Step 1

Create SYMCLI Device Groups. Each group can have one or more Symmetrix
devices specified in it.
SYMCLI device group information (name of the group, type, members, and
any associations) are maintained in the SYMAPI database.
In the following we will create a device group that includes two SRDF
volumes.
SRDF operations can be performed from the local host that has access to the source volumes or the
remote host that has access to the target volumes. Therefore, both hosts should have device groups
defined.

Complete the following steps on both the local and remote hosts.
a) Identify the SRDF source and target volumes available to your assigned hosts. Execute the
following commands on both the local and remote hosts.

# symrdf list pd (execute on both local and remote hosts)

or

# syminq
b) To view all the RDF volumes configured in the Symmetrix use the following

# symrdf list dev

c) Display a synopsis of the symdg command and reference it in the
following steps.
# symdg –h
d) List all device groups that are currently defined.

# symdg list
e) On the local host, create a device group of the type of RDF1. On the remote host, create a device
group of the type RDF2.

# symdg –type RDF1 create newsrcdg (on local host)

# symdg –type RDF2 create newtgtdg (on remote host)
f) Verify that your device group was added to the SYMAPI database on both the local and remote
hosts.

# symdg list
g) Add your two devices to your device group using the symld command. Again use (–h) for a
synopsis of the command syntax.

On local host:

# symld –h
# symld –g newsrcdg add dev ###
or
# symld –g newsrcdg add pd Physicaldrive#
On remote host:

# symld –g newtgtdg add dev ###

or
# symld –g newtgtdg add pd Physicaldrive#
h) Using the syminq command, identify the gatekeeper devices. Determine if it is currently defined in
the SYMAPI database, if not, define it, and associate it with your device group.

On local host:

# syminq
# symgate list (Check SYMAPI)
# symgate define pd Physicaldrive# (to define)
# symgate -g newsrcdg associate pd Physicaldrive# (to associate)
On remote host:

# syminq
# symgate list (Check SYMAPI)
# symgate define pd Physicaldrive# (to define)
# symgate -g newtgtdg associate pd Physicaldrive# (to associate)
i) Display your device groups. The output is verbose so pipe it to more.
On local host:

# symdg show newsrcdg |more

On remote host:

# symdg show newtgtdg | more

j) Display a synopsis of the symld command.

# symld -h
k) Rename DEV001 to NEWVOL1

On local host:

# symld –g newsrcdg rename DEV001 NEWVOL1

On remote host:
# symld –g newtgtdg rename DEV001 NEWVOL1
l) Display the device group on both the local and remote hosts.
On local host:

# symdg show newsrcdg |more

On remote host:

# symdg show newtgtdg | more

Step 2
Use the SYMCLI to display the status of the SRDF volumes in your device
group.
a) If on the local host, check the status of your SRDF volumes using the following command:

# symrdf -g newsrcdg query

Step 3
Set the default device group. You can use the “Environmental Variables”
option.
# set SYMCLI_DG=newsrcdg (on the local host)
# set SYMCLI_DG=newtgtdg (on the remote host)
a) Check the SYMCLI environment.

# symcli –def (on both the local and remote hosts)

b) Test to see if the SYMCLI_DG environment variable is working properly by performing a “query”
without specifying the device group.

# symrdf query (on both the local and remote hosts)

Step 4
Changing Operational mode. The operational mode for a device or group of
devices can be set dynamically with the symrdf set mode command.
a) On the local host, change the mode of operation for one of your SRDF volumes to enable semi-
synchronous operations. Verify results and change back to synchronous mode.

# symrdf set mode semi NEWVOL1

# symrdf query
# symrdf set mode sync NEWVOL1
# symrdf query
b) Change mode of operation to enable adaptive copy-disk mode for all devices in the device group.
Verify that the mode change occurred and then disable adaptive copy.

# symrdf set mode acp disk

# symrdf query
# symrdf set mode acp off
# symrdf query

Step 5
Check the communications link between the local and remote Symmetrix.
a) From the local host, verify that the remote Symmetrix is “alive”. If the host is attached to multiple
Symmetrix, you may have to specify the Symmetrix Serial Number (SSN) through the –sid option.

# symrdf ping [ -sid xx ] (xx=last two digits of the remote SSN)

b) From the local host, display the status of the Remote Link Directors.

# symcfg –RA all list

c) From the local host, display the activity on the Remote Link Directors.

# symstat -RA all –i 10 –c 2

Step 6
Create a partition on each disk, format the partition and assign a filesystem
to the partition. Add data on the R1 volumes defined in the newsrcdg device
group.
Step 7
Suspend RDF Link and add data to filesystem. In this step we will suspend
the SRDF link, add data to the filesystem and check for invalid tracks.
a) Check that the R1 and R2 volumes are fully synchronized.
# symrdf query
b) Suspend the link between the source and target volumes.

# symrdf suspend
c) Check link status.

# symrdf query
d) Add data to the filesystems.

e) Check for invalid tracks using the following command:

# symrdf query
f) Invalid tracks can also be displayed using the symdev show command.
Execute the following command on one of the devices in your device group.
Look at the Mirror set information.
On the local host:

# symdev show ###

g) From the local host, resume the link and monitor invalid tracks.

# symrdf resume
powercf
During installation on Solaris hosts, the powercf utility configures PowerPath devices by scanning the
host adapter buses for both single-ported and multiported Symmetrix volumes. (A multiported volume
shows up on two or more host bus adapters with the same Symmetrix subsystem/device identity. The
identity comes from the serial number for the volume.) For each Symmetrix volume found in the scan
of the host adapter buses, powercf creates a corresponding emcpower device entry in the emcp.conf
file, and saves a primary path and an alternate primary path to that device. The powermt config
command, run at boot time by init (1M), adds additional paths to the Symmetrix volume.

After PowerPath is installed, you only need to run the powercf command when the physical
configuration of the Symmetrix or the host changes. The configuration changes that require you to
reconfigure PowerPath devices include:
• Adding or removing host bus adapters
• Adding, removing, or changing Symmetrix logical devices
• Changing the cabling routes between host bus adapters and Symmetrix ports
• Adding or removing Symmetrix channel directors

powercf -i|p|q

Arguments

-i
Scans the host adapter buses for single-ported and multiported Symmetrix volumes. Compares those
volumes with the PowerPath device entries in the emcp.conf file. Prompts you to accept or reject any
addition or deletion of Symmetrix devices in the emcp.conf file.

-p
Scans the host adapter buses for single-ported and multiported Symmetrix volumes. Compares those
devices with the emcpower entries in the emcp.conf file. Prints information on any inconsistencies.

-q
Scans the host adapter buses for single-ported and multiported Symmetrix volumes. Compares those
volumes with the PowerPath device entries in the emcp.conf file. Updates the emcp.conf file by
removing PowerPath devices that were not found in the host adapter scan and by adding new
PowerPath devices that were found. Saves a primary and an alternate primary path to each PowerPath
device.

The powermt Commands

This section describes each powermt command. Refer to the preface of this document for information
on the conventions used in the command syntax. You can run powermt commands from either the
command line.

Powermt

Displays the syntax for the commands in the powermt management utility.

Syntax
powermt
powermt check
Verifies that all paths are connected to the correct Symmetrix volumes.
Syntax
powermt check [dev=power#|all] [adapter=adapter#|all]

The dev parameter and the adapter parameter are optional. You must, however, specify at least one
in the powermt check command.

powermt check_registration

Provides PowerPath license registration information. The powermt check_registration command is

available from the command line only. It does not have an equivalent SMIT command.

Syntax
powermt check_registration

powermt config
Configures paths to all known Symmetrix logical devices for maximum accessibility.

Syntax
powermt config

powermt display
Displays a table that shows the state of all host adapters found by PowerPath.

Syntax
powermt display

powermt display dev

Displays a table that shows the state of the specified PowerPath device or all PowerPath devices.

Syntax
powermt display dev=power#|all

powermt restore
Attempts to reopen, or restore to service, all device paths currently marked as Closed.

Syntax
powermt restore

powermt save
Saves changes to the PowerPath devices’ policy and priority attributes to the ODM so that the new
values are in effect at system startup.

Syntax
powermt save

powermt set adapter_switch

Enables or disables the specified host adapter.

Syntax
powermt set adapter_switch=disabled|enabled adapter=adapter#

Parameters

disabled
Does not allow the specified host adapter to accept I/O traffic for any
device path it serves.
enabled
Allows the specified host adapter to accept I/O traffic for any device path it
serves.
adapter#
The host adapter number shown in the ## column in the table displayed
when you enter the powermt display dev command.
powermt set mode
Sets device path(s) to either active or standby mode for the specified
PowerPath device or for all PowerPath devices on the specified adapter.
Syntax
powermt set mode=active|standby adapter=adapter#
[dev=power#|all]
The dev parameter is optional. If you do not include the dev parameter, the
powermt set mode command changes the mode of all PowerPath devices on
the specified adapter.
powermt set policy
Sets the load balancing policy for the specified PowerPath device or all
PowerPath devices.
Syntax
powermt set policy=rr|io|lb|so [dev=power#|all]
The dev parameter is optional. If you do not include the dev parameter, the
powermt set policy command changes the policy of all PowerPath devices.
Parameters

Rr Round-robin. Future I/O requests are assigned to each of the available

paths in rotation.
Io I/O. Load balance is based on the number of pending I/Os.
Lb Least blocks. Load balance is based on the number of blocks in the
pending I/Os.
powermt set priority
Sets the I/O priority for the specified PowerPath device or for all PowerPath
devices.
Syntax
powermt set priority= [dev=power#|all]
The dev parameter is optional. If you do not include the dev parameter, the
powermt set priority command changes the priority of all PowerPath devices.
The powermt set priority command is only meaningful when the load-
balancing policy is Symmetrix optimized (so). This setting allows the I/O
performance of a few, individual PowerPath devices to be improved at the
expense of the rest of the devices, while otherwise maintaining the best
possible load balance across all paths.
powermt validate
Verifies that the primary path opened for each PowerPath device is
connected to the correct Symmetrix volume.
Syntax
powermt validate
powermt watch
Displays a table that shows the state of the host adapters for the specified
PowerPath device or all PowerPath devices.
Syntax
powermt watch every=#seconds
powermt watch dev
Displays a table that shows the state of the specified PowerPath device or all
PowerPath devices.
Syntax
powermt watch dev=power#|all every=#seconds