5 - SRDF Foundations - SRG
5 - SRDF Foundations - SRG
SRDF Foundations
SRDF Foundations -1
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
y Identify the concepts, value, and environmental aspects
of using SRDF
y Identify and differentiate SRDF features
y Describe the architectural components and theory of
operations of SRDF
y Identify and describe SRDF management software
offerings
y Identify the business benefits of SRDF
The objectives for this course are shown here. Please take a moment to read them.
SRDF Foundations -2
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
SRDF Foundations -3
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Symmetrix Remote Data Facility is a business tool that allows a client with Symmetrix-based data
centers to copy their data between sites to prepare for the possibility of a disaster at the main IT site.
However, there may be other purposes for replicating data remotely, for example, as data distribution.
What is different about SRDF is that the copy process between sites is accomplished independently of
the host. There are no limits as to the distance of the remote copies.
SRDF Foundations -4
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
By integration with business solutions for the tasks listed in this illustration, SRDF becomes an
integral part of the overall disaster recovery business solution strategy.
The Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is the point in time to which systems and data must be recovered
after an outage (for example, the end of the previous day’s processing). RPOs are often used as the
basis for the development of replication and backup strategies and as a determinant of the amount of
data that may need to be recreated after the systems or functions have been recovered.
Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the period of time within which systems, applications, and
functions must be recovered after an outage (for example, one business day). RTOs are often used as
the basis for the development of recovery strategies, and as a determinant as to whether or not to
implement the recovery strategies during a disaster situation. Similar terms include Maximum
Allowable Downtime.
SRDF Foundations -5
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
SRDF Benefits
y Protect against local and regional y Migrate, consolidate, or distribute
site disruptions data across storage platforms
– Continuous data availability – Data center consolidations
– Multiple remote recovery sites – Technology refreshes
– Meet regulatory requirements
y Enable non-stop operations
y Provide near-instant recovery – Application restart across volumes
Target Target
Source Source
The correct remote replication solution can limit exposure to planned and unplanned downtime by
enabling operations at remote sties. SRDF provides an organization with efficient data replication tools
to meet corporate or government standards, while still meeting Total Cost of Ownership requirements.
No matter the challenge, data protection and fast business restart in the event of a disaster or unplanned
outage is critical across the organization.
This example illustrates that the primary customer requirement is satisfied with the Production site,
suffering a failure or disaster event, with the Recovery site not being impacted by the failure or disaster
event that occurred.
Thus the requirement of incurring no data loss, using a synchronous remote replication solution is
achieved with disaster restart capability given that it was not impacted by the failure, fault, or disaster
event that resulted in the Production site becoming inoperable.
SRDF Foundations -6
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
SRDF Solutions
World’s Most Widely Deployed
SRDF/S Synchronous Replication Solution
15 Years of Innovation and Development
World’s Most Widely Deployed
SRDF/A Asynchronous Replication Solution
Trending and Monitoring
SRDF Foundations -7
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Operational Characteristics
Having briefly defined SRDF, the internal mechanisms of the tool are discussed next.
SRDF Foundations -8
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Target Target
Source Source
SRDF provides comprehensive business continuity and restart capabilities for planned and unplanned
outages. This online, host-independent, mirrored data solution duplicates production site data on one or
more physically separate target Symmetrix systems. Systems can be across the room, across the globe,
or anywhere in between.
What makes this technology a leader in the industry is its use of track tables. While we do not discuss
track table details, we have a unique capability to send only changed information at the block level,
thus allowing us to operate in several modes, such as those listed here, which are addressed later in this
presentation.
SRDF Foundations -9
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
M1 M2 M3 M4 M1 M2 M3 M4
RW WD
y Locally Protected SRDF Source Volume: y Locally Protected SRDF Target Volume:
– Remote mirror “floats” and uses next available – Remote mirror “floats” and uses next available
mirror position mirror position
– Allows for dynamic creation of SRDF volumes – Allows for dynamic creation of SRDF volumes
This illustration shows of the mirror positions for a DMX system when the source and target SRDF
Logical Volumes have local protection such as RAID 1.
The Target, R2, volume is also represented with 4 mirror positions and has local mirroring
implemented, but only three of the mirror positions are used. The third mirror position (M3) is a
pointer back to the Source Symmetrix Logical Volume, while the first (M1) and second (M2) mirror
positions represent local mirrors. If a BCV is established with the R2 volume, then it occupies the next
available mirror position (M4).
Under normal circumstances, the R1 volume presents a Read-Write (RW) status to the host that
accesses it, and the R2 presents Write-Disabled (WD) to its host.
SRDF Foundations - 10
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Connectivity Options
SRDF
Connections & Configurations
SRDF Foundations - 11
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Fiber Fiber
Director SAN switch Director
GigE GigE
Director Director
IP router
The SRDF family offers incredible flexibility in deployment, depending on business needs. By
offering fully tested, integrated, and flexible hardware, software, and communication options, EMC
can design an environment that meets each specific requirement.
Supported director types are ESCON for DMX only. EMC offers native Gigabit Ethernet and Fiber
capability for DMX and V-Max series systems. Simply install an EMC Gigabit Ethernet director in
place of a traditional Remote Link Director (RLD) or Remote Fiber Director (RFD), and the native
Gigabit Ethernet connectivity. When using a Gigabit Ethernet director on Symmetrix DMX there is
built-in compression to maximize bandwidth utilization.
SRDF Foundations - 12
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
SRDF Connections
Bi-directional
Symmetrix A RA1 RA2 Symmetrix B
Source Target RA2 RA1 Source Target
RA2 RA1
Target Target Source Source
RA2 RA1
SRDF offers three types of configuration: uni-directional, bi-directional, and dual configuration. Uni-
directional is a one-way mirror relationship; bi-directional is a two-way mirror relationship; dual
configuration is two uni-directional configurations.
Bi-directional configuration is supported in Campus Mode due to the overhead associated with
changes of direction.
Additionally, these configurations can be implemented with ESCON Directors, Remote Fibre
Directors, or GigE Directors.
SRDF Foundations - 13
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Site 2
R2
Target to site 2
RF
SAN
SAN
R1 Site 3
RF Switch
Switch RF R2
Target to site 4
R1
Site 1
Source to site 2 Site 4
R1
Source to 4 Source to site 3
RF
R2 Target to 1
Switched SRDF enables Symmetrix systems running SRDF to be connected through any type of SAN
switches.
At the same time, switched SRDF enables the Symmetrix to be configured in a “fan out” or “fan in”
configuration. Although the SRDF volume pairing is fixed, the source and target volumes are not
changeable, the customer can share the bandwidth of Fibre Channel across fewer connections. This is
possible due to the implicit multiplexing that occurs in the Fibre Channel protocol.
More applications can benefit from SRDF’s disaster recovery by implementing a SAN, allowing the
physical links (RF) to be shared by multiple SRDF groups.
SRDF Foundations - 14
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
STD R1 R2 STD
SAN
SAN
Switch
Switch
STD R1 R2 STD
STD R1 R2 STD
Prior to Dynamic SRDF, R1 and R2 pairings were static and defined in the SymmWin SDRF
configuration. Any changes to SRDF device pairing required a new configuration to be defined and
loaded into the Source and Target Symmetrix.
Dynamic SRDF provides the capability to change SRDF Groups and device pairings as needed,
without requiring a BIN file configuration change to be performed by EMC. R1 to R2 pairing will be
dynamic and can be changed by the user, much like Standard to BCV relationships. A requirement for
Dynamic SRDF groups is “Switch” connectivity, that is, a SAN or GigE switch.
SRDF Foundations - 15
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Concurrent SRDF
y One R1 can be paired with two R2 devices, concurrently
Secondary
M1 M3 M4
Synchronous M2
Asynchronous
M1 M2 M3 M4
Primary
Secondary
© 2009 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. SRDF Foundations - 16
Concurrent SRDF allows two remote SRDF mirrors of a single R1 device. For example, use one
remote copy for disaster recovery and another for decision support or backup.
The example here shows a concurrent SRDF configuration in which the primary volume is
communicating with one secondary volume in synchronous mode. Concurrently, the same primary
volume is communicating with its other secondary volume in one of the adaptive copy modes.
Any combination of synchronous/semi-synchronous and adaptive copy or SRDF/A are allowed with
the following exceptions: one volume operating in synchronous mode and the other operating in semi-
synchronous mode; and both volumes operating in asynchronous mode.
SRDF Foundations - 16
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Campus Implementations
y The campus solution enables units to be up to 66 km apart
– ESCON Direct Attach
¾ Distance of up to 3 kilometers
– Direct Fibre Channel Attach (Point-to-Point)
¾ Distance of up to 10 kilometers
– Switched Fibre Channel Attach
¾ Distance of up to 10 kilometers
– GigE
¾ Enables direct Symmetrix-to-IP network attachment
¾ Allows Symmetrix to access existing Ethernet infrastructure
Symmetrix Symmetrix
ISL
Fibre
Fibre Channel
Channel SAN Fibre
Fibre Channel
Channel
SAN
There are several SRDF Campus implementations available that enable units to be up to 66 kilometers
apart:
y ESCON Direct Attach: Provides connectivity between two Symmetrix unit ports at a distance of up
to 3 kilometers for each cable segment.
y Direct Fibre Channel Attach: Provides connection via direct cable segment attached between two
Symmetrix unit ports at a distance of up to 10 kilometers for each cable segment, or 500 meters for
each cable segment.
y Switched Fibre Channel Attach: Provides connections between two Symmetrix unit ports by way
of Fibre Channel switch ports, at a distance of up to 10 kilometers for each cable segment, or 500
meters for each cable segment.
y GigE Attach: Provides native IP support for any SRDF-based product on Symmetrix systems,
which is based on GigE technology. This enables direct Symmetrix-to-IP network attachment. This
increases the options for Symmetrix-to-Symmetrix connectivity, and allows a Symmetrix system to
connect to an existing Ethernet infrastructure, and to directly access high-speed data transmission
conduits via IP with no limits.
SRDF Foundations - 17
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Fiber Fiber
Fiber Fiber
Nortel Nortel
Optera Optera
Metro 5200 Metro 5200
The use of a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is determined by the ability of the customer or carrier
to install/provision “dark fiber” cable that allows the customer to use the entire bandwidth on that
fiber.
MANs are useful for campuses with multiple data centers or ISPs that have several sites along a fiber
optic network right-of-way, or for XSPs that need to reach multiple customers in the area. This means
that the maximum bandwidth is available and that the delay or latency is low and controllable.
SRDF Foundations - 18
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Symmetrix Symmetrix
Router
Router
100 Mb
Ethernet 100 Mb
Ethernet
SRDF SRDF
w/ FarPoint w/ FarPoint
The Extended Distance Wide Area Network or WAN solution enables units to be at trans-oceanic or
trans-continental distances.
Typically, ATM, T3 and E3 lines, or IP are offered by lease carriers.
SRDF Foundations - 19
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
The modes of operation are Synchronous Replication, Semi-Synchronous Replication, Adaptive Copy
Replication, and Asynchronous Replication.
y Synchronous Replication (SRDF/S) provides real-time mirroring of data between the source
Symmetrix and the target Symmetrix systems.
y Semi-Synchronous Replication (SRDF/S) writes data to the source system, completes the I/O, and
then synchronizes the data with the target system. (This is not supported in DMX 3-4.)
y Adaptive Copy Replication (SRDF/DM) transfers data from the source devices to the remote
devices without waiting for an acknowledgment.
y Asynchronous Replication (SRDF/A) places host writes into cycles or "chunks" and then transfers
an entire chunk to the target system.
These operational modes only affect those Symmetrix volumes that are remotely mirrored. I/O
operations with local volumes occur as if they are in a non-SRDF environment as no updates are
required to volumes at a different physical location.
SRDF Foundations - 20
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
When selecting the ideal business continuance solution, the selection is determined by the distances
separating your data centers, the Recovery Point Objective and Recovery Time Objective, and how
well your applications tolerate network latency. Shorter distances reduce network latency, which
allows using synchronous disk replication and data center mirroring. Business continuance solutions
can be divided into three general categories, based on the distances between the local and remote data
center.
Campus solution is a limited subset of metro connectivity that uses fiber-optic cabling to transmit data
over short distances using Symmetrix and SAN equipment. Typically the distance is smaller than 66
km.
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) provides SRDF connectivity for distances typically less than 200
km, but up to 100 km or more.
Extended Distance Wide Area Network provides SRDF connectivity over long distances using
telecommunications networks, such as IP, SONET, or ATM. WANs are differentiated from MANs as
being non-lossless and limited bandwidth environments, with error-recovery, data buffering, and
compression capabilities of connectivity.
SRDF Foundations - 21
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Synchronous Mode
SRDF links
Source Target
SRDF Synchronous Mode is used primarily in SRDF campus environments. In this mode of operation,
the Symmetrix maintains a real-time mirror image of the data of the remotely mirrored volumes.
Data on the source (R1) volumes and the target (R2) volumes are always fully synchronized at the
completion of an I/O sequence through a first-in, first-out queue (FIFO) model. All data movement is
at the block level with synchronized mirroring.
SRDF Foundations - 22
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
SRDF links
Source Target
(and)
SRDF Adaptive Copy Mode allows the source (R1) volumes and target (R2) volumes to be a few or
many I/Os out of synchronization. The number of I/Os is controlled by the “skew”. Unlike
Synchronous and Semi-Synchronous, it does not use the first in-first out model. Target data is only
usable after a full synchronization. This operational mode is not recommended for use when mirroring
for disaster recovery/restart purposes, unless used with TimeFinder. This mode is used primarily for
data migrations and data center moves.
There are two types of adaptive copy:
y Disk Mode
y Write Pending Mode
Disk Mode data movement is handled at the track level. Data from the cache is moved to the R1
volume, keeping the track-level information as to what data is owed to the remote side so that
information can subsequently be sent one track at a time to the source device.
Pending Mode data accumulates in a local cache. A background process moves the data tasks to the
source device and its corresponding target device. The advantage of this method is that it is typically
faster to read data from cache than from disk. The disadvantage is that cache is temporarily consumed
by the data until it moves to disk.
SRDF Foundations - 23
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
SRDF Data Mobility is an economical ‘data replication’ solution and is not intended for use as a
disaster recovery solution. Unlike host level replication technologies, it does not require additional
servers or network capability to perform unlimited distance data replication.
SRDF-DM uses the same user controls as SRDF. The difference is that SRDF-DM uses the skew
parameter; the skew parameter defines the number of tracks the source volume can lead the target
volume. This limit cannot be set by the user to a value lower than 100 for SRDF-DM. Another
difference is that the user cannot disable the Secondary mode by setting a skew limit of zero.
SRDF Foundations - 24
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
SRDF/Asynchronous (SRDF/A)
y High-performance remote replication for
the DMX
y Asynchronous remote mirroring
– Recoverable point-in-time copy
– No impact to production applications
– No distance limitations
y Operational savings through reduced
bandwidth
– Delta Sets vs. ordered writes
y Supports Mainframe and Open Systems
y Complements existing SRDF solutions
– Meet a wide range of RPO and RTO
service-level requirements
Highest Performance Asynchronous
Replication in the industry
SRDF/Asynchronous (SRDF/A) is a remote mirroring solution for the Symmetrix DMX family. Its
unique architecture delivers a remote mirroring solution that has no impact on production applications
and no distance limitations. This unique architecture enables significant operational savings through
reduced bandwidth requirements; you can size your bandwidth to the average peak workload versus
the absolute peak workload.
SRDF/A is a single solution supporting both mainframe and Open Systems attach. It also
complements SRDF solutions to meet mixed service-level requirements. In fact, it can also share the
same communication links as SRDF.
The unique architecture uses cache-based “Delta Sets” which are detailed next.
SRDF Foundations - 25
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
SRDF/Asynchronous Operation
R1 R2
Capture
Transmit CAPTURE RECEIVE
Repeat Collects Receives writes
Receive application write from Transmit
Apply I/O Delta Set
TRANSMIT APPLY
Sends final set of Once Receive is
writes to target complete, data is
applied to disk
Source Target
SRDF/A performs “Write Folding” only sends Transmits
of the very last writes from the Capture Delta Set
© 2009 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. SRDF Foundations - 26
SRDF/A uses “Delta Sets” to maintain a group of writes over a short period of time. Delta Sets are the
enabler of all the efficiencies that SRDF/A delivers. There are four types of Delta Sets to manage the
data flow process. SRDF/A’s data flow can be summarized in simple steps.
Source side Delta Sets:
y Capture: Captures, in cache, all incoming writes to the source volumes involved in the SRDF/A
group. Upon completion of the set, the Capture Delta Set is “write folded” and promoted to a
Transmit Delta Set. A new, separate Capture Delta Set is then created to maintain the next Delta
Set of writes.
y Transmit : Transfers its contents (only the last set of writes) from the source to the target system.
Target side Delta Sets:
y Receive: on the target system and receives the data being transferred by the source-side Transmit
Delta Set. Once received in its entirety, it is promoted to the Apply Delta Set.
y Apply: Applies the Delta Set’s writes to the target volume to create the consistent, recoverable
remote copy. This finishes the Delta Set cycle.
A consistent, recoverable copy is maintained at the remote location with each application of a Delta
Set. Once the initial Delta Set cycle completes, it is simply repeated, Delta Set after Delta Set,
providing a continuous checkpoint of Delta Sets. SRDF/A provides a solution for service level
requirements that need data on the R2 side within the seconds to minutes range.
SRDF Foundations - 26
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
SRDF/Asynchronous Considerations
y Requires additional cache to support Delta Sets
– Two Delta Sets maintained at each location
¾ ~.75 GB additional cache per 1 TB of data being remotely mirrored per
Symmetrix as a minimum, assuming bandwidth sized to peak write load
¾ Much more cache could be required if bandwidth sized closer to average
write I/O load on busy Symmetrix
SRDF Foundations - 27
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
– Large applications
y Data consistency preserved during
rolling disaster
y Activated at the host Site C
SRDF Consistency Groups allow customers to define logical volume groups, which can be associated
with a given workload. These groups of SRDF logical volumes are automatically suspended in case of
SRDF communications failures. The remote SRDF logical volumes are consistent, even if these
logical volumes span multiple Symmetrix systems, such as when a large database has its tables on one
Symmetrix and its log files on another.
Features include the ability to do an “explicit trip” of the affected consistency group. An explicit trip
means that SRDF transfers to the R2 side are programmatically stopped – leaving the R2 volumes in a
“consistent” state as of the last transfer of information. As such, the R2 volumes can be made re-
startable in a test bed or recovery procedure.
SRDF Foundations - 28
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Understanding Consistency
y Dependent Write I/O Concept
– An application concept where the start of one write is dependent on
the completion of a previous write
¾ A logical dependency, not a time dependency
¾ Inherent in all Database Management Systems (DBMS)
Page (data) write is dependent write I/O based on a successful log write
¾ Applications can also use this technology
¾ Power failures create a dependent write consistent image
¾ Restart transforms dependent write consistent to transactional
consistent
Dependent write is a write I/O operation which depends on a previous I/O write to be completed before
its execution. All logging database management systems use this concept to maintain integrity. This
is required for protection against local power outages, loss of local channel connectivity, or storage
devices. There is a logical dependency between I/Os built into database management systems, certain
applications, and operating systems.
SRDF Foundations - 29
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
SRDF/STAR
SRDF/Star
One source, two targets
Site A
y One target in Synchronous mode
– Short distance, zero data lag
y One target in Asynchronous mode
Source – Longer distance, variable data lag, no
performance impact
y Continued protection upon source failure
SRDF/A
SRDF/S
Site B Site C
SRDF/A
Target Target
Building on the foundation of a near and a far site using SRDF/S and SRDF/A respectively, the
remaining problem is that the far and near sites contain different data—the near site is a zero data-loss
situation, and the far site is seconds to minutes behind.
To resolve these problems, a new product, SRDF/Star, has been created. SRDF/Star is a solution that
provides a third copy of System Data in case one site is lost and not recoverable. SRDF/Star completes
the connection to the two non-primary sites (the bunker and the long-distance site) with an SRDF/A
link.
If the primary site is lost to a catastrophic event, business may resume/continue using data from the
bunker or long-distance site.
This allows starting an incremental synchronization decision of which direction to synchronize in prior
to a restart. This link between the near and far with SRDF/Star maintains continuous protection for the
remaining sites.
SRDF Foundations - 30
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
EMC GDDR is sophisticated software that manages and automates disaster recovery from end-to-end,
including the mainframe, applications, and storage. It accommodates both planned and unplanned
outages of the storage or the entire site. There are many scenarios for both single or multi-site
workloads. We’ll look at some of the possible scenarios later in the presentation.
EMC GDDR performs a restart of the host systems that includes all required actions to configure
system LPARs in the recovery sites and then IPLs those systems in preparation to start customer
applications.
When EMC GDDR IPLs the systems, all applications defined in your pre-existing start-up automation
will start.
Intelligence built into EMC GDDR determines which site has the most current data when a disaster
strikes. This could be difficult to determine, especially in the case of a rolling disaster. Because EMC
GDDR is built on proven SRDF/Consistency Group technology, data integrity is assured.
SRDF Foundations - 31
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Cascaded SRDF
SRDF/A
SRDF/S Extended
R1 R21 distance R2
SRDF Foundations - 32
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Synchronous Asynchronous
R1 R21 R2
DLDev
Symmetrix Remote Data Facility (SRDF) Extended Distance Protection (EDP) is a new three site “No
Data Loss” extended distance disaster protection solution. This new feature is releasing with the
Symmetrix V-Max Series with Enginuity 5874. SRDF/EDP uses the basic cascaded SRDF
configuration.
The device “R21” is a cache only device.
There are only two full copies of data, one at Site A and one at Site C. There is no copy of data at Site
B.
SRDF Foundations - 33
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
SRDF/EDP is for customers looking for an extended distance two site disaster recovery solution with
the ability to achieve a zero Recovery Point Objective, in the event of the primary site failure.
Previously, customers could use concurrent SRDF or cascaded SRDF with SRDF/Star to extend the
replication distance and have zero RPOs at the far site.
With SRDF/EDP, customers can have extended distance replication with zero Recovery Point
Objective, producing only two copies of the data. There is no consumption of storage and it reduces
the administrative overhead associated with managing the data.
SRDF Foundations - 34
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
R22 Devices
Site A Site B
R11 R21
V-Max
R22
Site C
An R22 device can also have two remote mirrors. Each of the R2 mirrors is paired with a different R1
mirror and only one of the R2 mirrors can be Read Write on the link at a time. The primary intended
use for R22 devices is to simplify SRDF/Star failovers and to improve Star’s flexibility.
With R22 devices, a new RDF relationship can be created without deleting the original relationship.
This allows a mirror position to keep track of the invalid tracks owed to each of the R1 mirrors at all
times.
SRDF Foundations - 35
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
SRDF Foundations - 36
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
y SRDF/AR Multi-Hop
– Uses combination of SRDF/S, TimeFinder, and SRDF/Adaptive Copy
¾ Provides disaster restart ability at campus/metro distances with no data loss
¾ Provides disaster restart at extended distances with no or minimal data loss
– Ideal for applications that have limited tolerance to latency
¾ Synchronous operation up to 200 km maximum for performance tolerance
¾ Lower bandwidth requirements and reduced inter-site network costs
SRDF/AR is an automated remote replication solution that uses both SRDF and TimeFinder to provide
a periodic asynchronous remote replication of a re-startable data image for UNIX and Windows
operating system environments. It is offered with SRDF/AR Single Hop, and SRDF/AR Multi-Hop.
SRDF/AR Single-Hop provides remote disaster restart with a short restart time with low data loss
exposure. SRDF/AR Multi-Hop provides long distance remote disaster restart with zero data loss at
the “intermediate” or “bunker” site, which is the SRDF/S R2 target site.
SRDF/AR is supported on DMX-3, 4, and V-Max.
SRDF Foundations - 37
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
SRDF/AR
STD R2
Extended
BCV/
R1 BCV
Source Target
This environment is comprised of a source (production) site and target (restart) site. The attached
hosts can be mainframe, UNIX, and/or Windows.
The target site shows that the R2s are split from their BCVs. The standard volumes at the source site
represent the dependent write-consistent copy.
The standard devices show that logical consistency is maintained by utilizing TimeFinder Consistent
Split. The dependent write-consistent copy could exist at any of these points throughout the cycle.
SRDF Foundations - 38
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
SRDF/AR Multi-Hop
SRDF/S SRDF/AR
R1 R2 R2
WAN
BCV/
R1 BCV
In a multi-hop configuration, there is synchronous propagation from the source site to the bunker site,
and adaptive copy propagation from the bunker site to the target site. There is usually an SRDF
Consistency Group defined to maintain consistency, in the event of a rolling disaster between the
source and bunker sites.
The function of the bunker site is to transform synchronous propagation to an adaptive copy
propagation of dependent write-consistent copies. The distance from the bunker site to the target site
is usually a long distance and uses the adaptive copy mode of SRDF. The propagation between the
bunker site and target site is done via EMC software and managed by the user.
SRDF Foundations - 39
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
SRDF is increasingly used in cluster environments. In a cluster, the server and application providers
have solved the issues of failing over from one server to another at the application level. This means
they can restart the work on the surviving node in the cluster. However, if the failed node contained the
disk storage and working data used by the application, the surviving node can restart the applications,
but only with new data.
SRDF’s value in this scenario is in the mirrored data from one Symmetrix to another within the cluster.
Using SRDF, the surviving node also has all the data because it was previously in an SRDF
relationship. Procedures to make the R2 volumes read/write enabled must be taken. In some cases this
task is automated, as with SRDF/Cluster Enabler for MSCS, the Microsoft Cluster Server.
When the time comes to bring the failed node back online, SRDF provides the ability to fail back in
the other direction and be ready for work very quickly, with up-to-the-second live data.
EMC AutoSwap works in a mainframe Parallel Sysplex environment with SRDF/S and SRDF/CG.
AutoSwap automatically makes the R2 devices R/W and re-direct I/O to the R2 devices in the event
that the R1 devices are unreachable by the local and remote nodes.
SRDF Foundations - 40
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
This module deals with SRDF management software and basic recovery operations.
SRDF Foundations - 41
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
SRDF can be accessed via EMC ControlCenter. Through the graphical user interface (GUI) within
EMC ControlCenter software, related devices are grouped together in device groups. SRDF operations
may be performed on all devices in a device group using a single command. Group information is
maintained in the SYMAPI database which resides in the host.
SRDF Foundations - 42
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
SRDF Foundations - 43
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Before After
RW WD WD RW
R1 R2 R1 R2
The Failover process makes the copy of data on the target Symmetrix volumes (R2) available to
attached hosts. It could be utilized during a disaster scenario such as a host channel, Symmetrix, or site
failure. It could also be used during maintenance activities.
The Failover process causes the target (R2) volumes to take over read/write operations for source (R1)
volumes. This operation halts all I/O activity to the Symmetrix unit containing the source (R1)
volumes. This write-disables the source (R1) volumes. This operation is typically performed when
you need to transfer I/O operation from the source (R1) to the target (R2) volumes.
SRDF Foundations - 44
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Before After
WD RW WD RW
SYNC
R1 R2 R1 R2
Update the source (R1) side with the changes from the target (R2) side while the target (R2) side is still
operational to its local host. This brings the R1 side close to being synchronized with the R2 side
before a failback.
SRDF Foundations - 45
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Before After
WD RW RW WD
SYNC
R1 R2 R1 R2
The Failback process, or returning control to the local host, resumes I/O operations with the source
(R1) volumes after a period of performing I/O operations with the target (R2) volumes. This operation
halts all I/O activity to the Symmetrix unit containing the target (R2) volumes; this will write-disable
the target (R2) volumes. This operation is typically performed when returning to normal SRDF
operation after a target takeover.
SRDF Foundations - 46
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
RW WD RW RW
R1 R2 R1 R2
The split process stops remote mirroring between the source (R1) device and the target (R2) device.
The target device is made available for local host operations.
On a split operation, the link is suspended between source (R1) and target (R2) volumes, then read and
write operations are enabled on both R1 and R2 volumes. The R1 and R2 must be synchronized prior
to the process, suspending the link and making R1 and R2 read/write.
SRDF Foundations - 47
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Before After
RW RW RW WD
R1 R2 R1 R2
In this scenario, the user was upgrading their database software and has split an SRDF pair to
upgrade/test the new code (R2). The database upgrade failed. They have decided to keep the source
side (the non-upgraded side) as the production environment until they confer with the database
company, try the upgrade, then test when the issues are sorted out.
They save the source data to the target (R2) side. In open systems, this process is referred to as an
“establish.”
The link is brought back up, and changed tracks on the source side are flushed to the target. Tracks
changed on the target are overwritten with the information from the source side, even if the source
tracks were never changed. Tracks left untouched on both sides are not re-synched. The incremental
operation is achieved by comparing the track table for the source to the table for the target.
SRDF Foundations - 48
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Before After
RW RW RW WD
SYNC
R1 R2 R1 R2
Alternatively, the upgrade could have been successful. Rather than re-upgrading the source side, it is
quicker and easier to make the target side Write Disabled, make the source side Read/Write, and flush
all changed tracks on the target to the source and overwrite tracks changed on the source with tracks
from the target. In open systems, this process is referred to as a restore.
SRDF Foundations - 49
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Management Considerations
SRDF Foundations - 50
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Business Technical
Considerations Considerations
Recovery and
Cost Consistency
Functionality
Capacity
Availability
RTO Bandwidth
RPO Performance
The key to determining which remote replication solution is best for a particular application is a
thorough understanding of service levels. Specifically, you need to balance your requirements for
performance, functionality, availability, and economics against capacity needs, bandwidth
requirements, and overall Total Cost of Ownership. Every solution has benefits and risks, and all of
these factors must be balanced in order to decide the best solution for a given problem.
SRDF Foundations - 51
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Source Target
Response
time Infrastructure Comms Application
consistency
Today’s demands require customers to invest in more complex data infrastructures. These data
processing environments require a focused attention to such components as application response times,
application consistency, and the costs associated with the infrastructure and communications.
SRDF Foundations - 52
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
If an outage occurs on Source Symmetrix, when it comes to business continuity and remote mirroring,
the time it takes to get the business running again—Recovery Time Objective (RTO) —is always fast,
no matter which EMC replication solution is deployed.
EMC has the right solution for each particular requirement. If the customer cannot tolerate any data
exposure, we have the industry leader for synchronous mirroring—SRDF. However, as with any
synchronous solution, there are characteristics that must be understood; distance is limited by
application time-outs and speed-of-light issues and bandwidth must be sized for peak workload at all
times.
SRDF Foundations - 53
53
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
The right remote replication solution can limit the exposure to planned and unplanned downtime,
enabling non-stop operations. Or perhaps you need to provide your organization with efficient data
replication to meet corporate or government standards, while still meeting your Total Cost of
Ownership requirements.
No matter what the challenge is, there is one underlying theme: in the event of a disaster or unplanned
outage, data protection and faster business restart are critical across any organization.
There are several methods of remote replication available. SRDF offers correct solutions in today’s
competitive marketplace.
SRDF Foundations - 54
Copyright © 2009 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Course Summary
Key points covered in this course:
y Concepts, value, and environmental aspects of using
SRDF
y SRDF features and their differences
y SRDF connectivity features
y SRDF management software offerings
y Business benefits of SRDF
These are the key points covered in this training. Please take a moment to review them.
This concludes the training. Please proceed to the Course Completion slide to take the assessment.
SRDF Foundations - 55