Create Snapshot Virtual Disk Wizard: Additional Instructions for Solaris - VERITAS Virtual Disk Manager

Important: Stop all I/O activity to the source virtual disk at this point (or data transfer suspended) to ensure that an accurate point-in-time image of the source virtual disk is captured.

Unmount the disk representing the source virtual disk. At the host prompt, type the following command, and press Enter:

umount mount-point

where mount-point is the name of the disk being unmounted.

Start the storage management software.

Launch an  by selecting the  in the Tree view or the Table view and selecting Tools >> Manage Storage Array.

Note: If your plex spans across a number of storage arrays, ensure that the procedure is repeated for each storage array.

Perform a synchronize operation to ensure that all previously unwritten system buffers are flushed out to disk, ensuring that all file modifications up to that point are saved. To perform this action, at the host prompt, type the following command, and press Enter:

sync

All unwritten system buffers are flushed.

Within the Logical View of the Array Management Window, select a , and create a snapshot virtual disk using one of the following methods:

• Create Snapshot Virtual Disk Wizard, accessed by using an Array Management Window. For more information, see Using the Create Snapshot Virtual Disk Wizard.
• Create a snapshot virtual disk by using either the Script Editor or a command line interface on the host operating system. Type the following command, and press Enter:
  

  create snapshotVirtual Disk
  

  For command reference information on creating a snapshot virtual disk, refer to the Enterprise Management Window online help.

Assign a

If supported by the operating system, run the  utility (or operating system-specific utility), or reboot the host where the snapshot will be used. This action ensures that the host operating system recognizes the snapshot virtual disk.

After virtual disks have been created and virtual disk-to-LUN mappings have been defined, run the hot_add utility to ensure that the operating system is aware of the newly created virtual disks without having to reboot the host. For information on which operating systems support the hot_add utility, refer to your operating system-specific software installation guide.

Run the  utility to associate the LUN with a host operating system storage array and to ensure that the snapshot virtual disk is recognized by the host.

After virtual disks have been created and virtual disk-to-LUN mappings have been defined, run the SMdevices utility to ensure that the virtual disk name and the operating system storage array name (assigned by the operating system) correlate.

Open VERITAS Virtual Disk Manager Storage Administrator, and scan all the mounted disks by selecting the host where the snapshot virtual disk resides and selecting Host >> Scan Disks.

A scan of all the mounted disks is performed.

Import the disk group that will enable access to a disk group for the selected host.

Note: If importing the disk group fails using the above method (or using the VERITAS Virtual Disk Manager System Administrator main dialog), at the host prompt, type the following command, and press Enter:

vxdg -C import disk-group

where disk-group is the name of the disk group to be imported.

All import locks are cleared, and the disk group is imported.

Start the virtual disk to make it available for use. At the host prompt, type the following command, and press Enter:

vxvol start virtual disk

where virtual disk is the name of the snapshot virtual disk.

The defined virtual disk changes state from Disabled to Enabled, and is now ready for use.

In the VERITAS Virtual Disk Manager System Administrator, mount the file system associated with the disk group by selecting the file system associated with the disk group, and right-clicking and selecting Filesystem >> Mount.

The disk groups associated with the file system are mounted.

On the host where the snapshot virtual disk resides, ensure that the file system was mounted correctly. At the host prompt, type the following command, and press Enter:

df-k

At the host prompt, type the following command, and press Enter:

cd mount-point

where mount-point is the directory where the snapshot virtual disk is mounted.

Blink the directory where the snapshot virtual disk was mounted, and ensure that the snapshot virtual disks contents match the original contents of the source virtual disk.

Use the snapshot virtual disk with your backup application (reusing a snapshot virtual disk) or for speculative change and upgrade testing (one-time usage).

After the snapshot virtual disk is no longer required, disable or delete the snapshot virtual disk.

If you disable the snapshot virtual disk instead of deleting it, you can retain the snapshot virtual disk and its associated . Then, when you need to create a different snapshot of the same source virtual disk, you can re-create the disabled snapshot virtual disk. This action takes less time than creating a new snapshot virtual disk, and stops any reduction in performance that might occur if the snapshot virtual disk remains available.

For more information, see Disabling a Snapshot Virtual Disk and Deleting a Virtual Disk. For command reference information on disabling or deleting a snapshot virtual disk, refer to the Enterprise Management Window online help.

Important: Stop all I/O activity to the source virtual disk at this point (or data transfer suspended) to ensure that an accurate point-in-time image of the source virtual disk is captured.

Unmount the disk representing the source virtual disk and the disk representing the snapshot virtual disk. At the host prompt, type the following command, and press Enter:

umount moint-point

where mount-point is the name of the disk being umounted.

Perform a synchronize operation to ensure that all previously unwritten system buffers are flushed out to disk, ensuring that all file modifications up to that point will be saved. At the host prompt, type the following command, and press Enter:

sync

All unwritten system buffers are flushed.

In the storage management software, re-create the snapshot virtual disks by using one of the following methods:

• Select Virtual Disk >> Snapshot >> Re-create in the Array Management Window. For more information, see Re-creating a Snapshot Virtual Disk.

Note: If your plex spans across a number of storage arrays, ensure that the procedure is repeated for each storage array.

• Use either the Script Editor or a command line interface on the host operating system. Type the following command, and press Enter:

• recreateSnapshot virtual disk
  

  For command reference information on recreating a snapshot virtual disk, refer to the Enterprise Management Window online help.

In the VERITAS Virtual Disk Manager System Administrator, mount the file system associated with the disk group by selecting the file system associated with the disk group, and right-clicking and selecting Filesystem >> Mount.

The disk groups associated with the file system are mounted.

On the host where the snapshot virtual disk resides, ensure that the file system was mounted correctly. At the host prompt, type the following command, and press Enter:

df-k

Use the snapshot virtual disk in conjunction with your backup application (or another application).

After the snapshot virtual disk is no longer required, disable the snapshot virtual disk.

If you disable the snapshot virtual disk instead of deleting it, you can retain the snapshot virtual disk and its associated snapshot repository virtual disk. Then, when you need to create a different snapshot of the same source virtual disk, you can re-create the disabled snapshot virtual disk. This takes less time than creating a new snapshot virtual disk, and will stop any reduction in performance that might occur if the snapshot virtual disk remains available.

For more information, see Disabling a Snapshot Virtual Disk and Re-creating a Snapshot Virtual Disk. For command reference information on disabling and re-creating a snapshot virtual disk, refer to the Enterprise Management Window online help.