistency Group

                              Consistency groups allow you to group volumes together and apply a set of properties to the entire group.

                              Procedure
                                Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                Step 5   Choose Consistency Groups.
                                Step 6   Click Create.
                                Step 7   In the Create Consistency Group page, complete the required fields, including the following:
                                Name Description

                                Group Name field

                                The group name, which is unique among all clusters.

                                Type drop-down list

                                Choose the type of virtual volumes that need to be added to the consistency group. This can be one of the following:

                                • Local:cluster-1

                                • Global: All clusters

                                Global Visibility check box

                                Check the check box to synchronize and make all global consistency groups visible to clusters.

                                Detach Rule drop-down list

                                Choose from the following detach (win) rules for each volume (cluster):

                                • cluster 1 detaches—In any failure scenario, the preferred cluster for that volume is declared as cluster 1.

                                • cluster 2 detaches—In any failure scenario, the preferred cluster for that volume is declared as cluster 2.

                                • no automatic winner—The input/output (I/O) operation suspends at both VPLEX clusters if either the link partitions or an entire VPLEX cluster fails.

                                Delay field

                                The number of seconds after an inter-cluster link fails before the winning cluster detaches.

                                Virtual volume(s) field

                                Click Select. In the Select dialog box, choose the virtual volume(s) to add to the consistency group and click Select.

                                Step 8   Click Submit.

                                Adding a Virtual Volume to an Existing Consistency Group

                                You can add one or more virtual volumes to an existing consistency group.


                                Note
                                You can also add virtual volumes when you create a consistency group.
                                Procedure
                                  Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                  Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                  Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                  Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                  Step 5   Choose Consistency Groups.
                                  Step 6   Choose Add Virtual Volumes.
                                  Step 7   In the Add Virtual Volume(s) to Consistency Groups page, click Select.
                                  Step 8   In the Select dialog box, choose the virtual volume(s) to add to the consistency group and click Select.
                                  Step 9   Click Submit.

                                  Removing a Virtual Volume from a Consistency Group

                                  You can remove one or more virtual volumes from an existing consistency group.

                                  Procedure
                                    Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                    Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                    Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                    Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                    Step 5   Choose Consistency Groups.
                                    Step 6   Click Remove Virtual Volumes.
                                    Step 7   In the Remove Virtual Volume(s) from Consistency Groups page, click Select.
                                    Step 8   In the Select dialog box, choose the virtual volume(s) to add to the consistency group and click Select.
                                    Step 9   Click Submit.

                                    Enabling or Disabling a RecoverPoint for a Consistency Group

                                    A RecoverPoint can be enabled for a consistency group to provide any-point-in-time recovery for diversified storage environments both within and across pods to provide continuous data protection for operational and disaster recovery on VPLEX distributed virtual volumes within the VPLEX system. RecoverPoint can also be disabled for a consistency group.

                                    Procedure
                                      Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                      Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                      Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                      Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                      Step 5   Choose Consistency Groups.
                                      Step 6   Click Enable/Disable Recoverpoint.
                                      Step 7   In the Enable/Disable Recoverpoint on Consistency Group page, choose either Enable or Disable from the Select Option drop-down list.
                                      Step 8   Click Submit.

                                      Viewing a Consistency Group

                                      You can view the virtual volumes that belong to a consistency group.

                                      Procedure
                                        Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                        Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                        Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                        Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                        Step 5   Choose Consistency Groups.
                                        Step 6   Choose the consistency group that you want to view.
                                        Note   

                                        In the Virtual Volumes tab, you can see a list of the virtual volumes that belong to the consistency group.

                                        Deleting an Existing Consistency Group

                                        Procedure
                                          Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                          Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                          Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                          Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                          Step 5   Choose Consistency Groups.
                                          Step 6   Choose the consistency group that you want to delete.
                                          Step 7   Click Delete.
                                          Step 8   In the Delete Consistency Groups confirmation dialog box, click Submit.

                                          Distributed Devices and RuleSets

                                          Creating a distributed device allows you to use storage from both clusters in a single VPLEX cluster (plex).

                                          Each distributed device that spans two VPLEX clusters must have a RuleSet assigned to it. The RuleSet defines which cluster is declared a preferred cluster that maintains access to the volume and which cluster should be declared the nonpreferred cluster in a failure event. Once these roles are declared, the clusters' distributed devices detach so that they can resume normal input and output operations (I/O).

                                          Viewing a RuleSet for a Distributed Device

                                          Procedure
                                            Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                            Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                            Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                            Step 4   Choose RuleSets.

                                            Creating a Distributed Device

                                            Procedure
                                              Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                              Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                              Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                              Step 4   Choose Distributed Devices.
                                              Step 5   Click Create.
                                              Step 6   In the Create Distributed Device screen, complete the required fields, including the following:
                                              Name Description

                                              Souce Cluster

                                              Click Select. In the Select dialog box, choose the source cluster to display source devices and click Select.

                                              Souce Device

                                              Click Select. In the Select dialog box, choose a local device as a source to create a distributed device and click Select.

                                              Target Device field

                                              Click Select. In the Select dialog box, choose a local device that you want to add as target to create as a distributed device and click Select.

                                              Logging Volume(s) field

                                              Click Select. In the Select dialog box, choose one or more logging volumes that you want to add to this distributed device and click Select.

                                              Device Name field

                                              The new device name that is unique across VPLEX.

                                              RuleSet field

                                              Click Select. In the Select dialog box, choose the RuleSet name that you previously configured and want to add to this distributed device and click Select.

                                              Step 7   Click Submit.

                                              Deleting a Distributed Device

                                              Procedure
                                                Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                Step 4   Choose Distributed Devices.
                                                Step 5   Choose the distributed device that you want to delete.
                                                Step 6   Click Delete.
                                                Step 7   In the Delete Distributed Device screen, click Submit to confirm your deletion.

                                                Initiators

                                                An initiator is a host that is registered with a port so that it can access the VPLEX storage network.

                                                Creating an Initiator

                                                Procedure
                                                  Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                  Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                  Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                  Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                  Step 5   Choose Initiators.
                                                  Step 6   Click Register.
                                                  Step 7   In the Register Host Initiator screen, complete the required fields, including the following:
                                                  Name Description

                                                  Type drop-down list

                                                  Choose the type of intiator:

                                                  • default—

                                                    Other software initiator.

                                                  • hpux— HP (Hewlett Packard)-UX iSCSI software initiator

                                                  • sun-vcs—Sun Microsystems, Inc and Veritas Cluster Server (VCS) software initiator

                                                  • aix—IBM AIX software initiator

                                                  • recoverpoint—EMC RecoverPoint initiator

                                                  Initiator Name field

                                                  The initiator hostname that is assigned to the registered port.

                                                  Port WWN

                                                  The worldwide name (WWN) in a Fibre Channel fabric that is a unique port identifier in the storage network.

                                                  Node WWN field

                                                  The WWN in a Fibre Channel fabric that is a unique node identifier in the storage network.

                                                  Step 8   Click Submit.

                                                  Viewing an Initiator

                                                  You can view an initiator host that has access to VPLEX storage:

                                                  Procedure
                                                    Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                    Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                    Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                    Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                    Step 5   Choose Initiators.
                                                    Step 6   Click the initiator you want and click View Details.

                                                    Deleting an Initiator

                                                    You can delete an initiator that currently has VPLEX storage access.

                                                    Procedure
                                                      Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                      Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                      Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                      Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                      Step 5   Choose Initiators.
                                                      Step 6   Choose the name of the initiator host and click Delete.
                                                      Step 7   In the Deregister Initiator Port confirmation screen, click Submit.
                                                      Note   

                                                      Optionally, check Force to delete the initiator port if the initiator host attached to the port.

                                                      Virtual Volumes

                                                      VPLEX uses extents to divide storage volumes. Extents can be all or part of the underlying storage volume. VPLEX aggregates extents and applies RAID protection in the device layer. Devices are constructed using one or more extents.

                                                      At the top layer of the VPLEX storage structures are virtual volumes, which are created by underlying devices and inherit their size. A virtual volume can be a single contiguous volume that is distributed over two or more storage volumes.

                                                      VPLEX exposes virtual volumes to hosts that need to use them with its front-end (FE) ports, which are visible to hosts. Access to virtual volumes is controlled through storage views. Storage views act as logical containers that determine host initiator access to VPLEX FE ports and virtual volumes.

                                                      Creating a Virtual Volume

                                                      Procedure
                                                        Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                        Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                        Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                        Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                        Step 5   Choose Virtual Volumes.
                                                        Step 6   Click Create.
                                                        Step 7   In the Create Virtual Volume screen, complete the required fields, including the following:
                                                        Name Description

                                                        Select Local Device Name field

                                                        Click Select. In the Select dialog box, choose a local storage device and click Select.

                                                        Storage Tier ID field

                                                        The storage tier number that is used to manage the local storage volume as a single unit. Storage tiers are used to manage arrays based on price, performance, capacity and other attributes.

                                                        Step 8   Click Submit.

                                                        Enabling Remote Access on a Virtual Volume

                                                        You can allow remote access to a virtual volume for a host that needs to use it.

                                                        Procedure
                                                          Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                          Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                          Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                          Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                          Step 5   Choose Virtual Volumes.
                                                          Step 6   Choose a virtual volume name from the list.
                                                          Step 7   Click Remote Access.
                                                          Step 8   In the Remote Access on Virtual Volume screen, complete the following required field:
                                                          Name Description

                                                          Select Access Type drop-down list

                                                          Choose from the following:

                                                          • Enable—Activates remote access to this virtual volume.

                                                          • Disable—Removes remote access to this virtual volume.

                                                          Step 9   Click Submit.

                                                          Expanding a Virtual Volume

                                                          A virtual volume is presented to a host that needs to use it.


                                                          Note
                                                          A virtual volume can be expanded to include either extents or local devices.
                                                          Procedure
                                                            Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                            Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                            Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                            Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                            Step 5   Choose Virtual Volumes.
                                                            Step 6   Click Expand.
                                                            Step 7   In the Expand Virtual Volume screen, complete the required fields, including the following:
                                                            Name Description

                                                            Device Type drop-down list

                                                            Choose from the following:

                                                            • Extent—A slice (range of blocks) of a storage volume.

                                                            • Local Device—One or more extents that have additional specific RAID properties. The local device must come from a cluster.

                                                            Select Extent field

                                                            This parameter is available if Extent was chosen as the device type. Click Select. In the Select dialog box, choose the extent that you want and click Select.

                                                            Select Local Device field

                                                            This parameter is available if Local Device was chosen as the device type. Click Select. In the Select dialog box, choose the local device that you want and click Select.

                                                            Step 8   Click Submit.

                                                            Viewing a Virtual Volume

                                                            You can view a single virtual volume from the cluster.

                                                            Procedure
                                                              Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                              Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                              Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                              Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                              Step 5   Choose Virtual Volumes.
                                                              Step 6   Choose the appropriate virtual volume to view.
                                                              Step 7   Click View. Information about the virtual volume appears in a new view that describes the virtual volume attributes.

                                                              Deleting a Virtual Volume

                                                              You can delete a single block storage device that uses storage from the cluster.

                                                              Procedure
                                                                Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                                Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                Step 5   Choose Virtual Volumes.
                                                                Step 6   Choose the appropriate virtual volume to delete.
                                                                Step 7   Click Delete.
                                                                Step 8   In the Delete Virtual Volume screen, click Submit to confirm your deletion.

                                                                Viewing Target Ports

                                                                Target ports are front-end (FE) ports where the director port is connected to host initiators. These ports are visible to hosts and contain such information as their name, node worldwide number (WWN), port WWN, whether they are enabled, their Director IDs, and so on.
                                                                Procedure
                                                                  Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                  Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                                  Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                  Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                  Step 5   Choose Target Ports.
                                                                  Step 6   Click View Details to see more detailed information about an individual target port.

                                                                  Storage Views

                                                                  VPLEX allows host access to virtual volumes through storage views. Storage views act as logical containers that determine host initiator access to VPLEX front-end (FE) ports and virtual volumes.

                                                                  Creating a Storage View

                                                                  You can create a storage view that includes virtual volumes, and VPLEX ports to control host access to the virtual volumes.

                                                                  Procedure
                                                                    Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                    Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                                    Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                    Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                    Step 5   Choose Storage Views.
                                                                    Step 6   Click Create.
                                                                    Step 7   In the Create Storage View screen, complete the following fields:
                                                                    Name Description

                                                                    Select Target Port field

                                                                    Click Select. In the Select dialog box, choose one or more target ports to add to the storage view and click Select.

                                                                    Storage View Name field

                                                                    The storage view that is unique across all clusters.

                                                                    Step 8   Click Submit.

                                                                    Deleting a Storage View

                                                                    Procedure
                                                                      Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                      Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                                      Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                      Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                      Step 5   Choose Storage Views.
                                                                      Step 6   Click Delete.
                                                                      Step 7   In the Delete Storage View confirmation screen, click Submit.
                                                                      Note   

                                                                      Optionally, check Force to delete the storage view if hosts are attached to this view.

                                                                      Step 8   Click Submit.

                                                                      Adding an Initiator to a Storage View

                                                                      You can create a storage view that includes one or more initiator ports.

                                                                      Procedure
                                                                        Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                        Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                                        Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                        Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                        Step 5   Choose Storage Views.
                                                                        Step 6   Choose the storage view you want from the Storage Views panel.
                                                                        Step 7   Click Add Initiator.
                                                                        Step 8   In the Add Initiators to Storage View screen, click Select.
                                                                        Step 9   In the Select screen, choose one or more initiator host accounts to add to the storage view and click Select.
                                                                        Step 10   Click Submit.

                                                                        Removing an Initiator from a Storage View

                                                                        You can remove one or more initiator ports from a storage view.

                                                                        Procedure
                                                                          Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                          Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                                          Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                          Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                          Step 5   Choose Storage Views.
                                                                          Step 6   Choose the storage view you want from the Storage Views panel.
                                                                          Step 7   Click Remove Initiator.
                                                                          Step 8   In the Remove Initiators from Storage View screen, click Select.
                                                                          Step 9   In the Select screen, choose one or more initiator host accounts to remove from the storage view and click Select.
                                                                          Step 10   Click Submit.

                                                                          Adding a Virtual Volume to a Storage View

                                                                          You can create a storage view that includes virtual volumes.

                                                                          Procedure
                                                                            Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                            Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                                            Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                            Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                            Step 5   Choos Storage Views.
                                                                            Step 6   Choose the storage view you want from the Storage Views panel.
                                                                            Step 7   Click Add Virtual Volume.
                                                                            Step 8   In the Add Virtual Volume to Storage View screen, complete the required fields, including the following:
                                                                            Name Description

                                                                            Virtual Volume field

                                                                            Click Select. In the Select dialog box, choose a virtual volume (see the Name column) and click Select.

                                                                            LUN ID field

                                                                            (Optional) enter the logical unit number (LUN) identifier.

                                                                            Step 9   Click Submit.

                                                                            Removing a Virtual Volume from a Storage View

                                                                            Procedure
                                                                              Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                              Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                                              Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                              Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                              Step 5   Choose Storage Views.
                                                                              Step 6   Choose the storage view you want from the Storage Views panel.
                                                                              Step 7   Click Remove Virtual Volume.
                                                                              Step 8   In the Remove Virtual Volume from Storage View screen, click Select from the Virtual volume field.
                                                                              Step 9   In the Select screen, choose a virtual volume and click Select.
                                                                              Step 10   Click Submit.

                                                                              Adding a Port to a Storage View

                                                                              You can create a storage view that includes target ports. Target ports are front-end (FE) ports where the director port is connected to host initiators. These ports are visible to hosts and contain such information as their name, node worldwide number (WWN), port WWN, whether they are enabled, their Director IDs, and so on.

                                                                              Procedure
                                                                                Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                                Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                                                Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                                Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                                Step 5   Choose Storage Views.
                                                                                Step 6   Choose the storage view you want from the Storage Views panel.
                                                                                Step 7   Click Add Port.
                                                                                Step 8   In the Add Target Ports to Storage View screen, click Select.
                                                                                Step 9   In the Select screen, choose one or more target ports to add to the storage view and click Select.
                                                                                Step 10   Click Submit.

                                                                                Removing a Port from a Storage View

                                                                                You can remove target port(s) from a storage view.

                                                                                Procedure
                                                                                  Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                                  Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                                                  Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                                  Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                                  Step 5   Choose Storage Views.
                                                                                  Step 6   Choose the storage view you want from the Storage Views panel.
                                                                                  Step 7   Click Remove Port.
                                                                                  Step 8   In the Remove Target Ports from Storage View screen, click Select.
                                                                                  Step 9   In the Select screen, choose one or more target ports to remove from the storage view and click Select.
                                                                                  Step 10   Click Submit.

                                                                                  Logging Volumes

                                                                                  VPLEX uses logging volumes to track changes during a loss of connectivity or loss of a volume (mirror in a distributed device). You should create a logging volume on each cluster. Each logging volume must be large enough to contain one bit for every page of distributed storage space (approximately 10 gigabytes of logging volume space for every 320 terrabytes of distributed devices). The logging volumes can experience a lot of input and output during and after-link outages, so each logging volume should be striped across many disks for speed, and have a mirror on another fast disk to secure this information.

                                                                                  Creating a Logging Volume

                                                                                  Procedure
                                                                                    Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                                    Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                                                    Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                                    Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                                    Step 5   Choose Logging Volumes.
                                                                                    Step 6   Click Create.
                                                                                    Step 7   In the Create Logging Volume screen, complete the required fields, including the following:
                                                                                    Name Description

                                                                                    Type of Device drop-down list

                                                                                    Choose the type of storage device:

                                                                                    • RAID-0—Performance-oriented striped or dispersed data mapping technique.

                                                                                    • RAID-1—Mirroring data mapping technique that keeps two (or more) devices in an identical state at all times.

                                                                                    Select Extents field

                                                                                    Click the Select button. In the Select dialog box, choose one or more extents for this device and click Select. An extent is a slice (range of blocks) of a storage volume.

                                                                                    Volume Name field

                                                                                    The volume name that is unique across all clusters.

                                                                                    Stripe Depth field

                                                                                    The stripe depth for a RAID-0 device.

                                                                                    Step 8   Click Submit.

                                                                                    Adding a Mirror to a Logging Volume

                                                                                    Procedure
                                                                                      Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                                      Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                                                      Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                                      Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                                      Step 5   Choose Logging Volumes.
                                                                                      Step 6   Choose a logging volume from the list.
                                                                                      Step 7   Click Add Mirror.
                                                                                      Step 8   In the Select screen, choose a storage volume and click Select.
                                                                                      Step 9   Click Submit. The mirror is added to the logging storage volume.

                                                                                      Deleting a Logging Volume

                                                                                      Procedure
                                                                                        Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                                        Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                                                        Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                                        Step 4   Choose Clusters and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                                        Step 5   Choose Logging Volumes.
                                                                                        Step 6   Choose the appropriate logging volume to delete.
                                                                                        Step 7   Click Delete.
                                                                                        Step 8   In the Delete Logging Volume screen, click Submit to confirm your deletion.

                                                                                        Managing VPLEX System Tasks

                                                                                        Procedure
                                                                                          Step 1   Choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                                          Step 2   On the Storage page, choose the account under Multi-Domain Managers.
                                                                                          Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                                          Step 4   Choose System Tasks.
                                                                                          Step 5   Double-click the EMC VPLEX Tasks folder icon.
                                                                                          Step 6   Choose a VPLEX task and click Manage Task.
                                                                                          Step 7   In the Manage Task screen, complete the following fields:
                                                                                          Name Description

                                                                                          Task Execution drop-down list

                                                                                          Choose Enable or Disable to enable or disable this VPLEX task.

                                                                                          System Task Policy drop-down list

                                                                                          Choose either the default-system-task-policy or the local-run-policy assigned to this VPLEX task.

                                                                                          Minutes drop-down list

                                                                                          Choose the frequency in minutes for how often the VPLEX task is executed.

                                                                                          Step 8   Click Submit.
                                                                                          Step 9   If you want to run this VPLEX task, click Run Now.
                                                                                          Step 10   If you want to view this VPLEX task, click View Details.