EMC Symmetrix Timefinder survival guide

During a previous project I had the opportunity to work very closely with the EM
C people and Symmetrix arrays, in fact I got a couple of very good friends from
that project. At the time I created a bunch of text files for my self reference
about EMC SRDF and Timefinder technologies.
Today I decided to review that files, give them some order, well sort of, and pu
t them here as a survival guide/quick reference in the hope that will be of help
to any of you. The first of this guides will be about EMC Symmetrix Timefinder.
I don t have sample output for every command, been more than a year since the last
time I work with Timefinder, to complement my own samples I got several outputs
from the Timefinder manuals.
This is not a complete Timefinder usage guide, just my personal notes taken from
my direct experience with product.
Timefinder Basics
EMC Timefinder is a replication solution that creates full volume copies. For th
e full-HP guys out there this is very similar to the XP or EVA Business Copy pro
duct.
There are two basic types of replication:
TimefinderClone
Creates point-in-time copies.
Timefinder/Snap Creates pointer-based replicas, snapshots, only the changed data
is written.
There are several optional components.
Timefinder/Mirror.
Timefinder/CG (Consistency Groups)
Timefinder/EIM (Exchange Integration Modules)
Timefinder/SIM (SQL Integration Modules)
Timefinder allows to retain multiple copies at different checkpoints for lowered
RPO and RTO.
Symcli basics
Following is a list of the most basic symcli commands necessary to get your way
around when you perform any Symmetrix task, including Timefinder.
Get the list of the Symmetrix devices
root:/# symdev list
Symmetrix ID: 00029xxxxxxx
Device Name
Directors
Device
--------------------------- ------------- ------------------------------------Cap
Sym Physical
SA :P DA :IT Config
Attribute Sts
(MB)
--------------------------- ------------- ------------------------------------0000 Not Visible
???:? 01A:C0 BCV
Asst'd
RW
8632
0001 Not Visible
???:? 16C:D0 BCV
Asst'd
RW
8632
0002 Not Visible
???:? 01B:D0 BCV
Asst'd
RW
8632
0003 Not Visible
???:? 16D:C0 BCV
Asst'd
RW
8632
0048 Not Visible
0049 Not Visible
004A Not Visible

???:? ???:?? VDEV

???:? ???:?? VDEV
???:? ???:?? VDEV

N/Grp'd
N/Grp'd
N/Grp'd

RW
RW
RW

8632
8632
8632

004B
004C
004D
004E
004F
0050
0051
0052
0053
0054

Not
Not
Not
Not
Not
Not
Not
Not
Not
Not

Visible
Visible
Visible
Visible
Visible
Visible
Visible
Visible
Visible
Visible

???:?
???:?
???:?
???:?
???:?
???:?
???:?
???:?
???:?
???:?

???:??
???:??
???:??
???:??
???:??
???:??
???:??
16B:D1
01C:C0
16B:C0

VDEV
VDEV
VDEV
VDEV
VDEV
VDEV
VDEV
2-Way Mir
2-Way Mir
2-Way Mir

N/Grp'd
N/Grp'd
N/Grp'd
N/Grp'd
N/Grp'd
N/Grp'd
N/Grp'd
N/A (SV)
N/A (SV)
N/A (SV)

NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
RW
RW
RW

8632
8632
8632
8632
8632
8632
8632
8632
8632
8632

List all available devices from a device group

root:/# symld -g dg_oradev_01 list
List host physical devices
root:/# sympd list
List the disk groups:
root:/# /usr/symcli/bin/symdg list
D E V I C E

G R O U P S

Type

Valid Symmetrix ID Devs

dg_oracle_prod1
dg_oracle_prod2
dg_rac_01
dg_clvx_01
dg_oradev_01
dg_timetest_02
grupo1

REGULAR
REGULAR
RDF1
RDF1
REGULAR
RDF1
RDF1

Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Number of
GKs BCVs VDEVs

Name

00029xxxxxxx
00029xxxxxxx
00029xxxxxxx
00029xxxxxxx
00029xxxxxxx
00029xxxxxxx
00029xxxxxxx

26
21
23
5
3
16
22

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

26
21
23
5
0
16
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

root:/#
Add devices to a disk group
Add physical devices
root:/# symld -g dg_oradev_01 add pd /dev/dsk/c2t4d12
Add Symmetrix devices
root:/# symld -g dg_oradev_01 add 006E
Get diskgroup detailed info.
root:/# /usr/symcli/bin/symdg show dg_prod_01
Group Name: dg_prod_01
Group Type
Device Group in GNS
Valid
Symmetrix ID
Group Creation Time
Vendor ID
Application ID
Number
Number
Number
Number
Number

of
of
of
of
of

:
:
:
:
:
:
:

STD Devices in Group

:
Associated GK's
:
Locally-associated BCV's
:
Locally-associated VDEV's
:
Remotely-associated VDEV's(STD RDF):

RDF1
(RDFA)
No
Yes
00029xxxxxxx
Mon Nov 29 18:49:29 2007
EMC Corp
ECC
2
0
2
0
0

Number of Remotely-associated BCV's (STD RDF):

Number of Remotely-associated BCV's (BCV RDF):
Number of Remotely-assoc'd RBCV's (RBCV RDF) :

0
0
0

Standard (STD) Devices (2):

{
-------------------------------------------------------------------Sym
Cap
LdevName
PdevName
Dev Att. Sts
(MB)
-------------------------------------------------------------------DEV001
N/A
01C8
RW
8714
DEV002
N/A
01C9
RW
8714
}
BCV Devices Locally-associated (2):
{
-------------------------------------------------------------------Sym
Cap
LdevName
PdevName
Dev Att. Sts
(MB)
-------------------------------------------------------------------BCV001
N/A
08A8
RW
8714
BCV002
N/A
08A9
RW
8714
}
Device Group RDF Information
{
RDF Type
RDF (RA) Group Number
Remote Symmetrix ID

: R1
: 2

(01)

: 000287xxxxxx

R2 Device Is Larger Than The R1 Device : False

RDF Pair Configuration
RDF STAR Mode
RDF
RDF
RDF
RDF

: Normal
: False

Mode
:
Adaptive Copy
:
Adaptive Copy Write Pending State :
Adaptive Copy Skew (Tracks)
:

Synchronous
Disabled
N/A
32767

RDF Device Domino

: Disabled

RDF Link Configuration

RDF Link Domino
Prevent Automatic RDF Link Recovery
Prevent RAs Online Upon Power ON

:
:
:
:

Device RDF Status

: Ready

(RW)

Device RA Status
Device Link Status

: Ready
: Ready

(RW)
(RW)

Device Suspend State

Device Consistency State
RDF R2 Not Ready If Invalid

: N/A
: Disabled
: Disabled

Device RDF State

Remote Device RDF State

: Ready
(RW)
: Write Disabled (WD)

Fibre
Disabled
Disabled
Enabled

RDF Pair State ( R1 <===> R2 )

: Synchronized

Number of R1 Invalid Tracks

Number of R2 Invalid Tracks

: 0
: 0

RDFA Information:
{
Session Number
Cycle Number
Number of Devices in the Session
Session Status

:
:
:
:

1
0
491
Inactive

:
:
:
:
:

N/A
00:00:30
00:00:00
00:00:00
33

Session Consistency State

Minimum Cycle Time
Average Cycle Time
Duration of Last cycle
Session Priority

Tracks not Committed to the R2 Side: 0

Time that R2 is behind R1
: 00:00:00
R1 Side Percent Cache In Use
: 0
R2 Side Percent Cache In Use
: 0
}
}
root:/#
Timfinder commands
Associate BCVs to a device group. There are two ways:
root:/# symbcv -sid xxxx -g dg_oradev_01 associate dev 0001
Establish the mirrors
root:/# symmir -g dg_oradev_01 -full establish DEV001 BCV001
Split operations.
root:/# symmir -g dg_oradev_01 split
There are several additional split modes and/or modifiers.
Instant
root:/# symmir -g dg_oradev_01 split -instant
Force
root:/# symmir -g dg_oradev_01 split -force
Differential
root:/# symmir -g dg_oradev_01 split -differential
Reverse
root/# symmir -g dg_oradev_01 reverse split
Reverse differential
root:/# symmir -g dg_oradev_01 reverse split -differential
Restore the BCV mirrors. The restore operation will copy the data from the BCV t
o the Standard device.
Differential restore
root:/# symmir -g dg_oradev_01 restore
Full restore
root:/# symmir -g dg_oradev_01 -full restore
Reestablish operations. It is very important to tell the difference between Rest
ore and Reestablish. Reestablish will do a differential update from the Standard
device to the BCV device.

root:/# symmir -g dg_oradev_01 establish

Get the list of BCV devices
root:/# symbcv list
Symmetrix ID: 00029xxxxxxx
BCV Device
-----------------------------------Inv.
Physical
Sym RDF Att. Tracks
-----------------------------------Not Visible
0030
(M)
0
Not Visible
0031
(m)
c4t1d0s2
c4t1d1s2
c4t1d2s2
c4t1d3s2
Get the state

Standard Device
--------------------------Inv.
Physical
Sym Tracks
--------------------------N/A
N/A
0
N/A
N/A
-

0088
0 c4t0d0s2
0084
0
0089
0 c4t0d1s2
0085
0
008A
0 c4t0d2s2
0086
0
008B
0 c4t0d3s2
0087
0
of mirroring of the device pairs within a device

Status
-----------BCV <=> STD
-----------NeverEstab
NeverEstab
Split
Split
Split
Split
group

root:/# /usr/symcli/bin/symmir -g dg_oracle_prod_01 query

Device Group (DG) Name: dg_oracle_prod_01
DG's Type
: RDF1
DG's Symmetrix ID
: 00029xxxxxxx
Standard Device
BCV Device
State
-------------------------- ------------------------------------- -----------Inv.
Inv.
Logical
Sym Tracks Logical
Sym
Tracks STD <=> BCV
-------------------------- ------------------------------------- -----------DEV001
DEV002
DEV003
DEV004
DEV005
DEV006
DEV007
DEV008
DEV009
DEV010
DEV011
Total
Track(s)
MB(s)

0184
0186
0187
0188
0189
018E
018F
0190
0191
01C7
01CD

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

BCV001
BCV002
BCV003
BCV004
BCV005
BCV006
BCV007
BCV008
BCV009
BCV010
BCV011

039C
039E
039F
03A0
03A1
03A6
03A7
03A8
03A9
08A7
08AA

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

------0
0.0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Legend:

------0
0.0

(*): The paired BCV device is associated with this group.

root:/#
List all BCV sessions in a Symmetrix array
root:/# symmir list -sid xxxx
Symmetrix ID: 00000000xxxx

Split
Split
Split
Split
Split
Split
Split
Split
Split
Split
Split

Standard Device
-------------------Invalid
Sym
Tracks
-------------------002B
0
002E
0
002E
0
0032
0
00FF
0
0DF5
0
0DF5
0
0F70
0
0F71
0
0F93
0
1015
0
Total
Tracks
MB(s)

-------0
0.0

BCV Device
----------------------Invalid GBE
Sym
Tracks
----------------------0E0B
0 ...
0E00
0 ..X
0E0A
0 ...
0E0F
0 ...
00FD
0 ...
0DA5
0 ..X
0DA4
0 ..X
001B
3592 X..
001C
4496 X..
0DF9
0 ..X
1069
0 X..
-------8088
505.5

State
-------------STD <=> BCV
-------------Synchronized
Synchronized
Synchronized
Split
Split
Synchronized
Synchronized
SyncInProg
SyncInProg
Split
Synchronized