EMC VMAX Storage Provisioning concepts with Examples

Note: For Provisioning Storage First the Host needs to be zoned with Storage.

Terms to be Known:

SID: Symmetrix ID

Device: In Vmax device are LUN

Emulation: There are two kind of Emulation Available in VMAX FBA and CKD.

FBA: Fixed block Architecture used for open systems.

CKD: Count key data used for Mainframes and it is a IBM Technology.

Cylinders: Unit to measure capacity in Storage.

1 CYL= 0.9375 MB

Size in GB= Number of Cylinders x 15 x 128 x 512 / 1024 / 1024 / 1024

Number of Cylinders= Size in GB / 15 / 128 / 512 x 1024 x 1024 x 1024

Size of one Sector: 512 Bytes

Number of Sectors per Track: 128

Number of Heads: 15

Size of One Track: ( 512 x 128 )

Bytes Size of One Cylinder: ( 512 x 128 x 15 ) Bytes

Pre-check Needed to be performed when provisioning storage in VMAX

1. Verify that the current Symmetrix configuration is a viable configuration for host-initiated configuration changes. The command

“symconfigure verify -sid SymmID”

will return successfully if the Symmetrix is ready for configuration changes.

2. Check Free physical disk space for carving Device in VMAX.

“symconfigure list -freespace [-units CYLINDERS|MB] -sid SymmID”

To Check Thin Pool freespace.

“symcfg -sid XXX list -thin -pool -GB -detail”

Auto provisioning Concept:

Auto Provisioning contains 3 Groups.

1. Initiator Group

2. Port Group

3. Storage Group

Initiator Group contains the world wide name or iSCSI name of a host initiator, also referred to as an HBA or host bus adapter. An initiator group may contain a combination of up to thirty-two, Fibre Channel initiators or eight, iSCSI names or a combination of both. Port flags are set on an initiator group basis, with one set of port flags applying to all initiators in the group. An individual initiator can only belong to one Initiator Group. The group can be a member in another initiator group. It can be grouped within a group. This feature is called cascaded initiator groups, and is only allowed to a cascaded level of one.

Port Group may contain any number of valid front end ports, FAs. Front end ports may belong to more than one port group. Before a port can be added to a port group the ACLX flag must enabled on the port.

Storage Group may contain up to  (4,096) Symmetrix logical volumes. A logical volume may belong to more than one storage group. There is a limit of  (8,192) storage groups.

Masking view is a container of a storage group, a port group, and an initiator group. When you create a masking view, the devices in the storage group become visible to the host. The devices are masked and mapped automatically.

Step 1: Creation of Device 

symconfigure -sid xxx -cmd “create dev count=1, size=12000 CYL, emulation=FBA, config=TDEV, binding to pool=Thin Pool Name preallocate size=12000 CYL;” commit

Now a days most of the devices created are Thin Device, Above is command to create Thin device. Preallocate Size needs to be specified as ALL if total capacity needs to be allocated to Host

Step 2: Creation of Initiator Group

Create Initiator group

Command: symaccess -sid XXX create -name Init_server -type initiator -consistent_lun

-consistent_lun option if the devices of a storage group (in a view) need to be seen on the same LUN on all ports of the port group). If the -consistent_lun option is set on the initiator group, Solutions Enabler will make sure that the LUN number assigned to devices is the same for the ports. If this is not set, then the first available LUN on each individual port will be chosen.

Add the initiators to the IG

symaccess -sid XXX -name Init_server -type initiator -wwn 10000xxxxxxxxxxxx add

symaccess -sid XXX -name Init_server -type initiator -wwn 10000xxxxxxxxxxxx add

Rename Initiator Aliases

symaccess -sid XXX rename -wwn 10000xxxxxxxxxxxx -alias Server/HBA1

symaccess -sid XXX rename -wwn 10000xxxxxxxxxxxx -alias Server/HBA1

Set portflag settings on IG

symaccess -sid 551 -name Init_server -type initiator set ig_flags on SC2,SCSI3,OS2007 -enable

Port Flags needed to be set at Initiator group as per host requirement.

To Show the configuration :symaccess -sid XXX show Init_server -type initiator

Step 3: Creation of  Port group

Command: symaccess -sid XXX create -name Port_server -type port -dirport 8G:0,9G:0

To Show the configuration : symaccess -sid XXX show Port_server -type port

Step 4: Creation of Storage Group

symaccess -sid XXX create -name Storage_server -type storage

Add the storage to the storage group which was initially created.

symaccess -sid XXX -name Storage_server  -type storage add devs 2E9F

To Show the configuration : symaccess -sid XXX show Storage_server -type storage

Step 5: Create the Masking View

symaccess -sid XXX create view -name View_server -sg Storage_server -pg Port_server -ig init_server

To Show the configuration : symaccess -sid 551 list view -name View_server -detail

Scan from Host end to view the Device allocated to the Host

EMC VMAX Architecture

EMC VMAX Architecture

Currently there are 3 types of EMC Vmax available EMC Vmax 10K,EMCVmax 20K and EMC Vmax 40K.This article describing the general architecture of Vmax models.

Symmetrix Vmax is EMC’s prestigious product.Compared to the previous models, Vmax has been optimized for increased availability,performance and capacity utilization on all tiers with all RAID types.Vmax’s enhanced device configuration and replication operations results in easier,faster and more efficient management of large virtual and physical environment.

The main architectural difference between DMX and Vmax model is that vmax has engineconcept.In DMX model,we have different hardware for front end(FA director),back end(DA director) and memory modules.But in Vmax all these hardwares are integrated together and is knows as Vmax Engine.

A EMC Vmax storage array support from 1 to maximum of 8 Vmaxengines.Each of these engines contains two symmetrixvmax directors.

Each director includes

– 8 multi-core CPUs (total 16 per engine)

– Cache memory(global memory)

– Front end I/O modules

– Back end I/O modules

– System Interface Module(SIB)

Apart from this,each engine has redundant power supplies,coolingfans,standby power supplies(SPS) and environmental modules.All these engines are interconnected usingVmax Matrix Interface Board Enclosure(MIBE).Each director has two connection to MIBE via system interface module(SIB) ports as shown below.

Multi-core CPUs:

Multi-Core CPUs deliver new levels of performance and functionality in a smaller footprint with reduced power and cooling requirements.Each director has 8 multi core CPUs and a total of 16 CPUs per engine.

Cache memory(global memory):

Each director can be configured with 16, 32 or 64 GB of physical memory. Of this, a small portion (4 GB) is reserved for local processing, and the rest constitutes Global Memory. Global Memory on any given director is always mirrored to another director in the system.So the minimum usable memory will be 16 GB(total 32GB, on a single engine configuration) and maximum will be 512GB (total 1024GB,fully loaded eight VMAX Engines system)

Memory is accessible by any director within the system:
1. If a system has a single VMAX Engine, physical memory mirrors are internal to the enclosure.
2. If a system has multiple VMAX Engines, physical memory mirrors are provided between enclosures.

Front End I/O Module :

Front end modules are used for host connectivity.Host connectivity via Fibre Channel, iSCSI and FICON are supported.

Back End I/O Module :

Back end module provide access to the disk drives.Disks drives are configured under these I/O modules.

System Interface Module(SIB):

SIBs are responsible for interconnecting the Vmax engine’s directors through  Matrix Interface Board Enclosure(MIBE).Each Vmax engine has two SIBs and each has two ports.

Matrix Interface Board Enclosure(MIBE): 

Director port connection to MIBE.

Similar to DMX3 and DMX4 arrays,Vmax has two types of bays

1. System bay :

System bay contains all Vmaxengines.Apart from Vmaxengines,it contains system bay standby power supplies(SPS), Uninterrupted Power Supply(UPS),Matrix Interface Board Enclosure (MIBE), and a Server (Service Processor) with Keyboard- Video-Mouse (KVM) assembly.

2. Storage bay :

The Symmetrix V-Max array Storage Bay is similar to the Storage Bay of the DMX-3 and DMX-4 systems. It consists of eight to sixteen Drive Enclosures, 48 to 240 drives, eight (8) SPS modules, and unique cabling when compared with the DMX Series. The Symmetrix V-Max array Storage Bay is configured with capacities of up to 120 disk drives for a half populated bay or 240 disk drives for a fully populated bay. Drives, LCCs, power supplies, and blower modules are fully redundant and hot swappable and are enclosed inside Disk Array Enclosure(DAE).One DAE holds 15 physical disk drives and one storage bay has total 16 DAEs(hence a storage bay has maximum of 240 disk, 16*15)

Please find the link containing detailed Architecture. EMC VMAX Architecture