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Management Procedures: Migrate data from old array to new array

Generated: November 9, 2022 12:54 PM GMT

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Publication Date: November, 2022

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 Contents
Preliminary Activity Tasks .......................................................................................................3
Read, understand, and perform these tasks.................................................................................................3
Overview .......................................................................................................................................................4
Prerequisites .................................................................................................................................................4
Procedure .....................................................................................................................................................4
Task 1: Establish a VPlexcli session to the VPLEX management server .....................................4
Task 2: Ensure that the current metadata backup exists and is healthy.......................................5
Task 3: Check if metadata backups are on volumes that are provisioned from the old array.......5
Task 4: Schedule metadata backups if necessary........................................................................6
Task 5: Move metadata from old array to new array.....................................................................6
Task 6: Move logging volume to new array...................................................................................7
Task 7: Migrate host data from old array to new array................................................................11
Task 8: Check health status of storage volumes and virtual volumes ........................................15
Task 9: Destroy old array configuration and remove the old array from VPLEX.........................16

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Preliminary Activity Tasks
This section may contain tasks that you must complete before performing this procedure.

Read, understand, and perform these tasks

1. Table 1 lists tasks, cautions, warnings, notes, and/or knowledgebase (KB) solutions that you need to
be aware of before performing this activity. Read, understand, and when necessary perform any
tasks contained in this table and any tasks contained in any associated knowledgebase solution.

Table 1 List of cautions, warnings, notes, and/or KB solutions related to this activity

000171121: To provide feedback on the content of generated procedures

2. This is a link to the top trending service topics. These topics may or not be related to this activity.
This is merely a proactive attempt to make you aware of any KB articles that may be associated with
this product.

Note: There may not be any top trending service topics for this product at any given time.

VPLEX Top Service Topics

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xxxupgrade_l2m_vs2_1

Overview
This document describes the steps that are required to move all data from one storage array to another
storage array, which allows the user to remove the original array from VPLEX. With this procedure, you
can move VPLEX related data like metavolume, logging volume, and host related data (storage volumes).
This procedure applies for both local and Metro configurations. After migration of data from the old array
to the new array, you can destroy the configuration on the old array.

Note: In this procedure, the original array is referred as the "old" array and the array to which the data is
moved, is referred as the "new" array.

Prerequisites
Ensure that:
• The system is in a healthy state.
• No rebuilds are in progress from the old array.
• System volumes are in a healthy state (metavolume and logging volume for Metro configuration).
• The storage volumes and virtual volumes are in a healthy state.
• There are no dead and degraded storage volumes.
• The new array is connected to VPLEX, following best practices.

• You have recorded the total number of storage volumes and their sizes that are provisioned from the
old array that you want to remove from VPLEX.
• You have created the exact number and size of storage volumes on the new array that will replace
the old array.
• You have exposed the storage volumes from the new array to VPLEX and they are all visible and
healthy in VPLEX.
• You have obtained an appropriate license for your configuration (for GeoSynchrony version 6.1 and
later) and install it after migrating the data. Refer VPLEX Administration Guide for more details.

Note: Complete mandatory checks like ndu pre-check, cluster status, and health-check on the cluster to
which the old array, that you want to remove, is connected. Resolve any issues (Refer to VPLEX
procedures > Troubleshooting procedures in Solve Desktop) before starting the procedure.

Procedure
Task 1: Establish a VPlexcli session to the VPLEX management server
1. [ ] On your laptop, launch PuTTY or a similar SSH utility, and establish an SSH session to the
management server in the cluster to which the old array, that you want to remove, is connected.
2. [ ] Log in with service credentials.

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 Notes:
• The management server runs on Linux. Therefore, all commands that you type on the
management server are case-sensitive, and you must type them exactly as shown in this
document.
• The values (especially version numbers) in any command output examples in this document might
not match with what you see on a customer system.

Note: For the list of commands, refer to the VPLEX CLI Guide. The VPLEX CLI guides are
available at VPLEX CLI Reference Guides.

3. [ ] From the management server prompt, run the following command to connect to VPlexcli:
service@ManagementServer:~> vplexcli

Task 2: Ensure that the current metadata backup exists and is healthy
Note: If you have not scheduled any metadata backups, skip Task “Check if metadata backups are on
volumes that are provisioned from the old array” and go to Task “Schedule metadata backups if
necessary”

1. [ ] Check if you have scheduled any periodic metadata backups on the existing cluster.
VPlexcli From the VPlexcli prompt, run the following command to check the metadata
backups:
VPlexcli:/> ll clusters/cluster-1/system-volumes/

Output example:

Task 3: Check if metadata backups are on volumes that are provisioned from the old array
Note: If there are no metadata backups, go to Task “Schedule metadata backups if necessary”

1. [ ] Check if backup volumes are provisioned from the old array that you want to remove from
VPLEX.
VPlexcli From the VPlexcli prompt, run the following command to check the metadata backups:
VPlexcli:/> ll clusters/cluster-1/system-volumes/backup name

2. [ ] Check both backups (two backups with different timestamp values), if the volumes are from the
old array, run the following command to destroy the backups:
meta-volume destroy backup name

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Task 4: Schedule metadata backups if necessary
1. [ ] To schedule the current metadatabackups, run the following command:
configuration metadata-backup

2. [ ] To complete the configuration task, answer the interview questions.

3. [ ] VPLEX creates two backup volumes (with different timestamp values), namely active_meta-
volume_name_ backup_timestamp.

Note: This process takes 10 minutes.xxxup

Task 5: Move metadata from old array to new array

If the metadata is stored in two different arrays
1. [ ] From VPlexcli prompt, browse to system volumes context and list the volumes using ll command.
VPlexcli:/> cd clusters/cluster-1/system-volumes

Output example:

2. [ ] To identify the active metavolume leg that you have provisioned from the old array, run the
following command:
show-use-hierarchy meta_volume_name

3. [ ] To detach the mirror from the old array, run the following command:
VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-1/system-volumes> meta-volume detach-mirror --
storage-volume storage_volume_name --meta-volume meta_volume_name

For example,
VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-1/system-volumes> meta-volume detach-mirror --
storage-volume c1-80gb-symm-1161_0000 --meta-volume C1_Meta

4. [ ] Check if the mirror from the old array is successfully detached:

show-use-hierarchy meta_volume_name

5. [ ] To attach the new volume from the new array, which must be the same size as the volume from
the old array, run the following command:
VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-1/system-volumes> meta-volume attach-mirror --
storage-volume storage_volume_name --meta-volume meta_volume

6. [ ] Check the rebuild status, and wait until the rebuilds complete before you go to the next task.
Output example:

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 If the metadata is stored in a single array
1. [ ] Login to VPLEX CLI.
2. [ ] Type this command:
VPlexcli:/> debug engineering-mode on

3. [ ] Then, type this command:

VPlexcli:/> debug single-storage-array-meta-volume-creation-allowed on

4. [ ] Use this command to create a new meta-volume from new array:

VPlexcli:/> meta-volume create –name <name> --storage-volumes <context-path>

5. [ ] Use this command to move the in memory of meta data to newly created meta data:
VPlexcli:/> meta-volume move <new_meta_volume_name>

Task 6: Move logging volume to new array

Note: Skip this task if the logging volume you created is not on top of volumes that you provisioned from
the old array.

Before you move a logging volume:

• To create logging volumes, do not use volumes from the old array that you want to remove from
VPLEX.
• In this task, the examples use two sets of logging volume, cluster_1_logging_volume_vol (old array
logging volume) and cluster_1_second_logging_volume_vol (new array logging volume).
1. [ ] To create a logging volume, run the following command:
VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-1/system-volumes> logging-volume create -n
cluster_1_second_loggingvolume -g raid-1 -e extent_1 , extent_2

2. [ ] To verify that the system has two logging volumes, run the following command:
VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-1/system-volumes> ll

Output example:

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3. [ ] Verify that distributed devices are using the old logging volume cluster_1_logging_volume_vol.
VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-1/system-
volumes/cluster_1_logging_volume_vol/segments> ls –al

Output example:

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4. [ ] Ensure that the new logging volumes are not from the old array.
To find the logical unit ID of the logging volume, run the following command and record the logical
unit ID.
For example,
VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-1/system-volumes> show-use-hierarchy
loggingvolumename

logging-volume: cluster_1_second_logging_volume_vol (10G, raid-0, cluster-1)

extent: extent_c1-10gb-symm-0581_0173_1 (10G)
storage-volume: vats-c1-10g-symm-0581_0000 (10G)
logical-unit: VPD83T3:60000970000197200581533030343442
storage-array: EMC-SYMMETRIX-197200581

5. [ ] Ensure that the target volume to which you are moving the logging volume is clean (written with
zeros).
For example,
VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-1/system-
volumes/cluster_1_second_logging_volume_vol/segments> ls –al

Name Starting Block Block Count Use

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 ------ -------------- ----------- ----
free-0 0 2623200 free

Note: The “free” under the “Use” column means that target volumes are clean and available
for use.

Procedure to move logging volume:

1. [ ] Select the new logging volume for all the distributed devices in the system.
VPlexcli:/distributed-storage/distributed-devices> set-log --logging-volumes
cluster_1_second_logging_volume_vol --distributed-devices *

Note: The set-log command can take time to return, depending on the number of distributed
RAIDs in the system. Using the command, you can move multiple DR1s simultaneously, as
displayed in this example:
ds dd set-log –d DR1_array1_* --logging-volume <new logging volume>

2. [ ] Ensure that you have allocated the new logging volume for distributed devices.
VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-1/system-
volumes/cluster_1_second_logging_volume_vol/segments> ls –al

Output example:

3. [ ] Ensure that the distributed devices are not using the old logging volumes:
VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-1/system-
volumes/cluster_1_logging_volume_vol/segments> ls –al

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 Output example:

4. [ ] To get the extent information, run the following command:

VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-1/system-volumes> show-use-hierarchy
loggingvolumename

logging-volume: cluster_1_logging_volume_vol (10G, raid-0, cluster-1)

extent: extent_c1-10gb-symm-0581_0173_1 (10G)
storage-volume: vats-c1-10g-symm-0581_0000 (10G)
logical-unit: VPD83T3:60000970000197200581533030343442
storage-array: EMC-SYMMETRIX-197200581

5. [ ] To destroy the old logging volume, run the following command:

VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-1/system-volumes/cluster_1_logging_volume_vol>
logging-volume destroy --logging-volume cluster_1_logging_volume_vol

Context '/clusters/cluster-1/system-volumes/cluster_1_logging_volume_vol' has

been removed.

6. [ ]To destroy the extents of the old array logging volume, run the following command:
VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-1/storage-elements/extents/extent_c1-10gb-symm-
0581_0000> extent destroy --extents extent_c1-10gb-symm-0581_0000

WARNING: The following items will be destroyed:

Context
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
/clusters/cluster-1/storage-
elements/extents/extent_600601602aa02100b6b47e0bbd1de011_1
Do you wish to proceed? (Yes/No) Yes
Extent 'extent_600601602aa02100b6b47e0bbd1de011_1' is claimed and may be in
use, do you wish to destroy it anyway? (Yes/No) Yes
Context '/clusters/cluster-1/storage-
elements/extents/extent_600601602aa02100b6b47e0bbd1de011_1' has been removed.
Destroyed 1 out of 1 targeted extents

Task 7: Migrate host data from old array to new array

Before you migrate:
Ensure that:
• The source and targets are either extents or devices. There is no support for migrations between
devices and extents.
• For extent migrations, create extents on the target array (new array) and for device migrations, create
devices on the target array (new array).
• For devices, the RAID structure of the target must be the same as the RAID structure of the source.
• For extent migrations, both source and target extents must be in the same cluster.
• Target device or extent is of the same size or larger than the source extent or device. If the target is
larger than the source, you can use the extra space for storage volume expansion.

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Migrate local and remote volumes
Note: If you have a local configuration system, then ignore the remote device and distributed RAID-1
device migration.
Note: Use extent migrations to migrate distributed RAID-1 extents from old array to new array. Use
extent/device migrations to migrate local and remote devices.

To start an extent or device migration, select the local and remote devices that have one leg from the old
array that you want to remove from VPLEX. Run the following steps to migrate the old array leg to the
new array:

1. [ ] Identify all virtual volumes, devices, and extents that have an underlying storage volume from the
array that you want to remove.
2. [ ] Use the show-use hierarchy command to display the components of the source (including
devices and extents) of a storage view, virtual volume, device, until the storage volume level:

3. [ ] Identify the extent or the device that the source storage array (old array) is using.
4. [ ] For extent listing, run the following command:
ll /clusters/cluster-CLUSTER_ID/storage-elements/extents

5. [ ] For device listing, run the following command:

ll /clusters/cluster-CLUSTER_ID/devices

6. [ ] Identify an unused extent as destination for extent migration, and an unused device for device
migration, that you have created on the new array.
7. [ ] Browse to the correct migration context.
For extent migrations, browse to the extent-migration context:
VPlexcli:/> cd data-migrations/extent-migrations

For device migrations, browse to the device-migration context:

VPlexcli:/> cd data-migrations/device-migrations

8. [ ] To start a migration, use the dm migration start command:

Specify the --to device or extent by name, if the name is unique in the global namespace.
Otherwise, specify a full pathname
For example,
VPlexcli:/data-migrations/device-migrations> dm migration start --name
migrate_012 --from extent_012 --to extent_012a --transfersize 12M

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 To perform batch migrations (extent/devices), run the following commands:

Note: In the following example, the batch-migrate create-plan command creates a batch migration
to migrate all devices from cluster 1 to cluster 2.

1. batch-migrate create-plan filename --sources source-extent/device context --

targets target-extent/device context

For example:

2. batch-migrate check-plan –-file filename

For example:

3. batch-migrate start --file filename --transfer-size transfer-size

For example:

Monitor migration status:

1. [ ] To display the migration status, run the ls command:

2. [ ] To monitor all migrations together, run the following command:

VPlexcli:/> rebuild status

Commit a completed migration

The migration process inserts a temporary RAID-1 structure above the source device/extent with the
target device/extent as an out-of-date leg of the RAID-1. After the migration is complete, the commit step
detaches the source leg of the temporary RAID-1 structure.The virtual volume, device, or the extent is
identical to the one before the migration.
However, after migration, the target device and extent replace the source device and extent.

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Perform the following steps to commit the migration, before you can clean it.
1. [ ] To check the migration status, run the following command.
ls data-migrations/device-migrations/migration-name

The migration status must show as complete.

For example,

2. [ ] To commit a migration, run the following command:

dm migrations commit --force --migrations migration-name

For example,
Commit a device migration:
VPlexcli:/data-migrations/device-migrations> dm migration commit --force
--migrations migrate_012

Committed 1 data migration(s) out of 1 requested migration(s).

To commit batch migrations, run the following command:

batch-migrate commit –-file filename

For example,

Clean a migration
For extent migrations, cleaning destroys the source extent and unclaims the underlying storage volume if
there are no extents on it.
1. [ ] To clean migrations, run the following command:
dm migration clean --force --migrations migration-name

For example,
VPlexcli:/data-migrations/device-migrations> dm migration clean --force
--migrations migrate_012

Cleaned 1 data migration(s) out of 1 requested migration(s).

To clean batch migrations, run the following command

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 batch-migrate clean –rename-targets –-file filename

For example:

Remove migration records:

Note: Cancel or commit the migrations before you can remove it.

1. [ ] To remove the records of the migration, run the following command:

Specify the migration name, if the name is unique in the global namespace. Otherwise, specify a
full pathname.
dm migration remove --force --migrations migration-name

For example,
VPlexcli:/data-migrations/device-migrations> dm migration remove --force
--migrations migrate_012

Removed 1 data migration(s) out of 1 requested migration(s).

To remove batch migrations, run the following command

batch-migrate remove –-file filename

For example:

Note: For more details of data migrations, refer to VPLEX Administration Guide available at VPLEX
Administration Guides.

Task 8: Check health status of storage volumes and virtual volumes

1. [ ] After the migrations are complete, check the status of the storage volumes and the virtual
volumes.
VPlexcli:/ storage-volume summary

VPlexcli:/ virtual-volume summary

2. [ ] Ensure that the entire system is healthy by running ndu pre-check and health-check –full
commands.

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 3. [ ] Ensure that there are no errors and the system is healthy.

Note: To resolve any issues (refer to VPLEX procedures > Troubleshooting procedures in Solve
Desktop).

Task 9: Destroy old array configuration and remove the old array from VPLEX

Note: To remove an old array refer to VPLEX> VPLEX Procedures > Administration procedures >
Manage >Remove disk or array from VPLEX in Solve Desktop.

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