Thin Provisioning

HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Thin Provisioning Software User Guide
Abstract
This guide describes how to use HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning Software to create virtual storage pools on HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 storage systems and dynamically allocate volumes as applications need them. Topics include how to monitor virtual capacity and add to the pool without downtime. The intended audience is a storage system administrator or authorized service provider with independent knowledge of HP StorageWorks XP storage systems and software, including Remote Web Console, LUN Manager, and Virtual LVI/LUN.
HP Part Number: T5227-96015 Published: May 201 1 Edition: Fifteenth
Copyright 2007, 201 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. 1 Confidential computer software. Valid license from HP required for possession, use or copying. Consistent with FAR 12.21 and 12.212, Commercial 1 Computer Software, Computer Software Documentation, and Technical Data for Commercial Items are licensed to the U.S. Government under vendor's standard commercial license. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. Acknowledgments Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Hitachi and Universal Replicator are registered trademarks of Hitachi, Ltd. ShadowImage and TrueCopy are registered trademarks of Hitachi, Ltd. and Hitachi Data Systems Corporation. Export Requirements You may not export or re-export this document or any copy or adaptation in violation of export laws or regulations. Without limiting the foregoing, this document may not be exported, re-exported, transferred or downloaded to or within (or to a national resident of) countries under U.S. economic embargo, including Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria. This list is subject to change. This document may not be exported, re-exported, transferred, or downloaded to persons or entities listed on the U.S. Department of Commerce Denied Persons List, Entity List of proliferation concern or on any U.S. Treasury Department Designated Nationals exclusion list, or to parties directly or indirectly involved in the development or production of nuclear, chemical, biological weapons, or in missile technology programs as specified in the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (15 CFR 744). Revision History
Edition First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth
Date June 2007 September 2007 November 2007 January 2008 April 2008 June 2008 September 2008 December 2008 February 2009 June 2009 August 2009 December 2009 June 2010 October 2010 May 201 1
Description This edition applies to microcode version 60-01-31-00/00 or later. This edition applies to microcode version 60-01-68-00/00 or later. This edition applies to microcode version 60-02-04-00/00 or later. This edition applies to microcode version 60-02-25-00/00 or later. This edition applies to microcode version 60-02-48-00/00 or later. This edition applies to microcode version 60-03-04-00/00 or later. This edition applies to microcode version 60-03-24-00/00 or later. This edition applies to microcode version 60-04-04-00/00 or later. This edition applies to microcode version 60-04-13-00/00 or later. This edition applies to microcode version 60-05-00-00/00 or later. This edition applies to microcode version 60-05-00-00/00 or later. This edition applies to microcode version 60-06-05-00/00 or later. This edition applies to microcode version 60-07-00-00/00 or later. This edition applies to microcode version 60-07-50-00/00 or later. This edition applies to microcode version 60-08-01-00/00 or later
Contents
1 Overview of HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning Software...........................6
XP Thin Provisioning Features......................................................................................................6 XP Thin Provisioning Benefits......................................................................................................6 Nondisruptive Addition of Physical Disks.................................................................................7 Improved Performance..........................................................................................................7 Reduced Storage Acquisition Costs........................................................................................7 Simplified Replication Planning..............................................................................................7 Complementary Software..........................................................................................................8
2 About XP Thin Provisioning Operations..........................................................9

XP Thin Provisioning Components................................................................................................9 Relationship between XP Thin Provisioning volumes and pools...................................................9 Supported Configurations.....................................................................................................9 Pools................................................................................................................................10 V-VOLs.............................................................................................................................10 Growing a V-VOL .........................................................................................................10 Reclaiming Pages from a V-VOL......................................................................................11 V-VOL Management Table...................................................................................................11 Managing Pool Capacity.........................................................................................................12 Monitoring Pool Usage Levels..............................................................................................13 Full Pool Handling..............................................................................................................14 Thresholds.........................................................................................................................15 SIM Reference Codes.........................................................................................................16 Pool Status........................................................................................................................17 Balancing I/O Load Across the Pool.....................................................................................18 Interoperability with Other Products and Functions......................................................................18 Using XP Continuous Access Software..................................................................................21 Using XP Continuous Access Journal Software........................................................................21 Using XP Business Copy Software........................................................................................22 Using XP Disk/Cache Partition.............................................................................................23 Using XP Auto LUN............................................................................................................23
3 Preparing for XP Thin Provisioning Operations..............................................24

Preparing the Storage System and Remote Web Console Computers.............................................24 Hardware and Software Requirements..................................................................................24 License Requirements..........................................................................................................24 Shared Memory Requirements.............................................................................................24 Operating System and File System Capacity..........................................................................24 Volume and Pool Requirements............................................................................................26 Installing and Uninstalling XP Thin Provisioning...........................................................................28 Installing XP Thin Provisioning..............................................................................................28 Uninstalling XP Thin Provisioning..........................................................................................28
4 Using the XP Thin Provisioning GUI.............................................................29

Pool Window.........................................................................................................................29 V-VOL Window......................................................................................................................34 XP Thin Provisioning Window...................................................................................................38 New Pool Dialog Box..............................................................................................................40 Change Pool Information Dialog Box.........................................................................................41
Contents 3
New V-VOL Group Dialog Box.................................................................................................42 Create V-VOL Dialog Box (1)....................................................................................................42 Create V-VOL Dialog Box (2)....................................................................................................44 Create V-VOL Dialog Box (3)....................................................................................................47 Create V-VOL Confirmation Dialog Box......................................................................................48 Connect Pool Dialog Box.........................................................................................................49 Change Threshold Dialog Box..................................................................................................50 Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool Dialog Box............................................................................51 Release V-VOL Groups from Pool Dialog Box..............................................................................52 Delete V-VOL Groups Dialog Box..............................................................................................54
5 Performing XP Thin Provisioning Operations.................................................57

XP Thin Provisioning Flow Chart................................................................................................57 Managing Pools.....................................................................................................................57 Viewing Pool Information....................................................................................................58 Creating a Pool.................................................................................................................58 Associating the Pool-VOL with the Pool..................................................................................60 Changing the Pool Threshold...............................................................................................60 Deleting Pools...................................................................................................................61 Deleting a Single Pool...................................................................................................61 Deleting Multiple Pools..................................................................................................61 Recovering Pools in Blocked Status.......................................................................................61 Recovering a Single Blocked Pool....................................................................................61 Recovering Multiple Blocked Pools...................................................................................62 Managing V-VOLs and V-VOL Groups.......................................................................................62 Creating a V-VOL Group.....................................................................................................62 Changing the V-VOL Settings...............................................................................................65 Associating a V-VOL with a Pool......................................................................................65 Releasing a V-VOL from a Pool........................................................................................67 Changing the V-VOL Threshold........................................................................................67 Increasing V-VOL Capacity.............................................................................................67 Releasing Pages in a V-VOL............................................................................................71 Changing the V-VOL Settings of Multiple V-VOL Groups..........................................................72 Associating Multiple V-VOL Groups with a Pool.................................................................72 Releasing Multiple V-VOL Groups from a Pool...................................................................74 Deleting V-VOL Groups.......................................................................................................76 Deleting a V-VOL Group.................................................................................................76 Deleting Multiple V-VOL Groups...........................................................................................76 Deleting V-VOLs.................................................................................................................77
6 Troubleshooting........................................................................................79
XP Thin Provisioning Troubleshooting.........................................................................................79 Managing Pool-Related SIMs....................................................................................................83 Troubleshooting when using XP RAID Manager..........................................................................84 Calling HP Technical Support...................................................................................................86
7 Support and Other Resources.....................................................................87

Related Documentation............................................................................................................87 Conventions for Storage Capacity Values...................................................................................87 HP Technical Support..............................................................................................................88 Subscription Service................................................................................................................88 HP Websites..........................................................................................................................88 Documentation Feedback.........................................................................................................88
4 Contents
Glossary....................................................................................................89 Index.........................................................................................................91
Contents
1 Overview of HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning Software

This chapter describes the general features and functions of HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning Software. XP Thin Provisioning Features (page 6) XP Thin Provisioning Benefits (page 6) Complementary Software (page 8) HP StorageWorks XP24000 Disk Array HP StorageWorks XP20000 Disk Array
Unless otherwise specified, the term storage system in this guide refers to the following disk arrays:
The GUI illustrations in this guide were created using a Windows computer with the Internet Explorer browser. Actual windows may differ depending on the operating system and browser used. GUI contents also vary with licensed program products, storage system models, and firmware versions.
XP Thin Provisioning Features

XP Thin Provisioning is a new advanced thin provisioning software product that provides virtual storage capacity to simplify administration and addition of storage, eliminate application service interruptions, and reduce costs. For companies faced with ongoing rapid growth of their data storage requirements and escalating storage and storage management expenses, XP Thin Provisioning greatly simplifies the application storage provisioning process and saves money on storage purchases. XP Thin Provisioning allows storage to be allocated to an application without actually being physically mapped until it is used. This as-needed method means storage allocations can exceed the amount of storage physically installed. It also decouples the provisioning of storage to an application from the physical addition of storage capacity to the storage system. Both significantly simplify the storage provisioning process. As it is needed, physical storage is nondisruptively added to the storage system and placed in a central pool available to all thin provisioned volumes. As an application requires additional capacity, the storage system automatically allocates the needed additional physical storage to the volume. Behind the scenes, XP Thin Provisioning monitors storage resources and proactively alerts you before more physical storage is required. XP Thin Provisioning also simplifies performance optimization by transparently spreading many hosts individual I/O patterns across many physical disks, thereby reducing performance management concerns and optimizing performance/throughput. With XP Thin Provisioning, overall storage utilization rates improve and the entire storage system is tuned for maximum efficiency. In addition, in tiered storage environments, it offers a useful low-cost tier option. Coupled with the advanced features and reliability of the HP storage system, XP Thin Provisioning offers reduced capital and management expenses, and an improved return on your storage investment.
XP Thin Provisioning Benefits

In a traditional volume, when you need more storage, you must install additional disks and simultaneously change the configuration of both the storage system and the host. This requires extensive careful orchestration, and is disruptive to application I/O.
Overview of HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning Software
With XP Thin Provisioning, when configuring additional storage for an application, the administrator draws from the XP Thin Provisioning pool without immediately adding physical disks. Coordination between the creation of a volume and the physical disk layout are no longer a consideration.
Nondisruptive Addition of Physical Disks

An XP Thin Provisioning volume will be displayed as a Virtual LVI/LUN volume that has no actual storage capacity. Actual storage capacity from the XP Thin Provisioning pool is assigned when the data is written. Because the application only sees the amount of virtual capacity that is allocated to it, additional physical disk capacity can be installed transparently when needed, without an application service interruption.
Improved Performance
XP Thin Provisioning Software effectively combines many program products' I/O patterns and spreads the I/O activity across all available physical resources. Prior to XP Thin Provisioning Software, optimizing to use all spindles was a complex manual task requiring considerable expertise. Avoiding disk hot spots has always been challenging because of the complexity of spreading an application over many spindles as well as predicting when multiple program products that share a limited number of spindles may generate I/O patterns that cause contention and performance bottlenecks. XP Thin Provisioning Software does this automatically. By evenly spreading out hundreds of users I/O patterns over all available spindles, XP Thin Provisioning Software will optimize aggregate throughput and generally deliver the best performance. Balancing individual program products and manually matching up drive spindles is no longer necessary.
Reduced Storage Acquisition Costs

Defining a volume larger than the physical disk allows you to plan for additional future storage needs during an initial installation, purchase only the physical disk capacity required at the start, and add physical storage capacity incrementally over time. This approach also provides savings in space, power, and cooling requirements. Figure 1 (page 7) illustrates the difference between purchases made before and after installing XP Thin Provisioning. Figure 1 Effects of XP Thin Provisioning
Simplified Replication Planning

You can define the desired volume capacity without regard to the physical disk capacity. For volumes of 4.0 TB and smaller, you no longer need to use LUSE for volume expansion, which also simplifies creating replication pairs.
XP Thin Provisioning Benefits
Complementary Software
HP StorageWorks XP Replication Software The high-speed, nondisruptive technology of HP StorageWorks replication software rapidly creates multiple copies of mission-critical information within XP storage systems. It keeps data RAID-protected and fully recoverable without affecting service or performance levels. For more information about HP StorageWorks Replication Manager Software, HP StorageWorks XP Business Copy, HP StorageWorks XP Continuous Access, or HP StorageWorks XP Continuous Access Journal, see the respective product user guide. Performance Monitor Performance Monitor gives you detailed point-in-time reporting of the performance metrics of the storage system, so that you can promptly investigate threshold warnings and determine both your virtual and physical storage needs. For more information about Performance Monitor, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Performance Monitor User's Guide. HP StorageWorks P9000 or XP Command View Advanced Edition Software Device Manager HP StorageWorks P9000 or XP Command View Advanced Edition Software Device Manager supports the consolidation of storage operations and management functions in a system that contains multiple heterogeneous HP StorageWorks storage systems (for example, HP XP24000/XP20000 disk arrays, HP XP12000/XP10000 disk arrays, HP XP1024/XP128 disk arrays, and HP XP512/XP48 disk arrays). With regard to XP Thin Provisioning Software, Device Manager gives storage administrators easy access to monitoring functions, including generating email alerts for threshold punctures and issuing reports on XP Thin Provisioning virtual volumes, pool volumes, and pools. For information about using Device Manager to perform alert notification, see the administrator guide that came with Device Manager. For information about using Device Manager with XP Thin Provisioning Virtual Volumes and Pool Volumes, see the user guide that came with Device Manager. HP StorageWorks XP Performance Advisor Software XP Performance Advisor Software is an Internet application that collects and monitors real-time performance of HP StorageWorks XP disk array products, including XP Thin Provisioning and XP Snapshot pools. You can use the simple, browser-based interface to customize data collection, set alarms, and view volumes that belong to XP Thin Provisioning and XP Snapshot pools. Using the command line interface and program products programming interface, you can integrate XP Performance Advisor Software with third-party program products. XP Performance Advisor Software reports include the XP Thin Provisioning pool occupancy report, showing the usage of the busiest XP Thin Provisioning pools. For information about using XP Performance Advisor Software to monitor XP Thin Provisioning pool usage, see the HP StorageWorks XP Performance Advisor Software user guide .
Overview of HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning Software
2 About XP Thin Provisioning Operations

This chapter contains a technical overview of XP Thin Provisioning. XP Thin Provisioning Components (page 9) Managing Pool Capacity (page 12) Interoperability with Other Products and Functions (page 18)
XP Thin Provisioning Components

Relationship between XP Thin Provisioning volumes and pools
Figure 2 (page 9) illustrates the relationship between an XP Thin Provisioning volume and an XP Thin Provisioning pool. Figure 2 XP Thin Provisioning
Supported Configurations
Table 1 Supported XP Thin Provisioning Configurations
Items V-VOL capacity Supported Configurations 46 MB to 4.0 TB: 46 MB to 4,194,303 MB, or 96,000 blocks to 8,589,934,592 blocks, or 50 to 4,473,924 cylinders Maximum number of V-VOLs 8192 per pool
Maximum number of pools 128 per subsystem, 128 deducted from the maximum number of XP Snapshot pools.
Table 1 Supported XP Thin Provisioning Configurations (continued)

Items Maximum number of pool-VOLs Capacity per Pool-VOL Supported Configurations 1024 per pool 8 GB to 4 TB
Pools
XP Thin Provisioning requires the use of pools. A storage system supports up to 128 pools, each of which can contain up to 1,024 pool-VOLs and 8,192 V-VOLs. Each pool requires a unique pool ID. XP Snapshot also uses pools. The 128-pool maximum per storage system applies to the total number of both XP Snapshot pools and XP Thin Provisioning pools. For more information about XP Snapshot, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Snapshot User Guide. The total pool capacity is the total capacity of the registered XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOLs. Pool capacity is calculated by the following formula: Total Number of pages = ( pool-VOL number of blocks 512 168 ) for each pool-VOL The capacity of the pool (MB) = Total number of pages x 42 (41 + 84 x Number of 16 pool-VOLs) : truncate the part of the formula between the arrows after the decimal point. If you increase pool capacity by adding a pool-VOL, existing data in the pool automatically migrates from older pool-VOLs to the newly added pool-VOL, balancing the usage levels of all pool-VOLs. If you do not want to automate balancing of the usage levels of pool-VOLs, consult HP technical support (see Calling HP Technical Support (page 86)). XP Thin Provisioning Software automatically balances the usage levels among pool-VOLs in the pool created with microcode version 60-05-0x or later. XP Thin Provisioning Software does not automatically balance the usage levels among pool-VOLs if the cache memory is not redundant or if the pool usage level is more than the pool thresholds. For more information about pools, including a description of the Pool window, see Pool Window (page 29). For instructions on managing pools, see Managing Pools (page 57).
V-VOLs
XP Thin Provisioning requires the use of V-VOLs, which are virtual volumes with no physical memory space. V-VOLs can be 46 MB to 4 TB. To create a V-VOL, use the Remote Web Console V-VOL window (see V-VOL Window (page 35)). OPEN-V is the only supported emulation type. You can define multiple V-VOLs and assign them as V-VOLs to a storage pool. A V-VOL cannot be associated with more than one pool. For more information, see V-VOL Window (page 34) and Managing V-VOLs and V-VOL Groups (page 62). If the system option mode 726 is enabled, you can set only one V-VOL in one V-VOL group. Therefore, the number of V-VOL groups that can be defined in the whole storage system is the same as the number of LDEVs that can be defined in the whole storage system. For details on the number of definable V-VOL groups in the whole system, see the explanation about the Copy of V-VOL Groups number text box in the New V-VOL Group dialog box.
Growing a V-VOL
You can grow (dynamically increase the LUN capacity of) a V-VOL without migrating the data. For instructions, see Increasing V-VOL Capacity (page 67).
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About XP Thin Provisioning Operations
Reclaiming Pages from a V-VOL

A V-VOL used as a migration target from a traditional nondynamic provisioned volume may have large amounts of capacity dedicated to data that is all binary zeros. The XP Thin Provisioning pool capacity used for the binary zero data written to the V-VOL can be reclaimed and returned as available pool capacity. Capacity is provided to V-VOLs from the XP Thin Provisioning pool in 42-MB sized pages. Reclaiming capacity requires that these pages have only binary zero data written to it. For instructions on how to reclaim pages containing binary zero data, see Releasing Pages in a V-VOL (page 71). Note that while releasing pages in a V-VOL, performance of host I/O to the V-VOL temporarily decreases. You cannot reclaim pages taken up by a V-VOL if any nonbinary zero data has been written to them. In this case, the pages can be reclaimed only when the V-VOL is no longer needed and is deleted. If you perform the binary zero data discard operation, XP Thin Provisioning automatically rebalances pool-VOL usage levels. If you do not want to automatically balance the usage levels of pool-VOLs, consult HP technical support (see Calling HP Technical Support (page 86)). XP Thin Provisioning Software automatically balances the usage levels among pool-VOLs in a pool created with microcode version 60-05-0x or later. XP Thin Provisioning Software does not automatically balance the usage levels among pool-VOLs if the cache memory is not redundant or if the pool usage level is more than the pool thresholds.
V-VOL Management Table

Before you can use XP Thin Provisioning, a V-VOL management table is created. The V-VOL management table associates V-VOLs (virtual volumes) with a pool. The V-VOL management table is created automatically when the required additional shared memory is installed by your HP service representative. If data is lost from shared memory, the V-VOL management table will be restored using data stored in reserved system areas inside the Pool. If this restore is unsuccessful, a stored copy of shared memory will be copied from the SVP. This process is explained in Table 2 (page 12).
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Table 2 How the V-VOL Management Table Is Stored When Data Is Lost From the Shared Memory
Items 6001xx Location where V-VOL management table memory is stored in shared memory SVP HDD. The system option mode 460 of the SVP must be set to ON. You are not required to set the system option because this is a factory setting. Microcode Version 6002xx or later In addition to the SVP HDD, a dedicated area that is automatically created in the pool when the pool is created. If the area is already created with microcode version 60-01-xx, there is no need to create the pool again, etc., after upgrading to micro-version 60-02-xx or later.
When the V-VOL management table in shared memory is stored
When you switch off the power supply. When you switch off the power supply. When the V-VOL management table is updated, such as during page allocation, pool creation, and so on. It is also stored for any pool created with microcode version 60-01-xx when the microcode exchange is replaced.
When the V-VOL When you switch on the power supply When you switch on the power supply management table in after shared memory was volatilized. after shared memory was volatilized shared memory is restored Restoring the data from the dedicated area in the pool may take more time compared to restoring data from the SVP HDD. Therefore, mode 460 = ON is recommended. When mode 460 = ON, the data is stored in both the SVP HDD and the dedicated area in the pool. The time required for restoring the management table from the dedicated area in the pool depends on the pool usage or the V-VOL usage. For example, when the pool usage or the V-VOL usage is 100 TB, powering on takes at least 20 minutes more than usual, depending on the condition of the storage system.
NOTE: Pools are blocked when an attempt to restore data from both the SVP HDD and the dedicated area in the pool fails (for example due to a HDD failure). If the pools are blocked, call HP technical support (see Calling HP Technical Support (page 86)).
Managing Pool Capacity

One of the key features of XP Thin Provisioning is that you can define V-VOLs that have a greater capacity than the pool capacity. However, if you run out of free space in the pool, the host cannot expand the data written to the V-VOLs. It is therefore essential to closely monitor pool capacity, so that you can increase it as needed. You can monitor pool capacity directly with the XP Thin Provisioning window (see XP Thin Provisioning Window (page 38)). You can also use Performance Monitor, RAID Manager, P9000 or XP Command View Advanced Edition software Device Manager, and XP Performance Advisor Software to monitor used pool capacity. For more information on Performance Monitor, see HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Performance Monitor User Guide.
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Device Manager can be configured to output SNMP traps as a log file so you can monitor devices centrally in storage areas and program products. In addition, the Device Manager can send alerts by email. For more information on Device Manager SNMP traps and email notification, see the administrator guide that came with Device Manager.
Monitoring Pool Usage Levels

Several tools allow you to view both the current pool usage rates and the changes over time for those usage rates. These tools allow you to monitor the pool free space and estimate when you will need to increase the pool capacity. You can use the XP Thin Provisioning window. For more information, see XP Thin Provisioning Window (page 38). You can use RAID Manager. For more information, see the HP StorageWorks RAID Manager User Guide. You can use Device Manager. For more information, see the user guide that came with Device Manager.
Figure 3 (page 13) shows a sample display of the changes in pool usage levels. Figure 3 Sample Pool Information
You can use both XP Performance Advisor and Performance Monitor to collect I/O data on V-VOL and pool usage: Using XP Performance Advisor: The current used pool capacity and the chronological changes in the used pool capacity The current used V-VOL capacity (ratio of the stored data) and the chronological changes in the used V-VOL capacity Frequency of V-VOL access, read hit ratio, and write hit ratio Pool I/O rates in the parity group
Using Performance Monitor:
Figure 4 (page 14) shows management of usage levels and operation information.
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Figure 4 Managing Usage Rates and I/Os
Full Pool Handling

Full Pool conditions can be managed in two ways. The difference between the two handling methods is how a V-VOL is treated if it requires new pool capacity when no capacity is available. The default method used during a full pool condition is to fail some read and write operations to V-VOLs using the pool. Read and write operations are handled in the following way: Successfully read data that already exists in the V-VOL. Reads to Pool Pages already assigned to the V-VOL are successful. Successfully update (write) data that already exists in the V-VOL. Writes to Pool Pages already assigned to the V-VOL are successful. Fail a read operation that specifies an LBA address that is not assigned to a page. This read would be for an area that has never been written to the V-VOL. Fail a write operation that species an LBA address that is not assigned to a page. This write operation requires free pool capacity that is not available.
The second method used during a full pool condition is enabled using System Option Mode 729. Call HP Technical Support to inquire how to enable this option (see Calling HP Technical Support (page 86)). This method uses Data Retention Utility to manage V-VOLs that are impacted by the pool full condition. Only V-VOLs that have required free pool capacity during a pool full condition are impacted. All V-VOLs that have not requested free capacity continue to operate without any read or write problems imposed by the pool full condition. Using the second method, a V-VOL that requests a free page from the pool to support a write to an LBA address that is not mapped to an existing allocated page to the V-VOL is immediately changed to Protect status using Data Retention Utility. In this case, the V-VOL becomes read and write protected when a write fails due to the pool-full condition. This protection status preserves the integrity of the V-VOL by making it inaccessible. If a V-VOL is set to Protect status, the Remote Web Console Data Retention window indicates that the Protection attribute was added to the V-VOL, the S-VOL column displays Enable, and the Retention Term column displays 0 days. However, if the Protect attribute is added to a V-VOL with the S-VOL Disable attribute, the S-VOL column remains Disable.
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To set the pool capacity to a sufficient level when the hosts write to the V-VOL, call HP Technical Support. You can make such settings if the pool is not associated with V-VOLs exceeding the pool capacity. If the total V-VOL capacity exceeds the pool capacity after you perform such settings, you cannot associate V-VOLs with the pool or increase the V-VOL capacity. Once capacity has been added to the pool then the administrator should use the Remote Web Console Data Retention window to view the V-VOLs impacted by the previous pool-full condition and also to reset the protection status of the V-VOL. Once the protection status is reset, normal operations can be returned to the hosts.
Thresholds
XP Thin Provisioning monitors V-VOLs capacity and pools capacity by thresholds. There are two types of thresholds: V-VOL thresholds and pool thresholds. Pool thresholds: A pool threshold is the proportion (%) of used capacity of the pool to the total pool capacity. Each pool has its own Pool threshold values that are divided into a variable threshold and a fixed threshold, for example: Threshold 1: You can set it between 5% and 95%, in 5% increments. The default value is 70%. Threshold 2: Fixed at 80%.
Pool usage over either threshold will cause a warning to be issued via a SIM and an SNMP trap. Example: When the total pool capacity is 1 TB and threshold 1 is 50% Figure 5 (page 15) shows the pool capacity (when pool threshold 1 is 50%). If the used capacity of the pool is larger than 50% (500 GB) of the total pool capacity, a SIM and an SNMP trap are reported. If the used capacity of the pool increases and it exceeds threshold 2 (80%), a SIM and an SNMP trap are reported again. Figure 5 Pool Capacity (When Pool Threshold 1 Is 50%)
V-VOL thresholds: The V-VOL threshold is the ratio (%) of the unassigned pool capacity to the unassigned V-VOL capacity. The threshold can be specified from 5% to 300%. If the following formula is true, a SIM and an SNMP trap are reported: Unassigned V-VOL capacity x threshold > unassigned pool capacity Example: When the V-VOL threshold is 300% Figure 6 (page 16) shows the V-VOL capacity and the pool capacity (when the V-VOL threshold is 300%). When a V-VOL capacity is 1 TB and the assigned capacity is 500 GB, the unassigned capacity of the V-VOL is 500 GB. Therefore, if free space of the pool is smaller than 1.5 TB (500 GB x 300%) of the unassigned capacity of the pool, a SIM and an SNMP trap are reported. Because a pool is sometimes used by multiple V-VOLs, the pool sometimes requires free space larger than the unassigned capacity of the V-VOL. So, you can specify the V-VOL threshold to a value more than 100%.
Managing Pool Capacity 15
Figure 6 V-VOL Capacity and Pool Capacity (When V-VOL Threshold Is 300%)
Example 2: When the V-VOL threshold is 90% Figure 7 (page 16) shows the V-VOL capacity and the pool capacity (when the V-VOL threshold is 90%). If free space of the pool is smaller than 450 GB (500 GB x 90%) of the unassigned capacity of the pool, a SIM and an SNMP trap are reported. Figure 7 V-VOL Capacity and Pool Capacity (When V-VOL Threshold is 90%)
SIM Reference Codes

Table 3 (page 16) lists the SIM reference codes pertaining to XP Thin Provisioning. For more information on completing SIMs, see Managing Pool-Related SIMs (page 83). Table 3 SIM Reference Codes
Codes (XXX is pool ID) 620XXX (XXX is pool ID) Events Thresholds or Values Various Types of Reports Report to the host: Yes Completion report to Remote Web Console: Yes Information to the operator: No 621XXX (XXX is pool ID) Pool usage level 80% fixed. exceeded pool threshold 2. Report to the host: Yes Completion report to Remote Web Console: Yes Information to the operator: No
Pool usage level 5% to 95% in 5% exceeded pool threshold increments 1. Default: 70%.
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Table 3 SIM Reference Codes (continued)

Codes (XXX is pool ID) 622XXX (XXX is pool ID) Events Pool is full. Thresholds or Values 100%. Various Types of Reports Report to the host: Yes Completion report to Remote Web Console: Yes. Information to the operator: No 623XXX (XXX is pool ID) Error occurred in the pool. Not applicable. Report to the host: Yes Completion report to Remote Web Console: No Information to the operator: Yes 624XXX No space in the shared memory. Not applicable. Report to the host: Yes Completion report to Remote Web Console: Yes Information to the operator: Yes 625000 Pool usage level continues to exceed the highest pool threshold. Highest Pool threshold (80% to 95%). Report to the host: Yes. Completion report to Remote Web Console: Yes. Information to the operator: Yes with SOM741. 630XXX (XXX is pool ID) Level of free pool capacity to free V-VOL capacity exceeded V-VOL threshold 5% to 300% in 5% Report to the host: Yes increments Completion report to Default: 5% Remote Web Console: If pool IDs are the Yes same, only one SIM is reported even if the V-VOLs are different 640XXX (XXX is pool ID) V-VOL management Not applicable area cannot be saved to a pool Information to the operator: No
Report to the host: No Completion report to Remote Web Console: No Information to the operator: Yes
Pool Status
Pool Status (page 18) lists the pool status definitions.
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Table 4 Pool Status

Status Normal Definition Normal status. The pool usage level may exceed the variable or fixed pool threshold. SIM Codes If the pool usage level exceeds either the variable or the fixed pool threshold, the following SIM occurs. 620XXX or 621XXX (XXX is pool ID) None If the pool is full or an error occurs in the pool, the following SIM occurs. 622XXX or 623XXX (XXX is pool ID)
Warning Blocked
Pool-VOL in the pool is blocked or being formatted. The pool is full or an error occurred in the pool, therefore the pool is blocked.
Balancing I/O Load Across the Pool

When defining a pool, dedicate as many array groups as needed to support the I/O load of the planned V-VOLs. When adding capacity to an XP Thin Provisioning pool defined using firmware 60-05-0X or later, the rebalancing function moves some existing data for V-VOLs from older pool volumes to the newest pool volumes. The rebalance function rebalances each V-VOL's data (pages assigned) evenly across each pool volume in the pool. When adding capacity to the pool defined using firmware earlier than 60-05-0X, typically add about the same amount of space as defined originally.
Interoperability with Other Products and Functions

In certain cases, XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs and pool-VOLs can be used in conjunction with other XP software products. Table 5 (page 18) lists the operations that are permitted and not permitted. Note that XP Thin Provisioning supports OPEN-V volumes only. Table 5 Using XP Thin Provisioning with Other Products
Option Name Cache Residency Manager For more information, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Cache Residency Manager User Guide. XP Snapshot For more information, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Snapshot User Guide. Using a V-VOL as a Snapshot P-VOL. The maximum total number of both XP Snapshot and XP Thin Provisioning pools per storage system is 128. Snapshot pool limits are reduced by the number of XP Thin Provisioning pools. Using a V-VOL as a Snapshot S-VOL, or Pool-VOL. Using an XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOLs as a Snapshot P-VOL, S-VOL, or Pool-VOL. Increasing the capacity of V-VOL used by this program product Discarding zero data, and running XP Snapshot to the same V-VOL (This operation will be prohibited by the microcode). Use on XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOLs. Permitted None Not Permitted
Data Retention Utility For more information, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Data Retention Utility User Guide.
Performing operations on V-VOLs.
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Table 5 Using XP Thin Provisioning with Other Products (continued)

Option Name Database Validator LUN Expansion (LUSE) For more information, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 LUN Expansion User Guide. LUN Manager, LUN Security For more information, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 LUN Manager User Guide. XP Performance Control For more information, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Performance Control User Guide. XP Business Copy For more information, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Business Copy Software User Guide. Using a V-VOL as an XP Business Copy P-VOL or S-VOL. See Using XP Business Copy Software (page 22) for more information. Performing operations on V-VOLs. Performing operations on V-VOLs. Permitted Performing operations on V-VOLs. None Not Permitted Use on XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOLs. Use on XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOLs or V-VOLs.
Use on XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOLs.
Use on XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOLs.
Use an XP Thin Provisioning Pool-VOL as an XP Business Copy P-VOL or S-VOL. Increasing the capacity of V-VOL used by this program product. Discarding zero data, and running XP Business Copy to the same V-VOL (This operation will be prohibited by the microcode).
XP Continuous Access For more information, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Continuous Access Software User Guide. XP Continuous Access Asynchronous For more information, see HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Continuous Access Software User Guide. XP Continuous Access Journal For more information, see the XP24000/XP20000 Continuous Access Journal Software User Guide.
Using a V-VOL as an XP Continuous Access P-VOL or an S-VOL.
Using an XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOL as an XP Continuous Access P-VOL or an S-VOL. Increasing the capacity of V-VOL used by this program product.
None
Use on XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOLs or V-VOLs. Increasing the capacity of V-VOL used by this program product.
Using a V-VOL as an XP Continuous Access Journal P-VOL or S-VOL. In this case, both the XP Continuous Access Journal P-VOL and S-VOL must be V-VOLs.
Using a V-VOL as an XP Continuous Access Journal journal volume. Use on XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOLs. Increasing the capacity of V-VOL used by this program product.
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Table 5 Using XP Thin Provisioning with Other Products (continued)

Option Name HP StorageWorks XP External Storage Permitted Enabling volumes created by XP External Storage Software to be used as pool-VOLs. Not Permitted Increasing the capacity of V-VOL mapped to another storage system. If you try to increase the capacity of the external volume, the capacity of the volume will be the same capacity as the former capacity. To increase the capacity, release the mapping to the V-VOL from the mapping device.
Virtual LUN For more information, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Virtual LVI/LUN (VLL) and Volume Shredder User Guide. XP Disk/Cache Partition For more information, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Disk/Cache Partition User Guide. XP Auto LUN For more information, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Auto LUN Software User Guide.
Registering Virtual LUN volumes in Performing Virtual LUN operations XP Thin Provisioning pools. on volumes that are already registered in an XP Thin Provisioning pool.
Performing operations on XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs and pool-VOLs. See Using XP Disk/Cache Partition (page 23) for more information. Using a V-VOL as a migration source or a migration target. Use on XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOLs. Increasing the capacity of V-VOL used by this program product. Discarding zero data, and running XP Auto LUN to the same V-VOL (This operation will be prohibited by the microcode). Use on V-VOLs. Use on XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOLs. Increasing the capacity of V-VOL used by this program product. Discarding zero data, and running Volume Shredder to the same V-VOL (This operation will be prohibited by the microcode).
Volume Shredder For more information, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Virtual LVI/LUN (VLL) and Volume Shredder User Guide.
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Using XP Continuous Access Software

You can use XP Thin Provisioning in combination with XP Continuous Access to replicate V-VOLs. You can also use XP Continuous Access as a tool to move the data of the V-VOL for I/O load reasons. The recommended movement is between the P-VOL in pool A and S-VOL in pool B. Figure 8 (page 21) illustrates the interaction when the XP Continuous Access P-VOL and S-VOL are also XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs. Table 6 (page 21) lists the specifics. Figure 8 Using XP Thin Provisioning Software
Table 6 Supported XP Continuous Access Software and XP Thin Provisioning Combinations

XP Continuous Access P-VOL XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs XP Continuous Access S-VOL XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs Explanation Supported At initial PAIR create time, pages in the S-VOL are freed if not needed for replicating the P-VOL. Supported, but the Quick Restore function is not available. Supported, but the Quick Restore function is not available. This combination consumes the same amount of pool capacity as the original normal volume (P-VOL).
XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs Normal volumes
Normal volumes XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs
NOTE: You cannot specify an XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOL as an XP Continuous Access P-VOL or S-VOL. If the cache write pending rate exceeds 55%, the copy process stops temporarily. If you retry the Quick Restore or XP Auto LUN function on V-VOLs where Quick Restore has been already been performed, error 5208 65714 may occur. If the error occurs, use the following equation to calculate how long to wait before retrying: (Pool Capacity in terabytes x 3 seconds) + 40 minutes Heavy workload on the storage system could add additional time to the wait period. If the V-VOL operation status is in Processing state, then wait for the state to change to Ready before attempting Auto LUN or Quick Restore.
Using XP Continuous Access Journal Software

You can use XP Thin Provisioning in combination with XP Continuous Access Journal to replicate V-VOLs. You can also use XP Continuous Access Journal as a tool to move the data of the V-VOL for I/O load reasons. The recommended movement is between the P-VOL in pool A and S-VOL in pool B. Figure 9 (page 22) illustrates the interaction when the XP Continuous Access Journal P-VOL and S-VOL are also XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs. Table 7 (page 22) lists the specifics.
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Figure 9 Using XP Thin Provisioning and XP Continuous Access Journal
Table 7 Supported XP Continuous Access Journal and XP Thin Provisioning Combinations

XP Continuous Access Journal P-VOL XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs XP Continuous Access Journal S-VOL XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs Explanation Supported At initial PAIR create time, pages in the S-VOL are freed if not needed for replicating the P-VOL. Supported Supported This combination consumes the same amount of pool capacity as the original normal volume (P-VOL).
XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs Normal volumes
Normal volumes XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs
NOTE:
You cannot specify an XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOL as an XP Continuous Access Journal P-VOL or S-VOL.
If the cache write pending rate exceeds 55%, the copy process stops temporarily.
Using XP Business Copy Software

You can use XP Thin Provisioning in combination with XP Business Copy Software to replicate V-VOLs. You can also use XP Business Copy as a tool to move the data of the V-VOL for I/O load reasons. HP recommends movement between the P-VOL in pool A and the S-VOL in pool B. Figure 10 (page 22) illustrates the interaction when the XP Business Copy P-VOL and S-VOL are also XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs. Table 8 (page 22) lists the specifics. Figure 10 Using XP Thin Provisioning and XP Business Copy
Table 8 Supported XP Business Copy and XP Thin Provisioning Combinations

XP Business Copy P-VOL XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs Normal volumes Business Copy S-VOL Explanation
XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs Supported Normal volumes XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs Supported, but the Quick Restore function is not available. NOTE: This combination consumes the same amount of pool capacity as the normal volume (P-VOL).
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NOTE: S-VOL.
You cannot specify an XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOL as an XP Business Copy P-VOL or
Zero page Reclaim (zero page discard) will not operate on a V-VOL being used as a P-VOL or S-VOL. Also you cannot make a P-VOL or S-VOL from a volume currently undergoing Zero Page Reclaim.
Using XP Disk/Cache Partition

You can assign V-VOLs and pool-VOLs to XP Disk/Cache Partition SLPRs and CLPRs, with the following restrictions: All pool-VOLs in a pool must be allocated to the same CLPR. HP recommends that V-VOLs and the associated pool are allocated to the same CLPR.
For more information, see HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Disk/Cache Partition User Guide.
Using XP Auto LUN

Consider the following when you move V-VOLs using XP Auto LUN or XP Tiered Storage Manager: V-VOLs have two emulation types, OPEN-0V and OPEN-V. You can check the emulation type of V-VOLs in the LDEV window of the Report Display window of Remote Web Console. For more information about the LDEV window, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web Console User Guide. You cannot move OPEN-0V V-VOLs to OPEN-V normal volumes. Conversely, you cannot move OPEN-V normal volumes to OPEN-0V V-VOLs. If you need to move volumes in this way, change the emulation type from OPEN-0V to OPEN-V. For more information about changing an emulation type, see V-VOL Window (page 34). When both migration source volume and the migration destination volume are V-VOLs, they can be moved regardless of emulation types such as OPEN-0V or OPEN-V. For more information about XP Auto LUN, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Auto LUN User Guide. If you retry the XP Auto LUN or Quick Restore function on V-VOLs where XP Auto LUN has already been performed, error 5208 65714 may occur. If the error occurs, use the following equation to calculate how long to wait before retrying: (Pool Capacity in terabytes x 3 seconds) + 40 minutes Heavy workload on the storage system could add additional time to the wait period. If the V-VOL operation status is in Processing state, then wait for the state to change to Ready before attempting Auto LUN or Quick Restore.
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3 Preparing for XP Thin Provisioning Operations

This chapter describes the necessary environment for XP Thin Provisioning. Preparing the Storage System and Remote Web Console Computers (page 24) Installing and Uninstalling XP Thin Provisioning (page 28)
Preparing the Storage System and Remote Web Console Computers

Hardware and Software Requirements
Before launching XP Thin Provisioning, you must take several preliminary steps. These include the following: Install the storage system. Install the Remote Web Console computers, and connect them to the storage system internal LAN. Enable XP Thin Provisioning on each storage system where you intend to use the option. If you intend to use XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs as XP Business Copy P-VOLs or S-VOLs, you must also install XP Business Copy Software. For detailed instructions on enabling Remote Web Console product options, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web Console User Guide. If you intend to increase the capacity of V-VOL, XP RAID Manager must be installed on your host server.
License Requirements
You will need an XP Thin Provisioning license for the total pool capacity. Licensed capacity for XP Thin Provisioning Software is priced per storage system. If you are using XP Disk/Cache Partition, you are not charged for license capacity per storage logical partition (SLPR). If you are using XP Business Copy, XP Continuous Access, or XP Continuous Access Journal, you need a license for the total consumed pool capacity in use by all P-VOLs and S-VOLs. If the total used pool capacity exceeds the licensed capacity, the additional capacity is treated as a temporary license. You will be able to use the additional capacity for 30 days. After 30 days, you will not be able to perform XP Business Copy operations except for deleting pairs. After 30 days, you will not be able to perform XP Continuous Access or XP Continuous Access Journal operations except for suspending copy operations and deleting pairs. For more information about temporary license capacity, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web Console User Guide.
Shared Memory Requirements

XP Thin Provisioning requires its own dedicated shared memory for the V-VOL management area, which is separate from the shared memory for XP Snapshot. The required shared memory will be installed by your HP service representative.
Operating System and File System Capacity

Initializing a P-VOL in most operating systems and file systems consumes some XP Thin Provisioning pool space. Some operating systemfile system combinations initially take up little pool space while other combinations take as much pool space as the virtual capacity of the V-VOL. Table 9 (page 25) shows the effects of those combinations. For more information, contact your HP service representative.
24
Preparing for XP Thin Provisioning Operations
Table 9 Operating System and File System Capacity

Operating System AIX File System JFS Metadata Writing Pool Capacity Consumed
Writes metadata in 8 MB intervals. Size of V-VOL. If you change the Allocation Group Size settings when you create the file system, the metadata can be written to a maximum of 64 MB. Approximately 65% of the pool is used.
JFS2 VxFS HP-UX JFS (VxFs) HFS Linux XFS
Writes metadata to first block. Writes metadata to first block. Writes metadata to first block. Writes metadata in 10 MB intervals. Writes metadata in Allocation Group Size intervals.
Small (one page). Small (one page). Small (one page). Size of V-VOL. Depends on allocation group size. The amount of pool space consumed is approximately [V-VOL Size]*[42 MB/Allocation Group Size]. About 33 % of the size of the V-VOL. The default block size for these file systems is 4 KB. This results in 33% of the V-VOL acquiring pool pages. If the file system block size is changed to 2 KB or less, the V-VOL Page consumption becomes 100%.
Ext2 Ext3
Writes metadata in 128 MB intervals.
Solaris
UFS VxFS
Writes metadata in 52 MB intervals. Writes metadata to first block. Writes metadata to first block.
Size of V-VOL. Small (one page). Small (one page). The allocated capacity increases if the update of the file is repeated, and the effectiveness of reducing the pool capacity consumption decreases.
Windows Server 2003
NTFS
Windows Server 2008
NTFS
Writes metadata to first block.
Small (one page). If you perform the standard format operation when creating the file system, the size of the pool capacity as same as the file system capacity is consumed. In this case, we recommend the quick format. The allocated capacity increases if the update of the file is repeated, and the effectiveness of reducing the pool capacity consumption decreases.
Tru64
VFS AdvFS
Writes metadata to first block. Writes metadata to first block. Writes metadata to first block.
Small (one page). Small (one page). Small (one page). 25
OpenVMS
VMS
Table 9 Operating System and File System Capacity (continued)

Operating System NonStop VMware (ESX Server) File System NSK VMW Metadata Writing Writes metadata to first block. Writes metadata to first block. Pool Capacity Consumed Small (one page). Small (one page). VMware eager-zeroed thick formatting is not recommended because it forces the volume to fully allocate space in the pool. VMware thin formatting is not supported due to unpredictable results.
Volume and Pool Requirements

Pool-VOL requirements are described in Table 10 (page 26). Pool requirements are described in Pool Requirements (page 27). V-VOL requirements are described in V-VOL Requirements (page 27). Table 10 Pool-VOL Requirements
Item Volume type Requirement Logical volume (LDEV). Separating pool-VOLs from other volumes into different parity groups is recommended for best performance. You cannot specify the following volumes as XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOLs: Volumes used by XP Business Copy, XP Auto LUN, XP Continuous Access, XP Continuous Access Asynchronous, or XP Continuous Access Journal LUSE volumes Volumes defined by Cache Residency Manager Volumes already registered in XP Snapshot or XP Thin Provisioning pools Volumes used as XP Snapshot P-VOLs or S-VOLs Data Retention Utility volumes with a Protect, Read Only, or S-VOL Disable attribute Volumes whose LDEV attribute is other than normal or Normal (Quick Format) System disks Command devices Quorum disks You cannot store any pool-VOLs in a pool, including external volumes with a cache mode attribute. Emulation type RAID level OPEN-V Any RAID level. Volumes with different RAID levels in a pool is not recommended. RAID-6 is recommended for large pools and where recovery time due to drive failure may be unacceptable. Drive type FC, SATA, and flash drive can be used as drive type. Internal Volume pool-VOLs: Cannot be intermixed in the same pool if drive types are different. External Volume pool-VOLs: Cannot be intermixed in the same pool if drive types are different; however, this configuration is not recommended for performance reasons. Volume capacity 26 8 GB to 4 TB.
Table 10 Pool-VOL Requirements (continued)

Item LDEV format Deleting pool-VOLs Path definition Requirement You must perform LDEV formatting before the volume is registered in a pool. You cannot format pool-VOLs. You cannot remove pool-VOLs registered in pools. You need to delete the pool in order to free the volumes. You cannot specify a volume with a path definition as a Pool-VOL.
Table 1 Pool Requirements 1

Item Pool capacity Max number of pool-VOLs Max number of Pools Requirement See Pools (page 10) for the formula for calculating capacity. The upper limit of total capacity of all pools is 1.1 PB. Up to 1024 per pool. Up to 128 total pools maximum per storage system for XP Thin Provisioning. Pool IDs (0 to 127) are assigned as pool identifiers. The number of XP Thin Provisioning pools reduces the total availability of XP Snapshot pools. You can increase Pool-VOL capacity dynamically; increasing capacity by one or more parity groups is recommended. You cannot reduce pool capacity. You must delete and then reconfigure the pool. You can delete pools that are not associated with any V-VOLs. Pool threshold 1: Default value is 70%. You can set it between 5% and 95%, in 5% increments. Pool threshold 2: Fixed at 80%. Pool usage over either threshold will cause a warning to be issued using a SIM and an SNMP trap. Data allocation unit 42 MB
Increasing capacity Reducing capacity Deleting Thresholds
Table 12 V-VOL Requirements

Item Volume type Emulation type Requirement V-VOL. The LDEV number is the same as for normal volumes. Servers (including XP RAID Manager) will show emulation types as follows: OPEN-0V for V-VOLs created with microcode version 60.02.06 or earlier OPEN-V for V-VOLs created with microcode version 60-02-25 or later Maximum number of V-VOLs Up to 8,192 volumes per pool Up to 1,024 volumes per volume group Up to 63,232 volume groups per system Volume capacity 46 MB to 4 TB per volume Total maximum volume capacity of 1.1 PB per storage system. Threshold The V-VOL threshold is the proportion of the potential demand a V-VOL can consume of the pool capacity. The default value is 5% of the potential capacity. You can set it between 5% and 300%, in 5% increments. The default value is recommended.
27
Table 12 V-VOL Requirements (continued)

Item Path definition LDEV format Requirement Available. However, you cannot define paths unless you first associate the V-VOL with a pool. Available. When you perform LDEV formatting on the V-VOLs, the storage system initializes data only in the consumed pool pages of the V-VOLs. However, after you perform an LDEV format, the free space in the pool does not increase because the pages are not released.
Installing and Uninstalling XP Thin Provisioning

General installation instructions are contained in the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web Console User Guide. This section contains an outline of the additional instructions that are specific to XP Thin Provisioning.
Installing XP Thin Provisioning

1. 2. Your HP service representative will install the additional shared memory for the V-VOL management area. This is separate from the shared memory for XP Snapshot. Make sure that you have sufficient license capacity for the pool and any near-term pool growth. For specific instructions on installing license capacity, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web Console User Guide. Add parity groups, and add the volumes that will be used as pool-VOLs. You can use volumes in existing unused parity groups, in which case you would delete the path definition and perform an LDEV format. For specific instructions on LDEV formatting, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Virtual LVI/LUN (VLL) and Volume Shredder User Guide. Create the pools. For specific instructions, see Creating a Pool (page 58). Create V-VOLs. For specific instructions, see Creating a V-VOL Group (page 62). After creation, they are V-VOLs. Associate V-VOLs to the pools. For specific instructions, see Changing the V-VOL Settings (page 65). Define the paths for the V-VOLs. For specific instructions, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 LUN Manager User Guide.
3.
4. 5. 6. 7.
Uninstalling XP Thin Provisioning

1. 2. Delete the path definition for the V-VOLs. For specific instructions, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 LUN Manager User Guide. Perform LDEV formatting on the V-VOLs. For specific instructions on LDEV formatting, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Virtual LVI/LUN (VLL) and Volume Shredder User Guide. Release the association between the V-VOLs and the pools. For specific instructions, see Deleting a Single Pool (page 61). Delete all V-VOLs. For specific instructions, see Delete V-VOL Groups Dialog Box (page 54). Delete all pools. For specific instructions, see Deleting Pools (page 61). Uninstall the XP Thin Provisioning license. For specific instructions on uninstalling license capacity, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web Console User Guide.
3. 4. 5. 6.
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4 Using the XP Thin Provisioning GUI

This chapter describes the XP Thin Provisioning windows and dialog boxes. Pool Window (page 29) V-VOL Window (page 34) XP Thin Provisioning Window (page 38) New Pool Dialog Box (page 40) Change Pool Information Dialog Box (page 41) New V-VOL Group Dialog Box (page 42) Create V-VOL Dialog Box (1) (page 42) Create V-VOL Dialog Box (2) (page 44) Create V-VOL Confirmation Dialog Box (page 48) Connect Pool Dialog Box (page 49) Change Threshold Dialog Box (page 50) Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool Dialog Box (page 51) Release V-VOL Groups from Pool Dialog Box (page 52) Delete V-VOL Groups Dialog Box (page 54)
Pool Window
Access the Pool window by selecting Go Volume Manager Pool (see Figure 1 (page 30)). 1 The Pool window provides information about both XP Thin Provisioning pools and XP Snapshot pools.
Pool Window
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Figure 1 Pool Window 1
Item Pool tree
Description Shows the XP Thin Provisioning and XP Snapshot pools. The Pool tree contains one or more of following icons: : A folder is used to indicate the storage system, the group of XP Thin Provisioning pools, or the group of XP Snapshot pools Pool: X: A pool in normal status (X indicates the pool ID) Pool: X: A pool whose usage level exceeds the threshold (X indicates the pool ID) pool: X: A blocked pool or a pool where a pool-VOL is blocked or being formatted (X indicates the pool ID) : A normal pool in the process of being deleted : A blocked pool or a pool where a pool-VOL is blocked or being formatted, which is in the process of being deleted : A pool with a usage level that exceeds a threshold, in the process of being deleted
Pool Mng. Capacity (Pool Management Capacity)
The Pool Management Capacity information, in the upper right corner of the window above the pool-VOL table, indicates the capacity for both XP Snapshot and XP Thin Provisioning pools. CAUTION: When you add or delete pool-VOLs, the total capacity and used capacity values change after you click Apply. Used indicates the capacity, in GB, of the pools that are in use. Total indicates the total capacity, in GB, of the pools that are in use plus those that can be created. The capacity of the pools that can be created is derived from the available shared memory capacity. Available pool capacity decreases when a V-VOL is added, and increases when a V-VOL is deleted. CAUTION: Do not exceed the total capacity for pool management blocks in use.
Pool-VOL table
30
Using the XP Thin Provisioning GUI
Item
Description The pool-VOL table contains one or both of the following icons: : Pool-VOLs having the V-VOL management area : Pool-VOLs not having the V-VOL management area
The pool-VOL table, in the upper right corner of the Pool window, displays the following information about the selected pool-VOLs: LDKC:CU:LDEV: Unique address, consisting of the logical DKC (LDKC) number, CU number, and LDEV number. Capacity: LDEV capacity. Emulation: Emulation type. RAID: RAID level. As a best practice, always specify the same RAID level for all pool-VOLs registered to the same pool. RAID-6 is recommended for large pools and where recovery time due to drive failure may be unacceptable. Protection: Data protection level. If Data Retention Utility is installed, the Protection attribute is set using the Data Retention window in Remote Web Console. SATA-W/V: Write & Verify method on SATA drives SATA-E: Enhancing method on SATA drives Standard: FC drives, flash drives, external volumes, or V-VOLs It is recommended that the data protection level of the pool-VOLs in the same pool be the same. PG: Parity group. Int. VOL Info: Drive type of internal volumes. Nothing is displayed for FC drives. An asterisk (*) is displayed for a SATA drive. A dollar sign ($) is displayed for an SSD drive. Three consecutive hyphens (- - -) are displayed for an external volume. CAUTION: Pool-VOLs with different drive types cannot be intermixed in the same pool.
Ext. VOL Info: Drive type of external volumes. Nothing is displayed for FC drives. An asterisk (*) is displayed for a SATA or BD drive. A dollar sign ($) is displayed for an SSD drive. Three consecutive hyphens (- - -) are displayed for an internal volume. Cache Mode: If the volume is an external volume, cache mode is displayed. This cache mode is specified automatically when the external volume is mapped. CAUTION: Pool-VOLs with different cache modes cannot be intermixed in the same pool. Total Capacity: Total capacity of the pool-VOLs in the pool. Used LDEVs: Total number of pool-VOLs. Remaining LDEVs: Total number of pool-VOLs that you can add to the pool.
Pool Window
31
Item Pool Information box
Description The Pool Information box, in the lower left corner of the Pool window, provides the following information. Pool ID: Pool identifying number. Status: Pool status. Normal: Normal status. The pool usage level may exceed the variable or fixed pool threshold. Warning: Pool-VOL in the pool is blocked or being formatted. Blocked: The pool is full or an error occurs in the pool, therefore the pool is blocked. If the pool is in both Warning and Blocked statuses, only Warning is displayed. Total Capacity: Total pool capacity. Total Capacity is calculated from the number of pages (42 MB per page). Used Capacity: Used pool capacity. Used Capacity is calculated from the number of pages (42 MB per page). Usage Rate: Pool usage level as a percentage of the current used pool capacity to the total pool capacity. Threshold1: Variable threshold compared to usage level. The default setting is 70%. You can set it from 5% to 95% in 5% increments. Threshold2: Fixed threshold compared to usage level. Threshold2 is always fixed at 80%. Warning: Usage level exceeds a threshold. Error: Usage level has reached 100%. Threshold: Pool usage threshold (%). Attribute: Program product that uses the pool. XP Thin Provisioning XP Snapshot CLPR: CLPR number of the pool volume.
Initialize or Optimize button
If there is no pool in the storage system, this button initializes the entire V-VOL management area. If there are one or more pools in the storage system, this button optimizes the unallocated page management table in the pool management area. This process could take up to 30 minutes. CAUTION: window. Clicking the Optimize button will cancel any other pending operations in this
SIM Complete Request Completes the pool-related SIMs, including threshold warnings and blocked pool warnings. check box For more information, seeManaging Pool-Related SIMs (page 83). All outstanding SIMs will be marked completed after clicking Apply. Before using the SIM Complete Request check box. Make certain that all the outstanding SIM conditions are cleared. For example, Pool Space has been added to lower the usage level below all defined threshold settings. Add Pool VOL button Adds the volumes you selected in the Free LDEVs list (below) to the Pool-VOL table. The LDKC list limits the display to CUs in the selected LDKC. The CU list limits the free LDEVs display to volumes in the selected CU.
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Item Free LDEVs table
Description The Free LDEVs table, in the lower right corner of the Pool window, displays the volumes that can be specified as pool-VOLs. The following information is displayed for each volume: LDKC:CU:LDEV: Logical DKC (LDKC) number, CU number and LDEV number. Capacity: LDEV capacity. Emulation: Emulation type. RAID: RAID level. HP recommends that you specify the same RAID level for pool-VOLs registered in the same pool for best performance. RAID-6 is recommended for large pools and where recovery time due to drive failure may be unacceptable. Protection: Data protection level. If Data Retention Utility is installed, the Protection attribute is set using the Data Retention window in Remote Web Console. SATA-W/V: Write & Verify method on SATA drives SATA-E: Enhancing method on SATA drives Standard: FC drives, flash drives, external volumes, or V-VOLs It is recommended that the data protection level of the pool-VOLs in the same pool be the same. PG: Parity group. Int. VOL Info: Drive type of internal volumes. Nothing appears for FC drives. An asterisk (*) indicates a SATA drive. A dollar sign ($) indicates an SSD drive. Three consecutive hyphens (- - -) are displayed for an external volume. CAUTION: Pool-VOLs with different drive types cannot be intermixed in the same pool.
Ext. VOL Info: Drive type of external volumes. Nothing appears for FC drives. An asterisk (*) indicates a SATA or BD drive. A dollar sign ($) indicates an SSD drive. Three consecutive hyphens (- - -) indicate an internal volume. Cache Mode: if the volume is an external volume, cache mode appears. CAUTION: This cache mode is automatically specified when the external volume is mapped. Pool-VOLs with different cache modes cannot be intermixed in the same pool. CLPR: CLPR number Selected LDEVs: Total number of selected volumes. Apply Cancel Implements all pending operations. Cancels all pending operations.
Table 13 Pop-up Menu Commands

Command Menu When you right-click the XP Thin Provisioning icon New Pool Delete Pool(s) Restore Pool(s) Function Opens the New Pool dialog box (see Defining a New Pool (page 59)) Deletes one or more pools. This command is only available when there are pools that can be deleted. Returns one or more blocked pools to normal status. This command is only available when blocked pools exist. If the pool usage level is 100% (POOL FULL), or a pool-VOL in the pool is blocked or being formatted, this command is not available
Pool Window
33
Table 13 Pop-up Menu Commands (continued)

Command Menu When you right-click a Pool icon Change Pool Information Delete Pool Restore Pool Function Opens the Change Pool Information dialog box (see Change Pool Information Dialog Box (page 60)). Deletes the selected pool Returns one or more blocked pools to normal status. This command is only available when blocked pools exist. If the pool usage level is 100% (POOL FULL), or a pool-VOL in the pool is blocked or being formatted this command is not available
V-VOL Window
Access the V-VOL window by selecting Go Volume Manager both XP Thin Provisioning and XP Snapshot V-VOLs. V-VOL. This window displays
34
Figure 12 V-VOL Window
Item Connect Pool Capacity
Description Provides the following information about V-VOLs of XP Thin Provisioning: used: Total capacity (GB) of V-VOLs associated with Pools. remaining: Total capacity (GB) of V-VOLs that can be associated with pools. This capacity is calculated based on the assumption that V-VOLs of 1024 GB are associated with pools. If V-VOLs of another size are associated with pools, calculate the total capacity of V-VOLs that can be associated with pools from the remaining value by the following formulas. X1 = (remaining (GB) 1024) 84) S2) x 84) + 1) S1 = (X1 x 14 + (remaining (GB) - (X1 x 1024) ) S2 = ( ( Capacity of one V-VOL (GB)
Total capacity of V-VOLs that can be associated with pools = (S1 Capacity of one V-VOL:
indicates that the number enclosed by two downward arrows should be rounded down to the nearest whole number. indicates that the number enclosed by two upward arrows should be rounded up to the nearest whole number.
CAUTION: The values of used and remaining are not reflected in the window until you click the Apply button. V-VOL Group - V-VOL tree Shows the V-VOL groups in the storage system. The following icons can appear: : The folder for a storage system or a program product : V-VOL group A V-VOL group icon followed by a V indicates an XP Snapshot V-VOL, which cannot be used for XP Thin Provisioning operations. A V-VOL group icon followed by an X indicates an XP Thin Provisioning V-VOL (XP Snapshot also uses V-VOL). : V-VOL group (in the process of being deleted) : VDEV
V-VOL Window Pop-up Menu Commands (page 37) lists the commands available from the pop-up menu.
V-VOL Window
35
Item V-VOL list
Description Provides the following information about the selected V-VOL: LDKC:CU:LDEV: Logical DKC (LDKC) number, CU number and LDEV number A number followed by an X indicates an XP Thin Provisioning V-VOL. A number followed by a V indicates an XP Snapshot V-VOL. Capacity: Volume capacity Emulation: Emulation type. CVS, indicates a Virtual LVI/LUN volume. For more information, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Virtual LVI/LUN (VLL) and Volume Shredder User Guide. Status: V-VOL status Normal Blocked CLPR: CLPR number. Access Attribute: Access attribute of V-VOL. Path: V-VOL LU path. Threshold: Potential demand capacity warning threshold. Pool ID: Pool identifying number. Usage Rate: Pool usage level as a percentage of the consumed V-VOL capacity to the total V-VOL capacity. Used Page Num: Number of pages used in V-VOL. Page Status: Current page status of V-VOL. Discarding Zero Data: Zero data is being discarded and the pages are being released. Discard Zero Data: XP Thin Provisioning is ready to discard zero data and release pages. This status appears in blue bold italics until Apply is clicked. Stop Discarding Zero Data: XP Thin Provisioning is ready to stop discarding zero data and releasing pages. This status appears in blue bold italics until Apply is clicked. Releasing: Disassociation of the V-VOL from the pool is applied, and the page is being released. A hyphen (-) appears when the page status is other than listed above.
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Item Emulation
Description Changes the emulation type OPEN-0V of the V-VOL to OPEN-V. Also, the contents that were displayed in blue bold italics on the V-VOL group tree or V-VOL list are deleted. Clicking the Emulation button, opens a window (see Remote Web Console Window Showing Two Emulation Modes (page 38)) in which Normal mode and Force mode are selectable. These two options, Normal and Force, further restrict which V-VOLs will be changed. Selecting Normal mode or Force mode determines the scope of the emulation change process, as follows: Normal mode: In Normal mode, XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs that do not have a defined LU path are changed. All OPEN-0V V-VOLs without a path assigned are changed to OPEN-V. Force mode: In Force mode, all XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs, regardless of whether an LU path is defined, are changed. All OPEN-0V V-VOLs are changed to OPEN-V. Since the Force mode also changes XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs on which a LU path is defined, the emulation type recognized by the server will change suddenly for these volumes. Use the Force mode only when you are sure no problem will occur on the server, even if the emulation type is changed. Therefore, it is possible that the LU cannot be recognized by the host and that I/O stops. While the host is online and I/O occurs, it is strongly recommended you avoid using Force mode. If you use Force mode and change the emulation type already recognized by the host, reconfigure the LU from the host so that the LU should be recognized by the host. These modes and the execution of the emulation process are not restricted by any selection or highlighting of V-VOL entries in the list. All V-VOLs are considered for an OPEN-V change during the emulation process. Volume migration cannot be performed between volumes with different emulation types. For example, volume migration is not available between an XP Thin Provisioning V-VOL recognized as OPEN-0V and a normal volume.
Apply Cancel
Implements all pending operations Cancels all pending operations
Table 14 V-VOL Window Pop-up Menu Commands

Command Menu When you right-click the XP Thin Provisioning folder New V-VOL Group Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool Function Opens the New V-VOL Group dialog box (see Creating a New V-VOL Group (1) (page 64)). Opens the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box (see Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool Dialog Box (page 51)). Associates V-VOLs in multiple V-VOL groups with a pool at the same time.
Release V-VOL Groups Opens the Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog box from Pool (see Release V-VOL Groups from Pool Dialog Box (page 53)). Releases V-VOLs in multiple V-VOL groups from a pool at the same time. Delete V-VOL Groups Opens the Delete V-VOL Groups dialog box (see Delete V-VOL Groups Dialog Box (page 77)). Deletes multiple V-VOL groups and the V-VOLs that are in that V-VOL group at the same time. Deletes the V-VOL group and associated V-VOLs.
When you right-click Delete V-VOL Group the V-VOL Group icon
V-VOL Window
37
Table 14 V-VOL Window Pop-up Menu Commands (continued)

Command Menu When you right-click an XP Thin Provisioning V-VOL Associate V-VOL with Pool Release V-VOL from Pool Change Threshold Discard Zero Data Stop Discarding Zero Data Function Displays the Connect Pool dialog box (see Selecting the Pool (page 66)). Releases the V-VOL from the XP Thin Provisioning pool. Displays the Change Threshold dialog box (see Changing the Threshold (page 67)). Releases pages if all the data in the pages of the V-VOL are zero. Stops discarding zero data and releasing the pages.
Figure 13 Remote Web Console Window Showing Two Emulation Modes
XP Thin Provisioning Window

Access the XP Thin Provisioning window by selecting File Report Display XP Thin Provisioning. The XP Thin Provisioning window allows you to display and manage V-VOLs, pools, and the V-VOL management area. Figure 14 (page 38) shows the default view, which is with the LDKC:CU button selected. Figure 14 XP Thin Provisioning Window (LDKC:CU View)
Figure 15 (page 39) shows the XP Thin Provisioning window with the Pool button selected.
38 Using the XP Thin Provisioning GUI
Figure 15 XP Thin Provisioning Window (Pool View)
Item LDKC:CU or Pool V-VOL list
Description Use these options to filter the data to be displayed to view either LDKC:CU information or Pool information. Provides information about the selected V-VOL: LDKC:CU:LDEV: Logical DKC (LDKC) number, CU number, and LDEV number. The icons can include the following: indicates a normal LDEV. indicates a secured volume. indicates a remote command device. indicates a command device. indicates a secured command device. A number followed by an X is an XP Thin Provisioning V-VOL. A number followed by a V is an XP Snapshot V-VOL.
XP Thin Provisioning Window
39
Item
Description Emulation: Emulation type. OPEN-V is the only supported emulation type. CVS indicates a Virtual LVI/LUN volume. For more information, see HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Virtual LVI/LUN (VLL) and Volume Shredder User Guide. Capacity: V-VOL capacity, in GB. Parity Group: Parity group number. Usage Rate: Pool usage level as a percentage of the used capacity compared to the total capacity. Threshold: Potential demand capacity consumed percentage at which a warning will be issued. Available values are from 5% to 300%, in 5% increments. Paths: Number of LU paths to the volume, from 0 to 65,280. Operation: Whether or not you can perform an operation on the V-VOL. Ready: You can perform an operation on the V-VOL. Processing: You cannot perform any operation on the V-VOL because another operation is being performed on the V-VOL. Discarding Zero Data: You cannot start a new operation for discarding zero data because discarding of zero data is currently taking place. Releasing: You cannot perform any operation on the V-VOL because another operation is being performed on the V-VOL. Pool ID: Pool identifying number. Used Page Num: Number of pages used in V-VOL.
Pool-VOL list
Provides the following information about the selected pool-VOL: LDKC:CU:LDEV: Logical DKC (LDKC) number, CU number, and LDEV number. The icon will be one of the following: A normal LDEV A secured volume A remote command device A command device. A secured command device.
Emulation: Emulation type. OPEN-V is the only supported emulation type Capacity: Pool-VOL capacity, in GB Parity Group: Parity group number Apply Cancel Implements all pending operations Cancels all pending operations
New Pool Dialog Box

The New Pool dialog box opens when you right-click the XP Thin Provisioning icon in the Pool window and select New Pool on the pop-up menu.
40
Figure 16 New Pool Dialog Box
Item Pool ID
Description Enter the pool ID number using numbers from 0 to 127. Do not use a number that is already in use as a pool ID number.
Threshold
Select the pool usage warning threshold, which is specified as a percentage. The range can be between 5 and 95. The default value is 70. If the pool usage level exceeds the threshold, the pool status changes to Warning status, when the pool is in Warning status, additional pool volumes should be added to the pool. XP Thin Provisioning should already be selected. Creates the new pool and closes the dialog box. The setting will not be implemented until you click Apply on the Pool window. Cancels the settings and closes the dialog box. No pool will be created.
Attribute Set
Cancel
Change Pool Information Dialog Box

Access the Change Pool Information dialog box by right-clicking the selected pool, then selecting Change Pool Information from the pop-up menu. Figure 17 Change Pool Information Dialog Box
The features of the Change Pool Information dialog box are the same as those for the New Pool dialog box, except that only the Threshold field is available.
Change Pool Information Dialog Box
41
New V-VOL Group Dialog Box

Figure 18 New V-VOL Group Dialog Box
Item V-VOL Group
Description Select the V-VOL group ID using numbers from 1 to 65,535. Do not use a number that is already in use as a V-VOL group ID. Select the emulation type. Open-V is the only type that is supported. Select the cache logical partition. For more information on cache logical partitions, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Disk/Cache Partition User Guide. Shows either XP Snapshot or XP Thin Provisioning Enter the number of V-VOL groups to be created. You can enter numbers from 0 to 63,231. This is the maximum per storage system. If you have any external volumes or XP Snapshot volumes, this maximum is decreased accordingly. If you enter 0, no V-VOL group will be created. Implements the setting in the New V-VOL Group dialog box and opens the Create V-VOL dialog box (1) Cancels the settings and closes the dialog box
Emulation Type CLPR
Attribute Copy of V-VOL Groups
Next Cancel
Create V-VOL Dialog Box (1)

Access the Create V-VOL dialog box (1) by clicking the Next button on the New V-VOL Group dialog box (see Figure 18 (page 42)).
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Figure 19 Create V-VOL Dialog Box (1)
Item V-VOL Group Emulation Type Capacity Unit
Description Shows the V-VOL group ID set in the New V-VOL Group dialog box Select the emulation type. OPEN-V is the only type that is supported. Select the capacity unit: MB (megabyte) Block Cyl (cylinder)
Capacity
Enter the V-VOL capacity. If you selected MB in the Capacity Unit drop-down list, you can enter numbers from 46 to 4,194,303. If you selected block in the drop-down list, you can enter numbers from 96,000 to 8,589,934,592. If you selected Cyl in the Capacity Unit drop-down list, you can enter numbers from 50 to 4,473,924. When you specify the Capacity Unit as MB or Cyl, the storage system optimally corrects the capacity. Therefore, to set the capacity accurately to the largest value of the VDEV capacity, specify the Capacity Unit as block.
Number of V-VOL
Enter the number of V-VOLs that you want to add, from 1 to 1,024. See System Option Mode 726, explained V-VOLs (page 10). The number of V-VOLs that you can enter in this dialog box can vary, depending on the number of the V-VOL groups to be copied in New V-VOL group dialog box (see Creating a New V-VOL Group (1) (page 64)). For example, if you specified 100 V-VOL groups in this dialog box, you can specify 10 V-VOLs per V-VOL group, because the maximum total is 1,024. In this case, the displayed range would be 1 to 10.
Set
Adds the V-VOLs to the list
43
Item Delete V-VOL information setting list
Description Deletes the V-VOLs from the list Shows the following information about the selected V-VOL(s): No.: Number Emulation: Emulation type Capacity: Capacity
Back
Keeps the settings in this dialog box, but returns you to the New V-VOL group dialog box (see New V-VOL Group Dialog Box (page 42)) Opens the Create V-VOL dialog box (2) (see Create V-VOL Dialog Box (2) (page 45)) Cancels the operation and closes the dialog box
Next Cancel

Access the Create V-VOL dialog box (2) by selecting Next on the Create V-VOL dialog box (1) (see Create V-VOL Dialog Box (1) (page 43)).
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Item V-VOL list
Description Information about each V-VOL in the list: No.: Number. V-VOL Group: Group ID. Emulation: Emulation type. Capacity: Capacity. LDCK:CU:LDEV: LDKC number, CU number, and LDEV number. XP Thin Provisioning LDEV numbers are followed by an X. XP Snapshot LDEV numbers are followed by a V.
Select LDKC No. Select CU No. Interval
Select the LDKC. Select the CU. Select the interval between the LDEV numbers that will be assigned to the newly created V-VOLs. If you select 0, the LDEV numbers will be sequential. The value you specify as the interval between LDEV numbers counts only the available LDEV numbers and skips those that are not selectable. Even when you use multiple CUs, LDEV numbers will be assigned according to the Interval list.
45
Item Select LDEV No.
Description The LDEV number grid. The location on the grid indicates the LDEV number. The numbers across the top (CU number), combined with the numbers on the left side, indicate the LDEV number. For example, the LDEV number of the cell with a CU number of +2 and an LDEV number of +10 is 12. Gray cells indicate LDEV numbers that are already in use. White cells indicate unused LDEV numbers. Blue cells indicate LDEVs that have been selected for the V-VOLs in this procedure.
CU number of another SLPR is used Back
If checked, allows you to select CU numbers from another SLPR. Maintains the settings in this dialog box while returning you to the Create V-VOL dialog box (1) (see Create V-VOL Dialog Box (1) (page 43)). Implements the settings in this dialog box and opens the Create V-VOL Confirmation Dialog Box (see Create V-VOL Confirmation Dialog Box (page 49)). The Create V-VOL dialog box (3) (see Create V-VOL Dialog Box (3) (page 47)) appears only when SSID is not assigned to the boundary area that contains LDEV numbers you set in this dialog box. The Create V-VOL dialog box (4) appears when SSID is assigned.
Next
Cancel
Cancels the operation and closes the dialog box.
46

Item Set SSID tree
Description Shows the LDKC numbers, CU numbers, SSID boundary and SSID in a hierarchical tree structure. The boundary area is a collection of LDEV numbers that SSID is assigned to. For example, taking the boundary area 00FF, you assign a SSID among the LDEV numbers from 00 to FF. A CU contains one or four boundary areas, which are fixed per CPU by factory settings. The parenthesized SSID is to the right of the boundary area. When SSID is not assigned to the boundary area, an exclamation point is added to the LDKC number, CU number, and boundary area icon, and - - - appears on the right side of the boundary area. : LDKC number or CU number. Indicates that SSID is assigned to the all boundary areas. : LDKC number or CU number. Indicates the boundary area with no SSID. : Indicates that no SSID is assigned to the boundary area.
Set SSID list
Assigns SSID to the boundary area that contains LDEV numbers you set. Information about the Set SSID list: LDKC: LKDC number of CU number where SSID is not assigned. CU: CU number where SSID is not assigned. LDEV boundary: Boundary area of LDEV number where SSID is not assigned. SSID: Assigned SSID, The initial value is blank.
Input SSID list
Select or enter the SSID you want. You can enter SSID only when logged in as a storage administrator.
47
Item Set
Description Input SSID: Sets SSID you select or input from the Input SSID list. Set SSID: Updates SSID you select or input from the Input SSID list.
SSID number of another SLPR is used
If checked, you can enter SSID excluding SLPR that contains a parity group of your operation in the Input SSID list. If not checked, you can only select SSID of SLPR that contains a parity group of your operation. SSID number of another SLPR is used appears only when you are logged in as a storage administrator and more than two SLPRs exist. If not checked, Input SSID is not available.
Back
Maintains the settings in this dialog box while returning you to the Create V-VOL dialog box (1) (see Create V-VOL Dialog Box (1) (page 43)). Implements the settings in this dialog box and opens the Create V-VOL Confirmation Dialog Box (see Create V-VOL Confirmation Dialog Box (page 49)). Cancels the operation and closes the dialog box.
Next
Cancel
Create V-VOL Confirmation Dialog Box

Access the V-VOL Confirmation Dialog Box by selecting Next on the Create V-VOL Dialog Box (2) (see Create V-VOL Dialog Box (2) (page 45)).
48
Figure 22 Create V-VOL Confirmation Dialog Box
Item V-VOL Group V-VOL information
Description V-VOL group ID Information about each V-VOL in the group that you are creating: VDEV: V-VOL group ID and VDEV number. Emulation: Emulation type. Capacity: Capacity. LDKC:CU:LDEV: LDKC number, CU number, and LDEV number.
Back
Maintains the settings in this dialog box while returning you to the Create V-VOL Dialog box (2) (see Create V-VOL Dialog Box (2) (page 45)). Implements the settings and closes the dialog box. The settings are not applied to the subsystem until you click Apply in the V-VOL window. Cancels the operation and closes the dialog box.
Yes
Cancel
Connect Pool Dialog Box

Access the Connect Pool dialog box by opening the V-VOL window (see V-VOL Window (page 35)), right-clicking on the V-VOL group that you want to associate with the pool, and then selecting Associate V-VOL with Pool from the pop-up menu.
Connect Pool Dialog Box
49
Figure 23 Connect Pool Dialog Box
Item Pool ID Status Total Capacity Used Capacity Threshold Next Cancel
Description Pool ID. Pool status (Normal or Blocked). The total pool capacity (value is truncated to 2 decimal places). Used pool capacity (value is truncated to 2 decimal places). Pool usage level threshold. Opens the Change Threshold dialog box, provided that you have selected a row. Cancels the operation and closes the dialog box.
Change Threshold Dialog Box

Access the Change Threshold dialog box by selecting Next on the Connect Pool dialog box. Figure 24 Change Threshold Dialog Box
Item Threshold
Description Select the V-VOL potential demand capacity threshold. Select values from 5% to 300%, in 5% increments. The default is 5%. Implements the threshold setting for that V-VOL. Cancels the operation and closes the dialog box.
Set Cancel
50
Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool Dialog Box

Access the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box by opening the V-VOL window (see V-VOL Window (page 35)), right-clicking the XP Thin Provisioning icon, and then selecting Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool. Figure 25 Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool Dialog Box
Item Attribute
Description The name of the application that is going to use the V-VOL groups. This is the name of the application whose icon you right-clicked in order to display the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box. Select the CLPR of the V-VOL group that you want to associate with a pool. Information about the V-VOL groups: V-VOL Group: V-VOL group ID. CLPR: CLPR number. V-VOL Cnt.: Number of V-VOLs in the V-VOL groups. LDEV: LDKC number, CU number, and LDEV number of the first LDEV in the V-VOL group. These numbers are separated by colons.
CLPR V-VOL information
Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool Dialog Box
51
Item
Description Pool ID: Pool ID of the first LDEV in the V-VOL group. The following symbols are used to display status: If a V-VOL group is associated with a pool, a Pool ID is displayed in a blue bold italics. If a V-VOL group is released from a pool, a hyphen (-) is displayed. If the V-VOL group is not associated with a pool, a space is displayed. Threshold: Threshold (5% to 300%) that applies to the first LDEV in the V-VOL group. The following symbols are used to display status: If the V-VOL group is associated with a pool, the Threshold is displayed using blue bold italics. If the V-VOL group is released from a pool, a hyphen (-) is displayed. If the V-VOL group is not associated with a pool, a space is displayed.
Icons
The following icon is displayed in the dialog box: : V-VOL group
Page
The number of the current page. You can use the following items to change pages: Previous button allows you to display the previous 4,096 V-VOL groups. N/M list: The N displays the number of the current page. The M displays the total number of pages. You can click the drop-down list and choose the number of the page you want to display. Next displays the next 4,096 V-VOL groups.
Set
Specifies that the V-VOL groups selected in the V-VOL information setting list will be associated with a pool. The V-VOL groups to be associated with a pool appear in blue bold italics. The Connect Pool dialog box (see Connect Pool Dialog Box (page 50)) is also displayed. Clears each setting in the V-VOL information setting list. Closes the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box and displays a confirmation message appears asking whether it is OK to apply the setting to the storage system. Cancels all the settings in the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box.
Clear OK
Cancel
Release V-VOL Groups from Pool Dialog Box

Access the Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog box by opening the V-VOL window (see V-VOL Window (page 35)), then right-clicking on the XP Thin Provisioning icon, and selecting Release V-VOL Groups from Pool.
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Figure 26 Release V-VOL Groups from Pool Dialog Box
Item Attribute
Description The name of the application that is going to use the V-VOL groups is displayed. This is the name of the application whose icon you right-clicked in order to display the Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog box. Select the CLPR of the V-VOL group that you want to release from a pool. If All is selected, all V-VOL groups associated with a pool are displayed.
Pool ID
Release V-VOL Groups from Pool Dialog Box
53
Item V-VOL information
Description Information about the V-VOL groups: V-VOL Group: V-VOL group ID. CLPR: The number of the CLPR. V-VOL Cnt.: The number of V-VOLs in the V-VOL groups. LDEV: LDKC number, CU number, and LDEV number of the first LDEV in the V-VOL group. These numbers are separated by colons. Pool ID: Pool ID of the first LDEV in the V-VOL group. The following symbols are used to display status: If the V-VOL group is associated with a pool, the Pool ID is displayed in a blue bold italic. If the V-VOL group is released from pool, a hyphen (-) is displayed. If the V-VOL group is not associated with a pool, a space is displayed. Threshold: Threshold (5% to 300%) that applies to the first LDEV in the V-VOL group. The following symbols are used to display status: If the V-VOL group is associated with a pool, the Threshold is displayed in blue bold italics. If the V-VOL group is released from a pool, a hyphen (-) is displayed. If the V-VOL group is not associated with a pool, a space is displayed.
Page
The number of the current page. You can use the following items to change pages: Previous button allows you to display the previous 4,096 V-VOL groups. N/M list: The N displays the number of the current page. The M displays the total number of pages. You can click the drop-down list, and choose the number of the page you want to display. Next displays the next 4,096 V-VOL groups.
Set
Specifies that the V-VOL groups selected in the V-VOL information setting list will be released from a pool. The V-VOL groups to be released from a pool appear in blue bold italics. Clears each setting in the V. Closes the Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog box and a confirmation message appears asking whether it is OK to apply the setting to the storage system. Cancels all the settings in the Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog box.
Clear OK
Cancel
Delete V-VOL Groups Dialog Box

Access the Delete V-VOL Groups dialog box by opening the V-VOL window (see V-VOL Window (page 35)), then right-clicking on the XP Thin Provisioning icon, and selecting Delete V-VOL Groups.
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Figure 27 Delete V-VOL Groups Dialog Box
Item Attribute
Description The name of the application that is going to use the V-VOL groups is displayed. This is the name of the application whose icon you right-clicked in order to display the Delete V-VOL Groups dialog box. Select the CLPR of the V-VOL groups. If All is selected, all V-VOL groups in all CLPRs are displayed. Information about the V-VOL groups that you are going to delete. V-VOL Group: V-VOL group ID. CLPR: The number of the CLPR. V-VOL Cnt: The number of V-VOLs in the V-VOL groups.
CLPR V-VOL information
Icons
The following icons are displayed in the dialog box: : V-VOL group : V-VOL group (in the process of being deleted)
Page
The number of the current page. Use the following items to change pages of list: Previous button allows you to display the previous 4,096 V-VOL groups. N/M list: The N displays the number of the current page. The M displays the total number of pages. You can open the drop-down list, and choose the number of the page you want to display. Next displays the next 4,096 V-VOL groups. Delete V-VOL Groups Dialog Box 55
Item Set
Description Specifies that the V-VOL groups selected in the V-VOL information setting list will be deleted. The V-VOL groups to be deleted appear in blue bold italics. Clears each setting in the V-VOL information setting list. Closes the Delete V-VOL Groups dialog box and a confirmation message appears asking whether it is OK to apply the setting to the storage system. Cancels all the settings in the Delete V-VOL Groups dialog box.
Clear OK
Cancel
56
5 Performing XP Thin Provisioning Operations

This chapter gives instructions for performing XP Thin Provisioning operations. XP Thin Provisioning Flow Chart (page 57) Managing Pools (page 57) Managing V-VOLs and V-VOL Groups (page 62)
XP Thin Provisioning Flow Chart

Only Storage Administrators can perform XP Thin Provisioning operations. Figure 28 (page 57) illustrates the XP Thin Provisioning functions. Figure 28 XP Thin Provisioning Flow Chart
Managing Pools
This section discusses the following topics: Viewing Pool Information (page 58) Creating a Pool (page 58) Associating the Pool-VOL with the Pool (page 60) Changing the Pool Threshold (page 60) Deleting Pools (page 61) Recovering Pools in Blocked Status (page 61)
XP Thin Provisioning Flow Chart
57
Viewing Pool Information

To view the pool information: 1. 2. From the File menu, select Basic Information. The Report Display window opens. The Port tab is the default view. Click the XP Thin Provisioning tab to display the XP Thin Provisioning window (see Figure 29 (page 58)). Select the LDKC:CU button to view information sorted by CU number. Select the Pool button to view information sorted by pool. Figure 29 Viewing the XP Thin Provisioning Information
3.
Additional XP Thin Provisioning information is available using Go > Volume Manager > Pool (see Accessing the Pool Window (page 59)).
Creating a Pool
The first step in using XP Thin Provisioning is to create one or more pools. WARNING! NOTE: Make sure that the blocks-in-use capacity is less than the total capacity.
Total capacity is the total pool storage capacity.
The value for pool management blocks in use will increase if you add pool-VOLs. To create a pool: 1. 2. Access the Pool window by selecting Go Volume Manager Pool (see Accessing the Pool Window (page 59)). In the Pool tree, on the upper left corner of the Pool window, right-click the XP Thin Provisioning folder, and then select New Pool.
58
Performing XP Thin Provisioning Operations
3.
In the New Pool dialog box (see Defining a New Pool (page 59)), do the following: In the Pool ID text box, enter the number for the pool ID. Use numbers from 0 to 127 and do not select a number that is already in use for any other pool (XP Thin Provisioning or XP Snapshot). In the Threshold list, select the pool usage level threshold. This is expressed as a percentage of pool usage over pool capacity. CAUTION: If the usage level of the pool exceeds a threshold, the pool status warns against adding new pool-VOLs. Be sure that you do not set the threshold value too small. In the Attribute list, select XP Thin Provisioning.
4. 5. 6. 7.
Verify that the settings are correct, and select Set. The New Pool dialog box closes and the new pool is displayed in the Pool tree, in the upper left corner of the window. To create another pool, repeat the preceding steps. Click Apply, and then click OK to create the new pool. This operation may take up to 20 minutes, depending on the number and capacity of the pools and pool-VOLs.
NOTE: Total capacity is the total pool storage capacity. The value for pool management blocks in use will increase if you add pool-VOLs. Make sure that the blocks in use capacity is less than the total capacity.
Figure 30 Accessing the Pool Window
Figure 31 Defining a New Pool
Managing Pools
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Associating the Pool-VOL with the Pool

To associate one or more pool-VOLs to a pool: 1. 2. 3. Access the Pool window by selecting Go Volume Manager Pool (see Accessing the Pool Window (page 59)). In the Pool tree, in the upper left corner of the Pool window, select a pool. In the Free LDEVs list, in the bottom right corner of the window, select the volumes that you want to register in the pool as pool-VOLs. If you select an LDKC number from the list, the CU list will contain CUs only within that LDKC. If you select a CU number from the CU list, the Free LDEVs list will contain the LDEVs only in that CU. Within the same CU, you can select multiple LDEVs at a time. As a best practice, use the same drive type for all pool-VOLs in the same pool.
CAUTION: 4. 5.
Right-click the selected volumes and select Add Pool-VOL. Check the list of the volumes, and then click OK. The dialog box closes and the selected volumes will be displayed in the Pool-VOL list. CAUTION: You cannot delete pool-VOLs after you add them. Be sure to verify that the settings are correct.
6. 7.
To add more pool-VOLs, repeat the preceding steps. In the Pool window, click Optimize. You do not need to initialize or optimize the pool created with the microcode version 60-05-0X or later.
8.
Click Apply, and then click OK to associate the pool-VOL to the pool.
Changing the Pool Threshold

Once you create a pool, the only setting you can change is the threshold. To change the threshold of a pool: 1. 2. Access the Pool window by selecting Go Volume Manager Pool (see Accessing the Pool Window (page 59)). In the Pool tree in the upper left corner of the window, right-click the selected pool, and then select Change Pool Information to display the Change Pool Information dialog box (see Figure 32 (page 60)). If the pool usage level is 95% or higher, the pop-up menu will not appear. Select the value for the threshold from the Threshold list. Click Set to close the Change Pool Information dialog box. Click Apply, and then click OK to change the pool threshold.
3. 4. 5.
Figure 32 Change Pool Information Dialog Box
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Deleting Pools
As a general rule, you will specify and delete a single pool. If you choose to delete multiple pools, all pools that can be deleted will be deleted.
Deleting a Single Pool

A pool can be deleted only when there are no V-VOLs associated with the pool. Confirm that the pool usage is 0 and the pool association with V-VOL has been deleted, and then you can delete a single pool. To delete a pool: 1. 2. Access the Pool window by selecting Go Volume Manager Pool (see Accessing the Pool Window (page 59)). If the pool is associated with any V-VOL, disassociate it and confirm that the pool usage is 0 (see Releasing a V-VOL from a Pool (page 67)). For details about how to delete the association, see Changing the V-VOL Settings (page 65). 3. 4. 5. In the pool tree, in the upper left corner of the window, right-click the selected pool, and then select Delete Pool. If the pool is associated with V-VOLs, the pop-up menu will not appear. Click OK on the confirmation message. The icon of the selected pool changes to indicate that the pool will be deleted. Click Apply, and then click OK to delete the pool.
Deleting Multiple Pools

CAUTION: This operation will delete all pools that can be deleted. To delete a single pool, see Deleting a Single Pool (page 61) for instructions. To delete multiple pools: 1. 2. Access the Pool window by selecting Go Volume Manager Pool (see Accessing the Pool Window (page 59)). If the pool is associated with any V-VOL, disassociate it and confirm that the Pool usage is 0 (see Releasing a V-VOL from a Pool (page 67)). For details about how to delete the association, see Releasing a V-VOL from a Pool (page 67). 3. 4. 5. 6. In the Pool tree, in the upper left corner of the window, right-click the selected pools, and then select Delete Pool(s). Click OK on the confirmation message. The icon of the selected pools changes to indicate that the pools will be deleted. Click Apply, and then click OK to delete the pools. Click Cancel to cancel the operation.
Recovering Pools in Blocked Status

This operation is for failure recovery of a blocked pool. Ordinarily, you should not need to perform this operation. Recovering a blocked pool is equivalent to initializing the pool. Data loss will occur. The recovery time for pools varies depending on pool usage or V-VOL usage. Calculate roughly 20 minutes of recovery time for every 100 TB of pool or V-VOL usage. Recovery time may vary depending on the workload of the storage system at the time of recovery.
Recovering a Single Blocked Pool

To recover a blocked pool:
Managing Pools
61
1. 2. 3. 4.
Access the Pool window by selecting Go Volume Manager Pool (see Accessing the Pool Window (page 59)). In the Pool tree, in the upper left corner of the window, select and right-click the blocked pool you want to recover to display the Restore Pools pop-up menu. Select Restore Pools, and then select OK on the confirmation message. The pool icon will change to indicate a normal pool. Pool icons are described in Pool Window (page 29). Click Apply, and then click OK to restore the pool.
Recovering Multiple Blocked Pools

To recover multiple blocked pools: 1. 2. Access the Pool window by selecting Go Volume Manager Pool (see Accessing the Pool Window (page 59)). In the Pool tree, in the upper left corner of the window, select and right-click the XP Thin Provisioning icon, select Restore Pools, and then select OK on the confirmation message. The pool icon will change to indicate a normal pool. Click Apply, and then click OK to restore the pool.
3.
Managing V-VOLs and V-VOL Groups

This section discusses the following topics: Creating a V-VOL Group (page 62) Changing the V-VOL Settings (page 65) Changing the V-VOL Settings of Multiple V-VOL Groups (page 72) Deleting V-VOL Groups (page 76) Deleting V-VOLs (page 77) Adding V-VOLs to an existing V-VOL group. Deleting V-VOLs from an existing V-VOL group.
You will need to use Virtual LVI/LUN for the following V-VOL operations:
For more information on Virtual LVI/LUN, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Virtual LVI/LUN (VLL) and Volume Shredder User Guide.
Creating a V-VOL Group

When creating a V-VOL group, define the V-VOLs for the group at the same time. Although multiple V-VOLs can be defined to a V-VOL group, the recommendation is to define just one V-VOL per V-VOL group. The number of V-VOL groups allowed is the same as the maximum number of V-VOLs in the system. If you plan to increase the capacity of a V-VOL, free space is needed in the V-VOL group immediately adjacent to the V-VOL. The recommendation to define a single V-VOL per V-VOL group allows for any V-VOL to be expanded to its maximum allowed capacity. For more information about increasing V-VOL capacity, see Increasing V-VOL Capacity (page 67). To create a V-VOL Group: 1. 2. Access the Pool window by selecting Go Volume Manager Pool (see Accessing the Pool Window (page 59)). In the pool tree, in the upper left corner of the window, right-click the XP Thin Provisioning folder, and then select New V-VOL Group.
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3.
In the New V-VOL Group dialog box (see Creating a New V-VOL Group (1) (page 64)), do the following: In the V-VOL Group list, select or enter the V-VOL group ID. Use numbers from 1 to 65,535, and do not enter a number that is already in use. In Emulation Type, select OPEN-V. In CLPR, select the CLPR number. In Copy of V-VOL Groups, enter the number of V-VOL groups to be created. You can enter numbers from 0 to 63,231. This is the maximum per storage system. If you have any external volumes or any XP Snapshot volumes, this maximum is decreased accordingly. If you enter 0, no V-VOL group will be created.
4. 5.
Click Next. In the Create V-VOL dialog box (2) (see Creating a New V-VOL Group (1) (page 64)), do the following: In Emulation Type, select OPEN-V. In Capacity Unit, select one of the following: MB (megabyte) Block Cyl. (cylinder) If you selected MB in the Capacity Unit list, enter numbers from 46 to 4,194,303. If you selected block, enter numbers from 96,000 to 8,589,934,592. If you selected Cyl, enter numbers from 50 to 4,473,924.
In Capacity, enter the capacity:
When you specify the Capacity Unit as MB or Cyl, the storage system optimally corrects the Capacity. Therefore, to set Capacity accurately to the largest value of the VDEV capacity, specify the Capacity Unit as block. In Number of V-VOL, enter the number of the V-VOLs you want to create, from 1 to 1024. See System Option Mode 726 explained in V-VOLs (page 10). The number of V-VOLs that you can enter in this dialog box can vary, depending on the number of V-VOL groups that you specified in the New V-VOL Group dialog box (see New V-VOL Group Dialog Box (page 42)). For example, if you specified 100 V-VOL Groups, in this dialog box you can specify 10 V-VOLs per V-VOL Group, because the maximum total is 1024. In this case, the displayed range would be 1 to 10. 6. 7. Click Set to add these V-VOLs to the V-VOL list. To add more V-VOLs, repeat this step.
Click Next. In the Create V-VOL dialog box (3) (see Creating a New V-VOL Group (2) (page 64)): In the Volume list in the upper part of the dialog box, select a volume. In Select LDKC No., select the LDKC number. In Select CU No., select the CU number. This will show the selected volume in the LDEV list, in the bottom of the dialog box. In Interval, select the interval between the LDEV numbers. If you select 0, the LDEV numbers will be sequential.
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To select a CU that belongs to another SLPR, select the CU number of another SLPR is used check box. Only the areas displayed by the white cells are available for the V-VOLs. Once the area is selected, it turns blue, and the CU and LDEV number are added to the V-VOL list on the top of the dialog box, in blue bold italics.
8. 9.
To add another V-VOL, repeat this step.
Click Next. In the Create V-VOL Group Confirmation dialog box (see Confirming V-VOL Group Creation (page 65)), verify that the settings are correct, and then click OK. The new V-VOLs appear in blue bold italics. 10. Click Apply, and then click OK to create the V-VOLs. Figure 33 Creating a New V-VOL Group (1)
Figure 34 Creating a New V-VOL Group (2)
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Figure 35 Creating a New V-VOL Group (3)
Figure 36 Confirming V-VOL Group Creation
Changing the V-VOL Settings

Associating a V-VOL with a Pool
To associate a V-VOL with a pool:
Managing V-VOLs and V-VOL Groups 65
1. 2.
3.
4. 5. 6.
Access the V-VOL window by selecting Go Volume Manager V-VOL (see Selecting the V-VOL Group (page 66)). In the V-VOL GroupV-VOL tree on the left side of the window, select the V-VOL group that contains the V-VOLs that you want to associate with a pool. This will display the information for the individual V-VOLs on the right side of the window. In the right side of the window, right-click one or more V-VOLs, and select Associate V-VOL with Pool to display the Connect Pool dialog box (see Selecting the Pool (page 66)). You can only select from rows with black font. Select the pool ID that you want to associate with the V-VOL group, and then select Next to display the Change Threshold dialog box (see Changing the Threshold (page 67)). Select the threshold from the list, and then click Set to implement the settings and return to the V-VOL window. You can set thresholds from 5% to 300% in 5% increments. Click Apply, and then click OK to associate the V-VOL with the pool.
Figure 37 Selecting the V-VOL Group
Figure 38 Selecting the Pool
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Figure 39 Changing the Threshold
Releasing a V-VOL from a Pool

If you release a V-VOL from the pool, the free space is added back into the pool. To release a V-VOL from a pool: 1. 2. 3. Release the path definitions to the V-VOLs to be deleted. For instructions, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 LUN Manager User Guide. Access the V-VOL window by selecting Go Volume Manager V-VOL (see Selecting the V-VOL Group (page 66)). In the V-VOL GroupV-VOL tree in the left side of the window, select the V-VOL group that contains the V-VOLs that you want to release from a pool. This will display the information for the individual V-VOLs in the right side of the window. In the right side of the window, right-click one or more V-VOLs, and select Release V-VOL from Pool. CAUTION: A V-VOL cannot be released from a pool if the volume is a volume with path definition or reserved volume of XP Auto LUN Software. 5. Select Apply and then OK to release the V-VOL from the pool. The space assigned to the V-VOLs will be returned back to the pool as free space.
4.
Changing the V-VOL Threshold

To change the threshold of a V-VOL that is already associated with a pool: 1. 2. Access the V-VOL window by selecting Go Volume Manager V-VOL (see Selecting the V-VOL Group (page 66)). In the V-VOL GroupV-VOL tree in the left side of the window, select the V-VOL group that contains the V-VOLs that you want to associate with a pool. Selecting a V-VOL group displays the information for the individual V-VOLs in the right side of the window. In the right side of the window, right-click one or more V-VOLs, and select Change Threshold to display the Change Threshold dialog box (see Changing the Threshold (page 67)). Be sure to select V-VOLs that are already associated with a pool. Select the threshold from the list, and then click Set to implement the settings and return to the V-VOL window. You can set thresholds from 5% to 300%,, in 5% increments. The default is 5%. You can only select from rows with black font. Click Apply, and then click OK to change the V-VOL threshold.
3.
4.
5.
Increasing V-VOL Capacity

If you increase the V-VOL capacity, you must use the raidvchkset command of XP RAID Manager. XP RAID Manager version 01-22-03/06 supports the option for increasing capacity, but does not support the option for decreasing capacity. You can increase the capacity of V-VOLs used online for the following operating systems: Windows Server 2008 Windows 2003
AIX: Ver. 5.3 and 6.1 HP-UX 1 1.31 OpenVMS 8.3 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.1
Do not increase the capacity of V-VOLs used online to any other host. Any V-VOL's capacity can be increased if the V-VOL is offline to all hosts. Always check that the host operating system, volume manager, and file system accept that a LUNs capacity can be increased before attempting a V-VOL capacity increase. Also review and test the proper procedure documented by the hostss operating system concerning increasing a LUNs capacity. CAUTION: The processing differs as follows, depending on the value of host mode option 40:
When the value of host mode option 40 is not enabled, the host will not be notified that the V-VOL capacity has been increased. Therefore, the V-VOL data has to be read again by the storage system after the capacity has been increased. When the value of host mode option 40 is enabled, the host will be notified that the V-VOL capacity has been increased. If the operating system cannot recognize the value of capacity that was increased, the V-VOL data has to be read again by the storage system.
To increase the V-VOL capacity, the following conditions must be satisfied: Free space exists immediately below the V-VOL in the V-VOL window. In the V-VOL capacity, only the free space capacity can be increased. You can see the free space in the V-VOL window of Remote Web Console.
Figure 40 (page 68) illustrates displaying free space. Figure 40 Example of Displaying Free Space
In this example, you can increase the capacity of the LDEV shown as 00:10:00 by 1,024.75 MB, and the capacity of the LDEV shown as 00:10:67 by 4,087,730.00 MB. You can increase the V-VOL capacity while the free space exists.
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NOTE: If system option mode 726 is enabled (not the default setting), you can set only one V-VOL in one V-VOL group. You can increase the size of the V-VOL without first migrating the V-VOL, but you cannot use the V-VOL as a custom-sized volume (CVS). If system option mode 726 is disabled (the default setting), you can set more than one V-VOL in one V-VOL group. The V-VOL to be increased is not shared with an XP product that cannot increase the V-VOL (see the Using XP Thin Provisioning with Other Products (page 18)). The V-VOL is not undergoing the LDEV format operation. The capacity to be added to the V-VOL is smaller than the capacity displayed below the remaining label in the V-VOL window. If you increase the V-VOL capacity, the ratio of the free space capacity of the pool to the free space capacity of the V-VOL is equal to or more than the V-VOL threshold. For details about the relation between increasing V-VOL capacity and the V-VOL threshold, see Relation Between Increasing V-VOL Capacity and V-VOL Threshold (page 70). Examples 1 and 2 illustrate whether the capacity of a V-VOL can be increased if the V-VOL threshold is 50 percent. In Example 1, the ratio of the free space capacity of the pool to the free space capacity of the V-VOL is 200 percent before the capacity increase and about 56% after the capacity increase. These percentages exceed the threshold (50 percent). Therefore, the capacity of the V-VOL can be increased. In Example 2, the ratio of the free space capacity of the pool to the free space capacity of the V-VOL is about 133 percent before the capacity increase and 40% after the capacity increase. Since the ratio goes below threshold (50 percent) after the capacity increase, the capacity of the V-VOL cannot be increased. In Example 3, the ratio of the free space capacity of the pool to the free space capacity of the V-VOL is 200 percent, which is lower than the threshold (250 percent). Therefore, the capacity of the V-VOL cannot be increased.
For details about how to calculate the V-VOL threshold, see V-VOL Requirements (page 27).
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Figure 41 Relation Between Increasing V-VOL Capacity and V-VOL Threshold
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For more information on the raidvchkset command for increasing V-VOL capacity, see the HP StorageWorks XP RAID Manager User Guide. CAUTION: When increasing the V-VOL capacity, do not perform the following operations. When performing the following operations, do not increase the V-VOL capacity. Operations using the Virtual LVI/LUN function Operations using the Cache Residency Manager function Creating V-VOLs Associating a V-VOL with a pool Deleting the association between a V-VOL and a pool Restoring pools Deleting V-VOLs Operations to increase the V-VOL capacity in another instance of XP RAID Manager Maintenance of the storage system
CAUTION: After increasing the V-VOL capacity, click Refresh in the Remote Web Console to make sure that the V-VOL is increased. If the V-VOL is not increased, wait a while, and then click Refresh again and make sure that the V-VOL is increased. If you perform a Remote Web Console operation without making sure that the V-VOL is increased, the operation from Remote Web Console can fail. CAUTION: Using system option 733 deters simultaneous execution of the maintenance operation and one of the following operations: Volume migration by XP Auto LUN Quick Restore by XP Business Copy
If this system option is in effect and an XP Auto LUN or Quick Restore operation is being performed, you may fail to increase the V-VOL capacity. To confirm whether the V-VOL capacity is increased, click Refresh in Remote Web Console. If the V-VOL capacity is not increased, click Refresh again after XP Auto LUN or Quick Restore is finished to confirm the capacity.
Releasing Pages in a V-VOL

If all the data written to a page assigned to a V-VOL is binary zeros, you can reclaim the page and return it to the pools available capacity. See Reclaiming Pages from a V-VOL (page 11) for restrictions. Select the V-VOLs that you suspect have a several pages written with binary zeros, and use the discard zero data operation, which scans the selected V-VOL's pages and finally frees up those with all binary zeros. Zero data can be discarded if all the following conditions are satisfied: The page is completely written with only binary zeros. The V-VOL is not used in conjunction with another application that cannot perform discarding zero data. LDEV formatting is not being performed on the V-VOL. The V-VOL is not blocked. The V-VOL is associated with a pool. The pool associated with the V-VOL is not blocked, or is full and blocked.
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Zero data cannot be discarded if all the following conditions are satisfied: The V-VOL status is normal. The V-VOL is not associated with a pool.
Zero data in the V-VOL are already being discarded. To release the pages in a V-VOL: 1. In the Remote Web Console, access the V-VOL window by selecting Go Volume Manager V-VOL (see Selecting the V-VOL Group (page 66)). 2. In the V-VOL Group - V-VOL tree in the left side of the window, select the V-VOL group containing the V-VOLs where the pages should be released. This will display the information about the individual V-VOLs on the right side of the window. 3. On the right side of the window, right-click one or more V-VOLs, and select Discard Zero Data from the pop-up menu. This may take some time as the software scans the entire V-VOL looking for pages with zero data, marking them for release when you later click Apply. 4. After selecting Discard Zero Data (and before clicking Apply), if you want to stop releasing pages, right-click one or more V-VOLs, and select Stop Discarding Zero Data. The discarding of zero data stops, but the already discarded zero data cannot be restored, and the pages marked for release will be released when you click Apply. You cannot stop releasing pages if the page status for the V-VOL is not Discarding Zero Data. 5. 6. Click Apply, and then click OK to release pages in the V-VOL in the background. After discarding zero data and releasing pages in the V-VOL is complete, click Refresh in the Remote Web Console to update the Page Status. If the Page Status is not immediately updated, wait awhile, and then click Refresh again.
If you have started a discard zero data operation, and the storage system loses power, which then disrupts shared memory, the discard zero data operation will not automatically continue after the storage system restarts. In any of the following cases, discarding of zero data will stop and V-VOL pages will not be released: LDEV formatting was performed while discarding zero data. The pool-VOL that is being accessed by the target V-VOL was blocked. The pool associated with the target V-VOL was blocked while discarding zero data. The pool-VOL accessed by the target V-VOL cannot be used temporarily. Cache memory failure occurred while discarding zero data. The association between the target V-VOL and the pool was released when zero data was discarded. An attempt was made to perform XP Continuous Access or XP Continuous Access Journal initial copy operations on the V-VOL when zero data was discarded from the V-VOL.
Changing the V-VOL Settings of Multiple V-VOL Groups

You can change information about V-VOLs in multiple V-VOL groups, such as the pool association and the threshold.
Associating Multiple V-VOL Groups with a Pool

You can associate multiple V-VOL groups with a pool. The time required to associate changes between V-VOLs in multiple V-VOL groups with a pool can vary greatly depending on the V-VOL capacity and the quantity of V-VOLs being associated. To associate multiple V-VOL groups with a pool:
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1. 2.
3.
Access the V-VOL window (see Selecting the V-VOL Group (page 66)) by selecting Go Volume Manager V-VOL . Right-click XP Thin Provisioning in the V-VOL group tree of the V-VOL window, and then select Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool. The Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box opens (see Figure 42 (page 74)). Depending on your environment, it may take up to 30 seconds to open the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box. In the V-VOL groups information setting list in the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box, select the V-VOL groups you want to associate with a pool. Display the list of V-VOL groups that are included in the CLPR by selecting a specific CLPR from the CLPR list. The groups will be displayed in the V-VOL groups information setting list. Find V-VOL groups by clicking the button in the page area under the list. The page that includes the V-VOL groups will be displayed. The list displays V-VOL groups up to a maximum of 4,096 at a time. For lists that exceed this maximum, click Previous and Next to display the remaining V-VOL groups. The following V-VOL groups will not be displayed in the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box: A V-VOL group in which the first LDEV has been associated with a pool. A V-VOL group lacking any V-VOLs.
4. 5. 6.
7.
Click Set. The specified V-VOL groups are displayed in blue bold italics and the Connect Pool dialog box opens (see Selecting the Pool (page 66)). Click Clear to clear the specified V-VOL groups. To specify more V-VOL groups, repeat Step 3 and Step 4. Select the pool ID with which you want to associate the V-VOL groups in the Connect Pool dialog box, and then select Next to display the Change Threshold dialog box (see Changing the Threshold (page 67)). If you clear the information and return to the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box, click Cancel. In the Change Threshold dialog box, select the threshold from the list, then click Set to implement the settings and return to the V-VOL window. If you want to clear the information and return to the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box, click Cancel. The pool ID and the threshold that you set are displayed in blue bold italics. To specify other V-VOL groups, repeat Step 3.
8. 9.
Click OK. The Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box closes and a confirmation message is displayed to ask if it is OK to apply the setting to the storage system. Click OK. The confirmation message closes and the V-VOL groups are associated with the pool. If you click the Cancel button in this message, the Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool dialog box is displayed again. If the specified V-VOL groups cannot be associated with a pool, a message box is displayed.
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Figure 42 Associate V-VOL Groups with Pool Dialog Box
Releasing Multiple V-VOL Groups from a Pool

Before releasing V-VOL groups from a pool, confirm that the pool-VOLs added to the pool are not blocked. If the pool-VOLs are blocked, restore the volume status, then release the V-VOLs from a pool. Also, if the cache write pending rate exceeds 55%, the pool usage may not be 0, because the V-VOL cannot be released from the pool. After a V-VOL is released from a pool, performance of the initial copy may be lowered if the XP Continuous Access pair or the XP Continuous Access Journal pair is in the same pool as the V-VOL. You can prevent the performance from being lowered in one of the following ways: Do not release the V-VOL from the same pool where the initial copy of the XP Continuous Access pair V-VOL or the XP Continuous Access Journal pair V-VOL is performed.
Before making an initial copy of the XP Continuous Access pair or the XP Continuous Access Journal pair, reserve enough pool capacity so that the threshold will not be reached during the initial copy. If you attempt to release a V-VOL using the Quick Restore feature of XP Business Copy or XP Auto LUN Software, error 3005 68727 may occur if the V-VOL had been previously used in a Quick Restore or XP Auto LUN Software migration. If the error occurs, use the following equation to calculate how long to wait before attempting to release the V-VOL again: (Pool Capacity in terabytes x 3 seconds) + 40 minutes. Heavy workload on the storage system could add additional time to the wait period. If the V-VOL operation status is in Processing state, then wait for the state to change to Ready before attempting Auto LUN or Quick Restore.
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To release multiple V-VOL groups from a pool: CAUTION: Confirm that the pool-VOLs that are added to a pool are not blocked. If the pool-VOLs are blocked, restore the volume status, and then release the V-VOLs from a pool. 1. 2. Access the V-VOL window by selecting Go Volume Manager V-VOL (see Selecting the V-VOL Group (page 66)). Right-click XP Thin Provisioning in the V-VOL group tree of the V-VOL window, and select Release V-VOL Groups from Pool. The Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog box (see Release V-VOL Groups from Pool Dialog Box (page 76)) is displayed. Depending on your environment, it may take up to 30 seconds to open the Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog box. In the V-VOL groups information setting list in the Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog box, select the V-VOL groups you want to release from a pool. In the Pool ID list, specify a pool ID. The list of V-VOL groups associated with the selected pool ID is displayed in the V-VOL groups information setting list. Find V-VOL groups by clicking the button in the page area under the list. The page that includes the V-VOL groups is displayed. The list displays V-VOL groups up to a maximum of 4,096 at a time. For lists that exceed that number, click Previous and Next to display the remaining V-VOL groups. The following V-VOL groups will not be displayed in the Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog box: 4. 5. 6. A V-VOL group in which the first LDEV has been associated with a pool A V-VOL group lacking any V-VOLs
3.
Click Set. The specified V-VOL groups are displayed in a blue, italic font. Click Clear to clear the specified V-VOL groups. To specify more V-VOL groups, repeat Step 3 and Step 4. Click OK. The Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog box closes and a confirmation message is displayed to ask if it is OK to apply the setting to the storage system. Click OK. The confirmation message closes and the V-VOL groups are released from the pool. If you click the Cancel button in this message, the Release V-VOL Groups from Pool dialog box is displayed again. If the specified V-VOL groups cannot be released from a pool, a message dialog box appears.
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Figure 43 Release V-VOL Groups from Pool Dialog Box
Deleting V-VOL Groups

Typically you specify and delete a single V-VOL group. If you choose to delete multiple V-VOL groups, all V-VOLs in multiple V-VOL groups will be deleted.
Deleting a V-VOL Group

You can delete a V-VOL group and all V-VOLs in the V-VOL group. V-VOL groups associated with a pool ID cannot be deleted. To delete such a group, first release the V-VOL group from a pool, then delete it. To delete a V-VOL group: 1. 2. Access the V-VOL window by selecting Go Volume Manager V-VOL (see Selecting the V-VOL Group (page 66)). In the V-VOL GroupV-VOL tree in the left side of the window, right-click the V-VOL group that contains the V-VOL group and V-VOLs that you want to delete, and then select Delete V-VOL Group. Click OK on the confirmation message. The icon of the selected V-VOL group changes to indicate that deletion is in process. Click Apply, and then click OK to delete the V-VOL group.
3. 4.
Deleting Multiple V-VOL Groups

You can delete multiple V-VOL groups and the V-VOLs in all the V-VOL groups. V-VOL groups associated with a pool ID cannot be deleted. To delete such a group, first release the V-VOL groups from a pool, then delete it. To delete selected multiple V-VOL groups:
76 Performing XP Thin Provisioning Operations
1. 2.
3.
4.
5. 6.
Access the V-VOL window by selecting Go Volume Manager V-VOL (see Selecting the V-VOL Group (page 66)). Right-click XP Thin Provisioning in the V-VOL group tree of the V-VOL window, and then select Delete V-VOL Groups. The Delete V-VOL Groups dialog box opens (see Delete V-VOL Groups Dialog Box (page 55)). Depending on your environment, it may take 30 seconds to open the Delete V-VOL Groups dialog box. Select the V-VOL groups you want to delete from the V-VOL groups information setting list in the Delete V-VOL Groups dialog box. In the CLPR list, select a CLPR, and the list of V-VOL groups that are included in the CLPR is also displayed in the V-VOL groups information setting list. Find the V-VOL groups that you want to delete by clicking the button in the page area under the list. The page that includes the V-VOL groups that you want to delete is displayed. The list displays V-VOL groups up to a maximum of 4,096 at a time. For lists that exceed this maximum, click Previous and Next to display the remaining V-VOL groups. Click Set. The specified V-VOL groups are displayed in blue bold italics. Click Clear if you want to clear the specified V-VOL groups. To specify more V-VOL groups, repeat Step 3 and Step 4. Click OK. The Delete V-VOL Groups dialog box closes and a confirmation message is displayed to ask if it is OK to apply the setting to the storage system. Click OK. The confirmation message closes and the deletion of the V-VOL groups is applied to the subsystem. If you click the Cancel button in this message, the Delete V-VOL Groups dialog box is displayed again. If the specified V-VOL groups are not deleted, a message dialog box appears.
Figure 44 Delete V-VOL Groups Dialog Box
Deleting V-VOLs
This operation deletes selected V-VOLs in the V-VOL group.
To delete selected V-VOLs: 1. Delete the selected V-VOLs using the Virtual LVI/LUN Volume to Space function. For more information, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Virtual LVI/LUN (VLL) and Volume Shredder User Guide. In the VLL tree in the upper left corner of the VLL window, select the XP Thin Provisioning folder and then select the parity group. From the V-VOL list on the upper right, select the target V-VOL groups from the list of the V-VOL groups, and then select the LDEV to be deleted.
2. 3.
78
6 Troubleshooting
This chapter describes how to troubleshoot XP Thin Provisioning problems. XP Thin Provisioning Troubleshooting (page 79) Managing Pool-Related SIMs (page 83) Troubleshooting when using XP RAID Manager (page 84) Calling HP Technical Support (page 86)
XP Thin Provisioning Troubleshooting

Table 15 (page 79) provides troubleshooting instructions for XP Thin Provisioning operations. Table 15 Troubleshooting for XP Thin Provisioning
Problems Cannot install XP Thin Provisioning. Causes and Solutions Cause: Shared memory for the V-VOL management area is not installed. Solution: Call HP technical support and check if the shared memory for the V-VOL management area is installed. Pool usage level exceeds the threshold. Causes: Capacity of the pool is insufficient. The threshold of the pool is too low. Solutions: Add some pool-VOLs to increase the capacity of the pool. See Viewing Pool Information (page 58). Also, consult HP for best practices on adding capacity. Set a larger value to the threshold of the pool. See Changing the Pool Threshold (page 60). After the causes of SIMs 620XXX and 621XXX are resolved, you will need to complete the SIMs. If you do not complete the SIMs, no new SIMs will occur ( even if the usage level increases and again exceeds the threshold). SIMs 620XXX, 621XXX, and 625000 are automatically completed if you increase pool capacity by adding pool-VOLs because the condition that caused the SIM is removed. For details about how to complete SIMs, see Managing Pool-Related SIMs (page 83). You need free volumes to add as pool-VOLs. If there are no free volumes, you need to create new volumes or ask HP technical support to add hard disks. Therefore, it may take time to solve the problem.
79
Table 15 Troubleshooting for XP Thin Provisioning (continued)

Problems Cannot add pool-VOLs. Causes and Solutions Causes: 1024 pool-VOLs are already defined in the pool. There is no available free LDEV to add to the pool. Something in the storage system is blocked. Solutions: Add free LDEVs to another pool. See Viewing Pool Information (page 58). Confirm that the pool-VOL meets the pool requirements. See Volume and Pool Requirements (page 26). Ask HP technical support to solve the problem. Cannot assign a V-VOL to a pool. Causes: The pool usage level is 100%. Also the maximum of V-VOLs is currently associated with the pool. Something in the storage system is blocked. Solutions: Add some pool-VOLs to increase the available capacity of the pool. See Viewing Pool Information (page 58). Ask HP technical support to solve the problem. A pool-VOL is blocked. Cause: A failure occurred in two or more hard disk drives. Solution: Ask HP technical support to solve the problem. A pool is blocked. Cause: The breaker has been turned off and the shared memory has been lost, and then the system has been started. Solution: Ask HP technical support to solve the problem. A pool cannot be restored. Causes: Processing takes time, because something in the storage system is blocked. The pool-VOL is blocked. Although you increased the V-VOL capacity, it has been reduced back to the previous V-VOL capacity. Solutions: After waiting awhile, select Refresh or Refresh All from the File menu at the top left of the Remote Web Console window, and then check the pool status. If you increased the V-VOL capacity and it has been reduced back to the previous V-VOL capacity, follow the instructions in Increasing V-VOL Capacity (page 67) to make sure that the capacity is increased, and then restore the pool. Ask HP technical support to solve the problem.
80
Troubleshooting

Problems A pool cannot be deleted. Causes and Solutions Cause: After the pool is disassociated from any V-VOL, the pool usage is not 0. External volumes were not removed from the pool. Solutions: Confirm that the pool usage is 0, and then delete the pool. Ask HP Technical Support to solve the problem. A pool usage cannot be 0. Cause: Because the cache write pending rate exceeds 55 %, the V-VOL cannot be disassociated from the pool. Solution: Decrease the cache write pending rate to less than 55% by reducing the host I/O. I/O errors on some writes occur on V-VOLs Causes: Free space for the pool is completely exhausted. The pool usage level is at 100%. Something in the storage system is blocked. Solutions: Check the free space of the pool and increase the capacity of the pool. Ask HP technical support to solve the problem. When you are operating Remote Web Console, a time-out occurs frequently. Causes: The load on the Remote Web Console computer is too heavy, so the Remote Web Console computer cannot respond to the SVP. The period of time until a time-out occurs is set too short. Solutions: Wait for awhile, and then try the operation again. Verify the setting for the environment parameter of the Remote Web Console RMI time-out period. For information about how to set the RMI time-out period, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web Console User Guide. When the host computer tries to access the port, an error occurs and the host cannot access the port. Causes: Free space for the pool is insufficient. Something in the storage system is blocked. Solutions: Check the free space for the pool and increase the capacity of the pool. Ask HP technical support to solve the problem.
81

Problems V-VOL capacity cannot be increased. Causes and Solutions Causes: See Troubleshooting when using XP RAID Manager (page 84) to identify the cause. Solutions: After selecting the Refresh or Refresh All command from the File menu at the top left of the Remote Web Console window, make sure that the processing for increasing V-VOL capacity meets conditions described in Increasing V-VOL Capacity (page 67). Retry the operation in 10 minutes. Ask HP technical support to solve the problem. Cannot discard zero data in a V-VOL. Cause: Zero data in the V-VOL cannot be discarded from Remote Web Console because the V-VOL does not meet the conditions described in Releasing Pages in a V-VOL (page 71). Solution: Make sure that the V-VOL meets the conditions described in Releasing Pages in a V-VOL (page 71). The V-VOL cannot not be released though Cause: zero data in the V-VOL is discarded. Pages of the V-VOL are not released because the process of discarding zero data was interrupted. For details, see Releasing Pages in a V-VOL (page 71). Solution: Make sure that the V-VOL meets the conditions described in Releasing Pages in a V-VOL and perform the solution. Cannot release the Protection attribute of Cause: the V-VOLs. The pool is full. The pool-VOL is blocked. The pool-VOL of the external volume is blocked. Solutions: Add pool-VOLs to the pool to increase the free space in the pool. For more information, see Creating a Pool (page 58). To restore the pool-VOL, contact the Hitachi Data Systems Technical Support Center. If the pool-VOL is an external volume, check the condition of the external storage system, for instance the path blockade. After performing the above-mentioned solutions, release the Protection attribute of the V-VOLs using the Data Retention window of Remote Web Console (if the Data Retention Utility is installed). For information about operating procedures, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Data Retention Utility User Guide.
82
Troubleshooting

Problems SIM code such as 620XXX, 621XXX, 622XXX, or 625000 was issued. Causes and Solutions Cause: Pool usage level exceeds the threshold. Solution: Add pool-VOLs to the pool to increase the free space in the pool. For more information, see Creating a Pool (page 58). Performance of the initial copy has been reduced. Cause: You disassociated a V-VOL from a pool that contains other V-VOLs in XP Continuous Access pair or XP Continuous Access Journal pairs. The initial copy is slow because the clean-up procedure for the removed V-VOL is consuming system resources. Solutions: Do not disassociate a V-VOL from the pool where the Initial copy of the XP Continuous Access pair V-VOL or the XP Continuous Access Journal pair V-VOL is performed. Before you perform the Initial copy of an XP Continuous Access pair or XP Continuous Access Journal pair, reserve enough pool capacity so that the threshold will not be reached during the initial copy.
If you are unable to solve a problem using the above suggestions, or if you encounter a problem not listed, contact HP technical support. If an error occurs during the operations, the error code and error message are displayed in the error message box. For more information about error messages, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web Console Error Codes.
Managing Pool-Related SIMs

When the usage level of the pool exceeds the threshold, or when the potential demand of the V-VOL exceeds the threshold, the following SIMs (Service Information Message) occur.
When the usage level of the pool exceeds pool threshold 1: When the usage level of the pool exceeds pool threshold 2: When pool usage level continues to exceed the highest pool threshold: When the pool is full: When an error occurs in the pool: Reference code 620XXX Reference code 621XXX Reference code 625000 Reference code 622XXX Reference code 623XXX
When the level of free pool capacity to potential demand Reference code 630XXX of a V-VOL exceeds the V-VOL threshold: When the V-VOL management area cannot be saved to pools: Reference code 640XXX
To complete a SIM that occurs when the usage level for the pool exceeds the threshold or when the usage level for the V-VOL exceeds the threshold: 1. Change the status of the pool or the V-VOL whose usage level exceeds the threshold to normal. For information about the solutions when the pool usage level or the V-VOL potential demand exceeds the threshold, see Troubleshooting for XP Thin Provisioning (page 79).
Managing Pool-Related SIMs
83
2.
Change the mode of Remote Web Console to Modify. For information about how to change the mode, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web Console User Guide.
3. 4. 5. 6.
Display the Pool window. Select the SIM Complete Request check box in the Pool window. Click Apply. A confirmation message is displayed, asking if it is OK to apply the setting to the storage system. Click OK. The confirmation message closes and the SIM complete process begins. It takes time if there are many SIMs to be completed.
If you complete a SIM, the status of the SIM changes to completed. After the problem that caused the SIM is solved, complete the SIM and change its status to completed. If you complete the SIM before the underlying problem is solved, the SIM may occur again. After correcting the causes of SIMs 620XXX and 621XXX, you will need to complete the SIMs. If you do not complete the SIMs, no new SIMs will occur ( even if the usage level increases and again exceeds the threshold). SIMs 620XXX, 621XXX, and 625000 are automatically completed if you increase pool capacity by adding pool-VOLs because the condition that caused the SIM is removed. You can check whether SIMs complete successfully in the Remote Web Console window. For details, see the HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web Console User Guide.
Troubleshooting when using XP RAID Manager

If an error has occurs when increasing V-VOL capacity using XP RAID Manager, you may be able to identify the cause of the error by referring to the log displayed in the XP RAID Manager window or XP RAID Manager operation log file. The log file is stored in the following directory by default: /HORCM/log*/curlog/horcmlog_HOST/horcm.log Where: * is the instance number. HOST is the host name. To identify the error code using the log file, use the following the procedure: 1. Open the XP RAID Manager log file and find the error code. Example:
09:06:18-82a22-10228- SSB = 0xb96b,af2a
Error codes appear on the right of the equal symbol (=). SSB1 appears on the left of the comma (,), and SSB2 appears on the right of the comma (,). 2. See Table 16 (page 85) to find the meaning of the error code. For details about the error codes that are not described in Table 16 (page 85), contact HP technical support (see Calling HP Technical Support (page 86)). To identify the error code using the log displayed on the XP RAID Manager window, follow the procedure below. 1. Find the error code from the logs displayed on the XP RAID Manager window. Example:
It was rejected due to SKEY=0x05,ASC=0x20,SSB=0xB9E1,0xB901 on Serial#(64015)
84
Troubleshooting
Error codes appear on the right of SSB=. The left of the comma (,) contains SSB1, and the right of the comma (,) contains SSB2. 2. See Table 16 (page 85) and find the meaning of the error code. For details about the error codes that are not described in Table 16 (page 85), contact HP technical support (see Calling HP Technical Support (page 86)). Table 16 Error Code and Error Contents When Operating XP RAID Manager
Error Code (SSB1) 0xb96b Error Code (SSB2) 0xb900 0xb901 0xaf28 0xb96b 0xb902 Error Contents Error occurred when increasing V-VOL capacity operation. Because the configuration was being changed by the SVP or Remote Web Console, the operation was rejected. Solution Ask HP technical support to solve the problem.
Increase the V-VOL capacity after finishing operations such as the Virtual LVI/LUN operation or the maintenance operation on your storage system. See the Caution in Increasing V-VOL Capacity (page 67). Make sure that the total V-VOL capacity does not exceed the pool capacity after the V-VOL capacity increases. Reexecute the operation after a brief interval.
0xb96b
0xaf24
The operation was rejected because the total V-VOL capacity exceeds the pool capacity after the V-VOL capacity increases. The operation was rejected because releasing pages in the specified volume has not been completed.
0xb96b
0xaf25
0xb96b
0xaf29
Because the specified volume Makes sure that the volume is was not a V-VOL, the a V-VOL. operation was rejected. Because the specified capacity exceeded the free space size immediately below the V-VOL, the operation was rejected. When increasing capacity, specify that the capacity does not exceed the free space capacity displayed in the V-VOL window. For details, see the conditions for increasing the V-VOL capacity in Increasing V-VOL Capacity (page 67).
0xb96b
0xaf2a
0xb96b
0xaf2b
Because the specified volume Re-execute the operation after operation was not finished, a brief interval. the operation was rejected. Because the shared memory capacity is not enough to increase the specified capacity, the operation was rejected. Make sure the value of remaining in the V-VOL window is enough.
0xb96b
0xaf2c
Troubleshooting when using XP RAID Manager
85
Table 16 Error Code and Error Contents When Operating XP RAID Manager (continued)
Error Code (SSB1) 0xb96b Error Code (SSB2) 0xaf2d Error Contents Because the ratio of the free space capacity of the pool to the free space capacity of the V-VOL was less than the V-VOL threshold, the operation was rejected. Solution When increasing capacity, make sure that the ratio of free space in the pool to free space in the V-VOL is not below the V-VOL threshold. For details, see the conditions for increasing the V-VOL capacity in Increasing V-VOL Capacity (page 67). Wait until formatting of the specified volume is finished, or see Using XP Thin Provisioning with Other Products (page 18) and confirm whether the V-VOL is used with the application that the V-VOL capacity cannot be increased.
0xb96b
0xaf2e
Because the specified V-VOL was used by another application or was being formatted, the operation was rejected.
0xb96b
0xaf2f
Because the V-VOL capacity Re-execute the operation after was increased when the the microcode is replaced. microcode was replaced, the operation was rejected.
Calling HP Technical Support

If you need to call HP technical support, make sure to provide as much information about the problem as possible, including: The circumstances surrounding the error or failure The exact content of any error messages displayed on the host systems The exact content of any error messages displayed by Remote Web Console The Remote Web Console configuration information (use the FD Dump Tool) The service information messages (SIMs), including reference codes and severity levels, displayed by Remote Web Console http://www.hp.com/support
For worldwide technical support information, see the HP support website:
86
Troubleshooting
7 Support and Other Resources

Related Documentation
HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Cache Residency Manager User Guide HP StorageWorks XP RAID Manager User Guide HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Snapshot User Guide HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Data Retention Utility User Guide HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 LUN Expansion User Guide HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 LUN Manager User Guide HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Performance Monitor User Guide HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Auto LUN Software User Guide HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Performance Control User Guide HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Business Copy Software User Guide HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 SNMP Agent Reference Guide HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Remote Web Console User Guide HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Continuous Access Software User Guide Hitachi TrueCopy for Mainframe User Guide: HP XP24000 Disk Array, HP XP20000 Disk Array HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Continuous Access Journal Software User Guide HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 External Storage Software User Guide HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Disk Array Owner Guide HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Virtual LVI/LUN (VLL) and Volume Shredder User Guide HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Disk/Cache Partition User Guide http://www.hp.com/support/manuals In the Storage section, click Storage Software, and then select a product.
You can find these documents on the HP Manuals website:
Conventions for Storage Capacity Values

HP XP storage systems use the following values to calculate physical storage capacity values (hard disk drives): 1 KB (kilobyte) = 1,000 bytes 1 MB (megabyte) = 1,0002 bytes 1 GB (gigabyte) = 1,0003 bytes 1 TB (terabyte) = 1,0004 bytes 1 PB (petabyte) = 1,0005 bytes
HP XP storage systems use the following values to calculate logical storage capacity values (logical devices): 1 KB (kilobyte) = 1,024 (210) bytes 1 MB (megabyte) = 1,024 KB or 1,0242 bytes
Related Documentation 87
1 GB (gigabyte) = 1,024 MB or 1,0243 bytes 1 TB (terabyte) = 1,024 GB or 1,0244 bytes 1 PB (petabyte) = 1,024 TB or 1,0245 bytes 1 block = 512 bytes
HP Technical Support
For worldwide technical support information, see the HP support website: http://www.hp.com/support Before contacting HP, collect the following information: Product model names and numbers Technical support registration number (if applicable) Product serial numbers Error messages Operating system type and revision level Detailed questions
Subscription Service
HP recommends that you register your product at the Subscribers Choice for Business website: http://www.hp.com/go/e-updates After registering, you will receive email notification of product enhancements, new driver versions, firmware updates, and other product resources.
HP Websites
For additional information, see the following HP websites: http://www.hp.com http://www.hp.com/go/storage http://www.hp.com/support/manuals http://www.hp.com/storage/spock
Documentation Feedback
HP welcomes your feedback. To make comments and suggestions about product documentation, send a message to storagedocsFeedback@hp.com. All submissions become the property of HP.
88
Support and Other Resources
Glossary
C CLPR CU CV CYL D DKA DKC DKCMAIN G G-ID L LD, LDEV Logical device. An LDEV is created when a RAID group is carved into pieces according to the selected host emulation mode (that is, OPEN-3, OPEN-8, OPEN-9). The number of resulting LDEVs depends on the selected emulation mode. The term LDEV is also known as term volume. Logical disk controller. Logical unit number. Logical Unit Size Expansion. The LUSE feature is available when the HP StorageWorks LUN Manager product is installed, and allows a LUN, normally associated with only a single LDEV, to be associated with 1 to 36 LDEVs. Essentially, LUSE makes it possible for applications to access a single large pool of storage. Host group ID. Disk adapter. Disk controller. Disk controller main. Cache logical partition. Control unit. Custom-sized volume. Cylinder.
LDKC LUN LUSE
M Mng. P P-VOL PDEV Pool-VOL S S-VOL SI SIM SLPR SM SMPL SSID SVP Secondary or remote volume. The copy volume that receives the data from the primary volume. Hitachi ShadowImage. Also known as HP StorageWorks XP Business Copy. Service information message. Storage logical partition. Shared memory. Simplex. Subsystem identifier; storage system identifier. Service processor. A computer built into a disk array. The SVP, used only by an HP service representative, provides a direct interface to the disk array. Primary volume. Physical device. Pool volume. Management.
89
V V-VOL VDEV VLL VMA Virtual volume. Virtual device. Virtual LVI/LUN. Volume management area.
90
Glossary
Index
A
a V-VOL management area, 1 1 associating V-VOLs in multiple V-VOL Groups with a pool, 51
P
pool, 10 Pool and Virtual Volumes, 9 pool requirements, 26, 27 Pool Status, 17 pool window, 29, 34 pool-VOL requirements, 27 pool-VOLs, 10 pools, 29, 34 pop-up menu V-VOL group tree and the V-VOL list, 38 pop-up menus pool tree, 34
C
changing the pool information, 60 Changing the V-VOL Information, 65 changing the V-VOL settings of multiple V-VOL groups, 72 changing threshold of the V-VOL, 67 conventions storage capacity values, 87 creating pools, 10, 58 creating V-VOLs, 10
D
delete V-VOL groups dialog box, 76 deleting a pool, 61 deleting multiple pools, 61 deleting pools, 61 deleting V-VOLs, 77 document related documentation, 87 documentation HP website, 87 providing feedback, 88
R
recovering a pool, 61 recovering multiple pools, 62 recovering pools in blocked status, 61 related documentation, 87
S
setting the pool association information to the V-VOL, 65 setting up storage system and Remote Web Console, 24 shared memory, 1 1 shared memory requirements, 24 SIM codes, 16 SIMs, 83 SLPR, 64 storage capacity values conventions, 87 storage systems supported models, 6 subscriber's choice, HP, 88 Support Configuration, 9
H
help obtaining, 88 HP technical support, 88
I
increasing V-VOL capacity, 67 installing, 24, 28 interoperability with other products and functions, 18
T
technical support, 88 HP, 86, 88 technical support, HP, 86, 88 troubleshooting RAID manager, 84
L
license requirements, 24
M
managing pool-related SIMs, 83 managing pools, 57 managing V-VOLs, 62 monitoring the available pool capacity, 12 Monitoring Usage Rates, 13
U
uninstalling, 24, 28 using XP Thin Provisioning, 57
V
V-VOL, 10 V-VOL list, 36 V-VOL requirements, 28 V-VOLs, 34 viewing pool information, 58 volume requirements, 26
N
new pool dialog box, 40
O
os and file system reducing capacity effectively, 24
91
W
websites HP, 88 HP Subscriber's Choice for Business, 88 product manuals, 87
X
XP XP XP XP XP Business Copy, 22 Disk/Cache Partition, 23 Thin Provisioning Components, 9 Thin Provisioning troubleshooting, 79 Thin Provisioning window, 38
92
Index

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HP StorageWorks XP24000/XP20000 Thin Provisioning Software User Guide

HP Part Number: T5227-96015 Published: May 201 1 Edition: Fifteenth

2 About XP Thin Provisioning Operations..........................................................9

3 Preparing for XP Thin Provisioning Operations..............................................24

4 Using the XP Thin Provisioning GUI.............................................................29

5 Performing XP Thin Provisioning Operations.................................................57

7 Support and Other Resources.....................................................................87

1 Overview of HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning Software

XP Thin Provisioning Features

XP Thin Provisioning Benefits

Overview of HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning Software

Nondisruptive Addition of Physical Disks

Reduced Storage Acquisition Costs

Simplified Replication Planning

XP Thin Provisioning Benefits

Overview of HP StorageWorks XP Thin Provisioning Software

2 About XP Thin Provisioning Operations

XP Thin Provisioning Components

XP Thin Provisioning Components

Table 1 Supported XP Thin Provisioning Configurations (continued)

About XP Thin Provisioning Operations

Reclaiming Pages from a V-VOL

V-VOL Management Table

XP Thin Provisioning Components

When the V-VOL management table in shared memory is stored

Managing Pool Capacity

About XP Thin Provisioning Operations

Monitoring Pool Usage Levels

Using Performance Monitor:

Managing Pool Capacity

Figure 4 Managing Usage Rates and I/Os

Full Pool Handling

About XP Thin Provisioning Operations

SIM Reference Codes

About XP Thin Provisioning Operations

Table 3 SIM Reference Codes (continued)

Managing Pool Capacity

Table 4 Pool Status

Balancing I/O Load Across the Pool

Interoperability with Other Products and Functions

Performing operations on V-VOLs.

About XP Thin Provisioning Operations

Table 5 Using XP Thin Provisioning with Other Products (continued)

Use on XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOLs.

Use on XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOLs.

Using a V-VOL as an XP Continuous Access P-VOL or an S-VOL.

Interoperability with Other Products and Functions

Table 5 Using XP Thin Provisioning with Other Products (continued)

About XP Thin Provisioning Operations

Using XP Continuous Access Software

Table 6 Supported XP Continuous Access Software and XP Thin Provisioning Combinations

XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs Normal volumes

Normal volumes XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs

Using XP Continuous Access Journal Software

Interoperability with Other Products and Functions

Figure 9 Using XP Thin Provisioning and XP Continuous Access Journal

Table 7 Supported XP Continuous Access Journal and XP Thin Provisioning Combinations

XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs Normal volumes

Normal volumes XP Thin Provisioning V-VOLs

Using XP Business Copy Software

Table 8 Supported XP Business Copy and XP Thin Provisioning Combinations

About XP Thin Provisioning Operations

You cannot specify an XP Thin Provisioning pool-VOL as an XP Business Copy P-VOL or