This task creates the free volume pool (VSS_FREE Volume Group) and the reserved volume pool (VSS_RESERVED Volume Group) that are used to assign volumes to the virtual host. Before you can use the IBM System Storage support for Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service and Virtual Disk Service software, you must specify the volumes that can be used as FlashCopy target volumes. You specify the volumes after you create a VSS_FREE pool and a VSS_RESERVED pool. These pools are represented by virtual hosts that are created on the storage unit. After the virtual hosts are created, you can add volumes to the free pool by assigning a volume to the virtual host. Perform the following steps using the IBM System Storage DS Storage Manager or DS CLI to create the VSS_FREE and VSS_RESERVED pools:

Before even reaching to your IBM Tivoli Flash Copy Manager installation CDs, there are few preparation steps that must be carried out on the DS8100 & any SQL Server where you will install IBM FCM in our case SQLnode01_POC, SQLnode02_POC, & SQLsrv01_POC. Please note for the integration of IBM Tivoli Storage Manager with IBM Tivoli Flash Copy Manger, IBM TSM has to be separately installed & configured, though TSM installation is out of this book scope. Though if you have an IBM Tivoli Storage Manager already setup in your environment, you will be able to integrate IBM FlashCopy manager with it easily by running through the Wizard illustrated in later chapters. In this chapter we will focus on the DS8100 preparation for IBM Tivoli FlashCopy Manager Installation.

As it takes only a few seconds to establish the FlashCopy relationships for tens to hundreds or more volume pairs. The copy is then immediately available for both read and write access. In a 24×7 environment, the quickness of the FlashCopy operation allows us to use FlashCopy in very large environments and to take multiple FlashCopies of the same volume for use with different applications. Some of the different uses of FlashCopy are shown in Figure 1-2.

Figure 1-2 FlashCopy different uses

FlashCopy is suitable for the following:

_ Production backup system:

The Point-in-Time Copy feature, which includes FlashCopy, enables you to create full volume copies of data in a storage unit. When you set up a FlashCopy operation, a relationship is established between the source and target volumes, and a bitmap of the source volume is created. Once this relationship and bitmap are created, the target volume can be accessed as though all the data had been physically copied. While a relationship between the source and target volume exists, optionally, a background process copies the tracks from the source to the target volume.

Copy Services are a collection of functions that provide for disaster recovery, data migration, and data duplication functions. There are two primary types of Copy Services functions: Point-in-Time Copy and Remote Mirror and Copy.

Generally, the Point-in-Time Copy functions are used for data duplication, and the Remote Mirror and Copy functions are used for data migration and disaster recovery.

With the Copy Services functions, for example, you can create backup data with little or no disruption to your application, and you can back up your application data to the remote site for disaster recovery.

Copy Services run on the DS8000 Storage Unit and support open systems and System z environments. A subset of these functions is supported also on the previous generation of disk storage systems, the IBM TotalStorage Enterprise Storage Server (ESS).

I was shocked to read the title of this article at many of Spanish blogs I visit regularly. It seems NetApp had just declared a net loss of $75 million in its latest fiscal quarter. Few days before that they fired 500 employees to cut the costs. Then few days earlier they seems to buy a $3 million dollar jet for CEO. In some blogs, they assumed it was a privately own jets & on others it was mentioned to be bought by the company. I am not sure which one of the two stories is the truth, but I really hope these 500 employees salaries did not end up making that jet. If so then that is a huge abuse of using the credit crunch schema to fire people. I hope some one from Netapp clear the image in here .

In Netapp & IBM Nseries filers  and gateways (Or any storage running the Data ONTAP and using the WAFL File system) you might face a volume or aggregate inconsistency.  Its sad to say if you had this you will need to plan a downtime on the filer or the gateway to fix this. This seems to be more popular on large volumes & aggregate. I had usually seen this mostly on Volumes or Aggregates larges than 1TB.  Further more its wide spread on filers and gateways running earlier version of Data ONTAP prior to 7.2.4. If you are still running a Data ONTAP prior to 7.2.4 I highly recommend you update to 7.2.6.1.

Ok this might sound to be a silly task, but when you need to perform it, you might get frustrated. Actually several times we had to move or reassign disks to a different node/filer in our IBM Nseries Cluster. If you are not aware of the IBM Nseries then all I need to tell you its a Netapp box oemed as IBM. So again this post apply to N-Series as well Netapp clustered filers.