Create Snapshot Virtual Disk Wizard: Additional Instructions for Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 - Basic Disks

Start the storage management software.

The Enterprise Management Window is displayed.

Launch an  by selecting Tools >> Manage Storage Array.

The Array Management Window is opened in a separate window.

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

• Create Snapshot Virtual Disk Wizard, accessed using an Array Management Window. For more information, see Using the Create Snapshot Virtual Disk Wizard.
• Create a snapshot virtual disk 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.

Disable the snapshot virtual disk. Disable snapshot virtual disks by using one of the following methods:

• Select Virtual Disk >> Snapshot >> Disable in the Array Management Window. For more information, see Disabling a Snapshot Virtual Disk.
• Use either the Script Editor or a command line interface on the host operating system. Type the following command, and press Enter:
  

  disableSnapshot virtual disk
  

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

Assign a

Important: Stop all I/O activity to the source virtual disk (or data transfer suspended) before starting this procedure. Stopping all I/O activity ensures that an accurate point-in-time image of the source virtual disk is captured. Close all applications (including Windows Explorer) to ensure all I/O activity has been stopped.

Run the  utility to flush all the write buffers from the new disk physical disk.

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

SMrepassist -f <filesystem-identifier>

where <filesystem-identifier> is the physical disk letter assigned to the source virtual disk.

Example:

If the new disk physical disk (for the source virtual disk) was assigned physical disk letter "E" using the Create Partition Wizard , you would enter the following command, and press Enter:

SMrepassist -f e:

The write buffers for the disk physical disk are flushed.

In the storage management software, re-create the snapshot virtual disk 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.
• 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-specific information on recreating a snapshot virtual disk, refer to the Enterprise Management Window online help.

Important: If I/O activity to the source virtual disk was stopped or data transfer was suspended, resume I/O activity to the source virtual disk at this time (or reenable data transfer).

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 storage management software installation guide.

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

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

Open the  dialog by selecting Start >> Settings >> Control Panel, double-clicking the Administrative Tools icon, and double-clicking Computer Management. In the console tree under Storage, select Disk Management.

• Select Start >> Run option, and then type the following command, and press Enter:

• compmgmt.msc

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

  compmgmt.msc
  

  In the console tree under Storage, select Disk Management.

The Disk Management dialog is displayed with a graphical representation of all the physical disks connected to the host and their associated partitions.

In the Disk Management dialog, locate the disk and virtual disk definition that represents the snapshot virtual disk you re-created, and ensure that a new physical disk letter has automatically been assigned.

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

For information on how to reuse a disabled snapshot virtual disk, see Reusing Snapshot Virtual Disks.

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 or 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 (or data transfer suspended) before starting this procedure. Stopping all I/O activity ensures that an accurate point-in-time image of the source virtual disk is captured. Close all applications (including Windows Explorer) to ensure all I/O activity has been stopped.

To flush all the write buffers from the new disk physical disk, run the SMrepassist utility on the host where the snapshot virtual disk is mounted.

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

SMrepassist -f <filesystem-identifier>

where <filesystem-identifier> is the physical disk letter assigned to the snapshot virtual disk.

The write buffers for the disk physical disk are flushed.

mountvol [physical disk:]path /l

where [physical disk:]path is the NTFS folder where the mount point resides.

All of the mount virtual disks are listed. For more information on using mountvol, refer to your operating system documentation.

mountvol [physical disk:]path /d

where [physical disk:]path is the NTFS folder where the mount point resides.

The disk is unmounted. For more information on using the mountvol utility, refer to your operating system documentation.

• Select the snapshot virtual disk from the Defined Mappings view and selecting Mappings >> Remove.
• Use either the Script Editor or a command line interface on the host operating system. Type the following command, and press Enter:
  
  remove virtual disk ["virtual disk-name"]

where ["virtual disk name"] is the snapshot virtual disk name.

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

Disable the snapshot virtual disk by using one of the following methods:

• Select Virtual Disk >> Snapshot >> Disable in the Array Management Window. For more information, see Disabling a Snapshot Virtual Disk.
• Use either the Script Editor or a command line interface on the host operating system. Type the following command, and press Enter:
  

  disableSnapshot virtual disk
  

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

Run the SMrepassist utility on the host where the source virtual disk is mounted to flush all the write buffers from the new disk physical disk. At the host prompt, type the following command, and press Enter:

SMrepassist -f <filesystem-identifier>

where <filesystem-identifier> is the physical disk letter assigned to the source virtual disk.

The write buffers for the disk physical disk are flushed.

In the storage management software, re-create the snapshot virtual disk 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.
• 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-specific information on recreating a snapshot virtual disk, refer to the Enterprise Management Window online help.

Important: If I/O activity to the source virtual disk was stopped or data transfer was suspended, resume I/O activity to the source virtual disk at this time (or reenable data transfer).

Define virtual disk-to-LUN mappings by using one of the following methods:

• Storage Partitioning Wizard, which helps you to quickly define a single storage partition. The wizard guides you through the major steps required to specify which host will access a virtual disk and the associated logical unit numbers (LUNs). For more information, see Using the Storage Partitioning Wizard.
• Use either the Script Editor or a command line interface on the host operating system. Type the following command, and press Enter:
  

  create mapping virtual disk

For command reference-specific information on creating a virtual disk-to-LUN mapping, refer to the Enterprise Management Window online help.

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 storage management software installation guide .

mountvol [physical disk:]path Virtual Disk{GUID}

where [physical disk:]path is the NTFS folder where the mount point will reside, and Virtual Disk{GUID} is the name of the virtual disk that is the target of the mount point in VolumeGUID format.

The disk representing the snapshot virtual disk is mounted. For more information on using mountvol, refer to your operating system documentation.

Assign the original virtual disk label to the disk representing the snapshot virtual disk. At the command prompt, type the following command, and press Enter:

label [physical disk:][label]

where [physical disk:] is the location of the disk you want to name, and [label]is the new virtual disk label.

The disk representing the snapshot virtual disk is renamed. For more information on using the label command, refer to your operating system documentation.

Run the chkdsk command on the snapshot virtual disk to create and display a status report for the disk. At the command prompt, type the following command, and press Enter:

chkdsk [physical disk:]

where [physical disk:] is the physical disk that contains the disk that you want to check.

A status report for the snapshot virtual disk is displayed. For more information on using the chkdsk command, refer to your operating system documentation.

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

When 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. When you must 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 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 Recreating a Snapshot Virtual Disk. For command reference information on disabling and recreating a snapshot virtual disk, refer to the Enterprise Management Window online help.