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Version 05.32.000.5.006
Release Notes
P/N 300-014-098
REV 01
July 16, 2012
Revision history
Revision history
The following table presents the revision history of this document.
Revision
01
Date
July 16, 2012
Description
Initial release
Product description
VNX Snapshot
SnapCLI
The SnapCLI program runs on host systems in conjunction with VNX
Snapshot running on the VNX series storage processors (SPs). It lets you
create, copy, attach, detach, and destroy VNX Snapshots. All SnapCLI
commands are sent to the storage system through the front end ports
using Fibre Channel bus, iSCSI, or FCoE.
The SnapCLI utility is an executable program that is run interactively or
with a script.
For all Microsoft Windows and UNIX platforms, flush the cached data
from the production host before you create VNX Snapshot. Also, flush
the cached data on the secondary if you modified the VNX Snapshot.
Failure to do so may result in an inconsistent or unusable point-in-time
copy.
System requirements
Hardware
Operating system
Fixed problems
Fixed problems
There are no new fixed problems in this release.
Visit the EMC Online Support website at http://Support.EMC.com for
the most recent updates and information about the SnapCLI software.
Symptom details
Problem description
Solution or
workaround
All
supported
platforms
A snapcli command
may report a failure
but the command
succeeds if the target
LUN is trespassed
during the operation.
(286532)
Frequency of
occurrence:
Rarely under a
specific set of
circumstances
Severity:
Low
The snapcli
command may report a
failure but the operation
succeeds if the target
LUN of the operation is
trespassed during the
SnapCLI operation.
AIX
The snapcli
attach command
executed in an AIX
PowerPath
environment may
generate
SC_DISK_ERR2
messages in the
system log file.
(215474)
Frequency of
occurrence:
Likely under a specific
set of circumstances
Severity:
Low
Linux
Platforms
Symptom details
Problem description
Solution or
workaround
only eight SG devices
(SCSI generic devices) by
default. Additional SG
devices must be created
and then linked to the SD
devices. (The internal
disk uses one of the SG
devices).
Use the Linux utility
/dev/MAKEDEV to create
additional SCSI generic
devices.
Exists in versions:
05.32.000.5.006
not attached on a
Linux system if more
than eight device
paths are required to
complete the
operation.
(286533)
Frequency of
occurrence:
Always under a
specific set of
circumstances
Severity:
Medium
Windows
VNX Snapshot
containing a dynamic
disk, which is rolled back
to the production host,
cannot be imported on
the production host
using SnapCLI.
Windows
The snapcli
create command
fails if the volume
contains a Veritas
volume and the LUNs
for that volume are
trespassed to the
secondary path.
(206345)
Frequency of
occurrence:
Always
Severity:
Low
Windows
The snapcli
attach command
may return a warning
if the operating
system maintains a
drive letter mapping
for the volume being
brought online.
Platforms
Symptom details
Problem description
(225937)
Frequency of
occurrence:
Always under a
specific set of
circumstances.
Severity:
Low
Solution or
workaround
device mapping
information generates a
condition that prevents
SnapCLI from
determining if all volumes
attached were assigned
drive letters. SnapCLI
generates a warning.
Exists in versions:
05.32.000.5.006
Windows
SnapCLI fails to
create or destroy a
VNX Snapshot in a
DMP environment.
(226043)
Frequency of
occurrence:
Always under a
specific set of
circumstances.
Severity:
Low
Windows
Solaris
The snapcli
attach command
causes LUNs to
trespass on the host
in a DMP
environment.
(207655)
Technical notes
Platforms
SuSE
Symptom details
Problem description
Frequency of
occurrence:
Always.
Severity:
Low
If rpm is used on
SuSE systems during
the installation or
removal process,
either warning
messages are
generated or there
are problems in
installing or
uninstalling SnapCLI.
(230902)
Frequency of
occurrence:
Always under a
specific set of
circumstances.
Severity:
Low
Solution or
workaround
Technical notes
This section contains technical information for SnapCLI.
Technical notes
SnapCLI
SnapCLI must be used with VNX OE for Block 05.32.000.5.006 or later
software. If the VNX is not running a compatible revision of software,
the snapCLI command will fail with an error message.
This applies to the following attaches:
HP-UX 11.0 and 11i or later
IBM AIX 5.1 or later
Linux 2.4 and 2.6 Kernels (32-bit and 64-bit)
Solaris
Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit)
Technical notes
Linux (iSCSI)
Linux has added support for the iSCSI file system mount table to
supplement /etc/fstab. The Linux iSCSI software uses the entries in the
/etc/fstab.iscsi file to mount devices after the iSCSI module is loaded.
Use iscsi-mountall to mount those devices. The file was created because
the iSCSI module is not loaded when the system is booted. Therefore, no
iSCSI devices are accessible when the mount command is run and all
entries are processed. The iSCSI devices are available until the iSCSI
protocol stack is started. If the iSCSI-based devices or file systems are
configured in the /etc/fstab file, they fail to be mounted when the
system is booted and can possibly hang the system.
SnapCLI processes entries that are configured in the /etc/fstab only.
The solution to this is to configure the iSCSI devices in the /etc/fstab
with the automount option set to false or 0. This option prevents those
file systems from being accessed when the system is booted and the
/etc/fstab is processed.
Once the system is initialized and the iSCSI protocol stack is available,
the iscs-mountall can be executed and the devices or file systems
mounted.
Linux
SnapCLI recognizes Linux MPIOs mpath devices as a valid object type.
For example:
#snapcli create s s1 o /dev/mapper/mpath37
SnapCLI does not recognize any other Linux MPIO naming convention,
including /dev/dm-* devices.
SnapCLI support to Linux MPIO and PowerPath is orthogonal, which
means that only one of these failover packages can be installed on a host
at a time.
See Veritas VxVM (HP-UX, Linux, and Solaris) for details about support
to Veritas Volume Manager.
The SnapCLI package includes an online man page.
Technical notes
Solaris
See Veritas VxVM (HP-UX, Linux, and Solaris) for details about support
to Veritas Volume Manager.
SnapCLI recognizes disks labeled using EFI Disk Label as a valid object
type, in addition to disks labeled using SMI Disk Label.
SnapCLI includes an online man page.
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Technical notes
# vxdisk list
DEVICE
TYPE
Disk_0
auto:none
invalid
Disk_1
auto
Disk_2
auto:simple
Disk_3
auto
Disk_4
auto:simple
DISK
-
GROUP
-
STATUS
online
dg0101
dg0102
dg01
dg01
error
online
error
online
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Technical notes
Technical notes
snapshot to be attached on the second host. For example, if you create two
distinct snapshots on the two partitions of a multi-partitioned LUN, a
single attach will allow you to access both LUN partitions since VNX
Snapshots operates at the LUN level but the two partitions accessed
with one VNX Snapshots mount point are from one snapshot. You can
access four partitions, two from the first snapshot attached on the multipartitioned LUN and two from the second snapshot.
Snapcli attach with Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008:
The snapcli attach command does not allow the use of drive letters A:, B:,
C:, or D: for command line arguments specified with the d option. These
drive letters are the default for the system devices and the snapCLI attach
command is designed not to allow the use of these volume letters. If you
specify one of these drive letters for an attach command, snapCLI attaches
the snapshot and reports the physical drive on which the LUN is present,
but will not assign a drive letter as you requested for A:, B:, C:, or D: and
that drive letter cannot be assigned.
Snapcli detach: The snapcli detach command does not delete the drive
letter if the volume is in use by services or applications on the host.
SnapCLI requires exclusive access on the drive letter to detach the
snapshot. For example, if Windows Explorer is open and the drive letter
or volume that will be deleted is being accessed, snapCLI will not delete
the drive letter and will inform the user that an application is using the
drive letter.
Snapcli detach of drive letters in use by Veritas: The snapcli detach
command fails if the drive letter contains a Veritas volume. This is due to
the Veritas software keeping the volume open, preventing the snapcli
detach command from gaining exclusive access to the volume for
removal. The volume must be exported first; then the snapcli detach
command can be executed.
Dynamic Disks Detach: To detach VNX Snapshots that is composed of
Dynamic Disks, use Computer Management to delete the volumes that
compose the activated snapshot. Then execute:
snapcli detach s snapshot_name
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Technical notes
Tables below provide a comparison of how or where you can use each of
these products in their environment.
Concept
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Description
SnapCLI
VNX Snapshots
Admsnap
Array Application
Enablers
Special packages
required on the array to
enable the array
application functionality.
Point-in-time copy
Private LUNs
Not needed
Point-in-time copys
mount point.
SnapView Snapshot
UnisphereBlock
VNXSnapshots
VNX Snapshot
Thick LUN
Thin LUN
SnapView
UnisphereBlock
SnapView
SnapView session
Thick LUN
Thin KUN
FLU
Technical notes
Operation
Description
SnapCLI
Admsnap
Create a mount
point LUN
naviseccli h
IPAddress lun create
type Snap
primaryLun
primaryLunNumber l
lunNumber
allowInbandSnapAttac
h yes
Note: You can create
a Mount point LUN
before or even after
you create a VNX
Snapshot.
Be sure to use the allowInbandSnapAttac
h yes option, if you
want to attach VNX
Snapshots to the
Mount point, using
SnapCLI.
naviseccli h
IPAddress
snapview
createsnapshot
target_lun_number snapshotname name
Note: You have to
create a Mount point
LUN before you start
any SnapView
session.
Creates a point-in-time
copy of a specified
LUN.
snapCLI create -s
snap_name -o
object_name.
Note: A VNX
Snapshot created with
snapCLI always has
allowReadWrite
property set to No, in
order to prevent
accidental
modifications to the
Snapshot.
If object_name is
constituted of multiple
LUNs, you have to
specify a consistent
point-in-time copy,
even if you didnt when
you used to use
admsnap
admsnap start -s
session_name -o
object_name
A point-in-time copy
that maintains host IO
dependencies within
an IO stream that
spans a set of one or
more primary LUNs.
snapCLI create -s
snap_name -o
object_name[,object_n
ame] -c cg_name
Note: A VNX Snapshot
created with snapCLI
always has
allowReadWrite
property set to No, in
admsnap start - -s
session_name -o
object_name[,object_n
ame] -c
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Technical notes
Operation
16
Description
SnapCLI
order to prevent
accidental
modifications to the
copy of the Snapshot.
Admsnap
Creates a copy of a
point-in-time copy.
snapcli copy -s
snap_name -b
snap_name -o
object_name
Note: A VNX Snapshot
copied with snapCLI
always has
allowReadWrite
property set to No, in
order to prevent
accidental
modifications to the
copy of the Snapshot.
Not available
Brings a point-in-time
copy online, by
associating it to a
mount point LUN,
making it available for
host I/O.
Note: In the case of
snapCLI, this includes
copies of a point-intime copy.
snapcli attach -s
snap_name -f
Note:
The f option forces
snapCLI to attach the
Snapshot, regardless
of the current value of
the Snapshot's
allowReadWrite
property.
The f option does not
modify the value of the
allowReadWrite
property, which can
only be changed via
EMC Unisphere
Changes made to an
attached VNX
Snapshot are
permanent, even if its
detached.
admsnap activate -s
session_name
Note:
Changes made to a
SnapView Sessions
are discarded once its
deactivated.
Removes the
association of a pointin-time copy with a
mount point LUN. Host
access to the point-intime copy is removed.
snapclidetach -s
snap_name
Note: Any writes made
to the point-in-time
copy are permanent
even after its
detached.
admsnap deactivate -s
session_name
Note: Any writes made
to the point-in-time
copy are discarded.
snapcli destroy -s
snap_name -o
admsnap stop -s
session_name -o
Documentation
Operation
Description
Note: In the case of
snapCLI, this includes
copies of a point-intime copy.
SnapCLI
object_name
Admsnap
object_name
Flush
snapcli flush
admsnap flush
List
snapcli list
admsnap list
Documentation
Table 2 lists the documents that apply to SnapCLI.
Table 2: Available documentation
Part number
Name
300-014-125
300-013-428
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Location
http://Support.EMC.com
Description
snapCLI-AIX-32--en_US-3.32.0.0.3-1.lpp
snapCLI-HPUX-32--en_US-3.32.0.0.4-1.dep
snapCLI-Linux-32-x86-en_US-3.32.0.0.3-1.rpm
snapCLI-Linux-64-x86-en_US-3.32.0.0.3-1.rpm
SNAPCLI-Solaris-32-sparc-en_US-3.32.0.0.31.pkg
SNAPCLI-Solaris-32-x64-en_US-3.32.0.0.3-1.pkg
snapCLI-Win2K3-32--en_US-3.32.0.0.3-1.exe
snapCLI-Win2K8-32--en_US-3.32.0.0.3-1.exe
Installation
Install SnapCLI on a Windows host, by executing the SnapCLI
InstallShield package on your software media.
Install SnapCLI on any other supported operating systems, using the
native package management system available on that operating system,
and the appropriate SnapCLI package on your software media.
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