VPLEX Operations

This chapter contains the following sections:

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).

    Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
    Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected 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   Click the Clusters tab 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 dialog box, complete the following 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

      Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
      Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
      Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
      Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and click the cluster you want.
      Step 5   Click Unassign Pod.
      Step 6   In the Unassign Pod from Cluster dialog box, 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.
        Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
        Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
        Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
        Step 4   Click the Engines tab. 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.

          Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
          Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
          Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
          Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
          Step 5   Click the Storage Arrays tab.
          Step 6   Click on a storage array.
          Step 7   Click Rediscover.
          Step 8   In the Rediscover Storage Array dialog box, 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

            Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
            Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
            Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
            Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
            Step 5   Click the Storage Volumes tab.
            Step 6   Click Claim.
            Step 7   In the Claim Storage Volume dialog box, complete the following fields:
            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.

              Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
              Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
              Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
              Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
              Step 5   Click the Storage Volumes tab.
              Step 6   Choose the storage volume that you want to unclaim.
              Step 7   Click Unclaim.
              Step 8   In the Unclaim Storage Volume dialog box, 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.

                Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                Step 5   Click the Extents tab.
                Step 6   Click Create.
                Step 7   In the Create Extent dialog box, complete the following fields:
                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

                  Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                  Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                  Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                  Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                  Step 5   Click the Extents tab.
                  Step 6   Choose the appropriate extent to delete.
                  Step 7   Click Delete.
                  Step 8   In the Delete Extent dialog box, 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

                    Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                    Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                    Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                    Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                    Step 5   Click the Devices tab.
                    Step 6   Click Create.
                    Step 7   In the Create Device dialog box, complete the following fields:
                    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 dialog box, 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.

                      Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                      Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                      Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                      Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                      Step 5   Click the Devices tab.
                      Step 6   Click Attach Mirror.
                      Step 7   In the Attach Local/Remote Mirror dialog box, complete the following fields:
                      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).
                        Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                        Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                        Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                        Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                        Step 5   Click the Devices tab.
                        Step 6   Click View Details.
                        Step 7   Click Submit.

                        Detaching a Mirror from a VPLEX Storage Device

                          Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                          Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                          Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                          Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                          Step 5   Click the Devices tab.
                          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.

                            Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                            Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                            Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                            Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                            Step 5   Click the Devices tab.
                            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.

                              Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                              Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                              Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                              Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                              Step 5   Click the Consistency Groups tab.
                              Step 6   Click Create.
                              Step 7   In the Create Consistency Group dialog box, complete the following fields:
                              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.
                                Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                Step 5   Click the Consistency Groups tab.
                                Step 6   Click Add Virtual Volumes.
                                Step 7   In the Add Virtual Volume(s) to Consistency Groups dialog box, 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.

                                  Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                  Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                  Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                  Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                  Step 5   Click the Consistency Groups tab.
                                  Step 6   Click Remove Virtual Volumes.
                                  Step 7   In the Remove Virtual Volume(s) from Consistency Groups dialog box, 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.

                                    Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                    Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                    Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                    Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                    Step 5   Click the Consistency Groups tab.
                                    Step 6   Click Enable/Disable Recoverpoint.
                                    Step 7   In the Enable/Disable Recoverpoint on Consistency Group dialog box, 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.

                                      Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                      Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                      Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                      Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                      Step 5   Click the Consistency Groups tab.
                                      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

                                        Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                        Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                        Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                        Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                        Step 5   Click the Consistency Groups tab.
                                        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

                                          Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                          Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                          Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                          Step 4   Click the RuleSets tab.

                                          Creating a Distributed Device

                                            Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                            Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                            Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                            Step 4   Click the Distributed Devices tab.
                                            Step 5   Click Create.
                                            Step 6   In the Create Distributed Device dialog box, complete the following fields:
                                            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

                                              Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                              Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                              Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                              Step 4   Click the Distributed Devices tab.
                                              Step 5   Choose the distributed device that you want to delete.
                                              Step 6   Click Delete.
                                              Step 7   In the Delete Distributed Device dialog box, 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

                                                Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                Step 5   Click the Initiators tab.
                                                Step 6   Click Register.
                                                Step 7   In the Register Host Initiator dialog box, complete the following fields:
                                                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:

                                                  Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                  Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                  Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                  Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                  Step 5   Click the Initiators tab.
                                                  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.

                                                    Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                    Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                    Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                    Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                    Step 5   Click the Initiators tab.
                                                    Step 6   Choose the name of the initiator host and click Delete.
                                                    Step 7   In the Deregister Initiator Port confirmation dialog box, click Submit.
                                                    Note   

                                                    Optionally, check the Force check box 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

                                                      Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                      Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                      Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                      Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                      Step 5   Click the Virtual Volumes tab.
                                                      Step 6   Click Create.
                                                      Step 7   In the Create Virtual Volume dialog box, complete the following fields:
                                                      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.

                                                        Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                        Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                        Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                        Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                        Step 5   Click the Virtual Volumes tab.
                                                        Step 6   Choose a virtual volume name from the list.
                                                        Step 7   Click Remote Access.
                                                        Step 8   In the Remote Access on Virtual Volume dialog box, complete the following 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.
                                                          Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                          Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                          Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                          Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                          Step 5   Click the Virtual Volumes tab.
                                                          Step 6   Click Expand.
                                                          Step 7   In the Expand Virtual Volume dialog box, complete the following fields:
                                                          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.

                                                            Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                            Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                            Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                            Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                            Step 5   Click the Virtual Volumes tab.
                                                            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.

                                                              Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                              Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                              Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                              Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                              Step 5   Click the Virtual Volumes tab.
                                                              Step 6   Choose the appropriate virtual volume to delete.
                                                              Step 7   Click Delete.
                                                              Step 8   In the Delete Virtual Volume dialog box, 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.
                                                                Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                                Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                Step 5   Click the Target Ports tab.
                                                                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.

                                                                  Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                  Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                                  Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                  Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                  Step 5   Click the Storage Views tab.
                                                                  Step 6   Click Create.
                                                                  Step 7   In the Create Storage View dialog box, 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 Name field

                                                                  The storage view that is unique across all clusters.

                                                                  Step 8   Click Submit.

                                                                  Deleting a Storage View

                                                                    Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                    Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                                    Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                    Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                    Step 5   Click the Storage Views tab.
                                                                    Step 6   Click Delete.
                                                                    Step 7   In the Delete Storage View confirmation dialog box, click Submit.
                                                                    Note   

                                                                    Optionally, check the Force check box 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.

                                                                      Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                      Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                                      Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                      Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                      Step 5   Click the Storage Views tab.
                                                                      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 dialog box, click Select. In the Select dialog box, choose one or more initiator host accounts to add to the storage view and click Select.
                                                                      Step 9   Click Submit.

                                                                      Removing an Initiator from a Storage View

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

                                                                        Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                        Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                                        Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                        Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                        Step 5   Click the Storage Views tab.
                                                                        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 dialog box, click Select. In the Select dialog box, choose one or more initiator host accounts to remove from the storage view and click Select.
                                                                        Step 9   Click Submit.

                                                                        Adding a Virtual Volume to a Storage View

                                                                        You can create a storage view that includes virtual volumes.

                                                                          Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                          Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                                          Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                          Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                          Step 5   Click the Storage Views tab.
                                                                          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 dialog box, complete the following fields:
                                                                          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

                                                                            Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                            Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                                            Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                            Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                            Step 5   Click the Storage Views tab.
                                                                            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 dialog box, click Select from the Virtual volume field.
                                                                            Step 9   In the Select dialog box, 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.

                                                                              Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                              Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                                              Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                              Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                              Step 5   Click the Storage Views tab.
                                                                              Step 6   Choose the storage view you want from the Storage Views panel.
                                                                              Step 7   Click Add Port.
                                                                              Step 8   n the Add Target Ports to Storage View dialog box, click Select.
                                                                              Step 9   In the Select dialog box, 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.

                                                                                Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                                Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                                                Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                                Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                                Step 5   Click the Storage Views tab.
                                                                                Step 6   Choose the storage view you want from the Storage Views panel.
                                                                                Step 7   Click Remove Port.
                                                                                Step 8   n the Remove Target Ports from Storage View dialog box, click Select.
                                                                                Step 9   In the Select dialog box, 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

                                                                                  Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                                  Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                                                  Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                                  Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                                  Step 5   Click the Logging Volumes tab.
                                                                                  Step 6   Click Create.
                                                                                  Step 7   In the Create Logging Volume dialog box, complete the following fields:
                                                                                  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

                                                                                    Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                                    Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                                                    Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                                    Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                                    Step 5   Click theLogging Volumes tab.
                                                                                    Step 6   Choose a logging volume from the list.
                                                                                    Step 7   Click Add Mirror.
                                                                                    Step 8   In the Select dialog box, choose a storage volume and click Select.
                                                                                    Step 9   Click Submit. The mirror is added to the logging storage volume.

                                                                                    Deleting a Logging Volume

                                                                                      Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                                      Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                                                      Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                                      Step 4   Click the Clusters tab and double-click the cluster you want to expand.
                                                                                      Step 5   Click the Logging Volumes tab.
                                                                                      Step 6   Choose the appropriate logging volume to delete.
                                                                                      Step 7   Click Delete.
                                                                                      Step 8   In the Delete Logging Volume dialog box, click Submit to confirm your deletion.

                                                                                      Managing VPLEX System Tasks

                                                                                        Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Physical > Storage.
                                                                                        Step 2   On the Storage pane, click the Multi-Domain Managers icon to expand the list of connected multi-domain managers.
                                                                                        Step 3   Choose EMC VPLEX to expand the connected VPLEX device(s) and click the VPLEX device you want.
                                                                                        Step 4   Click the System Tasks tab.
                                                                                        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 dialog box, 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.