XP24000XP20000 Thin Provisioning PDF

HP StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 Thin Provisioning

Software User Guide
Abstract
This guide describes how to use HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning Software to create virtual storage pools on HP
StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 storage systems and dynamically allocate volumes as applications need them. Topics
include how to monitor virtual capacity and add to the pool without downtime. The intended audience is a storage system
administrator or authorized service provider with independent knowledge of HP StorageWorks XP storage systems and software,
including Remote Web Console, LUN Manager, and Virtual LVI/LUN.
HP Part Number: T5227-96015

Published: May 2011
Edition: Fifteenth
Copyright 2007, 2011 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

Confidential computer software. Valid license from HP required for possession, use or copying. Consistent with FAR 12.211 and 12.212, Commercial
Computer Software, Computer Software Documentation, and Technical Data for Commercial Items are licensed to the U.S. Government under
vendor's standard commercial license.
The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express
warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall
not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.
Acknowledgments
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ShadowImage and TrueCopy are registered trademarks of Hitachi, Ltd. and Hitachi Data Systems Corporation.
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Revision History
Edition
Date
Description
First
June 2007
This edition applies to microcode version 60-01-31-00/00 or later.
Second
September 2007
Third
November 2007
Fourth
January 2008
Fifth
April 2008
Sixth
June 2008
Seventh
September 2008
Eighth
December 2008
Ninth
February 2009
Tenth
June 2009
Eleventh
August 2009
Twelfth
December 2009
Thirteenth
June 2010
Fourteenth
October 2010
Fifteenth
May 2011
This edition applies to microcode version 60-08-01-00/00 or later
Contents
1 Overview of HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning Software...........................6
XP Thin Provisioning Features......................................................................................................6
XP Thin Provisioning Benefits......................................................................................................6
Nondisruptive Addition of Physical Disks.................................................................................7
Improved Performance..........................................................................................................7
Reduced Storage Acquisition Costs........................................................................................7
Simplified Replication Planning..............................................................................................7
Complementary Software..........................................................................................................8
2 About XP Thin Provisioning Operations..........................................................9

XP Thin Provisioning Components................................................................................................9
Relationship between XP Thin Provisioning volumes and pools...................................................9
Supported Configurations.....................................................................................................9
Pools................................................................................................................................10
V-VOLs.............................................................................................................................10
Growing a V-VOL .........................................................................................................10
Reclaiming Pages from a V-VOL......................................................................................11
V-VOL Management Table...................................................................................................11
Managing Pool Capacity.........................................................................................................12
Monitoring Pool Usage Levels..............................................................................................13
Full Pool Handling..............................................................................................................14
Thresholds.........................................................................................................................15
SIM Reference Codes.........................................................................................................16
Pool Status........................................................................................................................17
Balancing I/O Load Across the Pool.....................................................................................18
Interoperability with Other Products and Functions......................................................................18
Using XP Continuous Access Software..................................................................................21
Using XP Continuous Access Journal Software........................................................................21
Using XP Business Copy Software........................................................................................22
Using XP Disk/Cache Partition.............................................................................................23
Using XP Auto LUN............................................................................................................23
3 Preparing for XP Thin Provisioning Operations..............................................24

Preparing the Storage System and Remote Web Console Computers.............................................24
Hardware and Software Requirements..................................................................................24
License Requirements..........................................................................................................24
Shared Memory Requirements.............................................................................................24
Operating System and File System Capacity..........................................................................24
Volume and Pool Requirements............................................................................................26
Installing and Uninstalling XP Thin Provisioning...........................................................................28
Installing XP Thin Provisioning..............................................................................................28
Uninstalling XP Thin Provisioning..........................................................................................28
4 Using the XP Thin Provisioning GUI.............................................................29

Pool Window.........................................................................................................................29
V-VOL Window......................................................................................................................34
XP Thin Provisioning Window...................................................................................................38
New Pool Dialog Box..............................................................................................................40
Change Pool Information Dialog Box.........................................................................................41
Contents
New V-VOL Group Dialog Box.................................................................................................42

Create V-VOL Dialog Box (1)....................................................................................................42
Create V-VOL Confirmation Dialog Box......................................................................................48
Connect Pool Dialog Box.........................................................................................................49
Change Threshold Dialog Box..................................................................................................50
Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool Dialog Box............................................................................51
Release V-VOL Groups from Pool Dialog Box..............................................................................52
Delete V-VOL Groups Dialog Box..............................................................................................54
5 Performing XP Thin Provisioning Operations.................................................57

XP Thin Provisioning Flow Chart................................................................................................57
Managing Pools.....................................................................................................................57
Viewing Pool Information....................................................................................................58
Creating a Pool.................................................................................................................58
Associating the Pool-VOL with the Pool..................................................................................60
Changing the Pool Threshold...............................................................................................60
Deleting Pools...................................................................................................................61
Deleting a Single Pool...................................................................................................61
Deleting Multiple Pools..................................................................................................61
Recovering Pools in Blocked Status.......................................................................................61
Recovering a Single Blocked Pool....................................................................................61
Recovering Multiple Blocked Pools...................................................................................62
Managing V-VOLs and V-VOL Groups.......................................................................................62
Creating a V-VOL Group.....................................................................................................62
Changing the V-VOL Settings...............................................................................................65
Associating a V-VOL with a Pool......................................................................................65
Releasing a V-VOL from a Pool........................................................................................67
Changing the V-VOL Threshold........................................................................................67
Increasing V-VOL Capacity.............................................................................................67
Releasing Pages in a V-VOL............................................................................................71
Changing the V-VOL Settings of Multiple V-VOL Groups..........................................................72
Associating Multiple V-VOL Groups with a Pool.................................................................72
Releasing Multiple V-VOL Groups from a Pool...................................................................74
Deleting V-VOL Groups.......................................................................................................76
Deleting a V-VOL Group.................................................................................................76
Deleting Multiple V-VOL Groups...........................................................................................76
Deleting V-VOLs.................................................................................................................77
6 Troubleshooting........................................................................................79
XP Thin Provisioning Troubleshooting.........................................................................................79
Managing Pool-Related SIMs....................................................................................................83
Troubleshooting when using XP RAID Manager..........................................................................84
Calling HP Technical Support...................................................................................................86
7 Support and Other Resources.....................................................................87

Related Documentation............................................................................................................87
Conventions for Storage Capacity Values...................................................................................87
HP Technical Support..............................................................................................................88
Subscription Service................................................................................................................88
HP Websites..........................................................................................................................88
Documentation Feedback.........................................................................................................88
4
Contents
Glossary....................................................................................................89
Index.........................................................................................................91
Contents
1 Overview of HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning

Software
This chapter describes the general features and functions of HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning
Software.
XP Thin Provisioning Features (page 6)
XP Thin Provisioning Benefits (page 6)
Complementary Software (page 8)
Unless otherwise specified, the term storage system in this guide refers to the following disk arrays:
HP StorageWorks XP24000 Disk Array
HP StorageWorks XP20000 Disk Array
The GUI illustrations in this guide were created using a Windows computer with the Internet Explorer
browser. Actual windows may differ depending on the operating system and browser used. GUI
contents also vary with licensed program products, storage system models, and firmware versions.
XP Thin Provisioning Features

XP Thin Provisioning is a new advanced thin provisioning software product that provides virtual
storage capacity to simplify administration and addition of storage, eliminate application service
interruptions, and reduce costs.
For companies faced with ongoing rapid growth of their data storage requirements and escalating
storage and storage management expenses, XP Thin Provisioning greatly simplifies the application
storage provisioning process and saves money on storage purchases.
XP Thin Provisioning allows storage to be allocated to an application without actually being
physically mapped until it is used. This as-needed method means storage allocations can exceed
the amount of storage physically installed. It also decouples the provisioning of storage to an
application from the physical addition of storage capacity to the storage system. Both significantly
simplify the storage provisioning process.
As it is needed, physical storage is nondisruptively added to the storage system and placed in a
central pool available to all thin provisioned volumes. As an application requires additional
capacity, the storage system automatically allocates the needed additional physical storage to the
volume. Behind the scenes, XP Thin Provisioning monitors storage resources and proactively alerts
you before more physical storage is required.
XP Thin Provisioning also simplifies performance optimization by transparently spreading many
hosts individual I/O patterns across many physical disks, thereby reducing performance
management concerns and optimizing performance/throughput.
With XP Thin Provisioning, overall storage utilization rates improve and the entire storage system
is tuned for maximum efficiency. In addition, in tiered storage environments, it offers a useful
low-cost tier option.
Coupled with the advanced features and reliability of the HP storage system, XP Thin Provisioning
offers reduced capital and management expenses, and an improved return on your storage
investment.
XP Thin Provisioning Benefits

In a traditional volume, when you need more storage, you must install additional disks and
simultaneously change the configuration of both the storage system and the host. This requires
extensive careful orchestration, and is disruptive to application I/O.
Overview of HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning Software
With XP Thin Provisioning, when configuring additional storage for an application, the administrator
draws from the XP Thin Provisioning pool without immediately adding physical disks. Coordination
between the creation of a volume and the physical disk layout are no longer a consideration.
Nondisruptive Addition of Physical Disks

An XP Thin Provisioning volume will be displayed as a Virtual LVI/LUN volume that has no actual
storage capacity. Actual storage capacity from the XP Thin Provisioning pool is assigned when the
data is written. Because the application only sees the amount of virtual capacity that is allocated
to it, additional physical disk capacity can be installed transparently when needed, without an
application service interruption.
Improved Performance
XP Thin Provisioning Software effectively combines many program products' I/O patterns and
spreads the I/O activity across all available physical resources. Prior to XP Thin Provisioning
Software, optimizing to use all spindles was a complex manual task requiring considerable expertise.
Avoiding disk hot spots has always been challenging because of the complexity of spreading an
application over many spindles as well as predicting when multiple program products that share
a limited number of spindles may generate I/O patterns that cause contention and performance
bottlenecks.
XP Thin Provisioning Software does this automatically. By evenly spreading out hundreds of users
I/O patterns over all available spindles, XP Thin Provisioning Software will optimize aggregate
throughput and generally deliver the best performance. Balancing individual program products
and manually matching up drive spindles is no longer necessary.
Reduced Storage Acquisition Costs

Defining a volume larger than the physical disk allows you to plan for additional future storage
needs during an initial installation, purchase only the physical disk capacity required at the start,
and add physical storage capacity incrementally over time. This approach also provides savings
in space, power, and cooling requirements.
Figure 1 (page 7) illustrates the difference between purchases made before and after installing
XP Thin Provisioning.
Figure 1 Effects of XP Thin Provisioning
Simplified Replication Planning

You can define the desired volume capacity without regard to the physical disk capacity. For
volumes of 4.0 TB and smaller, you no longer need to use LUSE for volume expansion, which also
simplifies creating replication pairs.
XP Thin Provisioning Benefits
Complementary Software
HP StorageWorks XP Replication Software
The high-speed, nondisruptive technology of HP StorageWorks replication software rapidly creates
multiple copies of mission-critical information within XP storage systems. It keeps data RAID-protected
and fully recoverable without affecting service or performance levels. For more information about
HP StorageWorks Replication Manager Software, HP StorageWorks XP Business Copy, HP
StorageWorks XP Continuous Access, or HP StorageWorks XP Continuous Access Journal, see the
respective product user guide.
Performance Monitor
Performance Monitor gives you detailed point-in-time reporting of the performance metrics of the
storage system, so that you can promptly investigate threshold warnings and determine both your
virtual and physical storage needs. For more information about Performance Monitor, see the HP
StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Performance Monitor User's Guide.
HP StorageWorks P9000 or XP Command View Advanced Edition Software Device Manager
HP StorageWorks P9000 or XP Command View Advanced Edition Software Device Manager
supports the consolidation of storage operations and management functions in a system that contains
multiple heterogeneous HP StorageWorks storage systems (for example, HP XP24000/XP20000
disk arrays, HP XP12000/XP10000 disk arrays, HP XP1024/XP128 disk arrays, and HP
XP512/XP48 disk arrays). With regard to XP Thin Provisioning Software, Device Manager gives
storage administrators easy access to monitoring functions, including generating email alerts for
threshold punctures and issuing reports on XP Thin Provisioning virtual volumes, pool volumes, and
pools.
For information about using Device Manager to perform alert notification, see the administrator
guide that came with Device Manager.
For information about using Device Manager with XP Thin Provisioning Virtual Volumes and Pool
Volumes, see the user guide that came with Device Manager.
HP StorageWorks XP Performance Advisor Software
XP Performance Advisor Software is an Internet application that collects and monitors real-time
performance of HP StorageWorks XP disk array products, including XP Thin Provisioning and XP
Snapshot pools. You can use the simple, browser-based interface to customize data collection, set
alarms, and view volumes that belong to XP Thin Provisioning and XP Snapshot pools. Using the
command line interface and program products programming interface, you can integrate XP
Performance Advisor Software with third-party program products. XP Performance Advisor Software
reports include the XP Thin Provisioning pool occupancy report, showing the usage of the busiest
XP Thin Provisioning pools.
For information about using XP Performance Advisor Software to monitor XP Thin Provisioning pool
usage, see the HP StorageWorks XP Performance Advisor Software user guide .
Overview of HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning Software
2 About XP Thin Provisioning Operations

This chapter contains a technical overview of XP Thin Provisioning.
XP Thin Provisioning Components (page 9)
Managing Pool Capacity (page 12)
Interoperability with Other Products and Functions (page 18)
XP Thin Provisioning Components

Relationship between XP Thin Provisioning volumes and pools
Figure 2 (page 9) illustrates the relationship between an XP Thin Provisioning volume and an XP
Thin Provisioning pool.
Figure 2 XP Thin Provisioning
Supported Configurations
Table 1 Supported XP Thin Provisioning Configurations
Items
V-VOL capacity
46 MB to 4.0 TB:
46 MB to 4,194,303 MB, or
96,000 blocks to 8,589,934,592 blocks, or
50 to 4,473,924 cylinders
Maximum number of
V-VOLs
8192 per pool
Maximum number of pools 128 per subsystem, 128 deducted from the maximum number of XP Snapshot
pools.
Table 1 Supported XP Thin Provisioning Configurations (continued)

Items
Maximum number of
pool-VOLs
1024 per pool
Capacity per Pool-VOL
8 GB to 4 TB
Pools
XP Thin Provisioning requires the use of pools. A storage system supports up to 128 pools, each
of which can contain up to 1,024 pool-VOLs and 8,192 V-VOLs. Each pool requires a unique
pool ID.
XP Snapshot also uses pools. The 128-pool maximum per storage system applies to the total number
of both XP Snapshot pools and XP Thin Provisioning pools. For more information about XP Snapshot,
see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Snapshot User Guide.
The total pool capacity is the total capacity of the registered XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOLs.
Pool capacity is calculated by the following formula:
Total Number of pages = (
pool-VOL number of blocks
512
168 ) for each pool-VOL
The capacity of the pool (MB) = Total number of pages x 42 (4116 + 84 x Number of
pool-VOLs)
: truncate the part of the formula between the arrows after the decimal point. If you increase
pool capacity by adding a pool-VOL, existing data in the pool automatically migrates from older
pool-VOLs to the newly added pool-VOL, balancing the usage levels of all pool-VOLs. If you do
not want to automate balancing of the usage levels of pool-VOLs, consult HP technical support (see
Calling HP Technical Support (page 86)).
XP Thin Provisioning Software automatically balances the usage levels among pool-VOLs in the
pool created with microcode version 60-05-0x or later. XP Thin Provisioning Software does not
automatically balance the usage levels among pool-VOLs if the cache memory is not redundant or
if the pool usage level is more than the pool thresholds.
For more information about pools, including a description of the Pool window, see Pool Window
(page 29). For instructions on managing pools, see Managing Pools (page 57).
V-VOLs
XP Thin Provisioning requires the use of V-VOLs, which are virtual volumes with no physical memory
space. V-VOLs can be 46 MB to 4 TB.
To create a V-VOL, use the Remote Web Console V-VOL window (see V-VOL Window (page 35)).
OPEN-V is the only supported emulation type. You can define multiple V-VOLs and assign them as
V-VOLs to a storage pool. A V-VOL cannot be associated with more than one pool. For more
information, see V-VOL Window (page 34) and Managing V-VOLs and V-VOL Groups
(page 62).
If the system option mode 726 is enabled, you can set only one V-VOL in one V-VOL group.
Therefore, the number of V-VOL groups that can be defined in the whole storage system is the
same as the number of LDEVs that can be defined in the whole storage system. For details on the
number of definable V-VOL groups in the whole system, see the explanation about the Copy of
V-VOL Groups number text box in the New V-VOL Group dialog box.
Growing a V-VOL
You can grow (dynamically increase the LUN capacity of) a V-VOL without migrating the data.
For instructions, see Increasing V-VOL Capacity (page 67).
10
About XP Thin Provisioning Operations
Reclaiming Pages from a V-VOL

A V-VOL used as a migration target from a traditional nondynamic provisioned volume may have
large amounts of capacity dedicated to data that is all binary zeros. The XP Thin Provisioning pool
capacity used for the binary zero data written to the V-VOL can be reclaimed and returned as
available pool capacity. Capacity is provided to V-VOLs from the XP Thin Provisioning pool in
42-MB sized pages. Reclaiming capacity requires that these pages have only binary zero data
written to it. For instructions on how to reclaim pages containing binary zero data, see Releasing
Pages in a V-VOL (page 71).
Note that while releasing pages in a V-VOL, performance of host I/O to the V-VOL temporarily
decreases.
You cannot reclaim pages taken up by a V-VOL if any nonbinary zero data has been written to
them. In this case, the pages can be reclaimed only when the V-VOL is no longer needed and is
deleted.
If you perform the binary zero data discard operation, XP Thin Provisioning automatically rebalances
pool-VOL usage levels. If you do not want to automatically balance the usage levels of pool-VOLs,
consult HP technical support (see Calling HP Technical Support (page 86)).
XP Thin Provisioning Software automatically balances the usage levels among pool-VOLs in a pool
created with microcode version 60-05-0x or later. XP Thin Provisioning Software does not
automatically balance the usage levels among pool-VOLs if the cache memory is not redundant or
if the pool usage level is more than the pool thresholds.
V-VOL Management Table

Before you can use XP Thin Provisioning, a V-VOL management table is created. The V-VOL
management table associates V-VOLs (virtual volumes) with a pool. The V-VOL management table
is created automatically when the required additional shared memory is installed by your HP service
representative.
If data is lost from shared memory, the V-VOL management table will be restored using data stored
in reserved system areas inside the Pool. If this restore is unsuccessful, a stored copy of shared
memory will be copied from the SVP. This process is explained in Table 2 (page 12).
11
Table 2 How the V-VOL Management Table Is Stored When Data Is Lost From the Shared Memory
Items
Microcode Version
6001xx
Location where V-VOL

management table
memory is stored in shared
memory
When the V-VOL

management table in
shared memory is stored
SVP HDD.
The system option mode 460 of the
SVP must be set to ON. You are not
required to set the system option
because this is a factory setting.
6002xx or later
In addition to the SVP HDD, a
dedicated area that is automatically
created in the pool when the pool is
created.
If the area is already created with
microcode version 60-01-xx, there is
no need to create the pool again, etc.,
after upgrading to micro-version
60-02-xx or later.
When you switch off the power supply. When you switch off the power supply.
When the V-VOL management table is
updated, such as during page
allocation, pool creation, and so on.
It is also stored for any pool created
with microcode version 60-01-xx when
the microcode exchange is replaced.
When the V-VOL

When you switch on the power supply When you switch on the power supply
management table in
after shared memory was volatilized. after shared memory was volatilized
shared memory is restored
Restoring the data from the dedicated
area in the pool may take more time
compared to restoring data from the
SVP HDD. Therefore, mode 460 = ON
is recommended. When mode 460 =
ON, the data is stored in both the SVP
HDD and the dedicated area in the
pool.
The time required for restoring the
management table from the dedicated
area in the pool depends on the pool
usage or the V-VOL usage. For
example, when the pool usage or the
V-VOL usage is 100 TB, powering on
takes at least 20 minutes more than
usual, depending on the condition of
the storage system.
NOTE: Pools are blocked when an attempt to restore data from both the SVP HDD and the
dedicated area in the pool fails (for example due to a HDD failure). If the pools are blocked, call
HP technical support (see Calling HP Technical Support (page 86)).
Managing Pool Capacity

One of the key features of XP Thin Provisioning is that you can define V-VOLs that have a greater
capacity than the pool capacity. However, if you run out of free space in the pool, the host cannot
expand the data written to the V-VOLs. It is therefore essential to closely monitor pool capacity, so
that you can increase it as needed.
You can monitor pool capacity directly with the XP Thin Provisioning window (see XP Thin
Provisioning Window (page 38)). You can also use Performance Monitor, RAID Manager, P9000
or XP Command View Advanced Edition software Device Manager, and XP Performance Advisor
Software to monitor used pool capacity. For more information on Performance Monitor, see HP
StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Performance Monitor User Guide.
12
Device Manager can be configured to output SNMP traps as a log file so you can monitor devices
centrally in storage areas and program products. In addition, the Device Manager can send alerts
by email.
For more information on Device Manager SNMP traps and email notification, see the administrator
guide that came with Device Manager.
Monitoring Pool Usage Levels

Several tools allow you to view both the current pool usage rates and the changes over time for
those usage rates. These tools allow you to monitor the pool free space and estimate when you
will need to increase the pool capacity.
You can use the XP Thin Provisioning window. For more information, see XP Thin Provisioning
Window (page 38).
You can use RAID Manager. For more information, see the HP StorageWorks RAID Manager
User Guide.
You can use Device Manager. For more information, see the user guide that came with Device
Manager.
Figure 3 (page 13) shows a sample display of the changes in pool usage levels.
Figure 3 Sample Pool Information
You can use both XP Performance Advisor and Performance Monitor to collect I/O data on V-VOL
and pool usage:
Using XP Performance Advisor:
The current used pool capacity and the chronological changes in the used pool capacity
The current used V-VOL capacity (ratio of the stored data) and the chronological changes
in the used V-VOL capacity
Using Performance Monitor:
Frequency of V-VOL access, read hit ratio, and write hit ratio
Pool I/O rates in the parity group
Figure 4 (page 14) shows management of usage levels and operation information.
13
Figure 4 Managing Usage Rates and I/Os
Full Pool Handling

Full Pool conditions can be managed in two ways. The difference between the two handling
methods is how a V-VOL is treated if it requires new pool capacity when no capacity is available.
The default method used during a full pool condition is to fail some read and write operations to
V-VOLs using the pool. Read and write operations are handled in the following way:
Successfully read data that already exists in the V-VOL. Reads to Pool Pages already assigned
to the V-VOL are successful.
Successfully update (write) data that already exists in the V-VOL. Writes to Pool Pages already
assigned to the V-VOL are successful.
Fail a read operation that specifies an LBA address that is not assigned to a page. This read
would be for an area that has never been written to the V-VOL.
Fail a write operation that species an LBA address that is not assigned to a page. This write
operation requires free pool capacity that is not available.
The second method used during a full pool condition is enabled using System Option Mode 729.
Call HP Technical Support to inquire how to enable this option (see Calling HP Technical Support
(page 86)). This method uses Data Retention Utility to manage V-VOLs that are impacted by the
pool full condition. Only V-VOLs that have required free pool capacity during a pool full condition
are impacted. All V-VOLs that have not requested free capacity continue to operate without any
read or write problems imposed by the pool full condition.
Using the second method, a V-VOL that requests a free page from the pool to support a write to
an LBA address that is not mapped to an existing allocated page to the V-VOL is immediately
changed to Protect status using Data Retention Utility. In this case, the V-VOL becomes read and
write protected when a write fails due to the pool-full condition. This protection status preserves
the integrity of the V-VOL by making it inaccessible.
If a V-VOL is set to Protect status, the Remote Web Console Data Retention window indicates that
the Protection attribute was added to the V-VOL, the S-VOL column displays Enable, and the
Retention Term column displays 0 days. However, if the Protect attribute is added to a V-VOL with
the S-VOL Disable attribute, the S-VOL column remains Disable.
14
To set the pool capacity to a sufficient level when the hosts write to the V-VOL, call HP Technical
Support. You can make such settings if the pool is not associated with V-VOLs exceeding the pool
capacity. If the total V-VOL capacity exceeds the pool capacity after you perform such settings,
you cannot associate V-VOLs with the pool or increase the V-VOL capacity.
Once capacity has been added to the pool then the administrator should use the Remote Web
Console Data Retention window to view the V-VOLs impacted by the previous pool-full condition
and also to reset the protection status of the V-VOL. Once the protection status is reset, normal
operations can be returned to the hosts.
Thresholds
XP Thin Provisioning monitors V-VOLs capacity and pools capacity by thresholds. There are two
types of thresholds: V-VOL thresholds and pool thresholds.
Pool thresholds: A pool threshold is the proportion (%) of used capacity of the pool to the total
pool capacity. Each pool has its own Pool threshold values that are divided into a variable
threshold and a fixed threshold, for example:
Threshold 1: You can set it between 5% and 95%, in 5% increments. The default value
is 70%.
Threshold 2: Fixed at 80%.
Pool usage over either threshold will cause a warning to be issued via a SIM and an SNMP
trap.
Example: When the total pool capacity is 1 TB and threshold 1 is 50%
Figure 5 (page 15) shows the pool capacity (when pool threshold 1 is 50%). If the used
capacity of the pool is larger than 50% (500 GB) of the total pool capacity, a SIM and an
SNMP trap are reported. If the used capacity of the pool increases and it exceeds threshold
2 (80%), a SIM and an SNMP trap are reported again.
Figure 5 Pool Capacity (When Pool Threshold 1 Is 50%)
V-VOL thresholds:
The V-VOL threshold is the ratio (%) of the unassigned pool capacity to the unassigned V-VOL
capacity. The threshold can be specified from 5% to 300%.
If the following formula is true, a SIM and an SNMP trap are reported:
Unassigned V-VOL capacity x threshold > unassigned pool capacity
Example: When the V-VOL threshold is 300%
Figure 6 (page 16) shows the V-VOL capacity and the pool capacity (when the V-VOL threshold
is 300%). When a V-VOL capacity is 1 TB and the assigned capacity is 500 GB, the
unassigned capacity of the V-VOL is 500 GB. Therefore, if free space of the pool is smaller
than 1.5 TB (500 GB x 300%) of the unassigned capacity of the pool, a SIM and an SNMP
trap are reported.
Because a pool is sometimes used by multiple V-VOLs, the pool sometimes requires free space
larger than the unassigned capacity of the V-VOL. So, you can specify the V-VOL threshold
to a value more than 100%.
15
Figure 6 V-VOL Capacity and Pool Capacity (When V-VOL Threshold Is 300%)
Example 2: When the V-VOL threshold is 90%

Figure 7 (page 16) shows the V-VOL capacity and the pool capacity (when the V-VOL threshold
is 90%). If free space of the pool is smaller than 450 GB (500 GB x 90%) of the unassigned
capacity of the pool, a SIM and an SNMP trap are reported.
Figure 7 V-VOL Capacity and Pool Capacity (When V-VOL Threshold is 90%)
SIM Reference Codes

Table 3 (page 16) lists the SIM reference codes pertaining to XP Thin Provisioning. For more
information on completing SIMs, see Managing Pool-Related SIMs (page 83).
Table 3 SIM Reference Codes
Codes (XXX is
pool ID)
Events
620XXX
Pool usage level

5% to 95% in 5%
exceeded pool threshold increments
1.
Default: 70%.
(XXX is pool
ID)
Thresholds or
Values
Various Types of
Reports
Report to the host: Yes
Completion report to
Remote Web Console:
Yes
Information to the
operator: No
621XXX
(XXX is pool
ID)
Pool usage level

80% fixed.
exceeded pool threshold
2.

Remote Web Console:
Yes
Information to the
operator: No
16
Table 3 SIM Reference Codes (continued)

Codes (XXX is
pool ID)
Events
Thresholds or
Values
Various Types of
Reports
622XXX
Pool is full.
100%.
(XXX is pool
ID)
Remote Web Console:
Yes.
Information to the
operator: No
623XXX
(XXX is pool
ID)
Error occurred in the

pool.
Not applicable.

Remote Web Console:
No
Information to the
operator: Yes
624XXX
No space in the shared

memory.
Not applicable.

Remote Web Console:
Yes
Information to the
operator: Yes
625000
Pool usage level

continues to exceed the
highest pool threshold.
Highest Pool
threshold (80% to
95%).
Report to the host: Yes.

Remote Web Console:
Yes.
Information to the
operator: Yes with
SOM741.
630XXX
(XXX is pool
ID)
Level of free pool

capacity to free V-VOL
capacity exceeded
V-VOL threshold
5% to 300% in 5% Report to the host: Yes

increments
Default: 5%
Remote Web Console:
If pool IDs are the Yes
same, only one
SIM is reported
even if the V-VOLs
are different
640XXX (XXX
is pool ID)
V-VOL management
Not applicable
area cannot be saved to
a pool
Information to the
operator: No
Report to the host: No

Remote Web Console:
No
Information to the
operator: Yes
Pool Status
Pool Status (page 18) lists the pool status definitions.
17
Table 4 Pool Status

Status
Definition
SIM Codes
Normal
Normal status. The pool usage level may exceed the

variable or fixed pool threshold.
If the pool usage level exceeds either

the variable or the fixed pool
threshold, the following SIM occurs.
620XXX or 621XXX (XXX is pool ID)
Warning
Pool-VOL in the pool is blocked or being formatted.
None
Blocked
The pool is full or an error occurred in the pool,

therefore the pool is blocked.
If the pool is full or an error occurs in

the pool, the following SIM occurs.
622XXX or 623XXX (XXX is pool ID)
Balancing I/O Load Across the Pool

When defining a pool, dedicate as many array groups as needed to support the I/O load of the
planned V-VOLs.
When adding capacity to an XP Thin Provisioning pool defined using firmware 60-05-0X or later,
the rebalancing function moves some existing data for V-VOLs from older pool volumes to the
newest pool volumes. The rebalance function rebalances each V-VOL's data (pages assigned)
evenly across each pool volume in the pool.
When adding capacity to the pool defined using firmware earlier than 60-05-0X, typically add
about the same amount of space as defined originally.
Interoperability with Other Products and Functions

In certain cases, XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs and pool-VOLs can be used in conjunction with other
XP software products. Table 5 (page 18) lists the operations that are permitted and not permitted.
Note that XP Thin Provisioning supports OPEN-V volumes only.
Table 5 Using XP Thin Provisioning with Other Products
Option Name
Permitted
Cache Residency Manager
None
Not Permitted
For more information, see the HP

StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 Cache
Residency Manager User Guide.
XP Snapshot
StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 Snapshot
User Guide.
Data Retention Utility

StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 Data
Retention Utility User Guide.
18
Using a V-VOL as a Snapshot

P-VOL.
Using a V-VOL as a Snapshot

S-VOL, or Pool-VOL.
The maximum total number of both

XP Snapshot and XP Thin
Provisioning pools per storage
system is 128. Snapshot pool limits
are reduced by the number of XP
Thin Provisioning pools.
Using an XP Thin Provisioning

pool-VOLs as a Snapshot P-VOL,
S-VOL, or Pool-VOL.
Performing operations on V-VOLs.
Use on XP Thin Provisioning

pool-VOLs.
Increasing the capacity of V-VOL

used by this program product
Discarding zero data, and running
XP Snapshot to the same V-VOL
(This operation will be prohibited
by the microcode).
Table 5 Using XP Thin Provisioning with Other Products (continued)

Option Name
Permitted
Not Permitted
Database Validator

pool-VOLs.
LUN Expansion (LUSE)
None

pool-VOLs or V-VOLs.

pool-VOLs.

pool-VOLs.
Using a V-VOL as an XP Business

Copy P-VOL or S-VOL. See Using
XP Business Copy Software
(page 22) for more information.
Use an XP Thin Provisioning

Pool-VOL as an XP Business Copy
P-VOL or S-VOL.

StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 LUN
Expansion User Guide.
LUN Manager, LUN Security
StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 LUN
Manager User Guide.
XP Performance Control
StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 Performance
Control User Guide.
XP Business Copy
StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 Business
Copy Software User Guide.

used by this program product.
XP Business Copy to the same
V-VOL (This operation will be
prohibited by the microcode).
XP Continuous Access
StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 Continuous
Access Software User Guide.
XP Continuous Access
Asynchronous
Using a V-VOL as an XP
Continuous Access P-VOL or an
S-VOL.

None

pool-VOLs or V-VOLs.
For more information, see HP

StorageWorks
Access Software User Guide.
XP Continuous Access Journal
For more information, see the
Access Journal Software User
Guide.
Using an XP Thin Provisioning

pool-VOL as an XP Continuous
Access P-VOL or an S-VOL.

Continuous Access Journal P-VOL
or S-VOL. In this case, both the XP
Continuous Access Journal P-VOL
and S-VOL must be V-VOLs.
Continuous Access Journal journal
volume.
pool-VOLs.
19
Table 5 Using XP Thin Provisioning with Other Products (continued)

Option Name
Permitted
Not Permitted
HP StorageWorks XP External
Storage
Enabling volumes created by XP

External Storage Software to be
used as pool-VOLs.

mapped to another storage system.
If you try to increase the capacity
of the external volume, the
capacity of the volume will be the
same capacity as the former
capacity. To increase the capacity,
release the mapping to the V-VOL
from the mapping device.
Virtual LUN
Registering Virtual LUN volumes in Performing Virtual LUN operations

XP Thin Provisioning pools.
on volumes that are already
registered in an XP Thin
Provisioning pool.

StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 Virtual
LVI/LUN (VLL) and Volume
Shredder User Guide.
XP Disk/Cache Partition
StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 Disk/Cache
Partition User Guide.
XP Auto LUN
StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 Auto LUN
Software User Guide.
Volume Shredder
StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 Virtual
LVI/LUN (VLL) and Volume
20
Performing operations on XP Thin

Provisioning V-VOLs and
pool-VOLs. See Using XP
Disk/Cache Partition (page 23)
for more information.
Using a V-VOL as a migration
source or a migration target.

pool-VOLs.
XP Auto LUN to the same V-VOL
(This operation will be prohibited
by the microcode).
Use on V-VOLs.

pool-VOLs.
Volume Shredder to the same
V-VOL (This operation will be
prohibited by the microcode).
Using XP Continuous Access Software

You can use XP Thin Provisioning in combination with XP Continuous Access to replicate V-VOLs.
You can also use XP Continuous Access as a tool to move the data of the V-VOL for I/O load
reasons. The recommended movement is between the P-VOL in pool A and S-VOL in pool B.
Figure 8 (page 21) illustrates the interaction when the XP Continuous Access P-VOL and S-VOL are
also XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs. Table 6 (page 21) lists the specifics.
Figure 8 Using XP Thin Provisioning Software
Table 6 Supported XP Continuous Access Software and XP Thin Provisioning Combinations

XP Continuous Access P-VOL
XP Continuous Access S-VOL
Explanation
XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs
Supported
At initial PAIR create time, pages in the
S-VOL are freed if not needed for
replicating the P-VOL.
Normal volumes
Supported, but the Quick Restore

function is not available.
Normal volumes

This combination consumes the same
amount of pool capacity as the original
normal volume (P-VOL).
NOTE: You cannot specify an XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOL as an XP Continuous Access P-VOL
or S-VOL. If the cache write pending rate exceeds 55%, the copy process stops temporarily.
If you retry the Quick Restore or XP Auto LUN function on V-VOLs where Quick Restore has been
already been performed, error 5208 65714 may occur. If the error occurs, use the following
equation to calculate how long to wait before retrying:
(Pool Capacity in terabytes x 3 seconds) + 40 minutes
Heavy workload on the storage system could add additional time to the wait period. If the V-VOL
operation status is in Processing state, then wait for the state to change to Ready before attempting
Auto LUN or Quick Restore.
Using XP Continuous Access Journal Software

You can use XP Thin Provisioning in combination with XP Continuous Access Journal to replicate
V-VOLs. You can also use XP Continuous Access Journal as a tool to move the data of the V-VOL
for I/O load reasons. The recommended movement is between the P-VOL in pool A and S-VOL in
pool B. Figure 9 (page 22) illustrates the interaction when the XP Continuous Access Journal P-VOL
and S-VOL are also XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs. Table 7 (page 22) lists the specifics.
21
Figure 9 Using XP Thin Provisioning and XP Continuous Access Journal
Table 7 Supported XP Continuous Access Journal and XP Thin Provisioning Combinations

XP Continuous Access Journal P-VOL
XP Continuous Access Journal S-VOL
Explanation
Supported
At initial PAIR create time, pages in the
S-VOL are freed if not needed for
replicating the P-VOL.
Normal volumes
Supported
Normal volumes
Supported
This combination consumes the same
amount of pool capacity as the original
normal volume (P-VOL).
NOTE:
You cannot specify an XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOL as an XP Continuous Access Journal P-VOL or S-VOL.
If the cache write pending rate exceeds 55%, the copy process stops temporarily.
Using XP Business Copy Software

You can use XP Thin Provisioning in combination with XP Business Copy Software to replicate
V-VOLs. You can also use XP Business Copy as a tool to move the data of the V-VOL for I/O load
reasons. HP recommends movement between the P-VOL in pool A and the S-VOL in pool B.
Figure 10 (page 22) illustrates the interaction when the XP Business Copy P-VOL and S-VOL are
also XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs. Table 8 (page 22) lists the specifics.
Figure 10 Using XP Thin Provisioning and XP Business Copy
Table 8 Supported XP Business Copy and XP Thin Provisioning Combinations
22
XP Business Copy P-VOL
Business Copy S-VOL
XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs Supported
Normal volumes
Normal volumes
Explanation

NOTE: This combination consumes
the same amount of pool capacity as
the normal volume (P-VOL).
NOTE:
S-VOL.
You cannot specify an XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOL as an XP Business Copy P-VOL or
Zero page Reclaim (zero page discard) will not operate on a V-VOL being used as a P-VOL or
S-VOL. Also you cannot make a P-VOL or S-VOL from a volume currently undergoing Zero Page
Reclaim.
Using XP Disk/Cache Partition

You can assign V-VOLs and pool-VOLs to XP Disk/Cache Partition SLPRs and CLPRs, with the
following restrictions:
All pool-VOLs in a pool must be allocated to the same CLPR.
HP recommends that V-VOLs and the associated pool are allocated to the same CLPR.
For more information, see HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Disk/Cache Partition User Guide.
Using XP Auto LUN

Consider the following when you move V-VOLs using XP Auto LUN or XP Tiered Storage Manager:
V-VOLs have two emulation types, OPEN-0V and OPEN-V. You can check the emulation type
of V-VOLs in the LDEV window of the Report Display window of Remote Web Console. For
more information about the LDEV window, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000
Remote Web Console User Guide.
You cannot move OPEN-0V V-VOLs to OPEN-V normal volumes. Conversely, you cannot move
OPEN-V normal volumes to OPEN-0V V-VOLs. If you need to move volumes in this way, change
the emulation type from OPEN-0V to OPEN-V. For more information about changing an
emulation type, see V-VOL Window (page 34).
When both migration source volume and the migration destination volume are V-VOLs, they
can be moved regardless of emulation types such as OPEN-0V or OPEN-V.
For more information about XP Auto LUN, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000
Auto LUN User Guide.
If you retry the XP Auto LUN or Quick Restore function on V-VOLs where XP Auto LUN has
already been performed, error 5208 65714 may occur. If the error occurs, use the following
equation to calculate how long to wait before retrying:
(Pool Capacity in terabytes x 3 seconds) + 40 minutes
Heavy workload on the storage system could add additional time to the wait period. If the
V-VOL operation status is in Processing state, then wait for the state to change to Ready before
attempting Auto LUN or Quick Restore.
23
3 Preparing for XP Thin Provisioning Operations

This chapter describes the necessary environment for XP Thin Provisioning.
Preparing the Storage System and Remote Web Console Computers (page 24)
Installing and Uninstalling XP Thin Provisioning (page 28)
Preparing the Storage System and Remote Web Console Computers

Hardware and Software Requirements
Before launching XP Thin Provisioning, you must take several preliminary steps. These include the
following:
Install the storage system.
Install the Remote Web Console computers, and connect them to the storage system internal
LAN.
Enable XP Thin Provisioning on each storage system where you intend to use the option.
If you intend to use XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs as XP Business Copy P-VOLs or S-VOLs, you
must also install XP Business Copy Software. For detailed instructions on enabling Remote
Web Console product options, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web
Console User Guide.
If you intend to increase the capacity of V-VOL, XP RAID Manager must be installed on your
host server.
License Requirements
You will need an XP Thin Provisioning license for the total pool capacity. Licensed capacity for XP
Thin Provisioning Software is priced per storage system. If you are using XP Disk/Cache Partition,
you are not charged for license capacity per storage logical partition (SLPR).
If you are using XP Business Copy, XP Continuous Access, or XP Continuous Access Journal, you
need a license for the total consumed pool capacity in use by all P-VOLs and S-VOLs. If the total
used pool capacity exceeds the licensed capacity, the additional capacity is treated as a temporary
license. You will be able to use the additional capacity for 30 days. After 30 days, you will not
be able to perform XP Business Copy operations except for deleting pairs. After 30 days, you will
not be able to perform XP Continuous Access or XP Continuous Access Journal operations except
for suspending copy operations and deleting pairs. For more information about temporary license
capacity, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web Console User Guide.
Shared Memory Requirements

XP Thin Provisioning requires its own dedicated shared memory for the V-VOL management area,
which is separate from the shared memory for XP Snapshot. The required shared memory will be
installed by your HP service representative.
Operating System and File System Capacity

Initializing a P-VOL in most operating systems and file systems consumes some XP Thin Provisioning
pool space. Some operating systemfile system combinations initially take up little pool space
while other combinations take as much pool space as the virtual capacity of the V-VOL.
Table 9 (page 25) shows the effects of those combinations. For more information, contact your HP
service representative.
24
Preparing for XP Thin Provisioning Operations
Table 9 Operating System and File System Capacity

Operating
System
File System
Metadata Writing
Pool Capacity Consumed
AIX
JFS
Writes metadata in 8 MB intervals. Size of V-VOL.

If you change the Allocation Group
Size settings when you create the
file system, the metadata can be
written to a maximum of 64 MB.
Approximately 65% of the pool is
used.
HP-UX
Linux
JFS2
Writes metadata to first block.
Small (one page).
VxFS
Small (one page).
JFS (VxFs)
Small (one page).
HFS
Writes metadata in 10 MB
intervals.
Size of V-VOL.
XFS
Writes metadata in Allocation

Group Size intervals.
Depends on allocation group size.

The amount of pool space
consumed is approximately [V-VOL
Size]*[42 MB/Allocation Group
Size].
Ext2

intervals.
About 33 % of the size of the

V-VOL.
Ext3
The default block size for these file

systems is 4 KB. This results in 33%
of the V-VOL acquiring pool pages.
If the file system block size is
changed to 2 KB or less, the V-VOL
Page consumption becomes 100%.
Solaris
UFS
intervals.
Size of V-VOL.
VxFS
Small (one page).
Windows
Server 2003
NTFS
Small (one page).
Windows
Server 2008
NTFS
The allocated capacity increases if

the update of the file is repeated,
and the effectiveness of reducing
the pool capacity consumption
decreases.
Small (one page).

If you perform the standard format
operation when creating the file
system, the size of the pool
capacity as same as the file system
capacity is consumed. In this case,
we recommend the quick format.
The allocated capacity increases if
the update of the file is repeated,
and the effectiveness of reducing
the pool capacity consumption
decreases.
Tru64
OpenVMS
VFS
Small (one page).
AdvFS
Small (one page).
VMS
Small (one page).
25
Table 9 Operating System and File System Capacity (continued)

Operating
System
File System
Metadata Writing
Pool Capacity Consumed
NonStop
NSK
Small (one page).
VMware (ESX
Server)
VMW
Small (one page).

VMware eager-zeroed thick
formatting is not recommended
because it forces the volume to fully
allocate space in the pool.
VMware thin formatting is not
supported due to unpredictable
results.
Volume and Pool Requirements

Pool-VOL requirements are described in Table 10 (page 26). Pool requirements are described in
Pool Requirements (page 27). V-VOL requirements are described in V-VOL Requirements
(page 27).
Table 10 Pool-VOL Requirements
Item
Requirement
Volume type
Logical volume (LDEV). Separating pool-VOLs from other volumes into different
parity groups is recommended for best performance.
You cannot specify the following volumes as XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOLs:
Volumes used by XP Business Copy, XP Auto LUN, XP Continuous Access, XP
Continuous Access Asynchronous, or XP Continuous Access Journal
LUSE volumes
Volumes defined by Cache Residency Manager
Volumes already registered in XP Snapshot or XP Thin Provisioning pools
Volumes used as XP Snapshot P-VOLs or S-VOLs
Data Retention Utility volumes with a Protect, Read Only, or S-VOL Disable
attribute
Volumes whose LDEV attribute is other than normal or Normal (Quick Format)
System disks
Command devices
Quorum disks
You cannot store any pool-VOLs in a pool, including external volumes with a cache
mode attribute.
Emulation type
OPEN-V
RAID level
Any RAID level.

Volumes with different RAID levels in a pool is not recommended.
RAID-6 is recommended for large pools and where recovery time due to drive
failure may be unacceptable.
Drive type
FC, SATA, and flash drive can be used as drive type.

Internal Volume pool-VOLs: Cannot be intermixed in the same pool if drive types
are different.
External Volume pool-VOLs: Cannot be intermixed in the same pool if drive types
are different; however, this configuration is not recommended for performance
reasons.
Volume capacity
26
8 GB to 4 TB.
Table 10 Pool-VOL Requirements (continued)

Item
Requirement
LDEV format
You must perform LDEV formatting before the volume is registered in a pool. You
cannot format pool-VOLs.
Deleting pool-VOLs
You cannot remove pool-VOLs registered in pools. You need to delete the pool in
order to free the volumes.
Path definition
You cannot specify a volume with a path definition as a Pool-VOL.
Table 11 Pool Requirements

Item
Requirement
Pool capacity
See Pools (page 10) for the formula for calculating capacity. The upper limit of
total capacity of all pools is 1.1 PB.
Max number of
pool-VOLs
Up to 1024 per pool.
Max number of Pools
Up to 128 total pools maximum per storage system for XP Thin Provisioning. Pool
IDs (0 to 127) are assigned as pool identifiers. The number of XP Thin Provisioning
pools reduces the total availability of XP Snapshot pools.
Increasing capacity
You can increase Pool-VOL capacity dynamically; increasing capacity by one or

more parity groups is recommended.
Reducing capacity
You cannot reduce pool capacity. You must delete and then reconfigure the pool.
Deleting
You can delete pools that are not associated with any V-VOLs.
Thresholds
Pool threshold 1: Default value is 70%. You can set it between 5% and 95%, in
5% increments.
Pool threshold 2: Fixed at 80%.
Pool usage over either threshold will cause a warning to be issued using a SIM
and an SNMP trap.
Data allocation unit
42 MB
Table 12 V-VOL Requirements

Item
Requirement
Volume type
V-VOL. The LDEV number is the same as for normal volumes.
Emulation type
Servers (including XP RAID Manager) will show emulation types as follows:

OPEN-0V for V-VOLs created with microcode version 60.02.06 or earlier
OPEN-V for V-VOLs created with microcode version 60-02-25 or later
Maximum number of
V-VOLs
Up to 8,192 volumes per pool

Up to 1,024 volumes per volume group
Up to 63,232 volume groups per system
Volume capacity
46 MB to 4 TB per volume
Total maximum volume capacity of 1.1 PB per storage system.
Threshold
The V-VOL threshold is the proportion of the potential demand a V-VOL can consume
of the pool capacity.
The default value is 5% of the potential capacity. You can set it between 5% and
300%, in 5% increments. The default value is recommended.
27
Table 12 V-VOL Requirements (continued)

Item
Requirement
Path definition
Available. However, you cannot define paths unless you first associate the V-VOL
with a pool.
LDEV format
Available.
When you perform LDEV formatting on the V-VOLs, the storage system initializes
data only in the consumed pool pages of the V-VOLs. However, after you perform
an LDEV format, the free space in the pool does not increase because the pages
are not released.
Installing and Uninstalling XP Thin Provisioning

General installation instructions are contained in the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote
Web Console User Guide. This section contains an outline of the additional instructions that are
specific to XP Thin Provisioning.
Installing XP Thin Provisioning

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Your HP service representative will install the additional shared memory for the V-VOL
management area. This is separate from the shared memory for XP Snapshot.
Make sure that you have sufficient license capacity for the pool and any near-term pool growth.
For specific instructions on installing license capacity, see the HP StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web Console User Guide.
Add parity groups, and add the volumes that will be used as pool-VOLs. You can use volumes
in existing unused parity groups, in which case you would delete the path definition and
perform an LDEV format. For specific instructions on LDEV formatting, see the HP StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 Virtual LVI/LUN (VLL) and Volume Shredder User Guide.
Create the pools. For specific instructions, see Creating a Pool (page 58).
Create V-VOLs. For specific instructions, see Creating a V-VOL Group (page 62). After
creation, they are V-VOLs.
Associate V-VOLs to the pools. For specific instructions, see Changing the V-VOL Settings
(page 65).
Define the paths for the V-VOLs. For specific instructions, see the HP StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 LUN Manager User Guide.
Uninstalling XP Thin Provisioning

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
28
Delete the path definition for the V-VOLs. For specific instructions, see the HP StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 LUN Manager User Guide.
Perform LDEV formatting on the V-VOLs. For specific instructions on LDEV formatting, see the
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Virtual LVI/LUN (VLL) and Volume Shredder User
Guide.
Release the association between the V-VOLs and the pools. For specific instructions, see
Deleting a Single Pool (page 61).
Delete all V-VOLs. For specific instructions, see Delete V-VOL Groups Dialog Box (page 54).
Delete all pools. For specific instructions, see Deleting Pools (page 61).
Uninstall the XP Thin Provisioning license. For specific instructions on uninstalling license
capacity, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web Console User Guide.
4 Using the XP Thin Provisioning GUI

This chapter describes the XP Thin Provisioning windows and dialog boxes.
Pool Window (page 29)
V-VOL Window (page 34)
XP Thin Provisioning Window (page 38)
New Pool Dialog Box (page 40)
Change Pool Information Dialog Box (page 41)
New V-VOL Group Dialog Box (page 42)
Create V-VOL Dialog Box (1) (page 42)
Create V-VOL Dialog Box (2) (page 44)
Create V-VOL Confirmation Dialog Box (page 48)
Connect Pool Dialog Box (page 49)
Change Threshold Dialog Box (page 50)
Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool Dialog Box (page 51)
Release V-VOL Groups from Pool Dialog Box (page 52)
Delete V-VOL Groups Dialog Box (page 54)
Pool Window
Access the Pool window by selecting Go Volume Manager Pool (see Figure 11 (page 30)).
The Pool window provides information about both XP Thin Provisioning pools and XP Snapshot
pools.
Pool Window
29
Figure 11 Pool Window
Item
Description
Pool tree
Shows the XP Thin Provisioning and XP Snapshot pools. The Pool tree contains one or more of
following icons:
: A folder is used to indicate the storage system, the group of XP Thin Provisioning pools,
or the group of XP Snapshot pools
Pool: X: A pool in normal status (X indicates the pool ID)
Pool: X: A pool whose usage level exceeds the threshold (X indicates the pool ID)
pool: X: A blocked pool or a pool where a pool-VOL is blocked or being formatted (X

indicates the pool ID)
Pool Mng. Capacity

(Pool Management
Capacity)
: A normal pool in the process of being deleted
: A blocked pool or a pool where a pool-VOL is blocked or being formatted, which is in

the process of being deleted
: A pool with a usage level that exceeds a threshold, in the process of being deleted
The Pool Management Capacity information, in the upper right corner of the window above
the pool-VOL table, indicates the capacity for both XP Snapshot and XP Thin Provisioning pools.
CAUTION: When you add or delete pool-VOLs, the total capacity and used capacity values
change after you click Apply.
Used indicates the capacity, in GB, of the pools that are in use.
Total indicates the total capacity, in GB, of the pools that are in use plus those that can be
created. The capacity of the pools that can be created is derived from the available shared
memory capacity. Available pool capacity decreases when a V-VOL is added, and increases
when a V-VOL is deleted.
CAUTION:
Pool-VOL table
30
Using the XP Thin Provisioning GUI
Do not exceed the total capacity for pool management blocks in use.
Item
Description
The pool-VOL table contains one or both of the following icons:
: Pool-VOLs having the V-VOL management area
: Pool-VOLs not having the V-VOL management area
The pool-VOL table, in the upper right corner of the Pool window, displays the following
information about the selected pool-VOLs:
LDKC:CU:LDEV: Unique address, consisting of the logical DKC (LDKC) number, CU number,
and LDEV number.
Capacity: LDEV capacity.
Emulation: Emulation type.
RAID: RAID level. As a best practice, always specify the same RAID level for all pool-VOLs
registered to the same pool. RAID-6 is recommended for large pools and where recovery
time due to drive failure may be unacceptable.
Protection: Data protection level. If Data Retention Utility is installed, the Protection attribute
is set using the Data Retention window in Remote Web Console.
SATA-W/V: Write & Verify method on SATA drives
SATA-E: Enhancing method on SATA drives
Standard: FC drives, flash drives, external volumes, or V-VOLs
It is recommended that the data protection level of the pool-VOLs in the same pool be the
same.
PG: Parity group.
Int. VOL Info: Drive type of internal volumes.
Nothing is displayed for FC drives.
An asterisk (*) is displayed for a SATA drive.
A dollar sign ($) is displayed for an SSD drive.
Three consecutive hyphens (- - -) are displayed for an external volume.
CAUTION:
Pool-VOLs with different drive types cannot be intermixed in the same pool.
Ext. VOL Info: Drive type of external volumes.

Nothing is displayed for FC drives.
An asterisk (*) is displayed for a SATA or BD drive.
A dollar sign ($) is displayed for an SSD drive.
Three consecutive hyphens (- - -) are displayed for an internal volume.
Cache Mode: If the volume is an external volume, cache mode is displayed. This cache
mode is specified automatically when the external volume is mapped.
CAUTION:
Pool-VOLs with different cache modes cannot be intermixed in the same pool.
Total Capacity: Total capacity of the pool-VOLs in the pool.

Used LDEVs: Total number of pool-VOLs.
Remaining LDEVs: Total number of pool-VOLs that you can add to the pool.
Pool Window
31
Item
Description
Pool Information box
The Pool Information box, in the lower left corner of the Pool window, provides the following
information.
Pool ID: Pool identifying number.
Status: Pool status.
Normal: Normal status. The pool usage level may exceed the variable or fixed pool
threshold.
Warning: Pool-VOL in the pool is blocked or being formatted.
Blocked: The pool is full or an error occurs in the pool, therefore the pool is blocked. If
the pool is in both Warning and Blocked statuses, only Warning is displayed.
Total Capacity: Total pool capacity. Total Capacity is calculated from the number of pages
(42 MB per page).
Used Capacity: Used pool capacity. Used Capacity is calculated from the number of pages
(42 MB per page).
Usage Rate: Pool usage level as a percentage of the current used pool capacity to the total
pool capacity.
Threshold1: Variable threshold compared to usage level. The default setting is 70%. You
can set it from 5% to 95% in 5% increments.
Threshold2: Fixed threshold compared to usage level. Threshold2 is always fixed at 80%.
Warning: Usage level exceeds a threshold.
Error: Usage level has reached 100%.
Threshold: Pool usage threshold (%).
Attribute: Program product that uses the pool.
XP Thin Provisioning
XP Snapshot
CLPR: CLPR number of the pool volume.
Initialize or Optimize
button
If there is no pool in the storage system, this button initializes the entire V-VOL management
area. If there are one or more pools in the storage system, this button optimizes the unallocated
page management table in the pool management area. This process could take up to 30
minutes.
CAUTION:
window.
Clicking the Optimize button will cancel any other pending operations in this
SIM Complete Request Completes the pool-related SIMs, including threshold warnings and blocked pool warnings.
check box
For more information, seeManaging Pool-Related SIMs (page 83). All outstanding SIMs will
be marked completed after clicking Apply. Before using the SIM Complete Request check box.
Make certain that all the outstanding SIM conditions are cleared. For example, Pool Space
has been added to lower the usage level below all defined threshold settings.
Add Pool VOL button
Adds the volumes you selected in the Free LDEVs list (below) to the Pool-VOL table.
The LDKC list limits the display to CUs in the selected LDKC.
The CU list limits the free LDEVs display to volumes in the selected CU.
32
Item
Description
Free LDEVs table
The Free LDEVs table, in the lower right corner of the Pool window, displays the volumes that
can be specified as pool-VOLs. The following information is displayed for each volume:
LDKC:CU:LDEV: Logical DKC (LDKC) number, CU number and LDEV number.
Capacity: LDEV capacity.
RAID: RAID level. HP recommends that you specify the same RAID level for pool-VOLs
registered in the same pool for best performance. RAID-6 is recommended for large pools
and where recovery time due to drive failure may be unacceptable.
Protection: Data protection level. If Data Retention Utility is installed, the Protection attribute
is set using the Data Retention window in Remote Web Console.
SATA-W/V: Write & Verify method on SATA drives
SATA-E: Enhancing method on SATA drives
Standard: FC drives, flash drives, external volumes, or V-VOLs
It is recommended that the data protection level of the pool-VOLs in the same pool be the
same.
PG: Parity group.
Int. VOL Info: Drive type of internal volumes.
Nothing appears for FC drives.
An asterisk (*) indicates a SATA drive.
A dollar sign ($) indicates an SSD drive.
Three consecutive hyphens (- - -) are displayed for an external volume.
CAUTION:
Pool-VOLs with different drive types cannot be intermixed in the same pool.
Ext. VOL Info: Drive type of external volumes.

Nothing appears for FC drives.
An asterisk (*) indicates a SATA or BD drive.
A dollar sign ($) indicates an SSD drive.
Three consecutive hyphens (- - -) indicate an internal volume.
Cache Mode: if the volume is an external volume, cache mode appears.
CAUTION: This cache mode is automatically specified when the external volume is mapped.
Pool-VOLs with different cache modes cannot be intermixed in the same pool.
CLPR: CLPR number
Selected LDEVs: Total number of selected volumes.
Apply
Implements all pending operations.
Cancel
Cancels all pending operations.
Table 13 Pop-up Menu Commands

Command Menu
When you
right-click the XP
Thin Provisioning
icon
Function
New Pool
Opens the New Pool dialog box (see Defining a New Pool
(page 59))
Delete Pool(s)
Deletes one or more pools. This command is only available when

there are pools that can be deleted.
Restore Pool(s)
Returns one or more blocked pools to normal status. This command

is only available when blocked pools exist. If the pool usage level is
100% (POOL FULL), or a pool-VOL in the pool is blocked or being
formatted, this command is not available
Pool Window
33
Table 13 Pop-up Menu Commands (continued)

Command Menu
When you
right-click a Pool
icon
Function
Change Pool
Information
Opens the Change Pool Information dialog box (see Change Pool
Information Dialog Box (page 60)).
Delete Pool
Deletes the selected pool
Restore Pool
Returns one or more blocked pools to normal status. This command

is only available when blocked pools exist. If the pool usage level is
100% (POOL FULL), or a pool-VOL in the pool is blocked or being
formatted this command is not available
V-VOL Window
Access the V-VOL window by selecting Go Volume Manager
both XP Thin Provisioning and XP Snapshot V-VOLs.
34
V-VOL. This window displays
Figure 12 V-VOL Window
Item
Description
Connect Pool Capacity
Provides the following information about V-VOLs of XP Thin Provisioning:

used: Total capacity (GB) of V-VOLs associated with Pools.
remaining: Total capacity (GB) of V-VOLs that can be associated with pools. This
capacity is calculated based on the assumption that V-VOLs of 1024 GB are
associated with pools.
If V-VOLs of another size are associated with pools, calculate the total capacity
of V-VOLs that can be associated with pools from the remaining value by the
following formulas.
X1 =
(remaining (GB)
1024)
S1 = (X1 x 14 + (remaining (GB) - (X1 x 1024) )

S2 = ( ( Capacity of one V-VOL (GB)
84)
84)
+ 1)
Total capacity of V-VOLs that can be associated with pools = (S1

Capacity of one V-VOL:
S2) x
indicates that the number enclosed by two downward arrows should be

rounded down to the nearest whole number.
indicates that the number enclosed by two upward arrows should be

rounded up to the nearest whole number.
CAUTION: The values of used and remaining are not reflected in the window
until you click the Apply button.
V-VOL Group - V-VOL tree
Shows the V-VOL groups in the storage system. The following icons can appear:
: The folder for a storage system or a program product
: V-VOL group
A V-VOL group icon followed by a V indicates an XP Snapshot V-VOL, which
cannot be used for XP Thin Provisioning operations.
A V-VOL group icon followed by an X indicates an XP Thin Provisioning V-VOL
(XP Snapshot also uses V-VOL).
: V-VOL group (in the process of being deleted)
: VDEV
V-VOL Window Pop-up Menu Commands (page 37) lists the commands available
from the pop-up menu.
V-VOL Window
35
Item
Description
V-VOL list
Provides the following information about the selected V-VOL:

LDKC:CU:LDEV: Logical DKC (LDKC) number, CU number and LDEV number
A number followed by an X indicates an XP Thin Provisioning V-VOL.
A number followed by a V indicates an XP Snapshot V-VOL.
Capacity: Volume capacity
Emulation: Emulation type. CVS, indicates a Virtual LVI/LUN volume. For more
information, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Virtual LVI/LUN (VLL)
and Volume Shredder User Guide.
Status: V-VOL status
Normal
Blocked
CLPR: CLPR number.
Access Attribute: Access attribute of V-VOL.
Path: V-VOL LU path.
Threshold: Potential demand capacity warning threshold.
Usage Rate: Pool usage level as a percentage of the consumed V-VOL capacity
to the total V-VOL capacity.
Used Page Num: Number of pages used in V-VOL.
Page Status: Current page status of V-VOL.
Discarding Zero Data: Zero data is being discarded and the pages are being
released.
Discard Zero Data: XP Thin Provisioning is ready to discard zero data and
release pages. This status appears in blue bold italics until Apply is clicked.
Stop Discarding Zero Data: XP Thin Provisioning is ready to stop discarding
zero data and releasing pages. This status appears in blue bold italics until
Apply is clicked.
Releasing: Disassociation of the V-VOL from the pool is applied, and the page
is being released.
A hyphen (-) appears when the page status is other than listed above.
36
Item
Description
Emulation
Changes the emulation type OPEN-0V of the V-VOL to OPEN-V. Also, the contents
that were displayed in blue bold italics on the V-VOL group tree or V-VOL list are
deleted.
Clicking the Emulation button, opens a window (see Remote Web Console Window
Showing Two Emulation Modes (page 38)) in which Normal mode and Force mode
are selectable. These two options, Normal and Force, further restrict which V-VOLs
will be changed. Selecting Normal mode or Force mode determines the scope of
the emulation change process, as follows:
Normal mode: In Normal mode, XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs that do not have
a defined LU path are changed. All OPEN-0V V-VOLs without a path assigned
are changed to OPEN-V.
Force mode: In Force mode, all XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs, regardless of whether
an LU path is defined, are changed. All OPEN-0V V-VOLs are changed to
OPEN-V. Since the Force mode also changes XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs on
which a LU path is defined, the emulation type recognized by the server will
change suddenly for these volumes. Use the Force mode only when you are sure
no problem will occur on the server, even if the emulation type is changed.
Therefore, it is possible that the LU cannot be recognized by the host and that
I/O stops. While the host is online and I/O occurs, it is strongly recommended
you avoid using Force mode.
If you use Force mode and change the emulation type already recognized by
the host, reconfigure the LU from the host so that the LU should be recognized
by the host.
These modes and the execution of the emulation process are not restricted by any
selection or highlighting of V-VOL entries in the list. All V-VOLs are considered for
an OPEN-V change during the emulation process.
Volume migration cannot be performed between volumes with different emulation
types. For example, volume migration is not available between an XP Thin
Provisioning V-VOL recognized as OPEN-0V and a normal volume.
Apply
Implements all pending operations
Cancel
Cancels all pending operations
Table 14 V-VOL Window Pop-up Menu Commands

Command Menu
When you right-click
the XP Thin
Provisioning folder
Function
New V-VOL Group
Opens the New V-VOL Group dialog box (see Creating

a New V-VOL Group (1) (page 64)).
Associate V-VOL
Groups with Pool
Opens the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box

(see Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool Dialog Box
(page 51)). Associates V-VOLs in multiple V-VOL groups
with a pool at the same time.
Release V-VOL Groups Opens the Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog box
from Pool
(see Release V-VOL Groups from Pool Dialog Box
(page 53)). Releases V-VOLs in multiple V-VOL groups from
a pool at the same time.
Delete V-VOL Groups

Delete V-VOL Group
the V-VOL Group icon
Opens the Delete V-VOL Groups dialog box (see Delete

V-VOL Groups Dialog Box (page 77)). Deletes multiple
V-VOL groups and the V-VOLs that are in that V-VOL group
at the same time.
Deletes the V-VOL group and associated V-VOLs.
V-VOL Window
37
Table 14 V-VOL Window Pop-up Menu Commands (continued)

Command Menu
an XP Thin
Provisioning V-VOL
Function
Associate V-VOL with
Pool
Displays the Connect Pool dialog box (see Selecting the

Pool (page 66)).
Release V-VOL from

Pool
Releases the V-VOL from the XP Thin Provisioning pool.
Change Threshold
Displays the Change Threshold dialog box (see Changing

the Threshold (page 67)).
Discard Zero Data
Releases pages if all the data in the pages of the V-VOL

are zero.
Stop Discarding Zero

Data
Stops discarding zero data and releasing the pages.
Figure 13 Remote Web Console Window Showing Two Emulation Modes
XP Thin Provisioning Window

Access the XP Thin Provisioning window by selecting File Report Display XP Thin Provisioning.
The XP Thin Provisioning window allows you to display and manage V-VOLs, pools, and the V-VOL
management area.
Figure 14 (page 38) shows the default view, which is with the LDKC:CU button selected.
Figure 14 XP Thin Provisioning Window (LDKC:CU View)
Figure 15 (page 39) shows the XP Thin Provisioning window with the Pool button selected.
38
Figure 15 XP Thin Provisioning Window (Pool View)
Item
Description
LDKC:CU or Pool
Use these options to filter the data to be displayed to view

either LDKC:CU information or Pool information.
V-VOL list
Provides information about the selected V-VOL:

LDKC:CU:LDEV: Logical DKC (LDKC) number, CU
number, and LDEV number. The icons can include the
following:
indicates a normal LDEV.
indicates a secured volume.
indicates a remote command device.
indicates a command device.
indicates a secured command device.

A number followed by an X is an XP Thin
Provisioning V-VOL.
A number followed by a V is an XP Snapshot V-VOL.
XP Thin Provisioning Window
39
Item
Description
Emulation: Emulation type. OPEN-V is the only
supported emulation type. CVS indicates a Virtual
LVI/LUN volume. For more information, see HP
StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Virtual LVI/LUN
(VLL) and Volume Shredder User Guide.
Capacity: V-VOL capacity, in GB.
Parity Group: Parity group number.
Usage Rate: Pool usage level as a percentage of the
used capacity compared to the total capacity.
Threshold: Potential demand capacity consumed
percentage at which a warning will be issued. Available
values are from 5% to 300%, in 5% increments.
Paths: Number of LU paths to the volume, from 0 to
65,280.
Operation: Whether or not you can perform an
operation on the V-VOL.
Ready: You can perform an operation on the V-VOL.
Processing: You cannot perform any operation on
the V-VOL because another operation is being
performed on the V-VOL.
Discarding Zero Data: You cannot start a new
operation for discarding zero data because
discarding of zero data is currently taking place.
Releasing: You cannot perform any operation on the
V-VOL because another operation is being performed
on the V-VOL.
Used Page Num: Number of pages used in V-VOL.
Pool-VOL list
Provides the following information about the selected

pool-VOL:
LDKC:CU:LDEV: Logical DKC (LDKC) number, CU
number, and LDEV number. The icon will be one of the
following:
A normal LDEV
A secured volume
A remote command device
A command device.
A secured command device.
Emulation: Emulation type. OPEN-V is the only

supported emulation type
Capacity: Pool-VOL capacity, in GB
Parity Group: Parity group number
Apply
Implements all pending operations
Cancel
Cancels all pending operations
New Pool Dialog Box

The New Pool dialog box opens when you right-click the XP Thin Provisioning icon in the Pool
window and select New Pool on the pop-up menu.
40
Figure 16 New Pool Dialog Box
Item
Description
Pool ID
Enter the pool ID number using numbers from 0 to 127.

Do not use a number that is already in use as a pool ID
number.
Threshold
Select the pool usage warning threshold, which is specified

as a percentage. The range can be between 5 and 95.
The default value is 70.
If the pool usage level exceeds the threshold, the pool status
changes to Warning status, when the pool is in Warning
status, additional pool volumes should be added to the
pool.
Attribute
XP Thin Provisioning should already be selected.
Set
Creates the new pool and closes the dialog box. The setting
will not be implemented until you click Apply on the Pool
window.
Cancel
Cancels the settings and closes the dialog box. No pool

will be created.
Change Pool Information Dialog Box

Access the Change Pool Information dialog box by right-clicking the selected pool, then selecting
Change Pool Information from the pop-up menu.
Figure 17 Change Pool Information Dialog Box
The features of the Change Pool Information dialog box are the same as those for the New Pool
dialog box, except that only the Threshold field is available.
Change Pool Information Dialog Box
41
New V-VOL Group Dialog Box

Figure 18 New V-VOL Group Dialog Box
Item
Description
V-VOL Group
Select the V-VOL group ID using numbers from 1 to 65,535.

Do not use a number that is already in use as a V-VOL
group ID.
Emulation Type
Select the emulation type. Open-V is the only type that is

supported.
CLPR
Select the cache logical partition. For more information on

cache logical partitions, see the HP StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 Disk/Cache Partition User Guide.
Attribute
Shows either XP Snapshot or XP Thin Provisioning
Copy of V-VOL Groups
Enter the number of V-VOL groups to be created. You can

enter numbers from 0 to 63,231. This is the maximum per
storage system.
If you have any external volumes or XP Snapshot volumes,
this maximum is decreased accordingly. If you enter 0, no
V-VOL group will be created.
Next
Implements the setting in the New V-VOL Group dialog

box and opens the Create V-VOL dialog box (1)
Cancel
Cancels the settings and closes the dialog box
Create V-VOL Dialog Box (1)

Access the Create V-VOL dialog box (1) by clicking the Next button on the New V-VOL Group
dialog box (see Figure 18 (page 42)).
42
Figure 19 Create V-VOL Dialog Box (1)
Item
Description
V-VOL Group
Shows the V-VOL group ID set in the New V-VOL Group

dialog box
Emulation Type
Select the emulation type. OPEN-V is the only type that is

supported.
Capacity Unit
Select the capacity unit:

MB (megabyte)
Block
Cyl (cylinder)
Capacity
Enter the V-VOL capacity.

If you selected MB in the Capacity Unit drop-down list,
you can enter numbers from 46 to 4,194,303.
If you selected block in the drop-down list, you can enter
numbers from 96,000 to 8,589,934,592.
If you selected Cyl in the Capacity Unit drop-down list,
you can enter numbers from 50 to 4,473,924.
When you specify the Capacity Unit as MB or Cyl, the
storage system optimally corrects the capacity. Therefore,
to set the capacity accurately to the largest value of the
VDEV capacity, specify the Capacity Unit as block.
Number of V-VOL
Enter the number of V-VOLs that you want to add, from 1

to 1,024. See System Option Mode 726, explained
V-VOLs (page 10).
The number of V-VOLs that you can enter in this dialog box
can vary, depending on the number of the V-VOL groups
to be copied in New V-VOL group dialog box (see
Creating a New V-VOL Group (1) (page 64)). For
example, if you specified 100 V-VOL groups in this dialog
box, you can specify 10 V-VOLs per V-VOL group, because
the maximum total is 1,024. In this case, the displayed
range would be 1 to 10.
Set
Adds the V-VOLs to the list
43
Item
Description
Delete
Deletes the V-VOLs from the list
V-VOL information setting list
Shows the following information about the selected

V-VOL(s):
No.: Number
Emulation: Emulation type
Capacity: Capacity
Back
Keeps the settings in this dialog box, but returns you to the
New V-VOL group dialog box (see New V-VOL Group
Dialog Box (page 42))
Next
Opens the Create V-VOL dialog box (2) (see Create V-VOL
Dialog Box (2) (page 45))
Cancel
Cancels the operation and closes the dialog box

Access the Create V-VOL dialog box (2) by selecting Next on the Create V-VOL dialog box (1) (see
Create V-VOL Dialog Box (1) (page 43)).
44
Item
Description
V-VOL list
Information about each V-VOL in the list:

No.: Number.
V-VOL Group: Group ID.
Capacity: Capacity.
LDCK:CU:LDEV: LDKC number, CU number, and LDEV
number. XP Thin Provisioning LDEV numbers are
followed by an X. XP Snapshot LDEV numbers are
followed by a V.
Select LDKC No.
Select the LDKC.
Select CU No.
Select the CU.
Interval
Select the interval between the LDEV numbers that will be

assigned to the newly created V-VOLs. If you select 0, the
LDEV numbers will be sequential.
The value you specify as the interval between LDEV
numbers counts only the available LDEV numbers and skips
those that are not selectable. Even when you use multiple
CUs, LDEV numbers will be assigned according to the
Interval list.
45
Item
Description
Select LDEV No.
The LDEV number grid.

The location on the grid indicates the LDEV number.
The numbers across the top (CU number), combined
with the numbers on the left side, indicate the LDEV
number. For example, the LDEV number of the cell with
a CU number of +2 and an LDEV number of +10 is 12.
Gray cells indicate LDEV numbers that are already in
use.
White cells indicate unused LDEV numbers.
Blue cells indicate LDEVs that have been selected for
the V-VOLs in this procedure.
CU number of another SLPR is used
If checked, allows you to select CU numbers from another

SLPR.
Back
Maintains the settings in this dialog box while returning

you to the Create V-VOL dialog box (1) (see Create V-VOL
Dialog Box (1) (page 43)).
Next
Implements the settings in this dialog box and opens the

Create V-VOL Confirmation Dialog Box (see Create V-VOL
Confirmation Dialog Box (page 49)).
The Create V-VOL dialog box (3) (see Create V-VOL Dialog
Box (3) (page 47)) appears only when SSID is not
assigned to the boundary area that contains LDEV numbers
you set in this dialog box. The Create V-VOL dialog box
(4) appears when SSID is assigned.
Cancel
46
Cancels the operation and closes the dialog box.

Item
Description
Set SSID tree
Shows the LDKC numbers, CU numbers, SSID boundary

and SSID in a hierarchical tree structure.
The boundary area is a collection of LDEV numbers that
SSID is assigned to. For example, taking the boundary
area 00FF, you assign a SSID among the LDEV numbers
from 00 to FF. A CU contains one or four boundary areas,
which are fixed per CPU by factory settings.
The parenthesized SSID is to the right of the boundary
area. When SSID is not assigned to the boundary area,
an exclamation point is added to the LDKC number, CU
number, and boundary area icon, and - - - appears on
the right side of the boundary area.
: LDKC number or CU number. Indicates that SSID
is assigned to the all boundary areas.
: LDKC number or CU number. Indicates the boundary
area with no SSID.
: Indicates that no SSID is assigned to the boundary
area.
Set SSID list
Assigns SSID to the boundary area that contains LDEV

numbers you set.
Information about the Set SSID list:
LDKC: LKDC number of CU number where SSID is not
assigned.
CU: CU number where SSID is not assigned.
LDEV boundary: Boundary area of LDEV number where
SSID is not assigned.
SSID: Assigned SSID, The initial value is blank.
Input SSID list
Select or enter the SSID you want.

You can enter SSID only when logged in as a storage
administrator.
47
Item
Description
Set
Input SSID: Sets SSID you select or input from the Input
SSID list.
Set SSID: Updates SSID you select or input from the
Input SSID list.
SSID number of another SLPR is used
If checked, you can enter SSID excluding SLPR that contains

a parity group of your operation in the Input SSID list. If
not checked, you can only select SSID of SLPR that contains
a parity group of your operation.
SSID number of another SLPR is used appears only when
you are logged in as a storage administrator and more
than two SLPRs exist. If not checked, Input SSID is not
available.
Back

you to the Create V-VOL dialog box (1) (see Create V-VOL
Next
Implements the settings in this dialog box and opens the

Create V-VOL Confirmation Dialog Box (see Create V-VOL
Confirmation Dialog Box (page 49)).
Cancel
Create V-VOL Confirmation Dialog Box

Access the V-VOL Confirmation Dialog Box by selecting Next on the Create V-VOL Dialog Box (2)
(see Create V-VOL Dialog Box (2) (page 45)).
48
Figure 22 Create V-VOL Confirmation Dialog Box
Item
Description
V-VOL Group
V-VOL group ID
V-VOL information
Information about each V-VOL in the group that you are

creating:
VDEV: V-VOL group ID and VDEV number.
Capacity: Capacity.
LDKC:CU:LDEV: LDKC number, CU number, and LDEV
number.
Back

you to the Create V-VOL Dialog box (2) (see Create V-VOL
Yes
Implements the settings and closes the dialog box. The

settings are not applied to the subsystem until you click
Apply in the V-VOL window.
Cancel
Connect Pool Dialog Box

Access the Connect Pool dialog box by opening the V-VOL window (see V-VOL Window
(page 35)), right-clicking on the V-VOL group that you want to associate with the pool, and then
selecting Associate V-VOL with Pool from the pop-up menu.
Connect Pool Dialog Box
49
Figure 23 Connect Pool Dialog Box
Item
Description
Pool ID
Pool ID.
Status
Pool status (Normal or Blocked).
Total Capacity
The total pool capacity (value is truncated to 2 decimal

places).
Used Capacity
Used pool capacity (value is truncated to 2 decimal places).
Threshold
Pool usage level threshold.
Next
Opens the Change Threshold dialog box, provided that

you have selected a row.
Cancel
Change Threshold Dialog Box

Access the Change Threshold dialog box by selecting Next on the Connect Pool dialog box.
Figure 24 Change Threshold Dialog Box
50
Item
Description
Threshold
Select the V-VOL potential demand capacity threshold.

Select values from 5% to 300%, in 5% increments. The
default is 5%.
Set
Implements the threshold setting for that V-VOL.
Cancel
Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool Dialog Box

Access the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box by opening the V-VOL window (see
V-VOL Window (page 35)), right-clicking the XP Thin Provisioning icon, and then selecting
Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool.
Figure 25 Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool Dialog Box
Item
Description
Attribute
The name of the application that is going to use the V-VOL groups. This is the
name of the application whose icon you right-clicked in order to display the
Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box.
CLPR
Select the CLPR of the V-VOL group that you want to associate with a pool.
V-VOL information
Information about the V-VOL groups:

V-VOL Group: V-VOL group ID.
CLPR: CLPR number.
V-VOL Cnt.: Number of V-VOLs in the V-VOL groups.
LDEV: LDKC number, CU number, and LDEV number of the first LDEV in the
V-VOL group. These numbers are separated by colons.
Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool Dialog Box
51
Item
Description
Pool ID: Pool ID of the first LDEV in the V-VOL group. The following symbols
are used to display status:
If a V-VOL group is associated with a pool, a Pool ID is displayed in a
blue bold italics.
If a V-VOL group is released from a pool, a hyphen (-) is displayed.
If the V-VOL group is not associated with a pool, a space is displayed.
Threshold: Threshold (5% to 300%) that applies to the first LDEV in the V-VOL
group. The following symbols are used to display status:
If the V-VOL group is associated with a pool, the Threshold is displayed
using blue bold italics.
If the V-VOL group is released from a pool, a hyphen (-) is displayed.
If the V-VOL group is not associated with a pool, a space is displayed.
Icons
The following icon is displayed in the dialog box:
Page
: V-VOL group
The number of the current page. You can use the following items to change
pages:
Previous button allows you to display the previous 4,096 V-VOL groups.
N/M list: The N displays the number of the current page. The M displays the
total number of pages. You can click the drop-down list and choose the
number of the page you want to display.
Next displays the next 4,096 V-VOL groups.
Set
Specifies that the V-VOL groups selected in the V-VOL information setting list will
be associated with a pool. The V-VOL groups to be associated with a pool
appear in blue bold italics. The Connect Pool dialog box (see Connect Pool
Dialog Box (page 50)) is also displayed.
Clear
Clears each setting in the V-VOL information setting list.
OK
Closes the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box and displays a
confirmation message appears asking whether it is OK to apply the setting to
the storage system.
Cancel
Cancels all the settings in the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box.
Release V-VOL Groups from Pool Dialog Box

Access the Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog box by opening the V-VOL window (see V-VOL
Window (page 35)), then right-clicking on the XP Thin Provisioning icon, and selecting Release
V-VOL Groups from Pool.
52
Figure 26 Release V-VOL Groups from Pool Dialog Box
Item
Description
Attribute
The name of the application that is going to use the V-VOL

groups is displayed. This is the name of the application
whose icon you right-clicked in order to display the Release
V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog box.
Pool ID
Select the CLPR of the V-VOL group that you want to release
from a pool. If All is selected, all V-VOL groups associated
with a pool are displayed.
Release V-VOL Groups from Pool Dialog Box
53
Item
Description
V-VOL information
Information about the V-VOL groups:

CLPR: The number of the CLPR.
V-VOL Cnt.: The number of V-VOLs in the V-VOL groups.
LDEV: LDKC number, CU number, and LDEV number of
the first LDEV in the V-VOL group. These numbers are
separated by colons.
Pool ID: Pool ID of the first LDEV in the V-VOL group.
The following symbols are used to display status:
If the V-VOL group is associated with a pool, the
Pool ID is displayed in a blue bold italic.
If the V-VOL group is released from pool, a hyphen
(-) is displayed.
If the V-VOL group is not associated with a pool, a
space is displayed.
Threshold: Threshold (5% to 300%) that applies to the
first LDEV in the V-VOL group. The following symbols
are used to display status:
If the V-VOL group is associated with a pool, the
Threshold is displayed in blue bold italics.
If the V-VOL group is released from a pool, a hyphen
(-) is displayed.
If the V-VOL group is not associated with a pool, a
space is displayed.
Page
The number of the current page. You can use the following
items to change pages:
Previous button allows you to display the previous
4,096 V-VOL groups.
N/M list: The N displays the number of the current page.
The M displays the total number of pages. You can click
the drop-down list, and choose the number of the page
you want to display.
Set
Specifies that the V-VOL groups selected in the V-VOL

information setting list will be released from a pool. The
V-VOL groups to be released from a pool appear in blue
bold italics.
Clear
Clears each setting in the V.
OK
Closes the Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog box

and a confirmation message appears asking whether it is
OK to apply the setting to the storage system.
Cancel
Cancels all the settings in the Release V-VOL Groups from

Pool dialog box.
Delete V-VOL Groups Dialog Box

Access the Delete V-VOL Groups dialog box by opening the V-VOL window (see V-VOL Window
(page 35)), then right-clicking on the XP Thin Provisioning icon, and selecting Delete V-VOL Groups.
54
Figure 27 Delete V-VOL Groups Dialog Box
Item
Description
Attribute
The name of the application that is going to use the V-VOL

groups is displayed. This is the name of the application
whose icon you right-clicked in order to display the Delete
V-VOL Groups dialog box.
CLPR
Select the CLPR of the V-VOL groups. If All is selected, all

V-VOL groups in all CLPRs are displayed.
V-VOL information
Information about the V-VOL groups that you are going to

delete.
CLPR: The number of the CLPR.
V-VOL Cnt: The number of V-VOLs in the V-VOL groups.
Icons
Page
The following icons are displayed in the dialog box:
: V-VOL group
: V-VOL group (in the process of being deleted)
The number of the current page. Use the following items

to change pages of list:
Previous button allows you to display the previous
4,096 V-VOL groups.
N/M list: The N displays the number of the current page.
The M displays the total number of pages. You can open
the drop-down list, and choose the number of the page
you want to display.
Delete V-VOL Groups Dialog Box
55
56
Item
Description
Set
Specifies that the V-VOL groups selected in the V-VOL

information setting list will be deleted. The V-VOL groups
to be deleted appear in blue bold italics.
Clear
Clears each setting in the V-VOL information setting list.
OK
Closes the Delete V-VOL Groups dialog box and a

confirmation message appears asking whether it is OK to
apply the setting to the storage system.
Cancel
Cancels all the settings in the Delete V-VOL Groups dialog

box.
5 Performing XP Thin Provisioning Operations

This chapter gives instructions for performing XP Thin Provisioning operations.
XP Thin Provisioning Flow Chart (page 57)
Managing Pools (page 57)
Managing V-VOLs and V-VOL Groups (page 62)
XP Thin Provisioning Flow Chart

Only Storage Administrators can perform XP Thin Provisioning operations. Figure 28 (page 57)
illustrates the XP Thin Provisioning functions.
Figure 28 XP Thin Provisioning Flow Chart
Managing Pools
This section discusses the following topics:
Viewing Pool Information (page 58)
Creating a Pool (page 58)
Associating the Pool-VOL with the Pool (page 60)
Changing the Pool Threshold (page 60)
Deleting Pools (page 61)
Recovering Pools in Blocked Status (page 61)
XP Thin Provisioning Flow Chart
57
Viewing Pool Information

To view the pool information:
1.
2.
From the File menu, select Basic Information. The Report Display window opens. The Port tab
is the default view.
Click the XP Thin Provisioning tab to display the XP Thin Provisioning window (see
Figure 29 (page 58)). Select the LDKC:CU button to view information sorted by CU number.
Select the Pool button to view information sorted by pool.
Figure 29 Viewing the XP Thin Provisioning Information
3.
Additional XP Thin Provisioning information is available using Go > Volume Manager >
Pool (see Accessing the Pool Window (page 59)).
Creating a Pool
The first step in using XP Thin Provisioning is to create one or more pools.
WARNING!
NOTE:
Make sure that the blocks-in-use capacity is less than the total capacity.
Total capacity is the total pool storage capacity.
The value for pool management blocks in use will increase if you add pool-VOLs.
To create a pool:
1.
2.
58
Access the Pool window by selecting Go Volume Manager Pool (see Accessing the Pool
Window (page 59)).
In the Pool tree, on the upper left corner of the Pool window, right-click the XP Thin Provisioning
folder, and then select New Pool.
Performing XP Thin Provisioning Operations
3.
In the New Pool dialog box (see Defining a New Pool (page 59)), do the following:
In the Pool ID text box, enter the number for the pool ID. Use numbers from 0 to 127 and
do not select a number that is already in use for any other pool (XP Thin Provisioning or
XP Snapshot).
In the Threshold list, select the pool usage level threshold. This is expressed as a percentage
of pool usage over pool capacity.
CAUTION: If the usage level of the pool exceeds a threshold, the pool status warns
against adding new pool-VOLs. Be sure that you do not set the threshold value too small.
4.
5.
6.
7.
In the Attribute list, select XP Thin Provisioning.
Verify that the settings are correct, and select Set.

The New Pool dialog box closes and the new pool is displayed in the Pool tree, in the upper
left corner of the window.
To create another pool, repeat the preceding steps.
Click Apply, and then click OK to create the new pool.
This operation may take up to 20 minutes, depending on the number and capacity of the
pools and pool-VOLs.
NOTE:
Total capacity is the total pool storage capacity.
The value for pool management blocks in use will increase if you add pool-VOLs.
Make sure that the blocks in use capacity is less than the total capacity.
Figure 30 Accessing the Pool Window
Figure 31 Defining a New Pool
Managing Pools
59
Associating the Pool-VOL with the Pool

To associate one or more pool-VOLs to a pool:
1.
2.
3.
Window (page 59)).
In the Pool tree, in the upper left corner of the Pool window, select a pool.
In the Free LDEVs list, in the bottom right corner of the window, select the volumes that you
want to register in the pool as pool-VOLs.
If you select an LDKC number from the list, the CU list will contain CUs only within that
LDKC.
If you select a CU number from the CU list, the Free LDEVs list will contain the LDEVs only
in that CU. Within the same CU, you can select multiple LDEVs at a time.
CAUTION:
4.
5.
As a best practice, use the same drive type for all pool-VOLs in the same pool.
Right-click the selected volumes and select Add Pool-VOL.

Check the list of the volumes, and then click OK. The dialog box closes and the selected
volumes will be displayed in the Pool-VOL list.
CAUTION: You cannot delete pool-VOLs after you add them. Be sure to verify that the settings
are correct.
6.
7.
To add more pool-VOLs, repeat the preceding steps.

In the Pool window, click Optimize.
You do not need to initialize or optimize the pool created with the microcode version 60-05-0X
or later.
8.
Click Apply, and then click OK to associate the pool-VOL to the pool.
Changing the Pool Threshold

Once you create a pool, the only setting you can change is the threshold. To change the threshold
of a pool:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Window (page 59)).
In the Pool tree in the upper left corner of the window, right-click the selected pool, and then
select Change Pool Information to display the Change Pool Information dialog box (see
Figure 32 (page 60)). If the pool usage level is 95% or higher, the pop-up menu will not
appear.
Select the value for the threshold from the Threshold list.
Click Set to close the Change Pool Information dialog box.
Click Apply, and then click OK to change the pool threshold.
Figure 32 Change Pool Information Dialog Box
60
Deleting Pools
As a general rule, you will specify and delete a single pool. If you choose to delete multiple pools,
all pools that can be deleted will be deleted.
Deleting a Single Pool

A pool can be deleted only when there are no V-VOLs associated with the pool. Confirm that the
pool usage is 0 and the pool association with V-VOL has been deleted, and then you can delete
a single pool.
To delete a pool:
1.
2.
Window (page 59)).
If the pool is associated with any V-VOL, disassociate it and confirm that the pool usage is 0
(see Releasing a V-VOL from a Pool (page 67)).
For details about how to delete the association, see Changing the V-VOL Settings (page 65).
3.
4.
5.
In the pool tree, in the upper left corner of the window, right-click the selected pool, and then
select Delete Pool. If the pool is associated with V-VOLs, the pop-up menu will not appear.
Click OK on the confirmation message. The icon of the selected pool changes to indicate that
the pool will be deleted.
Click Apply, and then click OK to delete the pool.
Deleting Multiple Pools

CAUTION: This operation will delete all pools that can be deleted. To delete a single pool, see
Deleting a Single Pool (page 61) for instructions.
To delete multiple pools:
1.
2.
Window (page 59)).
If the pool is associated with any V-VOL, disassociate it and confirm that the Pool usage is 0
(see Releasing a V-VOL from a Pool (page 67)).
For details about how to delete the association, see Releasing a V-VOL from a Pool (page 67).
3.
4.
5.
6.
In the Pool tree, in the upper left corner of the window, right-click the selected pools, and then
select Delete Pool(s).
Click OK on the confirmation message. The icon of the selected pools changes to indicate
that the pools will be deleted.
Click Apply, and then click OK to delete the pools.
Click Cancel to cancel the operation.
Recovering Pools in Blocked Status

This operation is for failure recovery of a blocked pool. Ordinarily, you should not need to perform
this operation.
Recovering a blocked pool is equivalent to initializing the pool. Data loss will occur.
The recovery time for pools varies depending on pool usage or V-VOL usage. Calculate roughly
20 minutes of recovery time for every 100 TB of pool or V-VOL usage. Recovery time may vary
depending on the workload of the storage system at the time of recovery.
Recovering a Single Blocked Pool

To recover a blocked pool:
Managing Pools
61
1.
2.
3.
4.
Window (page 59)).
In the Pool tree, in the upper left corner of the window, select and right-click the blocked pool
you want to recover to display the Restore Pools pop-up menu.
Select Restore Pools, and then select OK on the confirmation message. The pool icon will
change to indicate a normal pool. Pool icons are described in Pool Window (page 29).
Click Apply, and then click OK to restore the pool.
Recovering Multiple Blocked Pools

To recover multiple blocked pools:
1.
2.
3.
Window (page 59)).
In the Pool tree, in the upper left corner of the window, select and right-click the XP Thin
Provisioning icon, select Restore Pools, and then select OK on the confirmation message. The
pool icon will change to indicate a normal pool.
Click Apply, and then click OK to restore the pool.
Managing V-VOLs and V-VOL Groups

This section discusses the following topics:
Creating a V-VOL Group (page 62)
Changing the V-VOL Settings (page 65)
Changing the V-VOL Settings of Multiple V-VOL Groups (page 72)
Deleting V-VOL Groups (page 76)
Deleting V-VOLs (page 77)
You will need to use Virtual LVI/LUN for the following V-VOL operations:
Adding V-VOLs to an existing V-VOL group.
Deleting V-VOLs from an existing V-VOL group.
For more information on Virtual LVI/LUN, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Virtual
LVI/LUN (VLL) and Volume Shredder User Guide.
Creating a V-VOL Group

When creating a V-VOL group, define the V-VOLs for the group at the same time. Although multiple
V-VOLs can be defined to a V-VOL group, the recommendation is to define just one V-VOL per
V-VOL group. The number of V-VOL groups allowed is the same as the maximum number of V-VOLs
in the system.
If you plan to increase the capacity of a V-VOL, free space is needed in the V-VOL group immediately
adjacent to the V-VOL. The recommendation to define a single V-VOL per V-VOL group allows for
any V-VOL to be expanded to its maximum allowed capacity. For more information about increasing
V-VOL capacity, see Increasing V-VOL Capacity (page 67).
To create a V-VOL Group:
1.
2.
62
Window (page 59)).
In the pool tree, in the upper left corner of the window, right-click the XP Thin Provisioning
folder, and then select New V-VOL Group.
3.
4.
5.
In the New V-VOL Group dialog box (see Creating a New V-VOL Group (1) (page 64)),
do the following:
In the V-VOL Group list, select or enter the V-VOL group ID. Use numbers from 1 to 65,535,
and do not enter a number that is already in use.
In Emulation Type, select OPEN-V.
In CLPR, select the CLPR number.
In Copy of V-VOL Groups, enter the number of V-VOL groups to be created. You can
enter numbers from 0 to 63,231. This is the maximum per storage system. If you have
any external volumes or any XP Snapshot volumes, this maximum is decreased accordingly.
If you enter 0, no V-VOL group will be created.
Click Next.
In the Create V-VOL dialog box (2) (see Creating a New V-VOL Group (1) (page 64)), do
the following:
In Emulation Type, select OPEN-V.
In Capacity Unit, select one of the following:
MB (megabyte)
Block
Cyl. (cylinder)
In Capacity, enter the capacity:
If you selected MB in the Capacity Unit list, enter numbers from 46 to 4,194,303.
If you selected block, enter numbers from 96,000 to 8,589,934,592.
If you selected Cyl, enter numbers from 50 to 4,473,924.
When you specify the Capacity Unit as MB or Cyl, the storage system optimally corrects
the Capacity. Therefore, to set Capacity accurately to the largest value of the VDEV
capacity, specify the Capacity Unit as block.
In Number of V-VOL, enter the number of the V-VOLs you want to create, from 1 to 1024.
See System Option Mode 726 explained in V-VOLs (page 10).
The number of V-VOLs that you can enter in this dialog box can vary, depending on the
number of V-VOL groups that you specified in the New V-VOL Group dialog box (see
New V-VOL Group Dialog Box (page 42)). For example, if you specified 100 V-VOL
Groups, in this dialog box you can specify 10 V-VOLs per V-VOL Group, because the
maximum total is 1024. In this case, the displayed range would be 1 to 10.
6.
7.
Click Set to add these V-VOLs to the V-VOL list. To add more V-VOLs, repeat this step.
Click Next.
In the Create V-VOL dialog box (3) (see Creating a New V-VOL Group (2) (page 64)):
In the Volume list in the upper part of the dialog box, select a volume.
In Select LDKC No., select the LDKC number.
In Select CU No., select the CU number. This will show the selected volume in the LDEV
list, in the bottom of the dialog box.
In Interval, select the interval between the LDEV numbers. If you select 0, the LDEV numbers
will be sequential.
63
To select a CU that belongs to another SLPR, select the CU number of another SLPR is
used check box.
Only the areas displayed by the white cells are available for the V-VOLs. Once the area
is selected, it turns blue, and the CU and LDEV number are added to the V-VOL list on
the top of the dialog box, in blue bold italics.
To add another V-VOL, repeat this step.
8.
9.
Click Next.
In the Create V-VOL Group Confirmation dialog box (see Confirming V-VOL Group Creation
(page 65)), verify that the settings are correct, and then click OK. The new V-VOLs appear in
blue bold italics.
10. Click Apply, and then click OK to create the V-VOLs.
Figure 33 Creating a New V-VOL Group (1)
64
Figure 36 Confirming V-VOL Group Creation
Changing the V-VOL Settings

Associating a V-VOL with a Pool
To associate a V-VOL with a pool:
65
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Access the V-VOL window by selecting Go Volume Manager V-VOL (see Selecting the
V-VOL Group (page 66)).
In the V-VOL GroupV-VOL tree on the left side of the window, select the V-VOL group that
contains the V-VOLs that you want to associate with a pool. This will display the information
for the individual V-VOLs on the right side of the window.
In the right side of the window, right-click one or more V-VOLs, and select Associate V-VOL
with Pool to display the Connect Pool dialog box (see Selecting the Pool (page 66)). You
can only select from rows with black font.
Select the pool ID that you want to associate with the V-VOL group, and then select Next to
display the Change Threshold dialog box (see Changing the Threshold (page 67)).
Select the threshold from the list, and then click Set to implement the settings and return to the
V-VOL window. You can set thresholds from 5% to 300% in 5% increments.
Click Apply, and then click OK to associate the V-VOL with the pool.
Figure 37 Selecting the V-VOL Group
Figure 38 Selecting the Pool
66
Figure 39 Changing the Threshold
Releasing a V-VOL from a Pool

If you release a V-VOL from the pool, the free space is added back into the pool.
To release a V-VOL from a pool:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Release the path definitions to the V-VOLs to be deleted. For instructions, see the HP
StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 LUN Manager User Guide.
In the V-VOL GroupV-VOL tree in the left side of the window, select the V-VOL group that
contains the V-VOLs that you want to release from a pool. This will display the information for
the individual V-VOLs in the right side of the window.
In the right side of the window, right-click one or more V-VOLs, and select Release V-VOL from
Pool.
CAUTION: A V-VOL cannot be released from a pool if the volume is a volume with path
definition or reserved volume of XP Auto LUN Software.
5.
Select Apply and then OK to release the V-VOL from the pool. The space assigned to the
V-VOLs will be returned back to the pool as free space.
Changing the V-VOL Threshold

To change the threshold of a V-VOL that is already associated with a pool:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
In the V-VOL GroupV-VOL tree in the left side of the window, select the V-VOL group that
contains the V-VOLs that you want to associate with a pool. Selecting a V-VOL group displays
the information for the individual V-VOLs in the right side of the window.
In the right side of the window, right-click one or more V-VOLs, and select Change Threshold
to display the Change Threshold dialog box (see Changing the Threshold (page 67)). Be
sure to select V-VOLs that are already associated with a pool.
Select the threshold from the list, and then click Set to implement the settings and return to the
V-VOL window. You can set thresholds from 5% to 300%,, in 5% increments. The default is
5%. You can only select from rows with black font.
Click Apply, and then click OK to change the V-VOL threshold.
Increasing V-VOL Capacity

If you increase the V-VOL capacity, you must use the raidvchkset command of XP RAID Manager.
XP RAID Manager version 01-22-03/06 supports the option for increasing capacity, but does not
support the option for decreasing capacity.
You can increase the capacity of V-VOLs used online for the following operating systems:
Windows Server 2008
Windows 2003
67
AIX: Ver. 5.3 and 6.1
HP-UX 11.31
OpenVMS 8.3
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.1
Do not increase the capacity of V-VOLs used online to any other host. Any V-VOL's capacity can
be increased if the V-VOL is offline to all hosts. Always check that the host operating system, volume
manager, and file system accept that a LUNs capacity can be increased before attempting a
V-VOL capacity increase. Also review and test the proper procedure documented by the hostss
operating system concerning increasing a LUNs capacity.
CAUTION:
The processing differs as follows, depending on the value of host mode option 40:
When the value of host mode option 40 is not enabled, the host will not be notified that the
V-VOL capacity has been increased. Therefore, the V-VOL data has to be read again by the
storage system after the capacity has been increased.
When the value of host mode option 40 is enabled, the host will be notified that the V-VOL
capacity has been increased. If the operating system cannot recognize the value of capacity
that was increased, the V-VOL data has to be read again by the storage system.
To increase the V-VOL capacity, the following conditions must be satisfied:
Free space exists immediately below the V-VOL in the V-VOL window. In the V-VOL capacity,
only the free space capacity can be increased. You can see the free space in the V-VOL
window of Remote Web Console.
Figure 40 (page 68) illustrates displaying free space.

Figure 40 Example of Displaying Free Space
In this example, you can increase the capacity of the LDEV shown as 00:10:00 by 1,024.75 MB,
and the capacity of the LDEV shown as 00:10:67 by 4,087,730.00 MB. You can increase the
V-VOL capacity while the free space exists.
68
NOTE:
If system option mode 726 is enabled (not the default setting), you can set only one V-VOL in
one V-VOL group. You can increase the size of the V-VOL without first migrating the V-VOL,
but you cannot use the V-VOL as a custom-sized volume (CVS).
If system option mode 726 is disabled (the default setting), you can set more than one V-VOL
in one V-VOL group.
The V-VOL to be increased is not shared with an XP product that cannot increase the V-VOL
(see the Using XP Thin Provisioning with Other Products (page 18)).
The V-VOL is not undergoing the LDEV format operation.
The capacity to be added to the V-VOL is smaller than the capacity displayed below the
remaining label in the V-VOL window.
If you increase the V-VOL capacity, the ratio of the free space capacity of the pool to the free
space capacity of the V-VOL is equal to or more than the V-VOL threshold.
For details about the relation between increasing V-VOL capacity and the V-VOL threshold,
see Relation Between Increasing V-VOL Capacity and V-VOL Threshold (page 70).
Examples 1 and 2 illustrate whether the capacity of a V-VOL can be increased if the V-VOL
threshold is 50 percent.
In Example 1, the ratio of the free space capacity of the pool to the free space capacity
of the V-VOL is 200 percent before the capacity increase and about 56% after the capacity
increase. These percentages exceed the threshold (50 percent). Therefore, the capacity
of the V-VOL can be increased.
of the V-VOL is about 133 percent before the capacity increase and 40% after the capacity
increase. Since the ratio goes below threshold (50 percent) after the capacity increase,
the capacity of the V-VOL cannot be increased.
of the V-VOL is 200 percent, which is lower than the threshold (250 percent). Therefore,
the capacity of the V-VOL cannot be increased.
For details about how to calculate the V-VOL threshold, see V-VOL Requirements (page 27).
69
Figure 41 Relation Between Increasing V-VOL Capacity and V-VOL Threshold
70
For more information on the raidvchkset command for increasing V-VOL capacity, see the HP
StorageWorks XP RAID Manager User Guide.
CAUTION: When increasing the V-VOL capacity, do not perform the following operations. When
performing the following operations, do not increase the V-VOL capacity.
Operations using the Virtual LVI/LUN function
Operations using the Cache Residency Manager function
Creating V-VOLs
Associating a V-VOL with a pool
Deleting the association between a V-VOL and a pool
Restoring pools
Deleting V-VOLs
Operations to increase the V-VOL capacity in another instance of XP RAID Manager
Maintenance of the storage system
CAUTION: After increasing the V-VOL capacity, click Refresh in the Remote Web Console to
make sure that the V-VOL is increased. If the V-VOL is not increased, wait a while, and then click
Refresh again and make sure that the V-VOL is increased. If you perform a Remote Web Console
operation without making sure that the V-VOL is increased, the operation from Remote Web Console
can fail.
CAUTION: Using system option 733 deters simultaneous execution of the maintenance operation
and one of the following operations:
Volume migration by XP Auto LUN
Quick Restore by XP Business Copy
If this system option is in effect and an XP Auto LUN or Quick Restore operation is being performed,
you may fail to increase the V-VOL capacity. To confirm whether the V-VOL capacity is increased,
click Refresh in Remote Web Console. If the V-VOL capacity is not increased, click Refresh again
after XP Auto LUN or Quick Restore is finished to confirm the capacity.
Releasing Pages in a V-VOL

If all the data written to a page assigned to a V-VOL is binary zeros, you can reclaim the page
and return it to the pools available capacity. See Reclaiming Pages from a V-VOL (page 11)
for restrictions. Select the V-VOLs that you suspect have a several pages written with binary zeros,
and use the discard zero data operation, which scans the selected V-VOL's pages and finally frees
up those with all binary zeros.
Zero data can be discarded if all the following conditions are satisfied:
The page is completely written with only binary zeros.
The V-VOL is not used in conjunction with another application that cannot perform discarding
zero data.
LDEV formatting is not being performed on the V-VOL.
The V-VOL is not blocked.
The V-VOL is associated with a pool.
The pool associated with the V-VOL is not blocked, or is full and blocked.
71
Zero data cannot be discarded if all the following conditions are satisfied:
The V-VOL status is normal.
The V-VOL is not associated with a pool.
Zero data in the V-VOL are already being discarded.

To release the pages in a V-VOL:
1. In the Remote Web Console, access the V-VOL window by selecting Go Volume Manager
V-VOL (see Selecting the V-VOL Group (page 66)).
2. In the V-VOL Group - V-VOL tree in the left side of the window, select the V-VOL group
containing the V-VOLs where the pages should be released. This will display the information
about the individual V-VOLs on the right side of the window.
3. On the right side of the window, right-click one or more V-VOLs, and select Discard Zero Data
from the pop-up menu. This may take some time as the software scans the entire V-VOL looking
for pages with zero data, marking them for release when you later click Apply.
4. After selecting Discard Zero Data (and before clicking Apply), if you want to stop releasing
pages, right-click one or more V-VOLs, and select Stop Discarding Zero Data. The discarding
of zero data stops, but the already discarded zero data cannot be restored, and the pages
marked for release will be released when you click Apply.
You cannot stop releasing pages if the page status for the V-VOL is not Discarding Zero Data.
5.
6.
Click Apply, and then click OK to release pages in the V-VOL in the background.
After discarding zero data and releasing pages in the V-VOL is complete, click Refresh in the
Remote Web Console to update the Page Status. If the Page Status is not immediately updated,
wait awhile, and then click Refresh again.
If you have started a discard zero data operation, and the storage system loses power, which then
disrupts shared memory, the discard zero data operation will not automatically continue after the
storage system restarts.
In any of the following cases, discarding of zero data will stop and V-VOL pages will not be
released:
LDEV formatting was performed while discarding zero data.
The pool-VOL that is being accessed by the target V-VOL was blocked.
The pool associated with the target V-VOL was blocked while discarding zero data.
The pool-VOL accessed by the target V-VOL cannot be used temporarily.
Cache memory failure occurred while discarding zero data.
The association between the target V-VOL and the pool was released when zero data was
discarded.
An attempt was made to perform XP Continuous Access or XP Continuous Access Journal initial
copy operations on the V-VOL when zero data was discarded from the V-VOL.
Changing the V-VOL Settings of Multiple V-VOL Groups

You can change information about V-VOLs in multiple V-VOL groups, such as the pool association
and the threshold.
Associating Multiple V-VOL Groups with a Pool

You can associate multiple V-VOL groups with a pool. The time required to associate changes
between V-VOLs in multiple V-VOL groups with a pool can vary greatly depending on the V-VOL
capacity and the quantity of V-VOLs being associated.
To associate multiple V-VOL groups with a pool:
72
1.
2.
3.
Access the V-VOL window (see Selecting the V-VOL Group (page 66)) by selecting Go
Volume Manager V-VOL .
Right-click XP Thin Provisioning in the V-VOL group tree of the V-VOL window, and then select
Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool. The Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box opens
(see Figure 42 (page 74)). Depending on your environment, it may take up to 30 seconds to
open the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box.
In the V-VOL groups information setting list in the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog
box, select the V-VOL groups you want to associate with a pool.
Display the list of V-VOL groups that are included in the CLPR by selecting a specific CLPR
from the CLPR list. The groups will be displayed in the V-VOL groups information setting list.
Find V-VOL groups by clicking the button in the page area under the list. The page that includes
the V-VOL groups will be displayed. The list displays V-VOL groups up to a maximum of 4,096
at a time. For lists that exceed this maximum, click Previous and Next to display the remaining
V-VOL groups.
The following V-VOL groups will not be displayed in the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool
dialog box:
4.
5.
6.
7.
A V-VOL group in which the first LDEV has been associated with a pool.
A V-VOL group lacking any V-VOLs.
Click Set. The specified V-VOL groups are displayed in blue bold italics and the Connect Pool
dialog box opens (see Selecting the Pool (page 66)).
Click Clear to clear the specified V-VOL groups. To specify more V-VOL groups, repeat Step
3 and Step 4.
Select the pool ID with which you want to associate the V-VOL groups in the Connect Pool
dialog box, and then select Next to display the Change Threshold dialog box (see Changing
the Threshold (page 67)). If you clear the information and return to the Associate V-VOL
Groups with Pool dialog box, click Cancel.
In the Change Threshold dialog box, select the threshold from the list, then click Set to implement
the settings and return to the V-VOL window. If you want to clear the information and return
to the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box, click Cancel.
The pool ID and the threshold that you set are displayed in blue bold italics. To specify other
V-VOL groups, repeat Step 3.
8.
9.
Click OK. The Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box closes and a confirmation message
is displayed to ask if it is OK to apply the setting to the storage system.
Click OK. The confirmation message closes and the V-VOL groups are associated with the
pool. If you click the Cancel button in this message, the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool
dialog box is displayed again. If the specified V-VOL groups cannot be associated with a
pool, a message box is displayed.
73
Figure 42 Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool Dialog Box
Releasing Multiple V-VOL Groups from a Pool

Before releasing V-VOL groups from a pool, confirm that the pool-VOLs added to the pool are not
blocked. If the pool-VOLs are blocked, restore the volume status, then release the V-VOLs from a
pool.
Also, if the cache write pending rate exceeds 55%, the pool usage may not be 0, because the
V-VOL cannot be released from the pool.
After a V-VOL is released from a pool, performance of the initial copy may be lowered if the XP
Continuous Access pair or the XP Continuous Access Journal pair is in the same pool as the V-VOL.
You can prevent the performance from being lowered in one of the following ways:
Do not release the V-VOL from the same pool where the initial copy of the XP Continuous
Access pair V-VOL or the XP Continuous Access Journal pair V-VOL is performed.
Before making an initial copy of the XP Continuous Access pair or the XP Continuous Access
Journal pair, reserve enough pool capacity so that the threshold will not be reached during
the initial copy.
If you attempt to release a V-VOL using the Quick Restore feature of XP Business Copy or XP Auto
LUN Software, error 3005 68727 may occur if the V-VOL had been previously used in a Quick
Restore or XP Auto LUN Software migration. If the error occurs, use the following equation to
calculate how long to wait before attempting to release the V-VOL again:
(Pool Capacity in terabytes x 3 seconds) + 40 minutes.
Heavy workload on the storage system could add additional time to the wait period. If the V-VOL
operation status is in Processing state, then wait for the state to change to Ready before attempting
Auto LUN or Quick Restore.
74
To release multiple V-VOL groups from a pool:

CAUTION: Confirm that the pool-VOLs that are added to a pool are not blocked. If the pool-VOLs
are blocked, restore the volume status, and then release the V-VOLs from a pool.
1.
2.
3.
Right-click XP Thin Provisioning in the V-VOL group tree of the V-VOL window, and select
Release V-VOL Groups from Pool. The Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog box (see
Release V-VOL Groups from Pool Dialog Box (page 76)) is displayed. Depending on your
environment, it may take up to 30 seconds to open the Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog
box.
In the V-VOL groups information setting list in the Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog
box, select the V-VOL groups you want to release from a pool.
In the Pool ID list, specify a pool ID. The list of V-VOL groups associated with the selected pool
ID is displayed in the V-VOL groups information setting list. Find V-VOL groups by clicking the
button in the page area under the list. The page that includes the V-VOL groups is displayed.
The list displays V-VOL groups up to a maximum of 4,096 at a time. For lists that exceed that
number, click Previous and Next to display the remaining V-VOL groups.
The following V-VOL groups will not be displayed in the Release V-VOL Groups from Pool
dialog box:
4.
5.
6.
A V-VOL group in which the first LDEV has been associated with a pool
A V-VOL group lacking any V-VOLs
Click Set. The specified V-VOL groups are displayed in a blue, italic font. Click Clear to clear
the specified V-VOL groups. To specify more V-VOL groups, repeat Step 3 and Step 4.
Click OK. The Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog box closes and a confirmation message
is displayed to ask if it is OK to apply the setting to the storage system.
Click OK. The confirmation message closes and the V-VOL groups are released from the pool.
If you click the Cancel button in this message, the Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog
box is displayed again. If the specified V-VOL groups cannot be released from a pool, a
message dialog box appears.
75
Figure 43 Release V-VOL Groups from Pool Dialog Box
Deleting V-VOL Groups

Typically you specify and delete a single V-VOL group. If you choose to delete multiple V-VOL
groups, all V-VOLs in multiple V-VOL groups will be deleted.
Deleting a V-VOL Group

You can delete a V-VOL group and all V-VOLs in the V-VOL group.
V-VOL groups associated with a pool ID cannot be deleted. To delete such a group, first release
the V-VOL group from a pool, then delete it.
To delete a V-VOL group:
1.
2.
3.
4.
In the V-VOL GroupV-VOL tree in the left side of the window, right-click the V-VOL group that
contains the V-VOL group and V-VOLs that you want to delete, and then select Delete V-VOL
Group.
Click OK on the confirmation message. The icon of the selected V-VOL group changes to
indicate that deletion is in process.
Click Apply, and then click OK to delete the V-VOL group.
Deleting Multiple V-VOL Groups

You can delete multiple V-VOL groups and the V-VOLs in all the V-VOL groups.
V-VOL groups associated with a pool ID cannot be deleted. To delete such a group, first release
the V-VOL groups from a pool, then delete it.
To delete selected multiple V-VOL groups:
76
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Right-click XP Thin Provisioning in the V-VOL group tree of the V-VOL window, and then select
Delete V-VOL Groups. The Delete V-VOL Groups dialog box opens (see Delete V-VOL Groups
Dialog Box (page 55)). Depending on your environment, it may take 30 seconds to open
the Delete V-VOL Groups dialog box.
Select the V-VOL groups you want to delete from the V-VOL groups information setting list in
the Delete V-VOL Groups dialog box. In the CLPR list, select a CLPR, and the list of V-VOL
groups that are included in the CLPR is also displayed in the V-VOL groups information setting
list. Find the V-VOL groups that you want to delete by clicking the button in the page area
under the list. The page that includes the V-VOL groups that you want to delete is displayed.
The list displays V-VOL groups up to a maximum of 4,096 at a time. For lists that exceed this
maximum, click Previous and Next to display the remaining V-VOL groups.
Click Set. The specified V-VOL groups are displayed in blue bold italics. Click Clear if you
want to clear the specified V-VOL groups. To specify more V-VOL groups, repeat Step 3 and
Step 4.
Click OK. The Delete V-VOL Groups dialog box closes and a confirmation message is displayed
to ask if it is OK to apply the setting to the storage system.
Click OK. The confirmation message closes and the deletion of the V-VOL groups is applied
to the subsystem. If you click the Cancel button in this message, the Delete V-VOL Groups
dialog box is displayed again. If the specified V-VOL groups are not deleted, a message
dialog box appears.
Figure 44 Delete V-VOL Groups Dialog Box
Deleting V-VOLs
This operation deletes selected V-VOLs in the V-VOL group.
77
To delete selected V-VOLs:

1.
2.
3.
78
Delete the selected V-VOLs using the Virtual LVI/LUN Volume to Space function. For more
information, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Virtual LVI/LUN (VLL) and Volume
In the VLL tree in the upper left corner of the VLL window, select the XP Thin Provisioning folder
and then select the parity group.
From the V-VOL list on the upper right, select the target V-VOL groups from the list of the V-VOL
groups, and then select the LDEV to be deleted.
6 Troubleshooting
This chapter describes how to troubleshoot XP Thin Provisioning problems.
XP Thin Provisioning Troubleshooting (page 79)
Managing Pool-Related SIMs (page 83)
Troubleshooting when using XP RAID Manager (page 84)
Calling HP Technical Support (page 86)
XP Thin Provisioning Troubleshooting

Table 15 (page 79) provides troubleshooting instructions for XP Thin Provisioning operations.
Table 15 Troubleshooting for XP Thin Provisioning
Problems
Causes and Solutions
Cannot install XP Thin Provisioning.
Cause:
Shared memory for the V-VOL management area is not
installed.
Solution:
Call HP technical support and check if the shared memory
for the V-VOL management area is installed.
Pool usage level exceeds the threshold.
Causes:
Capacity of the pool is insufficient.
The threshold of the pool is too low.
Solutions:
Add some pool-VOLs to increase the capacity of the pool.
See Viewing Pool Information (page 58). Also, consult HP
for best practices on adding capacity.
Set a larger value to the threshold of the pool. See Changing
the Pool Threshold (page 60).
After the causes of SIMs 620XXX and 621XXX are resolved, you
will need to complete the SIMs. If you do not complete the SIMs,
no new SIMs will occur ( even if the usage level increases and
again exceeds the threshold).
SIMs 620XXX, 621XXX, and 625000 are automatically
completed if you increase pool capacity by adding pool-VOLs
because the condition that caused the SIM is removed.
For details about how to complete SIMs, see Managing
Pool-Related SIMs (page 83).
You need free volumes to add as pool-VOLs. If there are no free
volumes, you need to create new volumes or ask HP technical
support to add hard disks. Therefore, it may take time to solve
the problem.
79
Table 15 Troubleshooting for XP Thin Provisioning (continued)

Problems
Cannot add pool-VOLs.
Causes:
1024 pool-VOLs are already defined in the pool.
There is no available free LDEV to add to the pool.
Something in the storage system is blocked.
Solutions:
Add free LDEVs to another pool. See Viewing Pool
Information (page 58).
Confirm that the pool-VOL meets the pool requirements. See
Volume and Pool Requirements (page 26).
Ask HP technical support to solve the problem.
Cannot assign a V-VOL to a pool.
Causes:
The pool usage level is 100%. Also the maximum of V-VOLs
is currently associated with the pool.
Solutions:
Add some pool-VOLs to increase the available capacity of
the pool. See Viewing Pool Information (page 58).
A pool-VOL is blocked.
Cause:
A failure occurred in two or more hard disk drives.
Solution:
A pool is blocked.
Cause:
The breaker has been turned off and the shared memory has
been lost, and then the system has been started.
Solution:
A pool cannot be restored.
Causes:
Processing takes time, because something in the storage
system is blocked.
The pool-VOL is blocked.
Although you increased the V-VOL capacity, it has been
reduced back to the previous V-VOL capacity.
Solutions:
After waiting awhile, select Refresh or Refresh All from the
File menu at the top left of the Remote Web Console window,
and then check the pool status.
If you increased the V-VOL capacity and it has been reduced
back to the previous V-VOL capacity, follow the instructions
in Increasing V-VOL Capacity (page 67) to make sure that
the capacity is increased, and then restore the pool.
80
Troubleshooting

Problems
A pool cannot be deleted.
Cause:
After the pool is disassociated from any V-VOL, the pool usage
is not 0.
External volumes were not removed from the pool.
Solutions:
Confirm that the pool usage is 0, and then delete the pool.
Ask HP Technical Support to solve the problem.
A pool usage cannot be 0.
Cause:
Because the cache write pending rate exceeds 55 %, the
V-VOL cannot be disassociated from the pool.
Solution:
Decrease the cache write pending rate to less than 55% by
reducing the host I/O.
I/O errors on some writes occur on

V-VOLs
Causes:
Free space for the pool is completely exhausted. The pool
usage level is at 100%.
Solutions:
Check the free space of the pool and increase the capacity
of the pool.
When you are operating Remote Web

Console, a time-out occurs frequently.
Causes:
The load on the Remote Web Console computer is too heavy,
so the Remote Web Console computer cannot respond to the
SVP.
The period of time until a time-out occurs is set too short.
Solutions:
Wait for awhile, and then try the operation again.
Verify the setting for the environment parameter of the Remote
Web Console RMI time-out period.
For information about how to set the RMI time-out period, see
the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web
Console User Guide.
When the host computer tries to access

the port, an error occurs and the host
cannot access the port.
Causes:
Free space for the pool is insufficient.
Solutions:
Check the free space for the pool and increase the capacity
of the pool.
81

Problems
V-VOL capacity cannot be increased.
Causes:
See Troubleshooting when using XP RAID Manager (page 84)
to identify the cause.
Solutions:
After selecting the Refresh or Refresh All command from the
File menu at the top left of the Remote Web Console window,
make sure that the processing for increasing V-VOL capacity
meets conditions described in Increasing V-VOL Capacity
(page 67).
Retry the operation in 10 minutes.
Cannot discard zero data in a V-VOL.
Cause:
Zero data in the V-VOL cannot be discarded from Remote
Web Console because the V-VOL does not meet the conditions
described in Releasing Pages in a V-VOL (page 71).
Solution:
Make sure that the V-VOL meets the conditions described in
Releasing Pages in a V-VOL (page 71).
The V-VOL cannot not be released though Cause:

zero data in the V-VOL is discarded.
Pages of the V-VOL are not released because the process of
discarding zero data was interrupted. For details, see
Releasing Pages in a V-VOL (page 71).
Solution:
Make sure that the V-VOL meets the conditions described in
Releasing Pages in a V-VOL and perform the solution.
Cannot release the Protection attribute of Cause:
the V-VOLs.
The pool is full.
The pool-VOL is blocked.
The pool-VOL of the external volume is blocked.
Solutions:
Add pool-VOLs to the pool to increase the free space in the
pool. For more information, see Creating a Pool (page 58).
To restore the pool-VOL, contact the Hitachi Data Systems
Technical Support Center.
If the pool-VOL is an external volume, check the condition of
the external storage system, for instance the path blockade.
After performing the above-mentioned solutions, release the
Protection attribute of the V-VOLs using the Data Retention
window of Remote Web Console (if the Data Retention Utility
is installed).
For information about operating procedures, see the HP
StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Data Retention Utility User
Guide.
82
Troubleshooting

Problems
SIM code such as 620XXX, 621XXX,

622XXX, or 625000 was issued.
Cause:
Pool usage level exceeds the threshold.
Solution:
Add pool-VOLs to the pool to increase the free space in the
pool. For more information, see Creating a Pool (page 58).
Performance of the initial copy has been

reduced.
Cause:
You disassociated a V-VOL from a pool that contains other
V-VOLs in XP Continuous Access pair or XP Continuous Access
Journal pairs. The initial copy is slow because the clean-up
procedure for the removed V-VOL is consuming system
resources.
Solutions:
Do not disassociate a V-VOL from the pool where the Initial
copy of the XP Continuous Access pair V-VOL or the XP
Continuous Access Journal pair V-VOL is performed.
Before you perform the Initial copy of an XP Continuous
Access pair or XP Continuous Access Journal pair, reserve
enough pool capacity so that the threshold will not be reached
during the initial copy.
If you are unable to solve a problem using the above suggestions, or if you encounter a problem
not listed, contact HP technical support.
If an error occurs during the operations, the error code and error message are displayed in the
error message box. For more information about error messages, see the HP StorageWorks
XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web Console Error Codes.
Managing Pool-Related SIMs

When the usage level of the pool exceeds the threshold, or when the potential demand of the
V-VOL exceeds the threshold, the following SIMs (Service Information Message) occur.
When the usage level of the pool exceeds pool threshold
1:
Reference code 620XXX
When the usage level of the pool exceeds pool threshold

2:
When pool usage level continues to exceed the highest

pool threshold:
Reference code 625000
When the pool is full:
When an error occurs in the pool:
When the level of free pool capacity to potential demand Reference code 630XXX
of a V-VOL exceeds the V-VOL threshold:
When the V-VOL management area cannot be saved to
pools:
To complete a SIM that occurs when the usage level for the pool exceeds the threshold or when
the usage level for the V-VOL exceeds the threshold:
1.
Change the status of the pool or the V-VOL whose usage level exceeds the threshold to normal.
For information about the solutions when the pool usage level or the V-VOL potential demand
exceeds the threshold, see Troubleshooting for XP Thin Provisioning (page 79).
Managing Pool-Related SIMs
83
2.
Change the mode of Remote Web Console to Modify.

For information about how to change the mode, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000
Remote Web Console User Guide.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Display the Pool window.

Select the SIM Complete Request check box in the Pool window.
Click Apply. A confirmation message is displayed, asking if it is OK to apply the setting to
the storage system.
Click OK.
The confirmation message closes and the SIM complete process begins. It takes time if there
are many SIMs to be completed.
If you complete a SIM, the status of the SIM changes to completed. After the problem that caused
the SIM is solved, complete the SIM and change its status to completed. If you complete the SIM
before the underlying problem is solved, the SIM may occur again.
After correcting the causes of SIMs 620XXX and 621XXX, you will need to complete the SIMs. If
you do not complete the SIMs, no new SIMs will occur ( even if the usage level increases and
again exceeds the threshold).
SIMs 620XXX, 621XXX, and 625000 are automatically completed if you increase pool capacity
by adding pool-VOLs because the condition that caused the SIM is removed.
You can check whether SIMs complete successfully in the Remote Web Console window. For
details, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web Console User Guide.
Troubleshooting when using XP RAID Manager

If an error has occurs when increasing V-VOL capacity using XP RAID Manager, you may be able
to identify the cause of the error by referring to the log displayed in the XP RAID Manager window
or XP RAID Manager operation log file. The log file is stored in the following directory by default:
/HORCM/log*/curlog/horcmlog_HOST/horcm.log
Where:
* is the instance number.
HOST is the host name.

To identify the error code using the log file, use the following the procedure:
1. Open the XP RAID Manager log file and find the error code.
Example:
09:06:18-82a22-10228- SSB
= 0xb96b,af2a
Error codes appear on the right of the equal symbol (=). SSB1 appears on the left of the
comma (,), and SSB2 appears on the right of the comma (,).
2.
See Table 16 (page 85) to find the meaning of the error code.
For details about the error codes that are not described in Table 16 (page 85), contact HP
technical support (see Calling HP Technical Support (page 86)).
To identify the error code using the log displayed on the XP RAID Manager window, follow the
procedure below.
1. Find the error code from the logs displayed on the XP RAID Manager window.
Example:
It was rejected due to SKEY=0x05,ASC=0x20,SSB=0xB9E1,0xB901 on
Serial#(64015)
84
Troubleshooting
Error codes appear on the right of SSB=. The left of the comma (,) contains SSB1, and the
right of the comma (,) contains SSB2.
2.
See Table 16 (page 85) and find the meaning of the error code.
For details about the error codes that are not described in Table 16 (page 85), contact HP
technical support (see Calling HP Technical Support (page 86)).
Table 16 Error Code and Error Contents When Operating XP RAID Manager
Error Code (SSB1)
Error Code (SSB2)
Error Contents
Solution
0xb96b
0xb900
Error occurred when

increasing V-VOL capacity
operation.
Ask HP technical support to

solve the problem.
0xb901
0xaf28
0xb96b
0xb902
Because the configuration

was being changed by the
SVP or Remote Web Console,
the operation was rejected.
Increase the V-VOL capacity

after finishing operations such
as the Virtual LVI/LUN
operation or the maintenance
operation on your storage
system. See the Caution in
(page 67).
0xb96b
0xaf24
The operation was rejected

because the total V-VOL
capacity exceeds the pool
capacity after the V-VOL
capacity increases.
Make sure that the total V-VOL

capacity does not exceed the
pool capacity after the V-VOL
capacity increases.
0xb96b
0xaf25
The operation was rejected

because releasing pages in
the specified volume has not
been completed.
Reexecute the operation after

a brief interval.
0xb96b
0xaf29
Because the specified volume Makes sure that the volume is

was not a V-VOL, the
a V-VOL.
operation was rejected.
0xb96b
0xaf2a
Because the specified

capacity exceeded the free
space size immediately below
the V-VOL, the operation was
rejected.
0xb96b
0xaf2b
Because the specified volume Re-execute the operation after

operation was not finished,
a brief interval.
the operation was rejected.
0xb96b
0xaf2c
Because the shared memory

capacity is not enough to
increase the specified
capacity, the operation was
rejected.
When increasing capacity,

specify that the capacity does
not exceed the free space
capacity displayed in the
V-VOL window. For details, see
the conditions for increasing
the V-VOL capacity in
(page 67).
Make sure the value of

remaining in the V-VOL
window is enough.
Troubleshooting when using XP RAID Manager
85
Table 16 Error Code and Error Contents When Operating XP RAID Manager (continued)
Error Code (SSB1)
Error Code (SSB2)
Error Contents
Solution
0xb96b
0xaf2d
Because the ratio of the free

space capacity of the pool to
the free space capacity of the
V-VOL was less than the
V-VOL threshold, the
When increasing capacity,

make sure that the ratio of free
space in the pool to free space
in the V-VOL is not below the
V-VOL threshold. For details,
see the conditions for
increasing the V-VOL capacity
in Increasing V-VOL Capacity
(page 67).
0xb96b
0xaf2e
Because the specified V-VOL

was used by another
application or was being
formatted, the operation was
rejected.
Wait until formatting of the

specified volume is finished, or
see Using XP Thin Provisioning
with Other Products (page 18)
and confirm whether the V-VOL
is used with the application
that the V-VOL capacity cannot
be increased.
0xb96b
0xaf2f
Because the V-VOL capacity Re-execute the operation after

was increased when the
the microcode is replaced.
microcode was replaced, the
Calling HP Technical Support

If you need to call HP technical support, make sure to provide as much information about the
problem as possible, including:
The circumstances surrounding the error or failure
The exact content of any error messages displayed on the host systems
The exact content of any error messages displayed by Remote Web Console
The Remote Web Console configuration information (use the FD Dump Tool)
The service information messages (SIMs), including reference codes and severity levels,
displayed by Remote Web Console
For worldwide technical support information, see the HP support website:

http://www.hp.com/support
86
Troubleshooting
7 Support and Other Resources

Related Documentation
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Cache Residency Manager User Guide
HP StorageWorks XP RAID Manager User Guide
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Snapshot User Guide
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Data Retention Utility User Guide
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 LUN Expansion User Guide
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 LUN Manager User Guide
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Performance Monitor User Guide
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Auto LUN Software User Guide
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Performance Control User Guide
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Business Copy Software User Guide
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 SNMP Agent Reference Guide
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web Console User Guide
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Continuous Access Software User Guide
Hitachi TrueCopy for Mainframe User Guide: HP XP24000 Disk Array, HP XP20000 Disk
Array
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Continuous Access Journal Software User Guide
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 External Storage Software User Guide
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Disk Array Owner Guide
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Virtual LVI/LUN (VLL) and Volume Shredder User

Guide
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Disk/Cache Partition User Guide
You can find these documents on the HP Manuals website:

http://www.hp.com/support/manuals
In the Storage section, click Storage Software, and then select a product.
Conventions for Storage Capacity Values

HP XP storage systems use the following values to calculate physical storage capacity values (hard
disk drives):
1 KB (kilobyte) = 1,000 bytes
1 MB (megabyte) = 1,0002 bytes
1 GB (gigabyte) = 1,0003 bytes
1 TB (terabyte) = 1,0004 bytes
1 PB (petabyte) = 1,0005 bytes
HP XP storage systems use the following values to calculate logical storage capacity values (logical
devices):
1 KB (kilobyte) = 1,024 (210) bytes
1 MB (megabyte) = 1,024 KB or 1,0242 bytes

Related Documentation
87
1 GB (gigabyte) = 1,024 MB or 1,0243 bytes
1 TB (terabyte) = 1,024 GB or 1,0244 bytes
1 PB (petabyte) = 1,024 TB or 1,0245 bytes
1 block = 512 bytes
HP Technical Support
For worldwide technical support information, see the HP support website:
http://www.hp.com/support
Before contacting HP, collect the following information:
Product model names and numbers
Technical support registration number (if applicable)
Product serial numbers
Error messages
Operating system type and revision level
Detailed questions
Subscription Service
HP recommends that you register your product at the Subscribers Choice for Business website:
http://www.hp.com/go/e-updates
After registering, you will receive email notification of product enhancements, new driver versions,
firmware updates, and other product resources.
HP Websites
For additional information, see the following HP websites:
http://www.hp.com
http://www.hp.com/go/storage
http://www.hp.com/support/manuals
http://www.hp.com/storage/spock
Documentation Feedback
HP welcomes your feedback.
To make comments and suggestions about product documentation, send a message to
storagedocsFeedback@hp.com. All submissions become the property of HP.
88
Support and Other Resources
Glossary
C
CLPR
Cache logical partition.
CU
Control unit.
CV
Custom-sized volume.
CYL
Cylinder.
D
DKA
Disk adapter.
DKC
Disk controller.
DKCMAIN
Disk controller main.
G
G-ID
Host group ID.
L
LD, LDEV
Logical device. An LDEV is created when a RAID group is carved into pieces according to the
selected host emulation mode (that is, OPEN-3, OPEN-8, OPEN-9). The number of resulting LDEVs
depends on the selected emulation mode. The term LDEV is also known as term volume.
LDKC
Logical disk controller.
LUN
Logical unit number.
LUSE
Logical Unit Size Expansion. The LUSE feature is available when the HP StorageWorks LUN
Manager product is installed, and allows a LUN, normally associated with only a single LDEV,
to be associated with 1 to 36 LDEVs. Essentially, LUSE makes it possible for applications to access
a single large pool of storage.
M
Mng.
Management.
P
P-VOL
Primary volume.
PDEV
Physical device.
Pool-VOL
Pool volume.
S
S-VOL
Secondary or remote volume. The copy volume that receives the data from the primary volume.
SI
Hitachi ShadowImage. Also known as HP StorageWorks XP Business Copy.
SIM
Service information message.
SLPR
Storage logical partition.
SM
Shared memory.
SMPL
Simplex.
SSID
Subsystem identifier; storage system identifier.
SVP
Service processor. A computer built into a disk array. The SVP, used only by an HP service
representative, provides a direct interface to the disk array.
89
V
V-VOL
Virtual volume.
VDEV
Virtual device.
VLL
Virtual LVI/LUN.
VMA
Volume management area.
90
Glossary
Index
A
a V-VOL management area, 11

associating V-VOLs in multiple V-VOL Groups with a pool,
51
pool, 10
Pool and Virtual Volumes, 9
pool requirements, 26, 27
Pool Status, 17
pool window, 29, 34
pool-VOL requirements, 27
pool-VOLs, 10
pools, 29, 34
pop-up menu
V-VOL group tree and the V-VOL list, 38
pop-up menus
pool tree, 34
C
changing the pool information, 60
Changing the V-VOL Information, 65
changing the V-VOL settings of multiple V-VOL groups, 72
changing threshold of the V-VOL, 67
conventions
storage capacity values, 87
creating pools, 10, 58
creating V-VOLs, 10
D
delete V-VOL groups dialog box, 76
deleting a pool, 61
deleting multiple pools, 61
deleting pools, 61
deleting V-VOLs, 77
document
related documentation, 87
documentation
HP website, 87
providing feedback, 88
H
help
obtaining, 88
HP
technical support, 88
I
increasing V-VOL capacity, 67
installing, 24, 28
interoperability with other products and functions, 18
L
license requirements, 24
M
managing pool-related SIMs, 83
managing pools, 57
managing V-VOLs, 62
monitoring the available pool capacity, 12
Monitoring Usage Rates, 13
N
new pool dialog box, 40
O
os and file system reducing capacity effectively, 24
R
recovering a pool, 61
recovering multiple pools, 62
recovering pools in blocked status, 61
related documentation, 87
S
setting the pool association information to the V-VOL, 65
setting up
storage system and Remote Web Console, 24
shared memory, 11
shared memory requirements, 24
SIM codes, 16
SIMs, 83
SLPR, 64
storage capacity values
conventions, 87
storage systems
supported models, 6
subscriber's choice, HP, 88
Support Configuration, 9
T
technical support, 88
HP, 86, 88
technical support, HP, 86, 88
troubleshooting RAID manager, 84
U
uninstalling, 24, 28
using XP Thin Provisioning, 57
V
V-VOL, 10
V-VOL list, 36
V-VOL requirements, 28
V-VOLs, 34
viewing pool information, 58
volume requirements, 26
91
W
websites
HP, 88
HP Subscriber's Choice for Business, 88
product manuals, 87
X
XP
XP
XP
XP
XP
92
Business Copy, 22
Disk/Cache Partition, 23
Thin Provisioning Components, 9
Thin Provisioning troubleshooting, 79
Thin Provisioning window, 38
Index

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HP StorageWorks

XP24000/XP20000 Thin Provisioning

HP Part Number: T5227-96015

Copyright 2007, 2011 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

This edition applies to microcode version 60-01-31-00/00 or later.

This edition applies to microcode version 60-01-68-00/00 or later.

This edition applies to microcode version 60-02-04-00/00 or later.

This edition applies to microcode version 60-02-25-00/00 or later.

This edition applies to microcode version 60-02-48-00/00 or later.

This edition applies to microcode version 60-03-04-00/00 or later.

This edition applies to microcode version 60-03-24-00/00 or later.

This edition applies to microcode version 60-04-04-00/00 or later.

This edition applies to microcode version 60-04-13-00/00 or later.

This edition applies to microcode version 60-05-00-00/00 or later.

This edition applies to microcode version 60-05-00-00/00 or later.

This edition applies to microcode version 60-06-05-00/00 or later.

This edition applies to microcode version 60-07-00-00/00 or later.

This edition applies to microcode version 60-07-50-00/00 or later.

This edition applies to microcode version 60-08-01-00/00 or later

2 About XP Thin Provisioning Operations..........................................................9

3 Preparing for XP Thin Provisioning Operations..............................................24

4 Using the XP Thin Provisioning GUI.............................................................29

New V-VOL Group Dialog Box.................................................................................................42

5 Performing XP Thin Provisioning Operations.................................................57

7 Support and Other Resources.....................................................................87

1 Overview of HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning

XP Thin Provisioning Features (page 6)

XP Thin Provisioning Benefits (page 6)

Complementary Software (page 8)

HP StorageWorks XP24000 Disk Array

HP StorageWorks XP20000 Disk Array

XP Thin Provisioning Features

XP Thin Provisioning Benefits

Overview of HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning Software

Nondisruptive Addition of Physical Disks

Reduced Storage Acquisition Costs

Simplified Replication Planning

XP Thin Provisioning Benefits

Overview of HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning Software

2 About XP Thin Provisioning Operations

XP Thin Provisioning Components (page 9)

Managing Pool Capacity (page 12)

Interoperability with Other Products and Functions (page 18)

XP Thin Provisioning Components

8192 per pool

XP Thin Provisioning Components

Table 1 Supported XP Thin Provisioning Configurations (continued)

1024 per pool

Capacity per Pool-VOL

Total Number of pages = (

pool-VOL number of blocks

168 ) for each pool-VOL

About XP Thin Provisioning Operations

Reclaiming Pages from a V-VOL

V-VOL Management Table

XP Thin Provisioning Components

Location where V-VOL

When the V-VOL

When the V-VOL

Managing Pool Capacity

About XP Thin Provisioning Operations

Monitoring Pool Usage Levels

Using XP Performance Advisor: