VNX Block Local Replication Principles

Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:

Explain the business cases for VNX block local
replication
List VNX SnapView and VNX Snapshot basic
terminology
Explain operating principles for the following:
VNX SnapView
VNX Snapshot

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights VNX Block Local Replication Principles 1
VNX Block Local Replication Business Cases
Primary goals
Creation of point-in-time copies of data
Support for consistent on-line backup or data
replication
Offload backup and other processing from production
hosts
Data copies can be used for purposes other than
backup
Testing, decision support scenarios, local data
migration
A successful recovery requires that consistent data
was written to the backup media
SnapView supports consistency for Snapshots and
clones
VNX Snapshots support Consistency Groups
VNX Block Local Replication Principles
Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights 2
SnapView Overview
SnapView Snapshots
Use pointer-based replication and Copy on First Write technology
Make use of a Reserved LUN Pool to save data chunks
Have three managed objects: Snapshot, Session, Reserved LUN
Pool
SnapView Clones
Make full copies of the Source LUN (Classic, Thick , or Thin)
Track changes to Source LUN and Clones in the Fracture Log
Have three managed objects: Clone Group, Clone, Clone Private
LUN
SnapView Snapshots and SnapView Clones are managed by
Unisphere
Navisphere Secure CLI
Admsnap

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights VNX Block Local Replication Principles 3
SnapView Terminology
Term Definition

Production host Server where customer applications are executed

Source LUNs are accessed from the production host

Backup Host where backup processing occurs

(secondary) Offloads backup processing from production host
host Snapshots and clones are accessed from backup host

Admsnap utility An executable program that runs interactively or with a

script to manage clones and snapshots
Resides on the servers connected to the storage system

Source LUN Production LUN the LUN from which replicas are made

Activate Maps a snapshot to an available snapshot session

Snapshot A point-in-time copy of a Source LUN

Reserved LUN Private area used to contain Copy on First Write (CoFW)
Pool (RLP) data
Total number of Reserved LUNs is limited

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights VNX Block Local Replication Principles 4
SnapView Terminology (continued)
Term Definition

Snapshot Defines a point-in-time designation by invoking CoFW

session activity for updates to the Source LUN

Snapshot Name for a session that is used for subsequent operations

session name (sessions should have meaningful names)

Chunk Granularity at which data is copied from the Source LUN to a

reserved area

Copy on First When a chunk is changed on the Source LUN for the first
Write (CoFW) time, data is copied to a reserved area

Fracture The process of breaking off a clone from its source

Once a clone is fractured, it can receive server I/O requests

Clone group Contains a Source LUN and all of its clones

Clone private Used for recording information that have been modified on
LUNs the Source LUN and clone LUN that has been fractured

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights VNX Block Local Replication Principles 5
SnapView Features
SnapView enabler allows use of Snapshots and
Clones
Snapshots and Clones have high availability
features
Resilient to SP and path failures (if PowerPath is
installed), LUN trespasses, and non-disruptive
upgrades
Multiple point-in-time copies allowed
Restore to Source LUN capability
Primary host sees changes immediately
Minimal disruption to production data processing
Consistency of data across multiple objects
Consistent session start, consistent clone fracture
Simplified management with wizards
Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights VNX Block Local Replication Principles 6
SnapView Technologies Comparison
Access to point-in-time copy
Snapshot data is immediately available for use
Clones need an initial full synchronization, which is
time-consuming
Performance impact on Source LUN
Snapshots use Copy on First Write, which increases
response times
Fractured Clones are independent of their Source LUNs
Use of disk space
A Snapshot uses around 20% of the space of its
Source LUN
A Clone occupies the same amount of space as its
Source LUN
Recovery from Source LUN loss or corruption
Snapshots depend on a Source LUN for operation
Clones can be completely independent of the Source
LUN
Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights VNX Block Local Replication Principles 7
SnapView Snapshot Limits

Parameters VNX540 VNX560 VNX580 VNX760 VNX800

0 0 0 0 0
VNX510 VNX530 VNX550 VNX570 VNX750
0 0 0 0 0
Max SnapView 256 512 512 1024 2048
Snapshots per
storage system
Snapshots per 8 8 8 8 8
source LUN
Max SnapView 8 8 8 8 8
Snapshot sessions
per source LUN
Reserved LUNs per 128 256 256 512 512
storage system

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights VNX Block Local Replication Principles 8
SnapView Clone Limits
Parameters VNX540 VNX560 VNX580 VNX760 VNX800
0 0 0 0 0
SnapView Clones 256 1024 2048 2048 2048
per storage
system
SnapView Clones 8 8 8 8 8
per source LUN
Clone groups per 128 256 1024 1024 1024
storage system
Clone private LUNs 2 2 2 2 2
Parameters
per storage VNX510 VNX530 VNX550 VNX570 VNX750
system 0 0 0 0 0
SnapView Clones 128 256 512 1024 2048
per storage
system
SnapView Clones 8 8 8 8 8
per source LUN
Clone groups per 64 128 256 512 1024
storage system
Clone private LUNs 2 2 2 2 2
per storage
system

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights VNX Block Local Replication Principles 9
VNX Snapshot Overview
VNX Snapshots
Use pointer-based replication and Relocate on First
Write (ROW) technology
Make use of the source LUNs parent Pool to store
original data
Have three managed objects: Snapshot, Snapshot
Mount Point, Consistency Group
VNX Snapshots are managed by
Unisphere
Navisphere Secure CLI
Unisphere SnapCLI

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights VNX Block Local Replication Principles 10
VNX Snapshot Terminology
Term Definition

Primary LUN Production LUN the LUN from which replicas are made

VNX Snapshot A point-in-time replica of a Primary LUN

Attach Maps a snapshot to a Snapshot Mount Point (SMP)

Detach Removes the mapping between a snapshot and a Snapshot Mount

Point

Restore Restore the Primary LUN to a point in time copy

Unisphere SnapCLI An executable program that runs interactively or with a script to

utility manage VNX Snapshots

Snapshot Mount Virtual LUN which can be attached to a VNX Snapshot to make it
Point (SMP) visible to a host

Consistency Group Persistent grouping of primary LUNs or Snapshot Mount Points

Snapshot family Pool LUN, all of its associated mount points, and all of their snapshots

Relocate on First When data is changed on the Primary LUN for the first time, data is
Write (ROW) written to another area in the Pool

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights VNX Block Local Replication Principles 11
VNX Snapshot Features
VNX Snapshot enabler allows use of VNX Snapshots
Multiple point-in-time copies allowed
Restore to Primary LUN capability
Primary host sees changes immediately
Minimal disruption to production data processing
Consistency of data across multiple objects
Consistency groups

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights VNX Block Local Replication Principles 12
VNX Snapshot Limits

Parameters VNX540 VNX56 VNX5800 VNX7600 VNX8000

0 00
VNX Snapshots per 8000 8000 16000 24000 32000
storage system
VNX Snapshots per 256 256 256 256 256
primary LUN
VNX Snapshots per 64 64 64 64 64
Consistency Group
Consistency Group 128 128 128 256 256
per storage
system
VNX Snapshot 1000 1000 2000 3000 4000
Mount Points per
storage system
Concurrent Restore 128 128 256 512 512
Operations per
storage system

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights VNX Block Local Replication Principles 13
VNX Snapshot and SnapView Snapshot
Comparison
VNX Snapshot Term SnapView Snapshots Definition
Term
Snapshot Session Point in time copy
Restore Rollback Restore primary LUN to point
in time copy
Attach Activate Make the point in time copy
accessible to a host
Detach Deactivate Remove the point in time
copy from the host
Consistency Group n/a Persistent grouping of primary
LUNs or Mount Points
Snapshot Family n/a Pool LUN, all of its associated
mount points and all of their
snapshots
Primary LUN Source LUN Pool LUN that can be used by
VNX Snapshots
Snapshot Mount Point Snapshot [LUN] LUN that host uses to access
the snapshot data

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights VNX Block Local Replication Principles 14
VNX Snapshot and SnapView Snapshot
Features
SnapView
Feature VNX Snapshots
Snapshots
Snapshot Space Automatic in same pool Reserved LUN Pool
Max Snapshots per
256 8
source
Max Snapshots per array 32,768 2048
Snapshots of Snapshots Yes No
Consistent Snapshots Yes Yes
Consistency Groups Yes No
Automatic Snapshot Auto-Delete snapshots &
None
space management Snapshot expiration
Auto Naming Optional No
Pool LUNs, Consistency
Source LUN type Groups, and Snapshot Mount All LUNs
Points
Snapshot Description Yes No
Restore/Rollback Yes Yes
In-Band Snapshot
Yes Yes
management
Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights VNX Block Local Replication Principles 15
Summary
Key points covered in this module:
VNX block local replication business cases
VNX SnapView and VNX Snapshot basic terminology
VNX SnapView Snapshot operating principles
VNX Snapshot operating principles
VNX SnapView Clone operating principles

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All Rights VNX Block Local Replication Principles 16