Oncommand Protection Manager dfpm 5.0 External Relationships How to import Snap-Mirror ?

[hondasuschi]

Hi

We have quite big troubles to import existing snap-mirrors as external relationships. Does anybody have a step by step explanation? Thanks

[columbus_admin]

Hi Juerg,

      I have done this quite a few times, so I hope this helps.

You must setup the dataset you are going to use to manage the relationship first.  The whole process must be completed, including having the snapmirror protection policy attached to the dataset.

Once you have all of this configured, go to the "External Relationships" section, and you will see any snapmirrors/snapvaults that are not controlled via protection manager.

From here select the relationship you want to import, and click import.

Next select the dataset you want the relationship to be imported into(again, if you don't have a protection policy of the right type, snapmirror or snapvault, it will not allow you to import), and click next.

Now if you have just a snapmirror, you will only have one part of a relationship to import.  However if you cascade a vault to a mirror or vice versa, you need to select the right parts to import.  A snapmirror can only be imported into a snapmirror, and a vault only into a vault.  If you have cascaded, you must be sure your relationship in the protection policy is in the correct order.

So let's say I have filerA:vol1 with a snapmirror to filerB:vol2

1. Create your dataset within the proper resource pools
2. Create your snapmirror protection policy and attach it to the dataset
3. Go to External Relationships
4. Select the relationship you want to import, click next
5. Select the dataset you want to have it imported to
6. Check Import at selected connection and click next
7. Click Finish

Now for a snapmirror from filerA:vol1 to filerB:vol2 with snapvault to filerC:vol3

All the steps are the same, but your protection policy must have a mirror then a snapvault selected.

- Scott

[adaikkap · Accepted solution]

Follow the steps in the below blog, except for selecting the schedules in the policy as none.

Monitoring Existing SnapMirror/SnapVault Relationships with Protection Manager

Regards

adai

[ASUNDSTROM]

Hello Adai,

I have tried the Import Relationships approach that was laid out in the above blog in Management Console 3.1, using the Import Relationships Wizard. Once I get to the Import Relationships Screen, the snapmirror relationship is greyed out and below the import column it states "Not Applicable to Selected Connection".  Why would this occur?  I have tried several combinations of DataSets and Protection Policies and I get the same thing over and over.

[adaikkap]

If your dataset is running any other protection policy other than Mirror/DR Mirror you will face this. I suspect your dataset is running Backup Protection Policy.

Regards

adai

[ASUNDSTROM]

Thank you. that was the problem.  I had a backup policy defined.

[shaunjurr]

Hi,

This has always been one of my major problems with PM.  The policies are not described in terms of their ONTap technologies.  "Backup and Mirror" ... is that local tape backup and some sort of snapmirror or what?  I know now that it means a local snapshot schedule and the Volume SnapMirror, but having to experiment with all of these to actually understand what they mean in terms of NetApp technology has always been a huge impediment to my adopting PM in existing operations.  I know it sounds good in data management books, but it would be nice if there were some clearer ties to the real world.  I made the same mistake as "asundstrom" here because it is not clear how my practical snapshot/snapmirror world fits into these "IT management" definitions.

The link to the article was nice, but even there, he jumps around pretty fast in pointing to where things are and how things are setup.

[adaikkap]

Hi Shaun,

     Do you think the one like what you are requesting would be useful ? If so i will create a quick and dirty one.

Regards

adai

[shaunjurr]

Hi Adaikkappan,

Yes, I think adding any possible references to the actual underlying techology used will be useful, probably most useful for those of us that have been doing things on the cli on the filers for years. Perhaps even set up two policy views (expert and normal) or whatever...

If you really get ambitious, then you can also update the "List of Performance Counter" documentation as it is lacking a good deal of the performance counters descriptions that have come with FlashCache(PAM) .  Should be easy to get a quick update going from 'stats counter explain' .

[scwatson]

HI Adai

I have followed these steps in the past, and they worked perfectly. Thanks for putting the steps together, it was very helpful. I have to set external snapmirror relationships up again for monitoring within protection manager, but unfortunately it seems the link is no longer valid on the steps you showed. Do you have those same steps some where else we can get to? I just need to keep the SM relationships managed via snapmirror.conf, but be able to alert us when the lag time goes beyond 2 hours.

thanks very much

Steve