Welcome to VMAX3 Local Replication Fundamentals.

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Revision Date: February 2015

Revision Number: MR-1WP-VMAXLRFD

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved.

VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

This course covers an introduction to the VMAX3 family local replication offering. It includes an
overview of the TimeFinder SnapVX architecture, features, functionality and terminology.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved.

VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

This module focuses on benefits of using local replication capabilities of the VMAX3 TimeFinder
SnapVX product.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved.

VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

TimeFinder SnapVX is a new Local Replication technology introduced with the VMAX3 platform
running HYPERMAX OS 5977.
TimeFinder SnapVX allows the user to create target less snapshots. By providing space saving
Point-in-time snapshots of source devices without the requirement of pairing a source and target
volume, this eliminates the use of a Symmetrix logical volume number and does not use cache.
When used in conjunction with SRDF, ProtectPoint, or Vplex, TimeFinder SnapVX will limit outages
and enable fast recovery times.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

With this new architecture, massive scaling is possible. Here is an example that is showing a
single source that has 256 linked snapshots. Each snapshot has 4 linked targets. Any variation on
this is allowed so long as the maximum of 256 snapshots & 1024 linked targets are observed.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

Any volume can be the source for a snapshot. Snapshots can be for many purposes; backups,
Test and development, fanout, etc.
To access a point-in time-copy, a link must be created from the snapshot to a host mapped
target device.
It could also be used as an R1 device in an SRDF pairing, provided it is using Copy mode.
The source and snapshots reside in the same SRP. If the system has more than one SRP its
possible to have a linked target in a different SRP than the source. If this is done the advantage
of shared tracks is lost. There is no advantage to having NoCopy linked targets in a separate SRP
because writes to a source volume will only create snapshot deltas and will not initiate a copy to
the target.
A single snapshot can have both Copy and NoCopy linked targets. All linked targets do not need
to be in the same SRP.
The target device must be of equal or greater size than the source device. The target volume can
only be linked to one snapshot. When a device is used as a link target all of its previous track
allocations are deallocated. Host writes to a linked target device will not change the point-in-time
copy, only the linked target device will contain the modified point-in-time copy.
The allocations for tracks for the source and target can have different SLOs and is determined by
the storage group that contains them.
Up to 1024 linked targets per source are allowed.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

Each source can have up to 256 snapshots. A snapshot of an entire storage group can be taken
with a single command.
A snapshot is simply the delta of the source and is a set of changed track tables stored within the
source volumes Storage Resource Pool.
A user defined name can be given to the snapshot on creation.
All tracks are shareable between snapshots and the source. Until a track is changed there is no
need to copy the track and consume space.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

TimeFinder SnapVX uses a Redirect-on-Write mechanism to preserve a point in time snapshot.

A track that needs to be preserved will not be copied to a new location before a new write is
accepted, as is the case with copy-on-write methods.
When a host writes to a track, the allocation comes from the same SRP as the source device.
When a snapshot is taken it points to the location of the data. The snapshot information is
contained the SRP.
f the track needs to be updated by a host write, the write will be redirected to a new location. It
will not overwrite the original track.
The preserved, point-in-time track becomes a Snapshot Delta, and will remain in its original
location to be referenced by the snapshot. Redirect-on-Write will be used whenever possible. But
Copy-On-Write may be used in some situations, for example, to prevent the new write from being
demoted to a lower tier.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved.

VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

This module covered the VMAX3 TimeFinder SnapVX benefits, architecture and operations.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved.

VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

This module focuses on TimeFinder SnapVX features and capabilities and the key features in an IT
environment.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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Understanding when Targets can be either Defined or Undefined is important to know, as the
capability of cascading snapshots is dependent upon this.
When Undefined - Access from the target is thru the SnapVX snapshot tables to resolve a
track location.
The track then becomes defined within the target whenever a background process or host IO
accesses the track.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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When a track is defined - Access is from the target directly to the track in the SRP.
A background process or a host read eventually defines the tracks and updates the target device
to point directly to the track location in the source devices SRP. When all tracks in a target are
defined the target is fully defined.
A linked target that is fully defined can be the source for further snapshots (cascading).

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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A snap of a target is allowed once the target has been fully defined. There are no limits on how
many levels of cascading occur.
An example usage of this might be if you wanted to restore a linked target to its source. The
restore of a snapshot is only for snapshots. The work around is to create a snap of the target and
link the snapshot to the source, as its target.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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Automatic termination of a snapshot is accomplished with the Time To Live, or TTL, feature.
The snapshot will be terminated by the Hypermax OS upon reaching the expiration date.
The TTL can be set for a specific date or for a number of days which will be converted to the
correct date.
The number of days can be from 1 to 400.
This is very useful in scripting where a rolling snapshot might be taken and then automatically
removed after its time of usefulness has passed.
In addition to setting during creation the TTL can be changed for existing snapshots also.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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Numbers are incremented or decremented automatically when a new snapshot is taken or a

snapshot is removed.
The newest snapshot is always generation 0. Existing snapshots get renumbered.
You can reference a snapshot by both name and a specific generation. If you dont specify a
generation it defaults to 0.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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The reserved capacity percentage prevents consumption of the SRP by non-host writes, such as a
snapshot.
The settable percentage is 1 to 80 percent. If the threshold is hit TimeFinder SnapVX and SRDF
will both fail to create new deltas. At that point only host writes will be able to write into the SRP.
Use the symcfg list command to view the current settings.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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The symsnapvx establish command creates and activates a SnapVX snapshot. In this example a
snapshot named Finance is created using the establish command. The name option must be used
when using the establish command. The snapshot is automatically assigned a system created
generation number of zero.
While creating the snapshot you can also set the expiration date or alternatively you can also
change or set the date later on.
Each snapshot also has a system generated date & time stamp.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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Multiple snapshots on the same source device with the same user supplied names can be created.
Multiple snapshots with the same name become generations. The snapshots will be assigned a
system created generation number. The most recent snapshot is assigned generation zero. All
others snapshots are incremented by one. By default all snapshots will be consistent.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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When a second snapshot on the same source device with the same name, Finance, is created the
newest snapshot is automatically assigned generation zero and the previous generation,
generation zero, is incremented by 1.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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Using the sg option with the symsnapvx command allows you to create a snapshot of an entire
storage group. In this example we have created a snapshot of the sales and marketing storage
group. Each of the volumes in the group gets its own snapshot at the same point-in-time.
Any child storage groups of the storage group against which you snap will also create snaps for
the child storage groups.
Note: If using Unisphere to manage SnapVX snapshots you must use storage groups only.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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A third snapshot on the same source device with the same name, Finance, is created.
The new snapshot is automatically assigned generation 0 and the previous generations are all
incremented by 1.
As snapshots are established and terminated, the generation numbers will be reassigned such
that there will be no gaps in the generation numbers.
The names of the snapshots do not have to be the same. The name of the snapshot identifies the
snapshot. The generation numbers distinguish each snapshot, with the same name, from one
another other. The snapshots are also given a system generated time stamp.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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SnapVX allows restoring a snapshots point-in-time data back to the original source device.
SnapVX restore operations are inherently differential. This means only the tracks that have
changed need to be copied back to the source device.
To restore generation 2 of the Finance snapshot the restore command can be executed specifying
the generation number.
Generation 2 of the Finance snapshot will be restored. If a generation number is omitted in the
command it defaults to generation 0.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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Before terminating a snapshot that has been restored the restore must be terminated first. To
terminate the restore of generation 2 of the Finance snapshot the terminate -restored command
can be executed. After the restore has been terminated then the snapshot can be terminated.
More detail on terminating a snapshot will follow in upcoming slides.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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To access a point-in time-copy, a link must be created from the snapshot to a host mapped
target device. You can create links in Copy mode for a permanent copy on the target device, or in
NoCopy mode, the default, for temporary use. Copy mode links create full-volume copies of the
data by copying it to the target devices SRP. This provides clone like copies of data. NoCopy
mode links are space-saving snapshots that only consume space for the changed data that is
stored in the source devices SRP.
NoCopy mode links will not retain point-in-time data once they are unlinked. If you do not specify
Copy mode when you link the snapshot, a NoCopy link is created. The target device must be of
equal or greater size than the source device. The target volume can only be linked to one
snapshot. When a device is used as a link target all of its previous track allocations are
deallocated. Devices with persistent allocations cannot be used as link targets. Host writes to a
linked target device will not change the point-in-time copy, so only the linked target device will
contain a modified point-in-time copy.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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You can create links in Copy mode for a permanent copy on the target device, or in NoCopy
mode, the default, for temporary use.
No matter which link mode is selected, the target can still be host visible immediately.
NoCopy is the default and saves space and overhead. Only changed data will take space when
using the nocopy mode.
Using the Copy option will make a full volume copy and is similar in concept to the older VMAX
clone command.
NoCopy mode links will not retain point-in-time data once they are unlinked.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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SnapVX can automatically unlink an existing link and relink it to a different Point-in-Time snapshot
by using the relink command.
The relink command can only be used if a link already exists and the relink must be between the
same source and target devices. If the relink is in Copy mode, the copy will be differential
between the original linked snapshot and the newly linked snapshot. The relink command can also
be used to relink to the same snapshot. This has the effect of refreshing the point-in-time copy on
the link target if the linked copy has been modified by host writes.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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Unlink is used to disassociate the target from the snapshot.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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Terminating a snapshot removes the snapshot from the system. You cannot terminate a snapshot
if it has any links.
In order to terminate a snapshot the terminate command is used. In our example generation zero
is being terminated. If there are multiple generation then each generation must be explicitly
terminated.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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Notice that the generation numbers have changed. Generation 2 is now 1 and generation 1 is now
zero.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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TimeFinder SnapVX uses an emulation mode to support legacy TimeFinder modes such as:
Mirrors, Clones, and VP Snaps. Investments in scripting and programing using the legacy modes
are preserved. Users are encouraged to convert to the SnapVX command syntax as its
architecture is much more efficient.
SnapVX and emulation modes can not be used on the same source volume.
If a Clone emulation is used the underlying SnapVX command will be with a copy argument
which is covered later in the course.
When a target device is linked to a snapshot in copy mode it creates a full volume copy.
Due to the fact that all devices are thin in the VMAX3, Snap mode is no longer supported. Any
legacy scripts that use the symsnap command will fail.
Note: the sg option, for storage groups, is not supported with the emulation modes.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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ProtectPoint is supported with VMAX3 running HYPERMAX OS 5977 Q4 2014 and Solutions Enabler
8.0.1. ProtectPoint uses TimeFinder SnapVX technology to perform backup and restore operation
from Data Domain vDisks. ProtectPoint uses an Application/Recovery Server to execute SnapVX
backup and recovery scripted operations. The setup to prepare the VMAX3 for ProtectPoint is done
at the factory. The DX ports and the external Disk Group are also configured at the factory. There
is no upgrade path to existing VMAX3 arrays. The volumes on the DD side that will be used for
backup and restore operation must match the size of the volumes on the VMAX3 side.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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ProtectPoint and FTS provides backup and restore capability controlled by the end user that does
not impact host or production applications. ProtectPoint uses EMCs Data Domain vDisks as the
targets (via FTS) for the snapshots. The target volume must be linked in copy mode.
Some of ProtectPoints biggest benefits are:
elimination of backup impact on applications and hosts
Faster backup and recovery and
reduction of complexity, costs, and excess infrastructures

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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This module covered the TimeFinder SnapVX features and capabilities, as well as the key features
in an IT environment.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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This module focuses on management tools for TimeFinder SnapVX and ProtectPoint.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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EMC provides Replication software to manage the TimeFinder SnapVX environment.

The EMC Solutions Enabler provides a Command Line Interface (SYMCLI) to manage replication
operations from the Command Line, or within scripts.
These commands can be used to monitor device configuration and status, and perform control
operations on the replication features.
Alternatively Unisphere for VMAX, a GUI, can also be used.
Minimum versions are:

Solutions Enabler - 8.0.1 and above

Unisphere for VMAX - 8.0.1.4 and above

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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This is an example of the solutions enabler symsnapvx list detail report of the snapvx storage
group.
This first two snapshots are both for the same source, device 49, however the first two snapshot
names are unique
so they are treated individually and are both generation zero.
The snap with the name backup generation 0, was given an expiration, or TTL, and is shown
with an expiration date.
There are 3 snapshots named backup. We see generations 0, 1 and 2. Gen 0 is always the
most recent snap. The generation numbers are not static and will always be consecutive with the
newest being 0.
Snapshot backup generation 2 has been linked to a target.
The non shared tracks count indicates the number of tracks that are unique to this snapshot. If
you terminate the snapshot this is the amount of space that would be freed and returned to use
in the SRP.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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The Data Protection Dashboard displays the various protection in effect for the applicable Storage
Groups. From the Data Protection drop down select TimeFinder. This will take you to the
TimeFinder page shown in the next slide.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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Select TimeFinder/SnapVX. This will list all Storage Groups that have at least one Snapshot
associated with them. Select the Storage Group on which you want to perform any of the
available operations such as Create Snapshot, Link, Restore, View Storage Group, View Snapshots
and more.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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With the Data Domain Enterprise Manager, you can manage one or more Data Domain systems.
You can monitor and add systems from the Enterprise Manager.
A Data Domain system should be added to, and managed by, only one Enterprise Manager.
You can access the Enterprise Manager from many browsers:
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox
The Summary screen presents a status overview of, and cumulative information for, all managed
systems in the DD Network devices list and summarizes key operating information. The System
Status, Space Usage, and Systems panes provide key factors to help you recognize problems
immediately and to allow you to drill down to the system exhibiting the problem.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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This module covered some of the management and monitoring products for TimeFinder SnapVX
and ProtectPoint.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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This course covered the VMAX3 TimeFinder SnapVX product, its benefits, architecture and
capabilities; also covered were the management tools.
This concludes the training.

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VMAX Local Replication Fundamentals

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