Intro to SRDF - 1 - Getting Started

Intro to SRDF
1 - Getting Started
provides a brief introduction to SRDF and the SRDF component of the Solutions Enabler
SYMCLI. It also explains which SRDF documents to read, considerations to be aware before
invoking any SRDF operation, and a detailed overview of SRDF pair states.

Using the Solutions Enabler SYMCLI

The Solutions Enabler SYMCLI is a specialized library consisting of commands that you can
invoke from a host command line, or within scripts. These commands perform control operations
on devices and data objects within your managed storage complex. The Solutions Enabler SRDF
component extends the basic SYMCLI command set to include SRDF commands for performing
control operations on remotely located SRDF devices.
Table 2 Command summary
Command
symrdf

Description
Performs the control operations on SRDF devices, such as:
Establishes (mirrors) an SRDF pair by initiating a data copy
from the source (R1) side to the target (R2) side. This operation
can be a full or incremental establish.
Restores remote mirroring. Initiates a data copy from the
target (R2) side to the source (R1) side. This operation can be a
full or incremental restore.
Splits an SRDF pair, which stops mirroring for the SRDF
pairs in a device group.
Fails over and back from the source (R1) side to the target
(R2) side, switching data processing to the target (R2) side.
Updates the source (R1) side after a failover, while the target

For more
information
See page 33 and
the symrdf man
page.

(R2) side may still be operational to its local host(s).

Swaps the source (R1) and target (R2) destinations between
the target and the source.
Creates, deletes, or swaps dynamic SRDF device pairs.
Performs dynamic RDF group controls to add, modify, and
remove dynamic groups.
Enables link domino locally or remotely when creating
dynamic groups.
Enables auto link recovery locally or remotely when creating
dynamic groups.
Enables/disables consistency for SRDF/A capable devices
operating in asynchronous mode that are managed by a device
group or file.
Activates/deactivates the SRDF/A Delta Set Extension (DSE)
feature.
symreplicate Invokes a replicate session that generates automated recurrent, See page 169 and
background copies of the standard data following a path across the symreplicate
SRDF links and cascading BCVs. You can start a replicate
man page.
session, stop it, and restart the replicate session. This command
is used for SRDF/Automated Replication.
symstar
Uses concurrent and cascaded SRDF/Synchronous and
See page 233 and
SRDF/Asynchronous links to replicate source data
the symstar man
synchronously to a nearby regional site and asynchronously to a page.
distant remote site.
symrecover Provides a session state monitoring tool that attempts to restart See page 299 and
a group session if it enters the suspended or partitioned state.
the symrecover
man page.

Understanding SRDF pair states and links

SRDF devices that are operational are always in an SRDF pair state. The SRDF pair
state encompasses the SRDF state on the source (R1) side, the SRDF link state, and the
SRDF state on the target (R2) side.
NR (Not ready)
RW (Ready)

Disabled for both reads and writes

Enabled for both reads and writes

WD (Write disabled)
NA (Not available)

Enabled for reads but not writes

Unable to report on correct state

SRDF pair state descriptions

State
SyncInProg

Description
A synchronization is currently in progress between the R1 and the R2. There are
existing invalid tracks between the two pairs and the logical links between both
sides of an SRDF pair are up.
Synchronized The R1 and the R2 are currently in a synchronized state. The same content exists
on the R2 as the R1. There are no invalid tracks between the two pairs.
Split
The R1 and the R2 are currently ready to their hosts, but the links are not ready
or write disabled.
Failed Over The R1 is currently not ready or write disabled and operations have been failed
over to the R2.
R1 Updated The R1 is currently not ready or write disabled to the host, there are no local
invalid tracks on the R1 side, and the links are ready or write disabled.
R1
The R1 is currently not ready or write disabled to the host, there are invalid local
UpdInProg (R1) tracks on the source side, data is being copied from the R2 to the R1 device,
and the links are ready.
Suspended
The SRDF links have been suspended and are not ready or write disabled. If the
R1 is ready while the links are suspended, any I/O will accumulate as invalid
tracks owed to the R2.
Partitioned The SYMAPI is currently unable to communicate through the corresponding
SRDF path to the remote Symmetrix. Partitioned may apply to devices within an
RA group. For example, if SYMAPI is unable to communicate to a remote
Symmetrix from an RA group, devices in that RA group will be marked as being
in the Partitioned state. A half pair and a duplicate pair are also reported as
Partitioned.
Mixed
A composite SYMAPI device group SRDF pair state. There exist different SRDF
pair states within a device group.
Invalid
This is the default state when no other SRDF state applies. The combination of
the R1 device, the R2 device, and the SRDF link states do not match any other
pair state. This state may occur if there is a problem at the disk director level.
Consistent
The R2 SRDF/A capable devices are in a consistent state. Consistent state
signifies the normal state of operation for device pairs operating in asynchronous
mode.
Transmit Idle The SRDF/A session cannot push data in the transmit cycle across the link
because the link is down.

Verifying Pair States

You can verify the state of the SRDF pairs by including the expected state option (such as,
-synchronized, -split, -failover, and so on) in the command line. For example, to verify that the
SRDF pair DEV007, in device group prod, is in the synchronized pair state, enter:
symrdf -g prod verify DEV007 -synchronized

Invalid tracks in SRDF pairs

Invalid tracks in SRDF configurations indicate that the data is not synchronized between the two
devices in an SRDF pair. On both the source and target sides of an SRDF configuration, the
Symmetrix array keeps an account of the tracks that are "owed" to the other side. The owed
tracks are known as remote invalids. For example, consider the case of an R1 device whose
logical connection to its R2 has been suspended. If both devices are made write-accessible, hosts
on both sides of the SRDF links can write to their respective devices, creating R2 invalids on the
R1 side and R1 invalids on the R2 side. Each invalid track represents a track of data that has
changed since the two sides were split. To re-establish the logical links between the R1 and R2,
the invalid tracks must be resolved.
The resolution of invalid tracks depends on which control operation you perform. For instance,
you can have remote invalids on both sides prior to an establish or a restore operation. If so,
performing an establish operation indicates to SRDF that you want to copy the modified R1
tracks to the R2 side. In the process, any tracks that were modified on the R2 side are overwritten
with data from corresponding tracks on the R1 side. Performing a restore operation indicates the
oppositethat you want to copy modified R2 tracks to the R1 side. In the process, any tracks
that were modified on the R1 side are overwritten with data from corresponding tracks on the R2
side. For information on control options that perform synchronization, refer to Chapter 2, page 237.

SRDF device and link state combinations

When you invoke a control action on an SRDF pair, the SRDF pair state may be changed. This
depends on whether the SRDF state of the source (R1) side, the SRDF links, or the SRDF state
of the target (R2) side has changed. Additionally, the state of a device can change if its front-end
or back-end Integrated Directors change in the SRDF links. Table 4 shows each SRDF pair state
that results from the combination of the states of the source and target devices and the SRDF
links. This table also indicates the possible R1 or R2 invalid tracks for each SRDF pair state.
SRDF pair
state
Synchronized
Failed Over

Source (R1) SRDF SRDF link

state
state
Ready (RW)
Ready (RW)
Not Ready or WD Not Ready

Target (R2) SRDF R1 or R2 invalid

state
tracks
Not Ready or WD
0
Ready (RW)

Split

Ready (RW)

SyncInProg

Ready (RW)

Suspended

Any statusb

Partitionedc
Partitionedd
Mixed
Invalide
Consistent
Transmit Idle

Any status
Not Available

Ready (RW) or
WD
Ready (RW) or
WD
Not Ready or
WD
Ready (RW)
Not Ready or
WD
Not Ready
Not Ready

Any statusf
Ready (RW)f
Ready (RW)f

Any status
Ready (RW)
Ready (RW)

Any status
Not Ready or WD
Not Ready or WD

R1 Updated

Not Ready or WD

R1 UpdInProg Not Ready or WD

Ready (RW)

0a

Ready (RW)

> 0a

Ready (RW)

Not Ready or WD
Not Ready or Write
Disabled
Not Available
Any status

>0

a. Refers to invalid local (R1) tracks on source.

b. Any status value is possible (Ready, Not Ready, Write Disabled, or Not Available).
c. Viewed from the host locally connected to the source (R1) device.
d. Viewed from the host locally connected to the target (R2) device.
e. When no other SRDF states apply, the state defaults to Invalid.
f. The combination of source SRDF, SRDF links, and target SRDF statuses do not match any
other SRDF state; therefore, the SRDF state is considered Invalid.

Pinging Symmetrix arrays through SRDF links

The Symmetrix arrays are pinged through SRDF links. The symrdf -rdf ping option determines
if a Symmetrix array using SRDF links is up and running. Based on return codes, you can
determine whether some or all of the Symmetrix arrays were successfully pinged. For more
information on return codes, refer to the EMC Solutions Enabler Symmetrix CLI Command
Reference.
For example, to ping Symmetrix array 123 through the SRDF links, enter:
symrdf -rdf -sid 123 ping

Enabling SRDF software and hardware compression

Solutions Enabler provides SRDF software and hardware compression for devices operating in
asynchronous and adaptive copy modes. Compression minimizes the amount of data to be

transmitted over an SRDF link. You enable and report on software and hardware compression at
the group level. Both software and hardware compression require Symmetrix arrays running
Enginuity 5875 and higher. Although you can enable software and hardware compression on the
R2 side, you must first enable it on the R1 side using the following parameters in the
symconfigure set command.
set [ra | rdf] group GroupNum
[rdf_sw_compression = ]
[rdf_hw_compression = ]

To determine if SRDF software and hardware compression is enabled for an RDF

group, issue the symcfg list -rdfg command. For example, to view if software or
hardware compression is enabled for RDF group 12 on Symmetrix 432, enter:
symcfg list -sid 432 -rdfg 12

Considerations
SRDF operations and copy sessions
Certain SRDF operations are not allowed within Symmetrix arrays employing either EMC
TimeFinder/Snap or TimeFinder/Clone operations, which use copy session pairs. The
availability of some SRDF actions depends on the current pair state of the TimeFinder/Snap or
TimeFinder/Clone copy session devices. Refer to Appendix A for a description of the
TimeFinder/Snap and TimeFinder/Clone pair states, and which SRDF operations are available
within each state.

Migrating data from R1 to a larger R2 device

You can copy data from an R1 device to a larger R2 device but the following
restrictions apply:

All swap and SRDF/Star operations are blocked.

If SYMAPI_RDF_CREATEPAIR_LARGER_R2 is set to DISABLE in the options file,

all createpair operations are blocked.

Data mirrored to a larger R2 device cannot be restored back to its R1 device.

Concatenated metadevices are not supported but striped metadevices are supported.

Note: Depending on the type of file system and attached host, certain host-dependent
operations may be required to access data migrated to a larger R2 device.

Preventing synchronization actions

For some sites, it may be desirable to block users on a host from performing either anestablish or
restore operation on any of the Symmetrix devices. The sync direction parameter
(SYMAPI_SYNC_DIRECTION) in the options file allows you to confine SRDF and
TimeFinder operations to only establish or restore actions. You can block a user on a host from
executing a restore or an establish action using the following form:
SYMAPI_SYNC_DIRECTION=ESTABLISH | RESTORE | BOTH

ESTABLISH confines the possible operations to just establish actions.

confines the possible operations to just restore actions, which includes (allows)
RESTORE
restore, failback, R1 update actions.
BOTH
is the default, which does not restrict any SRDF or TimeFinder actions.

Device external locks

SYMAPI/SYMCLI uses device external locks in the Symmetrix array to lock BCV pairs during
TimeFinder control operations and to lock SRDF device pairs during SRDF control operations.
To list a range of Symmetrix devices (0000 to 000A) that have a device external lock, enter:
symdev list -sid 870 -devs 0000:000A -lock

SRDF/A and the consistency exempt option

When an RDF group is supporting an active SRDF/A session, control operations must be
targeted at all device pairs in the session, or the session must first be made inactive by
suspending the links between all device pairs in the session before attempting to control a subset
of the device pairs.
The consistency exempt feature, available with EMC Enginuity 5773.150 and higher, relaxes
that restriction. Devices marked consistency exempt can, in some cases, be controlled
independently of other devices in the active SRDF/A session. The -cons_exempt option flags
devices targeted by the command as consistency exempt. Enginuity automatically clears the
consistency exempt status when the affected device pairs have become consistent and two cycle
switches have subsequently occurred.

Intro to SRDF - 2 - SRDF Control Operations

Intro to SRDF: SRDF Control Operations
2 - SRDF Control Operations
covers the SRDF control operations that enable you to establish, manage and view components
comprising an SRDF configuration.

Overview
Most SRDF control operations are performed by the arguments specified in the symrdf
command.
Table 5 lists each SRDF control operation, the argument to use to perform that control action,
and its result. The next section,SRDF control operations on page 44, provides explanations and
examples of each control operation, and are presented alphabetically.
Table 5: SRDF Control Operations
Activate SRDF/A write pacing
Deactivate SRDF/A write pacing
page 45
activate -rdfa_wpace
deactivate -rdfa_wpace
activate -rdfa_devpace
deactivate -rdfa_devpace
Activates or deactivates SRDF/A group-level and device-level write
pacing, which extends the availability of SRDF/A by preventing
conditions that result in cache overflow on both the R1 and R2
sides.The SRDF/A session must be active to activate SRDF/A write
pacing.
Cleanup incomplete SRDF/A data
page 45
msc_cleanup Initiates a cleanup operation to discard any incomplete SRDF/A data
to maintain dependent write consistency.
Create SRDF pairs
page 46
createpair Creates the dynamic SRDF pairs specified in the device file.
Note: If the RA ends up supporting more than 64K devices in either
one of the RDF groups, this operation fails.

Delete SRDF pairs

page 46
deletepair Deletes the SRDF pairs.
Delete one-half of an SRDF pair
page 46
half_deletepair Deletes one-half of the designated dynamic SRDF pair.
Enable consistency protection
Disable consistency protection
page 47
enable
disable
Enables or disables consistency protection for SRDF/A capable
devices.
Establish an SRDF pair (full)
page 47
establish -full Establishes remote mirroring and initiates a full data copy from the
source (R1) device to the target (R2) device.
Establish an SRDF pair (incremental)
page 49
establish Establishes remote mirroring and initiates an incremental data copy
from the source (R1) device to the target (R2) device.
Failback
page 51
failback Switches data processing from the target side (R2) back to the
source (R1) side.
Failover
page 53
failover Switches data processing from the source (R1) side to the target
(R2) side.
Invalidate R1 mirror
page 55
invalidate r1 Invalidates all tracks on the source (R1) side so that they can be
copied over from the target (R2) side.
Invalidate R2 mirror
page 55
invalidate r2 Invalidates all tracks on the target (R2) side so that they can be
copied over from the source (R1) side.
Control operation
Activate SRDF/A
DSE
Deactivate SRDF/A
DSE
page 44

symrdf action
arguments
activate -rdfa_dse
deactivate -rdfa_dse

Results
Activates or deactivates SRDF/A DSE, which
extends the available
cache space by using device SAVE pools.

References

EMC Solutions Enabler Symmetrix SRDF Family CLI Product Guide Version 7.3

Related documentation include:

EMC Solutions Enabler Release Notes
EMC Solutions Enabler Installation Guide
EMC Solutions Enabler Symmetrix CLI Command Reference
EMC Solutions Enabler Symmetrix Array Controls CLI Product Guide
EMC Solutions Enabler Symmetrix Array Management CLI Product Guide
EMC Solutions Enabler Symmetrix SRM CLI Product Guide
EMC Solutions Enabler Symmetrix TimeFinder Family CLI Product Guide
EMC Solutions Enabler Symmetrix Migration CLI Product Guide
EMC host connectivity guides for [your operating system]