Snapview & Admsnap

[jafo45]

I'm new to the EMC SAN enviorment. Could anyone answer this question? In order to backup a LUN, I would need Snapview to create my clone. Do I also need to use Admsnap utility as well to perform a backup. If so, what does this utility do that Snapview cannot.

Thanks
Wayne

 

[comtec17]

This depends on what you are using for Backup Software. You can create a script that will fire off as a pre-job command to do the split and then reattach with a post-job script.

 

[jafo45]

Basicly is this what takes place...

If I use Backup Exec 9.0 for example, I would run a script using Admsnap CLI that would split the connection between the host LUN and the clone LUN, map a drive and then backup the clone LUN.

Does the connection between LUN's have to be removed before the backup takes place?

 

[Chacalinc]

The steps are the following in order to get backup from snapshots/BCVs:

1. Freeze the source LUN (hot bakcup in oracle, etc.), sync 3 times (unix)
2. Fracture/snapshot
3. make snapshot available for secundary host, BCV is available since this is in a storage group
4. mount the LUN in the secundary host
5. backup target LUN (snapshot/BCV)

"admsnap" is a utility to make the step 1 and 2 easy for you, it freezes the LUN, make the sync (dump cache data to disks) and take the snapshot/fracture the BCV. With snapview by itself you need to do it via scripts.

 

[jafo45]

Thanks,

Is admsnap a CLI or GUI or both.

Wayne

 

[comtec17]

CLI

 

[Chacalinc]

as comtec17 states, it is only CLI, this is for scripting...

 

[magic2]

Can anyone post the exact commands to execute the steps mentioned above? I'm getting lost in the Navicli.exe Navicli.jar and Admsnap.exe commands.

I would like to clone a lun, split it, mount it to a mountpoint on the backupserver, leave it there for 24 hours and after that period i would like to do the same action again.

Btw. I'm using Windows 2000.

Thanks!

 

[Chacalinc]

hmmm W2K... bad bad.. (I like Unix.. ) )

If you want to clone (not snapshots) you will need navicli.jar, not navicli.exe (it doesn't support clones). Commands (all in one single line):

To syncronize clones:

java -jar navicli.jar 
-User admin_user
-Password admin_pwd
-Address IP_SPA_or_B
snapview
[b]-command[/b]
-Name clone_name
-CloneId clone_ID

where -command could be:

-fractureclone (to fracture the clone)
-syncclone (to syncronize the clone, not sure, but something like this)
-reversesync

Anyway, you can issue: javar -jar navicli.jar snapview in order to get a full list of commands and options.

Cheers.

 

[magic2]

Ok, i got the -fractureclone command working, but now i want to mount the clone on the backupserver f.e. in the directory d:\clones\<servername>.

With the ADMSNAP CLONE_ACTIVATE i can make a clone available to the backupserver (if i'm right?) but i cannot specify any parameters on how to mount it to a mountpoint or driveletter.

I know i first have to use admsnap flush, then navicli -fractureclone to get an indipendend LUN but then?

Any ideas?

 

[Chacalinc]

I have not too much knowlegde in (virus) Windows evironment, I always use Unix... anyway, I know W2K has utilities in order to assign / deassing drive letters to the disks (PhysicalDriveX), you must use that utility.

In unix you issue the fsck (filesystem check) and mount command in order to mount the cloned filesystem.

BTW, I don't use admsnap... may be admsnap for windows has some command or option to assign drive letters to the clones, pls see the "admsnap manuals" or windows technet or whatever windows has.

You must think the following:

1. BCV is a common LUN
2. when you synchronize, actually the LUN is offline for you, I mean the LUN is taken out to the server (pulled out, dead, etc.) so before to do that, deassing the drive letter this is like to umount the file system in unix
3. when you fracture the BCV, actually you are puting the disk drive back to the server (reinstalling the disk), so the LUN (disk drive, physicaldriveX) is available for you again... now you can (re)assign a drive letter to the LUN, it will make the LUN and info availavle for you in another letter. (e:, f:, whatever)

What command you must use for assing/deassing driver letters? pls read the manuals...


Cheers.

 

[Chacalinc]

I was looking at the admsnap manual... It only supports snapshots, not clones!!!

you must activate/deactivate the clones manually.

 

[Chacalinc]

BTW, did you try to synchronize and fracture the BCV without deassigning and re-assigning ?? try it...

if you have a problem:

An error message with pop up window "X:\ is not accessible. Error Performing inpage operation" appears, where the X represents some drive letter. This message appears when BCV's are established
The fix was to disable the virus software and the problem went away. Don't have the virus software scan the symm disks on the local disks, or use a different type of virus software, like netsheild.

Cheers.

 

[magic2]

It all seems to work. I can mount/dismount the volume using Veritas Volume Manager and i got the right commands for snapview. Other question:

How can i check the status of a clone?? (f.e. Clone Synchronized, Clone Consistent) I need this in the backup script. (the backup can only start when the LUN has the status Clone Consistent, else it has to wait)

Thanks

 

[Chacalinc]

same command as posted... java -jar navicli.jar -User ...etc

but the command is -listclone, you can add a -Percentage in roder to get a short detail.

issue "java -jar navicli.jar snapview" in order to get a full detail of the snapview options.

Cheers.

 

[Chacalinc]

the backup can only start when the LUN has the status Clone Consistent, else it has to wait

Caution!! When a clone is fractured, the state appears as Clone consistent as well, you should make the "if" statement as:

if Condition=Clone consistent AND Clone Status=System Fractured then...

Hope this helps you.

 

[Chacalinc]

sorry, this should be negated "NOT Clone Status=System Fractured

 

[magic2]

One more question. I got everything working. The clone process, the mount process with Veritas Volume Manager.

I would like to check the status before i perform an action. For example, i want to check if a clone is in a fractured state before i start synchronise it. I know snapview -listclone will give a responce like:

"Sync Clone failed. A clone must be fractured before it can be synchronized or reverse synchronized"

But this is quite difficult to use in a script. Does snapview -listclone return any kind of errorcodes i can use within a script? Like this

if errorcode = 125 echo "clone is synchronized"

That could make my life alot easier

Thanks!

 

[Chacalinc]

No, no errorcodes (event) are returned. You must create the script manually.

what you could do is to check for (grep)

"IsFractured: No | Yes"
"Percentage: xx"

that's why I said in my previous post:

if Condition="Clone consistent" AND NOT "Clone Status"="System Fractured" then...

If I remember, there are options you can use:
-Percentage
-IsFractured

other

issue java -jar navicli.jar snapview in order to see all the options.

***
At least you have clones (BCV) and scripts with navicli.jar working... that's a very good step!!!

 

[nhomsan]

can u give me that's script ( on linux ) ?