EMC Symmetrix VMAX

EMC Symmetrix VMAX provides high-end storage for the virtual data center. Symmetrix VMAX scales up to 2 PB of usable protected capacity and consolidates more workloads with a much smaller footprint than alternative arrays.

Its innovative EMC Symmetrix Virtual Matrix Architecture seamlessly scales performance, capacity, and connectivity on demand to meet all application requirements. Symmetrix VMAX can be deployed with Flash Drives, Fibre Channel, and Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) drives, with tiering fully automated with FAST. It supports virtualized and physical servers, including open systems, mainframe, and IBM i hosts. (Source www.emc.com)

VMAX follows a virtual matrix architecture. The processors are called as engines and has got global memory. So if one engine receives any request then the computation can be done by any of the engines (using global memory) and once done the result will be returned back to the engine who had received the original request from server.

Unlike the DMX there is no need to set port specific flag in VMAX. UNIX, Windows and ESX all can can be connected to the same FA port. Also there is no need to check the vbus, LUN ID while mapping a device. Infact there is no mapping in VMAX, just masking. But for HP-UX we need to set flag specific to the host WWN.

When integrating a new host we need to make sure that a port group is already created.

1st we need to create port group of the FA ports before we actually start any storage allocation.

# symaccess -sid 0444 create -name VMAX_0444_PG_9E0 -type port -dirport 9E:0

# symaccess -sid 0444 create -name VMAX_0444_PG_7E0 -type port -dirport 7E:0

Once port group is created then the Initiator group, aliases, storage group and view needs to be created.Below is an example where we are creating a script for integrating two hosts (fe1 & fe2 in a cluster named fecl).

WWN of fe1 hba0 : 5001438003bc3480

WWN of fe2 hba0 : 5001438003bc3a3c

SID of VMAX : 0444

#vi symaccess.fecl

# Initiator Groups

symaccess -sid 0444 create -name fecl_IG_c61 -type init -wwn 5001438003bc3480

symaccess -sid 0444 -name fecl_IG_c61 add -type init -wwn 5001438003bc3a3c

# Aliases

symaccess -sid 0444 rename -wwn 5001438003bc3480 -alias fe1/fe1_vmhba0

symaccess -sid 0444 rename -wwn 5001438003bc3a3c -alias fe2/fe2_vmhba0

# Storage Groups (after device created and bound)

symaccess -sid 0444 create -name fecl_SG -type storage devs 081C

# VIEWs (in condition that port group exists)

symaccess create view -name fecl_VW_c61 -ig fecl_IG_c61 -sg fecl_SG -pg VMAX_0444_PG_9E0

But before be actually run the above script we need to create thin devices so that the same ID can be added in storage group.

#vi symconfigure.fecl

create dev count=2, size=100GB emulation=FBA, config=TDEV, binding to pool Tier1_400GB;

In the above script we are creating 2 thin devices of size 100GB from Tier1_400GB pool. The maximum LUN size that can be created is 240GB and if someone needs to create a LUN of 500GB then it would be a meta. Now if we want the meta member size to be a specific one then need to add below keyword before we the create device command.

set symmetrix auto_meta_member_size=100GB;

create dev count=4, size=500GB emulation=FBA, config=TDEV, binding to pool Tier1_400GB;

Now the above command 1st sets the meta member size to be 100GB and then creates 4 data device(LUN) of 500GB each. So now each LUN of 500GB contains 5 x 100GB meta members.

To execute it just run as below

#setenv SYMCLI_SID 0444 (Sets the env for Symmetrix SID 0444, if you have more than 1 Symmetrix)

#symconfigure -f symconfigure.fecl preview -nop

#symconfigure -f symconfigure.fecl prepare -nop

#symconfigure -f symconfigure.fecl commit -nop

Now once you have the data device just add this ID to the storage group.

symaccess -sid 0444 -name fecl_SG -type storage add devs 0BC8

To execute the script just run

#sh -x symaccess.fecl

If we are integrating a HP-UX server in VMAX we need to set flags based on HP-UX server's PWWN.

# Flags for HP-UX

symaccess -sid 0444 -name hpux1_IG_c61 -type initiator set ig_flags on V -enable

symaccess -sid 0444 -name hpux1_IG_c100 -type initiator set ig_flags on V -enable

symcfg discover

To remove a device from a server, 1st it needs to unmapped

#vi symaccess.fecl

symaccess -sid 0444 -name fecl_SG -type storage remove devs 0A36 -unmap

#sh -x symaccess.fecl

Once it's unmapped from the storage group then unbind the device from storage pool, dissolve if it's meta and finally delete it

#vi symconfigure.fecl

unbind tdev 0A36 from pool Tier1_400GB;

dissolve meta dev 0A36;

delete dev 0A36;

Run the script as

#symconfigure -f symconfigure preview(prepare/commit) -nop

Some of the primarily used commands in VMAX

#symcfg list -pools

#symcfg list -pool -thin -v -gb

#symcfg list -pool -gb

#symaccess list -type init

#symaccess show #ig-name# -type init

#symaccess list -type port

#symaccess show #port-name# -type port

#symaccess list -type storage

#symcfg list -pool -tdev -gb

#symaccess list assignment -dev 0807

#symaccess list view

#symaccess show view

#symaccess -name #sg-nam# -type storage remove devs 0807 -unmap

#symconfigure -cmd "unbind tdev 0807 from pool ;" preview -nop

#symconfigure -cmd "unbind tdev 0807 from pool ;" prepare -nop

#symconfigure -cmd "unbind tdev 0807 from pool ;" commit -nop

#symconfigure -cmd "delete dev 0807;" preview -nop

#symconfigure -cmd "delete dev 0807;" prepare -nop

#symconfigure -cmd "delete dev 0807;" commit -nop

#symdev list -noport (To check for the traditional thick LUN mainly used for redo logs)