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Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 on EMC® VNXe™ Series

Deployment Guide h8287.1

h8287

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 on EMC VNXe Series Deployment Guide

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Copyright ©, 2012 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved.

Published February , 2012

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Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 on EMC VNXe Series

Deployment Guide

Part number h8287.1

3 Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 on EMC VNXe Series Deployment Guide

Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction to EMC VNXe Series ...................................13

EMC VNXe series overview ........................................................................... 14

Software suites available ..................................................................................... 14

Software packs available ..................................................................................... 14

VNXe application awareness ....................................................................... 14

Advantages of VNXe platforms ............................................................................. 15

VNXe high-availability architecture .............................................................. 16

Active-active clustering ........................................................................................ 16

No single points of failure .................................................................................... 16

RAID group hot spares .......................................................................................... 17

Array-based data replication ................................................................................ 17

VNXe storage pools ..................................................................................... 17

Default storage pools ........................................................................................... 17

Custom storage pools .......................................................................................... 18

Application-based provisioning overview..................................................... 18

Chapter 2 Microsoft SharePoint Planning on VNXe ........................19

Overview of Microsoft SharePoint ................................................................ 20

SharePoint environment ...................................................................................... 20

Capacity planning for SharePoint ......................................................................... 20

Performance planning for SharePoint ................................................................... 20

Select the VNXe platform ............................................................................. 21

Overview of SharePoint deployment ............................................................ 21

Create and access SharePoint storage ................................................................. 21

Manage SharePoint storage ................................................................................. 22

Protect SharePoint storage ................................................................................... 22

Chapter 3 Physical Storage Allocation on VNXe: Storage Pools ......23

Storage pool for SharePoint ......................................................................... 24

Create a SharePoint storage pool ......................................................................... 24

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Chapter 4 VNXe Connectivity Configuration ...................................27

Configure VNXe iSCSI target ......................................................................... 28

Configure host connectivity ......................................................................... 29

Chapter 5 SharePoint Storage Provisioning ...................................33

Create iSCSI storage .................................................................................... 34

Create generic iSCSI storage ................................................................................... 34

Chapter 6 SharePoint Host Server Connectivity Configuration ........39

Set up a Windows host to use VNXe iSCSI storage ....................................... 40

Discover the target portal ..................................................................................... 40

Volume configuration .................................................................................. 44

Create and configure a volume ............................................................................. 44

Chapter 7 Management of SharePoint Storage on VNXe .................49

Manage SharePoint storage ......................................................................... 50

Expand the storage pool ...................................................................................... 50

Add virtual disks to an existing resource or expand the existing virtual disk ......... 51

Extend iSCSI volume on the host .......................................................................... 53

Chapter 8 SharePoint Data Replication Using VNXe .......................57

Protection technologies ............................................................................... 58

Snapshots ........................................................................................................... 58

Replication ........................................................................................................... 58

Consistency ......................................................................................................... 59

Data protection for Microsoft SharePoint .............................................................. 60

Replication Manager ............................................................................................ 61

Configure data protection ............................................................................ 61

Establish replication trust .................................................................................... 62

Install and configure Replication Manager ........................................................... 64

Create replication destination storage.................................................................. 66

Create an application set ..................................................................................... 70

Create a replication job ........................................................................................ 73

Run replication through Replication Manager ....................................................... 78

Use Replication Manager replicas ........................................................................ 79

SharePoint disaster recovery ....................................................................... 85

Remote SQL Server and content databases .......................................................... 85

Attach and add content databases ....................................................................... 85

Resolve DNS name ............................................................................................... 87

Failing back to the production site ....................................................................... 87

Promote to production instead of failover ............................................................ 88

Data protection and SharePoint performance .............................................. 88

Contents


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Chapter 9 Protect SharePoint Data through Farm Backup ...............89

Back up SharePoint data ............................................................................. 90

Create a CIFS share .............................................................................................. 90

Configure shared folder server ..................................................................... 90

Configure a shared folder ............................................................................ 93

SharePoint data backup and restore .................................................................... 97

Restore from a backup ......................................................................................... 99

Appendix A Hot Spare Addition .......................................................101

Add a hot spare ......................................................................................... 102

Appendix B iSCSI Snapshot Sizing ..................................................105

Snapshot overview .................................................................................... 106

Calculate space requirements ................................................................... 106

Appendix C System Comparison and Limits .....................................107

Model components and limits ................................................................... 108

Software configuration limits ..................................................................... 108

Contents

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Figures

Figure 1. VNXe management dashboard ........................................................... 18 Figure 2. System page ....................................................................................... 24 Figure 3. Select Configuration Mode page ......................................................... 25 Figure 4. Specify Pool Name page ..................................................................... 25 Figure 5. Select Storage Type page.................................................................... 26 Figure 6. Select Amount of Storage page ........................................................... 26 Figure 7. iSCSI Server Settings page .................................................................. 28 Figure 8. iSCSI Server dialog box ....................................................................... 29 Figure 9. Server Summary page ......................................................................... 29 Figure 10. Hosts page ......................................................................................... 30 Figure 11. Operating System page ...................................................................... 30 Figure 12. Network Address page ........................................................................ 31 Figure 13. Storage page ...................................................................................... 34 Figure 14. Generic Storage page ......................................................................... 34 Figure 15. Configure Storage page ...................................................................... 35 Figure 16. Configure Protection page .................................................................. 36 Figure 17. Protection options .............................................................................. 36 Figure 18. Configure Protection Storage Size page .............................................. 37 Figure 19. iSCSI Initiator Properties dialog box .................................................... 40 Figure 20. Discover Target Portal dialog box ........................................................ 41 Figure 21. Advanced Setting dialog box .............................................................. 41 Figure 22. iSCSI Discovery tab ............................................................................. 42 Figure 23. iSCSI Targets tab ................................................................................ 43 Figure 24. Connect To Target dialog box .............................................................. 44 Figure 25. Disk Management .............................................................................. 44 Figure 26. Select Initialize Disk ........................................................................... 45 Figure 27. Initialize Disk dialog box .................................................................... 45 Figure 28. Select Online ...................................................................................... 46 Figure 29. Create new simple volume .................................................................. 46 Figure 30. New Simple Volume Wizard ................................................................ 46 Figure 31. Select a drive letter ............................................................................. 47 Figure 32. Select drive format settings ................................................................ 47 Figure 33. Select Configuration Mode page ......................................................... 51 Figure 34. Select Amount of Storage page ........................................................... 51 Figure 35. Generic Storage Details page .............................................................. 52 Figure 36. Configure Storage page ...................................................................... 53 Figure 37. Extend an existing volume .................................................................. 54 Figure 38. Extend Volume Wizard ........................................................................ 55 Figure 39. Replication process ............................................................................ 59

Figures

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Figure 40. Replication Connections page ............................................................ 62 Figure 41. Add Replication Connection Wizard .................................................... 63 Figure 42. Modify Replication Connection page ................................................... 64 Figure 43. Adding hosts ...................................................................................... 66 Figure 44. Generic iSCSI Storage page ................................................................ 67 Figure 45. Configure Storage page ...................................................................... 68 Figure 46. Configure Protection Storage Size page .............................................. 69 Figure 47. Configure host access ........................................................................ 70 Figure 48. Create an application set .................................................................... 71 Figure 49. Application Credentials dialog box ..................................................... 72 Figure 50. Application Set Name and Objects page ............................................. 72 Figure 51. Completing the Application Set Wizard page ...................................... 73 Figure 52. Job Wizard .......................................................................................... 74 Figure 53. Job Name and Settings page ............................................................... 75 Figure 54. Target replication storage page .......................................................... 76 Figure 55. Mount Options page ........................................................................... 76 Figure 56. Starting the Job page with schedule ................................................... 77 Figure 57. Users to be Notified page ................................................................... 78 Figure 58. Run a replication job .......................................................................... 78 Figure 59. View Replication Manager snapshots ................................................. 79 Figure 60. Mount a replica .................................................................................. 80 Figure 61. Replica to Mount page ........................................................................ 81 Figure 62. Objects to be Restored page ............................................................... 81 Figure 63. Restore options page .......................................................................... 82 Figure 64. Replication failover ............................................................................. 83 Figure 65. Failover options .................................................................................. 84 Figure 66. Promote Replica dialog box ................................................................ 85 Figure 67. Central Administration page ............................................................... 86 Figure 68. Add Content Database page ............................................................... 87 Figure 69. Shared Folder Server Settings location ............................................... 90 Figure 70. Shared Folder Server wizard ............................................................... 91 Figure 71. Shared folder server network settings ................................................. 92 Figure 72. Shared Folder Types page ................................................................... 93 Figure 73. Shared Folders wizard location ........................................................... 94 Figure 74. Select the shared folder pool .............................................................. 95 Figure 75. Advanced shared folder options ......................................................... 96 Figure 76. Shared folder protection ..................................................................... 97 Figure 77. Central Administration – Backup and Restore ..................................... 98 Figure 78. Backup Options page ......................................................................... 98 Figure 79. Backup to restore ............................................................................... 99 Figure 80. System page ..................................................................................... 102 Figure 81. Storage Pools page ........................................................................... 102 Figure 82. Select Configuration Mode page ....................................................... 103 Figure 83. Configure Spares page ..................................................................... 103 Figure 84. Summary page ................................................................................. 104 Figure 85. Results page ..................................................................................... 104


Tables

Table 1. Default storage pools ......................................................................... 17 Table 2. Drives types supported on VNXe ......................................................... 20 Table 3. VNXe model components and limits ................................................. 108 Table 4. Software configuration limits ............................................................ 108

Tables

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About this Document

This document provides an overview of the deployment options for Microsoft SharePoint with the EMC VNXe series developed by the EMC Solutions group.

Purpose This document describes how to use the VNXe wizard-driven provisioning interface to create storage for Microsoft SharePoint. It covers common storage administrative questions in a SharePoint environment, and provides easy-to-use sizing guidelines for such a deployment.

Audience This document is intended for internal EMC personnel, EMC partners, and customers.

Scope This document covers the wizard-driven provisioning interface for SharePoint environments on the VNXe platform. It covers basic storage sizing and configuration for SharePoint. It does not cover server-level deployment, infrastructure design, or any non-storage sizing considerations.

Related documents The following documents, located on Powerlink.com, provide additional, relevant information. Access to these documents is based on the login credentials. If you do not have access to the following documents, contact your EMC representative:

VMware vSphere 4.1 on EMC VNXe Series — Deployment Guide

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V on EMC VNXe Series —Deployment Guide

EMC Unisphere for VNXe: Next-Generation Storage Management — A Detailed Review

Sizing Considerations for iSCSI Replication on EMC Celerra—Technical Note

About this Document

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Third-party documents The following article is available on the Microsoft TechNet website (http://technet.microsoft.com):

Performance and capacity management (SharePoint Server 2010)

http://technet.microsoft.com/


Chapter 1 Introduction to EMC VNXe Series

This chapter presents the following topics:

EMC VNXe series overview ....................................................................... 14

VNXe application awareness .................................................................... 14

VNXe high-availability architecture ........................................................... 16

VNXe storage pools .................................................................................. 17

Application-based provisioning overview ................................................. 18

Introduction to EMC VNXe Series

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EMC VNXe series overview The EMC® VNXe™ series delivers exceptional flexibility for the small-to-medium business user, combining a unique, application-driven management environment with a complete consolidation for all IP storage needs. Customers can benefit from the new VNXe features such as:

Next-generation unified storage, optimized for virtualized applications.

Capacity optimization features including file deduplication and compression, thin provisioning, and application-consistent snapshots and replicas (only available for VNXe for File).

High availability, designed to deliver five 9s availability.

Multiprotocol support for file and block.

Simplified management with EMC Unisphere™ for a single management interface for all file, block, and replication needs.

Software suites available VNXe Local Protection Suite—Practices safe data protection and repurposing.

VNXe Remote Protection Suite—Protects data against localized failures, outages, and disasters.

VNXe Application Protection Suite—Automates application copies and proves compliance.

VNXe Security and Compliance Suite—Keeps data safe from changes, deletions, and malicious activity.

Software packs available Total Efficiency Pack—Includes all five software suites (not available for the

VNX5100™ and VNXe series).

Total Protection Pack—Includes local, remote, and application protection suites (not available for the VNXe3100™).

Total Value Pack—Includes all three protection software suites and the Security and Compliance Suite (the VNX5100 and VNXe3100 exclusively support this package).

VNXe application awareness The VNXe platform features a simplified user interface that is designed for IT generalists rather than for storage specialists. Storage is a key component in the implementation of business-critical applications. Making the deployment and management of storage straightforward while automatically incorporating best practices reduces the time required to set up an environment and reduces costly mistakes.

At the time of publication, application support is provided for:

Microsoft Exchange



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VMware data stores

Network file system (NFS)

VMware® vStorage Virtual Machine File System (VMFS) and Raw Device Mapping (RDM) using iSCSI

Hyper-V data stores using iSCSI

Shared folders

Common Internet File System (CIFS) for Windows

NFS for UNIX or Linux

Generic application storage using iSCSI

When combined with simple wizard-driven installation and storage provisioning, along with EMC’s proven track record for reliability and high availability, the VNXe platform provides a low-cost entry point into the EMC storage family.

Advantages of VNXe platforms This section covers the major advantages of VNXe platforms.

Accessibility The VNXe platform provides consolidated access to stored data from multiple hosts, users, and applications by using existing IP network connectivity and industry-standard protocols, including CIFS, NFS, and iSCSI.

Ease of management A simple-to-use, web-based user interface controls the VNXe platform operations, including tools to manage, monitor, and configure storage and system settings.

High-performance and high-density storage The platform has the ability to store data by using high-speed SAS and high-capacity near-line (NL) SAS storage disk drives. These disk drives accommodate most of the organizational and application requirements.

Expandable capacity and flexible upgrades The platform provides SAS and NL-SAS drives to store and protect files, folders, and application data. These drives can be expanded to accommodate a variety of application, host, or organization requirements.

Compliance with application storage best practices The platform has built-in best practices to provision and manage application data such as Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Windows Hyper-V, VMware, generic iSCSI, and shared folder storage.

Automatic or manual data protection The platform has built-in tools to protect valuable data by using snapshot schedules to create point-in-time images of the data from which data can be restored. Snapshots can be created manually or by using standard snapshot schedules and custom schedules.


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Security Secure system management is provided through HTTPS communication, manageable system accounts and authentication, and user roles. Secure access to VNXe storage resources is provided through Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) for iSCSI storage and compliance with NFS and CIFS access controls for storage resource security.

Antivirus support VNXe supports VEE Common Anti-Virus Agent (CAVA). CAVA is a component of the VNX™ Event Enabler (VEE) 4.5.1, which is part of the Security and Compliance Suite. CAVA provides an antivirus solution to clients using the VNXe platform. CAVA uses third-party antivirus software to identify and eliminate known viruses before they infect files on the VNXe platform.

File-level retention The VNX file-level retention (FLR) feature provides a way to set file-based permissions to limit write access to the files for a specific period of time. FLR can ensure the integrity of data during that period by creating an unalterable set of files and directories. On VNXe, the FLR feature can be enabled for shared folders and VMware NFS data stores. FLR for VNX is available as part of the Security and Compliance Suite.

VNXe high-availability architecture The VNXe family of storage arrays is designed such that there are no single points of failure. If one hardware or software component fails, the system automatically takes appropriate action to return to a normal operating condition.

Active-active clustering The VNXe platform has two identical storage processor Data Movers in the hardware chassis. During normal operation, both the Data Movers are active and serve data. This is an example of an active-active configuration. If one Data Mover fails during normal operation, the other Data Mover takes over the work assigned to both the Data Movers until the failed Data Mover is active. Although the data is available to users at all times, this may impact the overall performance of the system.

Note There is a single storage processor variant of the VNXe3100, which will not be able to perform active-active clustering.

No single points of failure The internal hardware of the array is designed such that data is available to users at all times despite a failure.

The external network is similarly protected. The VNXe platforms support Internet SCSI (iSCSI) multipathing and Ethernet link aggregation to protect against network link failures. Design the network architecture for high availability by using multiple switches. However, the design of such a network is outside the scope of this document.

It is highly recommended that the network settings of the storage processors are identical such that in case of a failover, the storage processor that is active can continue to operate.



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RAID group hot spares One important addition to the concept of Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) groups is that the array can automatically rebuild the faulted drive to a spare drive. After the RAID group member is rebuilt, the group becomes resilient to single disk failures. The designated spare drive on EMC arrays for rebuild operations is called a hot spare.

Hot spare recommendations Create a hot spare disk for every 30 active drives on the system. Therefore, two hot spares are required for 60 active drives. When active drives are not required, at least one hot spare is required for every type of drive on the system. For example, if there are 14 SAS drives and 12 NL-SAS drives, it is considered a best practice to have one SAS hot spare and one NL-SAS hot spare. Appendix A Hot Spare details the procedure.

Array-based data replication Data replication is the process to create nonactive copies of critical data in a different location for use in case of significant failures such as site-wide disaster.

The VNXe platform provides array-based data replication technologies to create point-in-time copies at scheduled intervals on different storage pools or different storage arrays. This capability is the enhancement from point-in-time snapshots and provides added protection in various failure scenarios.

EMC Replication Manager provides the user interface for the VNXe array-based iSCSI snapshot and replication technology. The operation of the feature is outside of the scope of this document.

VNXe storage pools The VNXe platform does not provision storage by using a traditional model, where users build a RAID group and then build logical disk units in that group. Instead, the VNXe platform creates pools of storage. All the members of this pool have similar characteristics. Application-based storage provisioning is possible by using this approach.

Default storage pools Even though the RAID group and the LUN groupings are not exposed to the user, the array is still using those mechanisms behind the scenes to ensure that data is properly protected.

Table 1 lists the three default storage pools that are available by default on VNXe platforms and it also describes their characteristics.

Table 1. Default storage pools

Pool name Disk type

RAID type Available capacities

High performance SAS RAID 10 (3+3) 300 GB

600 GB


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Pool name Disk type

RAID type Available capacities

Balanced performance /Capacity

SAS RAID 5 (6+1) — VNXe3300™

RAID 5 (4+1) — VNXe3100

300 GB

600 GB

Capacity pool NL-SAS RAID 6 (4+2) 1 TB

2 TB

Custom storage pools The default storage pools can be augmented with custom, user-defined storage pools. In general, use custom pools for applications such as SharePoint because the custom pool mechanism enables precise control on the number of disks used in the pool and prevents other applications from sharing the disks without explicitly provisioning application storage from the custom pool.

Application-based provisioning overview The key difference between VNXe and other storage platforms is its awareness of what applications are using storage and embedding the best practices for those applications into the provisioning and management process.

Figure 1 shows the first page of the Unisphere Management interface.

Figure 1. VNXe management dashboard

The dashboard not only displays the usable capacity of the array in terms of the applications using it, but it also provides wizard-driven mechanisms to create additional application storage using best practices. This guide focuses on provisioning for Microsoft SharePoint.

The provisioning process has three main steps:

1. Create a storage pool

2. Configure host connectivity

3. Use the application-provisioning wizard

The first two steps are independent and can be performed in any order. The third step requires the first two steps to be completed. Chapter 4 VNXe Connectivity Configuration covers each step in detail.


Chapter 2 Microsoft SharePoint Planning on VNXe


Overview of Microsoft SharePoint ............................................................. 20

Select the VNXe platform ......................................................................... 21

Overview of SharePoint deployment ......................................................... 21

Microsoft SharePoint Planning on VNXe

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Overview of Microsoft SharePoint Microsoft SharePoint enables organizations to share information. Websites, blogs, wikis, and document libraries are some of the many features of a SharePoint environment. Content within these features can be managed collectively from start to finish. Thoughts and ideas can be effortlessly exchanged and discussed giving rise to new innovative concepts and thus enabling the growth of an organization.

SharePoint environment A SharePoint environment consists of multiple server roles combined into units called farms. A farm consists of the following server roles and each of these roles has specific requirements.

SQL Server A SQL Server stores data in a SharePoint environment. Data that is accessible to users has its primary copy stored in the SQL database server.

Application Server Application Servers are dedicated SharePoint servers, which manage application server roles such as Excel services, search services, business data connectivity, and other similar roles. The application server can also be responsible for query and index operations if no dedicated query and index servers are defined.

Web front-end (WFE) server This server is responsible for the actual SharePoint pages that a user views. It receives HTTP requests, requests data from both SQL Server and Application Server, and displays the resulting pages to the user.

Capacity planning for SharePoint SharePoint data in an organization is always growing and hence disk capacity becomes an important factor when deploying SharePoint. Table 2 lists the drive types and sizes that are supported on VNXe.

Table 2. Drives types supported on VNXe

Drive type Size available

SAS 300 GB and 600 GB

NL-SAS 1 TB and 2 TB

A SharePoint farm can be deployed on any of these drive types and sizes.

Performance planning for SharePoint To gain the best performance from the SharePoint farm, ensure that adequate memory and CPU resources are allocated to the different servers performing different roles in the farm. The Microsoft TechNet website (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc262485.aspx) provides further details about the server hardware requirements.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc262485.aspx

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc262485.aspx



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SharePoint is not very demanding on disk and RAID type and concentrates more on the available data capacity. Due to these reasons, low-cost NL-SAS drives in a RAID 6 pool on VNXe are recommended for SharePoint storage.

Select the VNXe platform For the validation testing presented in this document, the same number of users can be supported on the VNXe3100 and VNXe3300 platforms. Analysis of the results shows that the primary limitation on workloads is the number of disks available, not the VNXe platform. The VNXe3300 platform provides greater capability for environments where additional applications like Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft SQL Server are deployed, or SharePoint must scale to accommodate a large number of users.

Overview of SharePoint deployment The steps to deploy SharePoint storage are:

1. Create and access SharePoint storage

2. Manage SharePoint storage

3. Protect SharePoint storage

Create and access SharePoint storage The primary access to the SharePoint storage resource is given to the SQL Server because it stores all the data for the SharePoint farm. Provisioning storage to the SQL Server of a SharePoint farm from a VNXe storage array and protecting that storage is the primary focus of this document.

The steps to provision and use storage for SharePoint are: 1. Create a storage pool.

2. Add hosts on the VNXe array.

3. Provision storage through the generic iSCSI wizard.

4. Configure hosts to access the storage resource.

Provision additional storage for Index and Query servers by following the same steps.

In a virtualized environment, datastores can be provisioned for a VMware or Hyper-V host from the VNXe storage array and virtual disks for SharePoint servers can be created on those datastores. The VMware on VNXe and Hyper-V on VNXe deployment guides provide more details on how to provision datastores for VMware and Hyper-V hosts from a VNXe platform. The following documents are available on www.emc.com

VMware vSphere 4.1 on EMC VNXe Series — Deployment Guide

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V on EMC VNXe Series —Deployment Guide

http://www.emc.com/


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Note Testing has shown that SharePoint farms can achieve significant advantages from virtualization in terms of management, and ease-of-provisioning. The same testing revealed only minor differences between the performance of physical and virtual environments.

Manage SharePoint storage Based on the amount of data an organization anticipates to store, provision the required storage from VNXe by using the generic iSCSI provisioning wizard. If the amount of data generated by the organization exceeds the previously allocated storage, increase the size of the storage resource by adding more virtual disks to the existing storage resource from VNXe. Chapter 7 Management of SharePoint Storage on VNXe discusses management of SharePoint resources in detail.

Protect SharePoint storage SharePoint data is important to an organization and should be protected from data corruption, server failures, or entire production site failures.

Protect SharePoint data on VNXe through array-based snapshot and replication and through farm data backups.

Array-based snapshot and replication The VNXe series of storage arrays can provide point-in-time snapshots of SharePoint data. The snapshots enable you to immediately recover to the point-in-time when the snapshot was created. These are commonly used to provide an application-consistent image for backup tools or as a primary recovery mechanism. These snapshots enable replication of data locally or to a remote site. Chapter 8 SharePoint Data Replication Using VNXe provides more information about snapshot and replication protection.

SharePoint data backup Back up either an entire SharePoint farm or some parts of a farm to a CIFS share on VNXe. Chapter 9 Protect SharePoint Data through Farm Backup explains this protection method in detail.


Chapter 3 Physical Storage Allocation on VNXe: Storage Pools

This chapter presents the following topic:

Storage pool for SharePoint ......................................................................24

Physical Storage Allocation on VNXe: Storage Pools

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Storage pool for SharePoint This chapter describes how to create a custom storage pool for the deployment of a SharePoint farm.

The performance of a SharePoint farm is not extremely dependent on the disk type or speed. Rather, the focus is more on the capacity of the disk to store data and accommodate data growth. Keeping these factors in mind, NL-SAS drives are an ideal choice for storing data in a SharePoint farm.

SAS drives can also be used to deploy a SharePoint farm. However, NL-SAS drives are more cost-efficient. In this guide, NL-SAS drives are used.

Create a SharePoint storage pool To create a SharePoint storage pool, complete the following steps:

1. In Unisphere, select System > Storage Pools. The Disk Configuration wizard

appears.

Figure 2. System page

2. Click Configure Disks. The Select Configuration Mode page appears.

3. Select the disk configuration mode:

a. Select Manually create a new pool.

b. In the Select application list box, select by Disk Type.



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Figure 3. Select Configuration Mode page

4. Click Next. The Specify Pool Name page appears.

5. Specify a name and optional description for the storage pool:

a. In the Name field, type a name for the storage pool.

b. In the Description field, type a description for the storage pool.

Figure 4. Specify Pool Name page

6. Click Next. The Select Storage Type page appears.


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7. Select NL-SAS (if available).

Figure 5. Select Storage Type page

8. Click Next. The Select Amount of Storage page appears.

9. Select the amount of storage to configure.

Note Because NL-SAS drives are configured only in a RAID 6 (4+2) pool, the number of drives that are configured in the pool will be in multiples of 6. SAS drives can be configured in multiples of 6 on VNXe3100 and in multiples of 6 or 7 on VNXe3300. Table 2 on page 20 provides more information about RAID types.

Figure 6. Select Amount of Storage page

10. Click Next. The Summary page appears.

11. Review the details, and then click Finish.


Chapter 4 VNXe Connectivity Configuration


Configure VNXe iSCSI target ......................................................................28

Configure host connectivity .......................................................................29

VNXe Connectivity Configuration

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Configure VNXe iSCSI target VNXe iSCSI Storage Server is the software component that performs storage management and monitors operations associated with the iSCSI-based storage. To use VNXe iSCSI storage, the system requires at least one iSCSI server. If an iSCSI server was not added during the VNXe installation, use Unisphere to add at least one iSCSI server. Both VNXe3100 and VNXe3300 can have up to 12 iSCSI servers on each storage processor.

To add one or more iSCSI servers, complete the following steps:

1. Log in to Unisphere as an administrator.

2. Select Settings > iSCSI Server Settings. The iSCSI Server Settings page appears.

3. Click Add iSCSI Server. The iSCSI Server dialog box appears.

Note The Add iSCSI Server button is available only for administrators.

Figure 7. iSCSI Server Settings page

4. Specify the network interface for the new iSCSI Server:

a. In the Server Name field, type a unique name specific to the VNXe platform.

b. In the IP Address field, type the IP address of the iSCSI Server.

c. In the Subnet Mask field, type the subnet mask address that identifies the subnet where the iSCSI server resides.

d. In the Storage Processor list box, select the storage processor for the iSCSI server.

Note The wizard automatically suggests a storage processor to create the iSCSI server. This suggestion is based on the number of iSCSI servers already existing on each storage processor.

e. In the Ethernet Port list box, select the desired port.

f. Type the VLAN ID if it is applicable.



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Note The associated VLAN ID for the iSCSI server ranges from 0 to 4095. The default value is 0.

Figure 8. iSCSI Server dialog box

5. Click Next. The Server Summary page appears.

6. Review the settings, and then click Finish.

Figure 9. Server Summary page

Configure host connectivity Use the VNXe Host Wizard to name and configure information about the hosts accessing iSCSI storage on the array. This is a critical element of access control.

To configure the SQL Server host or any other host server (Application Server or WFE) that will access the generic iSCSI resource to the VNXe platform, complete the following steps:


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1. In Unisphere, select Hosts > Hosts. The Hosts page appears.

Figure 10. Hosts page

2. Click Create Host. The Host Wizard appears.

3. In the Name field, type the name of the host.

4. Click Next. The Operating System page appears.

5. In the Operating System list box, select the operating system that the host uses.

Note For Microsoft SharePoint deployments, Windows versions are listed.

Figure 11. Operating System page

6. Click Next. The Network Address page appears.

7. Select Network Name and type the DNS name or select IP Address and type the IP address of the host server.

Note If VLANs are used to isolate traffic, specify the interface that is visible from the VNXe platform.



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Figure 12. Network Address page

8. Click Next. The iSCSI Access page appears.

9. If the host is connected to iSCSI storage, specify a valid iSCSI address (IQN):

a. In the IQN field, type the target IQN.

If you are using the Windows Software iSCSI Initiator, the IQN information is available in the iSCSI initiator console under the Configurations tab (Control Panel > iSCSI initiator > Configuration).

If you are using a Hardware iSCSI Adapter, the IQN information is available in the software application provided by the vendor to manage the application.

b. In the CHAP Secret field, type the password (12 to 16 characters). This is optional.

Note CHAP authentication can require additional infrastructure resources, which are not covered in this document.




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Chapter 5 SharePoint Storage Provisioning


Create iSCSI storage ................................................................................ 34

SharePoint Storage Provisioning

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Create iSCSI storage The next step involved in provisioning storage for SharePoint is running the generic iSCSI wizard to create iSCSI storage for SharePoint data. This chapter provides directions on provisioning storage from the NL-SAS storage pool and presenting it to the SQL Server that was added.

Create generic iSCSI storage To create generic iSCSI storage, complete the following steps:

1. In Unisphere, select Storage > Generic iSCSI Storage. The Generic Storage

page appears.

Figure 13. Storage page

2. Click Create. The Generic Storage Wizard appears.

Figure 14. Generic Storage page

3. Type a name and description for the storage resource.

Note It is recommended to provide a specific name for the storage resource. This will enable you to identify it later. For example, in this



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deployment scenario, the storage resources are named SharePointDB and SharePointLog, respectively.

4. Click Next. The Configure Storage page appears.

5. Configure the storage pool and size for the first virtual disk:

a. Select the pool and the iSCSI server for the storage to be created on and specify the size of the resource.

b. If required, select the Thin Enabled option to provision storage on-demand for the SQL resource. In this mode, the array creates all the proper objects to support the required users and their full allocated space. However, only a small amount of that space is consumed. The remaining space is available for additional provisioning needs.

Note This option is recommended for shared file systems and other areas where requests for space and actual usage may not converge for some time. This option is not recommended for SharePoint storage.

Figure 15. Configure Storage page

6. Click Next. The Configure Protection page appears.

7. Select the type of protection required.

If the storage resource will be protected through replication and snapshot technologies, the protection space must be configured. Protection space can be configured either with or without a snapshot schedule. A snapshot schedule can be created at a later time as well. The various options are:

Configure protection storage, do not configure a snapshot protection schedule —The Configure Protection Storage Size page appears to configure the space reservation.


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Configure protection storage, protect data using snapshot schedule—VNXe creates snapshots according to the schedule created. Default Protection keeps the snaps for 2 days, More protection keeps it for 7 days, and Less Protection keeps the snaps for 1 day.

Figure 16. Configure Protection page

Customize the schedule using the Customize Schedule option. It provides the flexibility to modify and add rules to schedule the time and frequency of snaps and the duration to preserve the snaps.

Figure 17. Protection options

8. Click Next. The Configure Protection Storage Size page appears.

9. Specify the size of the protection space.

Note: If the option to configure protection is chosen in the previous step, the protection size for the resource must be specified. The minimum and recommended protection size for the storage resource is 205 percent of the primary storage. Appendix B iSCSI Snapshot Sizing provides more information about configuring the right protection storage size.



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Figure 18. Configure Protection Storage Size page

10. Click Next. The Configure Host Access page appears.

11. Select the host that will access the storage resource.

Note Instead of adding a host to VNXe before running the generic iSCSI wizard, click Create new host to add a host from this step. Follow the remaining steps in Configure host connectivity on page 29.



Note Repeat this procedure to create separate storage for SQL Server database and log files. Additional storage for Query and Index servers can be provisioned in the same way.


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Chapter 6 SharePoint Host Server Connectivity Configuration


Set up a Windows host to use VNXe iSCSI storage .................................... 40

Volume configuration ............................................................................... 44

SharePoint Host Server Connectivity Configuration

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Set up a Windows host to use VNXe iSCSI storage This chapter describes how to use the Microsoft iSCSI initiator, which is running on Windows Server 2008 R2, to connect to an external iSCSI-based storage array through an Ethernet network adapter and access the storage resource created (as explained in Chapter 5 SharePoint Storage Provisioning).

Discover the target portal To discover the target portal, complete the following steps:

1. Verify if Microsoft iSCSI Initiator is set up on Windows Server 2008 R2, and then verify if the initiator service has started.

2. Open iSCSI Initiator on the host. The iSCSI Initiator Properties dialog box appears.

3. Click the Discovery tab and click Discover Portal. The Discover Target Portal dialog box appears.

Figure 19. iSCSI Initiator Properties dialog box

4. Type the VNXe iSCSI server IP created in Chapter 4 VNXe Connectivity Configuration, and then click Advanced. The Advanced Settings dialog box appears.



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Figure 20. Discover Target Portal dialog box

5. For advanced settings, complete the following steps:

a. In the Local adapter list box, select Microsoft iSCSI Initiator.

b. In the Initiator IP list box, select the IP address of the NIC connected to the iSCSI server.

c. Clear Data digest and Header digest.

Figure 21. Advanced Setting dialog box

Note The iSCSI protocol offers an additional safeguard called digests. Digests use 32-bit cyclic redundancy checksum (CRC). The iSCSI protocol provides error detection by using the data and header digests.

Note EMC recommends assigning either a dedicated gigabit Ethernet NIC or TCP offload adapter (ToE adapter) in each server to handle iSCSI traffic. In other words, it is not advisable to share the user-facing network connection for storage traffic. If a separate physical network or VLAN for storage traffic is created, assign this adapter an IP address that works on the storage network. By placing storage traffic on its own network that is routed separately from the main network, the overall security of the storage infrastructure increases and it also simplifies the overall configuration.

6. Click OK. The Discover Target Portal dialog box appears.

7. Click OK. The iSCSI Initiator Properties dialog box appears.

8. Verify if the properties of the target portal appear under the Discovery tab.


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Figure 22. iSCSI Discovery tab

9. Click the Targets tab, select the VNXe target name, and then click Connect. The Connect to Target dialog box appears.

Note If there are multiple target names available, verify the details of the correct target IQN that must be connected from the Details page (Storage > Generic iSCSI Storage > “Name of Storage Resource to connect to” > Details) of the storage resource. The name of iSCSI target is the IQN that must be connected.



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Figure 23. iSCSI Targets tab

10. Select Add this connection to the list of Favorite Targets.

Note In earlier versions of the iSCSI initiator, the Automatically restore this connection when the system boots option is available.

Ensure that Enable multi-path is not selected even if multiple paths are present.


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Figure 24. Connect To Target dialog box

Note iSCSI multipath software must be installed on the server before a multi-path connection for MPIO connections is enabled. Generally, multiple connection sessions are used for SQL Server access to storage.

11. Click OK.

Volume configuration After initiating and establishing an iSCSI connection with the target, the storage from the target appears as a new uninitialized disk in Disk Management. This section explains the procedures to create and configure a volume on the disk that is added. This will help to manage the created volumes.

Create and configure a volume To create and configure a volume, complete the following steps:

1. On the Windows host, open Server Manager.

2. Click Storage > Disk Management. The Disk Management page appears.

3. Select the disk to be formatted.

Figure 25. Disk Management



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4. To verify the source of the disk, complete the following steps:

a. From the Start menu, select Administrative Tools > Open iSCSI Initiator. The iSCSI Initiator Properties dialog box appears.

b. Click the Targets tab. The list of available targets appears in the Discovered targets area.

c. Click Devices. The Devices dialog box appears. d. Verify the disk number, and then click OK.

5. Right-click the appropriate disk, and then select Online.

6. Right-click the disk again, and then select Initialize Disk. The Initiate Disk dialog box appears.

Figure 26. Select Initialize Disk

7. To initialize the disks, complete the following steps:

a. Select the disks to initialize.

b. Select MBR (MBR Boot Record).

Figure 27. Initialize Disk dialog box

8. Click OK.

9. Right-click the disk again, and then select Online.


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Figure 28. Select Online

10. Right-click the online raw disk, and then select New Simple Volume. The New Simple Volume Wizard appears.

Figure 29. Create new simple volume

11. Click Next. The Specify Volume Size page appears.

Figure 30. New Simple Volume Wizard

12. Verify the disk size, and then click Next. The Assign Drive Letter or Path page appears.

13. Select a drive letter, and then click Next. The Format Partition page appears.

Note NTFS mount can also be used. In this case, mount a local drive at an empty folder on an NTFS volume using a drive path instead of a drive letter.



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Figure 31. Select a drive letter

14. In the Format Partition page, complete the following steps:

a. Select Format this volume with the following settings.

b. In the File system list box, select NTFS.

c. In the Allocation unit size list box, select 64K.

d. In the Volume label field, type a name for the volume.

Figure 32. Select drive format settings

15. Click Next. The Completing the New Simple Volume Wizard page appears.

16. Verify the details, and then click Finish. A new volume is created.


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Chapter 7 Management of SharePoint Storage on VNXe


Manage SharePoint storage ..................................................................... 50

Management of SharePoint Storage on VNXe

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Manage SharePoint storage This chapter provides guidelines on how to manage the storage resource created in Chapter 5 SharePoint Storage Provisioning. Data in an organization is always growing. When creating storage through the iSCSI wizard, you may overprovision to accommodate that data growth. However, there is always the possibility that data may grow to more than what was anticipated and the storage resource may fill up to its capacity. The VNXe array enables you to expand existing deployments for future expansion.

There are three steps to increase the size of a storage resource:

1. Expand storage pools

2. Add more virtual disks to the storage resource or expand the existing virtual disks

3. Extend the iSCSI volume on the host server

Expand the storage pool To increase the size of a storage resource, use a new storage pool or expand the existing storage pool. To create a new pool for the virtual disk, follow the steps outlined in Chapter 3 Physical Storage Allocation on VNXe: Storage Pools.

Consider the available space when using an existing pool. If the storage pool that holds the existing generic iSCSI storage resource contains sufficient free space that is more than the size of the required expansion, this step may be omitted. However, if the storage pool does not contain sufficient free space, complete the following steps to expand the storage pool:

1. In Unisphere, select System > Storage Pools. The Disk Configuration Wizard

appears.

2. Click Configure Disks. The Select Configuration Mode page appears.


a. Select Manually add disks to an existing pool.

b. In the Select pool list box, select the pool to configure.



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4. Click Next. The Select Amount of Storage page appears.

5. Select the amount of storage to add to the pool.

In the VNXe platform, add groups of drives in multiples of the base RAID group size. For example, if the initial group was five drives, you can add 5, 10, or 15 drives to the pool.

Figure 34. Select Amount of Storage page



Add virtual disks to an existing resource or expand the existing virtual disk To add virtual disks to an existing resource, complete the following steps:

1. Navigate to the existing generic iSCSI storage resource that needs to be

expanded and click Details. The Generic Storage Details page appears.


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2. Click Virtual Disks.

Figure 35. Generic Storage Details page

3. To extend the size of the existing virtual disk, complete the following steps:

a. Select the virtual disk, and then click Details. The Virtual Disk Details page appears

b. Click Virtual Disk Capacity and modify the current capacity of the disk. The maximum space available to extend the virtual disk appears. This space depends on the amount of free space in the storage pool in which the particular virtual disk has been created. The protection size for the extended space is automatically adjusted.

c. Click Apply Changes.

4. To add another virtual disk to the storage resource, complete the following steps:

a. Click Add Virtual Disk. The Virtual Disk Wizard appears.

b. Type the name and an optional description of the virtual disk.

c. Click Next. The Configure Storage page appears.

d. To configure the storage pool and size for the virtual disk, complete the following steps:

i. Select the pool to create the virtual disk.



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Note The new virtual disk can only be configured on the same iSCSI server on which the iSCSI storage resource that is being expanded resides.

ii. Type the protection size (if using data protection features such as snapshots and replication) for the storage resource based on the minimum and recommended protection size.

Appendix B iSCSI Snapshot Sizing provides more information about deciding the right protection size.




Extend iSCSI volume on the host This section explains how to extend an iSCSI volume on the host.

Extend the storage volume on the host server After extending or adding virtual disks to the iSCSI storage resource, the next step is to extend the storage volume on the host to which the resource is attached.

Extending the size of the existing virtual disk adds unallocated space on the existing virtual disk mapped to the host.

The addition of a new virtual disk shows up as a new disk with unallocated space within Disk management.


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Adjust partition boundary To adjust the partition boundary and expand the file system, complete the following steps:

1. In Disk Management, right-click the volume to be extended, and then select

Extend Volume. The Extend Volume Wizard appears.

Figure 37. Extend an existing volume

Note The Extend Volume Wizard shows the existing device properties and additional capacity of the iSCSI LUN that can be extended.

2. Click Next. The Select Disks page appears.

3. Select Disks (if any)

4. In the Select the amount of space in MB box, type or select the amount of space to extend the volume, and then click Next.

Note Extending the current volume onto allocated space on the same disk keeps the disk in basic format whereas extending the current volume onto unallocated space from another virtual disk creates a dynamic disk. For more information on basic and dynamic disks refer to the Microsoft article on Basic and Dynamic disks http://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/library/aa363785(v=vs.85).aspx



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Figure 38. Extend Volume Wizard

5. After the Extend Volume Wizard completes, verify if the volume is extended.


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Chapter 8 SharePoint Data Replication Using VNXe


Protection technologies ........................................................................... 58

Configure data protection ........................................................................ 61

SharePoint disaster recovery .................................................................... 85

Data protection and SharePoint performance ........................................... 88

SharePoint Data Replication Using VNXe

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Protection technologies One way to protect SharePoint data is to use snapshot and replication features. This chapter explains these features and how to configure replication for a production SharePoint environment on the VNXe series.

Snapshots A snapshot is a point-in-time image of the data in a storage resource. Snapshots provide a record of the content in the targeted storage resource at a particular time, but they are not mirror copies of the data. Snapshots track the data that has changed over time. Periodically creating snapshots of file systems and virtual devices is an effective technique for meeting data protection and recovery requirements.

Note VNXe snapshots are not a substitute for storage backup operations. Snapshots are not intended to provide resources for disaster recovery or from the loss of physical equipment.

Replication Storage replication is a process in which storage data is duplicated either locally or to a remote network device. Storage replication provides an enhanced level of redundancy in case the main storage backup system fails, minimizes the downtime-associated costs of a system failure, and simplifies the disaster recovery process.

Replication produces a read-only, point-in-time copy of source storage data and periodically updates the copy, keeping it consistent with the source data. These point-in-time copies of data are produced using snapshots.

Replication process After a snapshot of the production environment is taken, copy the snapshot to the destination array. When a new snapshot is taken, it is compared to the previous snapshot and only the data that has changed since the previous snapshot is then copied into the destination array. This replication process can be set up locally on a single array, or remotely to another array.



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Figure 39. Replication process

Local data protection Local replication can be used for content distribution, backup, and application testing. It occurs on the same VNXe system. After communication is established, a local replication session is set up to produce a read-only copy of the source object in a different location on the same VNXe cabinet.

Remote data protection Remote replication can be used for content distribution, backup, application testing, and failover to the remote site if the primary site is unavailable. It occurs between a local VNXe array and a remote VNX or VNXe or Celerra. To configure replication to a remote VNX, configure the local and remote systems to communicate with one another by using a common passphrase. A passphrase is not required if both the local and remote systems are VNXe systems, because the connection is established through the Unisphere management credentials.

After communication is established, set up a remote replication session to create and periodically update a source object at a remote destination site. After the initial copy, any changes that are made to the local source object are transferred to the remote destination object over the IP network. These transfers are automatic, and are based on definable replication session properties. The steps to configure and run replication are covered later in this chapter.

Consistency Consistency is the idea that some applications store critical information in more than one place. For the application to function properly, the data in each location must match or be consistent. If data is in a consistent state, the application can restart in the event of a failure, and come online without manual intervention. If the application


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data is in an inconsistent state, the application typically cannot come online automatically.

Database applications ensure consistency by not acknowledging any transaction until it has been successfully written to the logs. Thus, when the system recovers from a failure and notices that the logs and the database are inconsistent, it can replay the logs on the database to restore consistency.

There are several types of consistency that dictate different recovery mechanisms and potentially different amounts of time.

Crash consistency Data is considered to be crash-consistent if it remains the same as it was before a power failure or a system outage of any kind. Because data is stored on the disk, reverting back to a specific point-in-time through a recovery process, and resuming normal operation from that point is possible. A system ensures crash consistency by writing an I/O to disk first before it commits to the application. In a scenario where there is an outage midway between the start and completion of an I/O, no data is written to disk and no acknowledgement is received by the application. When the system is up again, the data is still consistent.

Application consistency If an application can resume normal operation from an older point-in-time copy or an image of itself without the need for any recovery calculation or process, the copy or image is said to be application consistent. Snapshots taken through EMC Replication Manager ensure application consistency. To ensure application consistency, an application must be in a certain state before the snapshot is taken. EMC Replication Manager communicates with the application server to ensure that these conditions are met.

Data protection for Microsoft SharePoint SharePoint data is essential and must be protected to ensure fast and timely recovery from site failures, planned or unplanned outages, and data corruption. SharePoint data on the VNXe can be protected by means of iSCSI replication enabled through Replication Manager.

Snapshots VNXe snapshot protection provides the capability to take point-in-time consistent copies of SharePoint content databases and revert to those in the event of any data corruption. These point- in-time copies can also be used separately for tests or to backup a SharePoint farm.

Local replication With the help of VNXe local replication, consistent copies of SharePoint content databases can be copied and periodically updated on the same VNXe. For any data corruption or farm failure, the SharePoint farm can be recreated from the content databases. Local replication also creates a point-in-time copy of the most recent copy, which can be used for other operations.

Remote replication With VNXe remote replication, consistent copies of SharePoint content databases can be copied and periodically updated to a remote VNX or VNXe or Celerra. If there is any



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data corruption, server failure, or even complete failure of the production site, the SharePoint farm can be recreated from the content databases. Remote replication also creates a point-in-time copy of the most recent copy, which can be used for other business-specific operations.

Replication Manager EMC Replication Manager manages EMC point-in-time replication technologies and coordinates the entire data replication process from discovery and configuration to the management of multiple disk-based replicas. It allows rapid recovery of the data on a volume to any point in time (crash-consistent recovery) or to a significant point in time (application-consistent recovery). Replication Manager enables grouping multiple LUNs as a single entity for snapshots and replication. This ensures the application is snapped and replicated in a consistent manner.

Replication Manager provides a graphical user interface for managing replication and snapshots of iSCSI LUNs. It controls the creation of snapshots, marks the snapshots for replication, and initiates the copy job from the source to the destination. During a snapshot or replication job, Replication Manager ensures that applications are in a consistent state by quiescing data reads and writes, including flushing the cache.

Configure data protection This section describes how to configure and use Replication Manager with VNXe storage arrays to protect SharePoint data through replication. This guide details how to configure and replicate data between two VNXe arrays. Configuring replication on the same VNXe array is set up with the same procedure, but with some differences. These differences are explicitly mentioned in the following steps.

This section also covers how the replicas that are created through replication can be used for testing, backup, or disaster recovery scenarios.

The main steps involved in the replication process are: 1. Prepare the environment for replication. Complete the following steps once to

configure replication between two VNXe arrays, or on the same VNXe array:

a. Establish replication trust between the arrays. This step is not required for replicating data on the same array.

b. Install and configure Replication Manager.

2. Create and use replicas. Complete the following steps for every storage resource that is replicated:

a. Create destination storage

b. Create an application set

c. Create replication jobs

3. Run and manage replication. The following steps show how to initiate the replication process, and use the replicas created through Replication Manager. Complete the following steps any number of times based on business needs:

a. Using Replication Manager to start replication


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b. Using Replication Manager replicas

Establish replication trust To establish a connection between two storage platforms, complete the following steps:

1. In Unisphere, select Hosts > Replication Connections. The Replication

Connections page appears.

2. Click Add Replication Connection. The Add Replication Connection Wizard appears.

Figure 40. Replication Connections page

3. Specify the remote system details:

a. Select VNXe from the System Type list box.

Note Replication can be configured between a VNXe and a Celerra or VNX. However, this is beyond the scope of this document.

b. Select and type the network name or the management IP address of the remote VNXe.

c. In the User Name field, type the username for the Unisphere Management interface of the remote VNXe.

d. In the Password field, type the password for the Unisphere Management interface of the remote VNXe.

e. In the Confirm Password field, type the password again.



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Figure 41. Add Replication Connection Wizard


5. Review the details, and then click Finish to complete the replication connection.

The results of the operation are displayed. If the operation fails in any of the steps, failure details such as error code and error details are displayed.

6. If the storage is configured on public and private IP addresses, specify the interfaces to be used for replication. To do that, complete the following steps:

a. From the Replication Connections menu, select the destination system and click Modify. The Modify Replication Connection page appears.

b. In the SP A list box, select the interface for replication on SP A.

c. In the SP B list box, select the interface for replication on SP B.

Note Perform step 6 on the second VNXe as well. Ensure that each selected interface on both VNXe systems is routable from the other selected interfaces. To confirm the interfaces are routable, navigate to Settings > More Configuration > Routing Configuration to ping a particular destination IP from a specific interface.


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Figure 42. Modify Replication Connection page

7. Click OK.

Install and configure Replication Manager This section covers the procedure to install and configure Replication Manager and set it up for replication.

The following are some helpful Replication Manager terminology:

Replication Manager (RM) server – The RM server is the component that initiates and manages the data protection process. It communicates with different hosts through RM agents and prepares them for appropriate data protection technology.

Replication Manager (RM) agent – The RM agent prepares a host machine to create or mount a replica by performing tasks such as quiescing the data before replication. The agent software must be installed on the same host where the application software resides.

Replication Manager (RM) Administration console – The RM console is a graphical user interface (GUI) to manage the server and agent software locally or remotely. The console provides the ability to select objects for protection, run replication and snapshot jobs, and manage replicas..

Production host – The production host refers to the host, which is currently in use and are accessed by users. This host actively receives new data from users and clients, and is protected through the Replication Manager software.

Mount host – The mount host refers to a host, which has access to a Replication Manager replica (a clone or a snapshot).



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Replica – A clone (destination LUN which holds data copied from the source LUN) or snapshot (point-in-time pointer-based copy of a LUN) is referred to as a replica..

Install Replication Manager server and agents The prerequisites to install Replication Manager Server and Agents are:

Replication Manager Server should be installed on a host that manages all

the replication jobs.

The Replication Manager Administration console can be installed on any host with access to the Replication Manager server.

Replication Manager Agents should be installed on all hosts that currently access or will access the storage resources. To replicate SharePoint content databases, the SQL Server agent should be installed on the host running the SQL Server. Similarly, the SQL Server agent should be installed on the SQL Server host at the disaster recovery site.

Note Note the port number that will be used to communicate with the Replication Manager server, because the port number is needed to add the host to the Replication Manager console.

The Replication Manager Administrators Guide on Powerlink provides more information about installing Replication Manager.

Attach hosts to Replication Manager Complete the following steps in Replication Manager to configure replication:

1. Start the Replication Manager Console from the host where Replication Manager Server is installed.

2. Add all the hosts running the Replication Manager Agents for Replication Manager to identify the applications running on the hosts.

3. In EMC Replication Manager, right-click Hosts, and then select New Host. The Register New Host dialog box appears.


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Figure 43. Adding hosts

4. In the Register New Host dialog box, complete the following steps:

a. In the Host Name field, type the name of the host.

For SharePoint data replication, the SQL Server holds the content databases.

b. In the Port field, type the port number.

The port number is the number that is used when the Replication Manager Agent is installed on the host.

5. Click OK.

Create replication destination storage The replication destination can reside on the local or remote storage platform based on the replication type (remote or local). The steps to create the destination storage are the same for both types. It is assumed that the remote storage system is also VNXe. Replication to other EMC storage systems such as VNX and Celerra is beyond the scope of this document.

Create replication destination storage from the Generic iSCSI Storage wizard. To start the wizard, complete the following steps:

1. In Unisphere, select Storage > Generic iSCSI Storage. The Generic Storage

page appears.

2. Click Create a Replication Destination. The Generic Storage Wizard appears.



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Figure 44. Generic iSCSI Storage page

3. Specify a name and an optional description for the storage resource:

a. In the Name field, type a name for the destination storage.

b. In the Description field, type a description.

4. Click Next. The Configure Storage page appears.

5. Specify the location and the size of the destination storage:

a. Select the pool where the generic iSCSI storage will reside.

b. In the Size field, specify the size of the storage

Note The size of the destination generic iSCSI storage must be the same as the source generic iSCSI storage that was created in Chapter 5 SharePoint Storage Provisioning. View the size on the Details page of the source generic iSCSI storage resource.

Note Configure the storage pool for the destination iSCSI storage in the same way the storage pool for the source iSCSI storage was configured.


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6. Click Next. The Configure Protection page appears.

7. Select Configure protection storage, do not configure a snapshot protection schedule.

Note EMC Replication Manager, which will be used to manage SharePoint replication, has its own snapshot schedule feature. Do not select Configure protection storage or Protect data using snapshot schedule.


9. Specify the protection size details:

a. In the Protection Size field, type the protection size for space reservation as configured on the source iSCSI storage, and select a unit of measure from the list box to the right.

Note Appendix B iSCSI Snapshot Sizing provides for more information about space requirements for snapshots, and the appropriate protection size.



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Figure 46. Configure Protection Storage Size page

10. Click Next. The Configure Host Access page appears.

11. Specify the host access details:

a. In the Access list box, select Virtual Disk and Snapshot for the particular host to provide host access for the mount operation.

The access options are:

Virtual Disks and Snapshot —Provides access to all virtual disks and all promoted snapshots.

Snapshot — Provides access to all promoted snapshots only.

Note The host access for the virtual disk and the snapshot is given to the server where the replica will be mounted after the iSCSI copy is done. The replica needs to be mounted on a server to check the database consistency of the destination replica.


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Figure 47. Configure host access


13. Verify the details, and then click Finish.

The proper read-only logical disk is created as the replication destination.

Note Repeat this procedure for every iSCSI storage resource used by the content databases. For example, if separate storage resources are created for database and log files, then another replication destination of the same size as the storage resource for logs must be created.

Create an application set After successfully registering the hosts, create an application set. An application set maps and contains the objects to be replicated.

To create an application set, complete the following steps:

1. In EMC Replication Manager, right-click Application Sets on the left pane, and then select New Application Set. The Application Set Wizard appears.



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Figure 48. Create an application set

2. Click Next. The Application Set Name and Objects appears.

3. Specify a name for the application set and select the SQL Server host:

a. In the Name field, type a unique name for the application set.

Note For SQL, Replication Manager detects the SQL Server and all the associated databases.

b. Select the SQL Server host that holds the content databases for SharePoint. The Application Credentials dialog box appears.

Enter the credentials to access SQL Server, and then click OK. Replication Manager verifies the credentials and displays all databases attached to the SQL Server.


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Figure 49. Application Credentials dialog box

4. Select the content databases to replicate.

Figure 50. Application Set Name and Objects page

5. Click Next. The Completing the Application Set Wizard page appears.

6. Specify the required settings for the application set:

a. Click Run Validation to validate the application set. The Validation dialog box appears.



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To validate an application set, Replication Manager checks for potential problems such as invalid or missing database configuration files, invalid database settings, or incorrect agent configuration.

b. When the validation is complete, click Close.

c. Select Create a job for this application set.

If this option is selected, the Job wizard opens automatically when the Application Set Wizard is closed. Another alternative to create jobs is to navigate to the left pane of the Replication Manager console, right-click the job icon, and select New Job.

d. Click Finish.

Figure 51. Completing the Application Set Wizard page

7. Click Finish. The Job Wizard appears after the application set is created.

Create a replication job To create a replication job, complete the following steps:

1. Select the application set to replicate from the list box.


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Figure 52. Job Wizard

2. Click Next. The Job Name and Settings page appears.

3. Specify the name of the job and select replication options:

a. In the Job Name field, type a unique name for the job.

b. In the Replication Source list box, select Primary Storage.

c. Based on the replication type, select the replication technology from the Replication Technology list box:

i. Select SnapSure™ for snapshot protection.

ii. Select Replicator™ for remote replication.

Because this chapter deals with remote replication between two VNXe platforms, select Celerra Replicator.

d. Specify the replica lifetime by number or by duration:

i. Select Limit replica count to: <number> to modify a replica rotation to delete replicas based on the maximum number of replicas.

ii. Select Keep replica for to specify the retention period on replicas.



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Figure 53. Job Name and Settings page

4. Click Next. The Target replication storage page appears.

5. Specify the storage to be used for the replica:

a. In the Storage System Hostname list box, select the destination storage system name.

b. In the iSCSI Server IP address list box, select the IP address of the destination iSCSI server on which the destination storage resource exists.

c. In the iSCSI Server IQN (Optional) list box, select the IQN of the destination storage on the remote system.

Note To view the IQN of the destination generic iSCSI storage, select Storage > Generic iSCSI Storage. Select the destination iSCSI storage, and then click Details.


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Figure 54. Target replication storage page

6. Click Next. The Mount Options page appears.

7. Select the replica mount host, path, and other mount options.

Figure 55. Mount Options page

8. Click Next. The Starting the Job page appears.

9. Specify when to start the job.



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A Replication Manager job is invoked in three ways:

Start the job manually or with a third-party scheduler. The Replication Manager — Product Guide available on Powerlink provides more information about third-party schedulers.

Create a schedule. If Schedule the job is selected, the Add Schedule dialog box appears. Enter the required details to define the schedule as shown in Figure 56.

Note Allow at least 15 minutes between each snapshot to ensure that each snapshot completes successfully.

Start the job after another job completes. The job selected can be associated with the same application set, or with another application set.

Figure 56. Starting the Job page with schedule

10. Click Next. The Users to be Notified page appears.

11. Type the email addresses of users to send notification emails when the job is complete.

The Replication Manager — Product Guide available on Powerlink provides more information about email notifications.


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Figure 57. Users to be Notified page

12. Click Next. The Completing the Job Wizard page appears.


Run replication through Replication Manager To run a job, complete the following steps:

1. From the Jobs menu, right-click the new job, and then select Run.

The first time the replication job is run, all data from the production LUN is copied to the destination LUN. The first run may consume more time based on the amount of data to be copied. All subsequent runs will only copy the data that has changed on the source LUN and thus takes less time.

Figure 58. Run a replication job



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2. As part of the replication process, Replication Manager creates snapshots of the source and destination datastores. To view the snapshot, click the Snapshots tab of the source and destination storage details. The snapshot’s Taken By column shows Replication Manager.

Figure 59. View Replication Manager snapshots

Use Replication Manager replicas A replica is either a clone or a snapshot. Replication Manager creates a clone of the production iSCSI resource on the destination by copying data from the source LUN to the destination LUN. Replication Manager also takes a snapshot of the destination LUN after every replication job so that the destination has a point-in-time copy to revert to in case a copy session fails. All snapshot replicas created by Replication Manager can be mounted to any host and can be used for backup, test or other business-related purposes.

If the source becomes unavailable due to natural or human-related disasters, the production site can failover to the clone replica on the destination storage. The destination LUN becomes read/write and any host with proper access can use it.

Mount a Replication Manager replica When a replica (snapshot) is mounted to a particular host, that host gets read and write access to it. To mount a particular replica, complete the following steps:

1. In EMC Replication Manager, select the application set from the left pane. The

replicas associated for the application set are visible in the middle pane.

2. Right-click the replica, and then select Mount. The Mount Wizard appears.


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Figure 60. Mount a replica

3. Select the destination host and the path to mount the replica.

Note To unmount the mounted replica, right-click the replica in Replication Manager, and then select Unmount. The changes made to the replica are discarded and the server on which the replica is mounted no longer has access to the replica.

Restore a replica In the event of database corruption, a replica can be restored to revert the application to a particular point-in-time. With the help of the restore option, restore all or specific data from a replica taken at a particular point in time.

To restore from a replica, complete the following steps: 1. Right-click anywhere within the application set window, and then select

Restore a Replica. The Replica to Mount page appears.

2. Select the replica to restore.



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Figure 61. Replica to Mount page

3. Click Next. The Objects to be Restored page appears.

4. Select the objects (databases) to restore from the replica.

Figure 62. Objects to be Restored page

5. Click Next. The Restore Options page appears.

6. Select the application activities to be performed after restoring the replica. These are application activities that are performed before or after the restore. These activities can be initiated on the entire SQL Server instance, or they can be initiated on an individual database level.

a. Select Backup the transaction logs before restoring to initiate the backup of SQL Server transaction logs before the restore operation.


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b. Select Recover the databases.

i. No Recovery — Instructs the restore operation not to roll back any uncommitted transactions when in no recover mode. The database is unusable in this intermediate and nonrecovered state. The Database Administrator can manually apply database transaction log backups.

ii. Recovery — Instructs the restore operation to roll back any uncommitted transactions. After the recovery process, the database is ready for use.

iii. Standby — Restores files and opens the database in read-only mode. The Database Administrator can manually apply transaction log backups.

c. Select the Replace restore option, if applicable. This option causes SQL Server to skip certain important safety checks that the restore procedure normally performs. Because these checks are not performed, this option should only be used by an experienced Database Administrator.

Figure 63. Restore options page

7. Click Finish.

Replication failover With replication failover, fail over an iSCSI clone replica to a dedicated disaster recovery server from the production server. When an iSCSI clone replica is failed over, it becomes available for disaster recovery. A failover also makes the production storage read-only if it is accessible.



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To failover a clone replica, complete the following steps: 1. Right-click the clone replica, and then select Failover. The Failover dialog box

appears.

Figure 64. Replication failover

2. In the New proxy or production host list box, select the name of the alternate production host on which you want to promote the clone replica.

3. Select the failover options:

a. Edit job properties after failover — Allows to edit the replica's job properties after a failover completes successfully. This option is useful if the plan is to run for a period of time on the dedicated disaster recovery VNXe array before failing back to the normal production array. Depending on the job configuration, the Storage, Mount and Startup tabs may require modification after the failover has completed.

b. Don't fail if drive(s) already mounted (failback scenario) — Under normal circumstances, an attempt to mount a replica on a drive that is currently in use will fail. This option overrides that behavior, and informs Replication Manager that the replica already exists on this particular disaster recovery site, and that the drives are still assigned. With this option, Replication Manager will not fail the mount operation when attempting to mount the drive.


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Figure 65. Failover options

4. Click OK.

Promote a clone to production To make the clone replica available for repurposing on another production host, or for testing disaster recovery procedures without disrupting the production environment, use the Promote to Production option. When a clone is promoted to production, the existing replication session is deleted. To protect the original storage again, a new destination storage resource is required. The Promote Replica dialog box provides the ability to promote the replicated destination iSCSI storage to an alternate host.

To promote a replica, complete the following steps:

1. Right-click the clone replica, and then select Promote to Production. The Promote Replica dialog box appears.

2. Complete the following steps:

a. In the New proxy or production host list box, select the name of the alternate production host on which to promote the clone replica.

Note The drive letters used on the original production host must be available on the new production host because the replica promotion will mount the clone LUNs to the same drive letters.

b. Type a new application set name for the clone replica. This application set is created to protect the promoted data.

c. Click Options to select the following option:

Automatically create jobs for the new application set — Makes a copy of all local snap jobs of the source application set and copies them to the new destination application set. If there are no local snap jobs defined for the source application set, a general local snap job with no options is created. After the replication storage is promoted to the alternate production host, the local snap job in the new application set can protect the data.



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Figure 66. Promote Replica dialog box

3. Click OK.

SharePoint disaster recovery Due to a disaster, the production farm environment becomes unavailable. This section describes how to bring a SharePoint farm online at a disaster recovery site from replicated copies of content databases, which could be on a remote VNXe or the same local VNXe.

Note This section assumes that a separate SharePoint farm architecture similar to the production site exists at the remote location. This includes the settings configured for Web applications and site collections.

Remote SQL Server and content databases The first step to bring the remote site online is to give the remote SQL Server access to the content databases. To do this, the clone replica from Replication Manager must be failed over and presented to the remote SQL Server.

Instructions on how to failover a replica clone can be found in the Replication Manager.

Attach and add content databases After the remote SQL Server has access to the clone replica containing the content databases, complete the following steps:

1. Attach the content databases to the SQL Server.

2. Add the content databases to the web application.

This can be done with the STSADM command line tool or from central administration:

For more information on adding the content databases through the command line tool, refer to the Microsoft TechNet website (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc263422(office.12).aspx)

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc263422(office.12).aspx


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To add the content databases through Central Administration, complete the following steps:

a. Navigate to Central Administration.

b. Click Manage Content Databases.

c. Click Add a content database. The Add Content Database page appears.

Figure 67. Central Administration page

d. Specify the following details for a new content database:

i. In the Web Application list box, select the web application to which to add the database.

ii. In the Database Server field, type the name of the remote SQL Server.

iii. In the Database Name field, type the name of the content database to be attached.

iv. Select the type of database authentication to use.

v. Optionally, type the Database Capacity Settings.



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Figure 68. Add Content Database page

e. Click OK.

Note Repeat this step for all the content databases to be attached to the SharePoint farm.

3. Recreate the service applications that existed on the production site.

Note After creating a search service application on the remote site, a full crawl is required.

Resolve DNS name Resolve the web application name within the domain name server to map to the new web front-end server on the remote site. Do not map to the web front-end server at the original production site.

Failing back to the production site If, at a later point in time, the production site comes back online, complete the following steps to restore user traffic to the original production site:

1. Change replication job settings to point to the original source storage

resource as the destination.

2. Run the replication job again to copy only the changes that have been made on the remote site storage resource.


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3. After the copy is complete, failover the production replica to the production SQL Server.

This step will again make the destination storage resource read-only and the production storage read/write. The job properties need to be changed to its original settings to continue the protection through replication.

Promote to production instead of failover The remote SQL Server can also be given access to the destination replica clone by promoting the replica to production. To bring the farm up at the remote site, the same steps that are mentioned for a failover are applicable. However, a failback to the original source is not possible. In the disaster scenario above, if a replica is promoted to production instead of a failover, a new application set and replication jobs must be created to protect the remote SQL Server storage from that point onwards. The old production storage resource is not usable as a failback replication destination. A new empty storage resource and an initial full-copy to that new resource are required for replication protection.

Data protection and SharePoint performance Replication and snapshot technologies have minimal impact on SharePoint performance because these features primarily increase the load mainly on the storage array, not on the web front-end servers. The web front-end server is the primary bottleneck for SharePoint performance.


Chapter 9 Protect SharePoint Data through Farm Backup


Back up SharePoint data .......................................................................... 90

Configure shared folder server ................................................................. 90

Configure a shared folder ......................................................................... 93

Protect SharePoint Data through Farm Backup

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Back up SharePoint data A second way to protect SharePoint data is to back up the data to a CIFS share on the VNXe. SharePoint 2010 has features in Central Administration that make it possible to do a full farm backup or a granular backup to a CIFS share.

This chapter discusses how to create a CIFS share on VNXe and backup SharePoint data to that location.

Create a CIFS share The steps to create a CIFS share are:

1. Configure a shared folder server

2. Create a shared folder

Configure shared folder server To configure a shared folder server, complete the following steps:


2. Select Settings > Shared Folder Server Settings. The Shared Folder Server Settings page appears.

Figure 69. Shared Folder Server Settings location

3. Click Add a Shared Folder Server. The Shared Folder Server wizard appears.

4. Select a storage processor for the new shared folder server:

a. In the Server Name field, type a name for the shared folder server.



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b. In the Storage Processor list box, select the default storage processor. This storage processor is responsible for the requests to the shared folder. It is a best practice to balance the activity between the two storage processors on the system.

Figure 70. Shared Folder Server wizard

5. Click Next. The Shared Folder Server page appears.

6. Specify the network interface for the new shared folder server:

a. In the IP Address field, type the IP address of the shared folder server.

b. In the Subnet Mask field, type the address of the subnet mask.

c. In the Ethernet Port list box, select the port number associated with the shared folder for the VLAN.

d. In the VLAN ID box, type the applicable VLAN ID with which the shared folder is associated.

Note The value of VLAN ID ranges from 0 to 4095.


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Figure 71. Shared folder server network settings

7. Click Next. The Shared Folder Types page appears.

8. Choose the type of shares the shared folder server supports:

a. Select Windows shares (CIFS).

Note Use both NFS and CIFS protocols to access shared folders on the VNXe platform. However, for SharePoint, only CIFS is required.

b. In the Windows Domain field, type the Windows domain name and type the IP address.

c. Click Add. The IP address appears in the DNS Servers field.

d. In the User Name field, type the user name.

e. In the Password field, type the password.



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Figure 72. Shared Folder Types page

Note It is a best practice to join the CIFS server to the local domain and use Active Directory authentication instead of setting up local users on the storage array.

9. Click Next. The Server Summary page appears.

10. Verify the details and click Finish. The shared folder server appears in the Shared Folder Server Settings page.

Configure a shared folder After a shared folder server is configured, create a shared folder on it.

To configure a shared folder, complete the following steps: 1. In Unisphere, select Storage > Shared Folders. The Shared Folder Storage

page appears.


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Figure 73. Shared Folders wizard location

2. Click Add Share. The Shared Wizard appears.

3. Select Create a new shared folder.

Note To modify the existing shared folders, select Select an existing shared folder from this list.

4. Click Next. The Specify Shared Folder Name page appears.

5. Specify a name and an optional description for the shared folder:

a. In the Name field, type a name of the shared folder.

Note Provide an appropriate share name to identify it later.

b. In the Description field, type the description of the share.

6. Click Next. The Configure Shared Folder Storage page appears.

7. Configure the storage pool and size for the shared folder:

a. Select the pool from the list.

b. In the Size field, type the allocated size.



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Figure 74. Select the shared folder pool

8. Click Next. The Configure Shared Folder Attributes page appears.

9. Configure the following attributes for the shared folder:

a. Select the share type as Windows shares (CIFS).

b. Select the other options based on the requirement. By default, OpLocks is selected.


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Figure 75. Advanced shared folder options

Note The Deduplication and Compression feature increases file storage efficiency by eliminating redundant data from the files stored in the storage resource to save storage space and cost.

Note The VNX File-Level Retention (FLR) feature provides a way to set file-based permissions to limit write access to the files for a specific period of time. In this way, FLR can ensure the integrity of data during that period by creating an unalterable set of files and directories. FLR prevents files from being modified or deleted by NAS clients and users.

After the File Level Retention option is selected for a Windows shared folder, it cannot be cleared. FLR is not recommended for this scenario.

Note Opportunistic file locks (OpLocks) allow CIFS clients to buffer file data locally before sending it to a server. CIFS clients can work with files locally and periodically to communicate changes to the VNXe platform rather than communicate every operation over the network to the VNXe platform. By default, OpLocks is selected in the wizard. This feature is enabled by default for Windows (CIFS) shared folders. Unless the application handles critical data or has specific requirements that make this mode of operation unfeasible, EMC recommends leaving OpLocks as selected.

10. Click Next. The Configure Windows Share page appears.



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11. Type a name for the share.

The users access the shared folder that is on the network to access the data.


13. Select the required protection configuration.

Note In this example, a backup target is not required. Therefore, Do not configure protection storage for this storage resource is selected. However, for other cases, snapshots and a snapshot schedule can be enabled.

Figure 76. Shared folder protection


15. Verify the details and click Finish.

SharePoint data backup and restore To backup SharePoint data, complete the following steps:

1. Open Central Administration and select Backup and Restore in the left pane.

2. In Farm Backup and Restore, click Perform a Backup.


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Figure 77. Central Administration – Backup and Restore

3. Select the components to backup.

4. Click Next. The Backup Options page appears.

5. Type the location of the CIFS share to back up the SharePoint data.

Note Also, specify the backup type as full or differential.

6. Click Start Backup to start the backup process.

Figure 78. Backup Options page



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Restore from a backup To restore a backup, complete the following steps:

1. Open Central Administration and select Backup and Restore in the left pane.

2. Select Backup to restore.

3. Provide the location of the CIFS share to restore the backup data from.

Figure 79. Backup to restore

4. Click Next to begin the restore operation.


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Appendix A Hot Spare Addition

This appendix presents the following topic:

Add a hot spare ................................................................................... 102

Hot Spare Addition

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Add a hot spare A spare disk is a designated storage disk that is used to replace a failed or faulted device in a storage pool. The spare disk is not used to actively store data, but it can be used to automatically replace a failed disk if a disk failure occurs.

To add a new spare drive to the hot spare pool, complete the following steps:


2. Select System > Storage Pools. The Storage Pools page appears.

Figure 80. System page

3. Click Configure Disks. The Disk Configuration Wizard appears.

Figure 81. Storage Pools page


a. Select Manually add disks to an existing pool.

b. In the Select pool list box, select Hot Spare Pool.

Hot Spare Addition


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5. Click Next. The Configure Spares page appears.

6. Select the number of hot spares to configure from each disk type list box. The recommended number of hot spares is indicated with an asterisk.

Figure 83. Configure Spares page

Hot Spare Addition

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8. Click Finish. The Results page appears.

Figure 84. Summary page

9. Click Close. The Storage Pools page appears.

Figure 85. Results page


Appendix B iSCSI Snapshot Sizing

This appendix presents the following topics:

Snapshot overview ...................................................................................106

Calculate space requirements ...................................................................106

iSCSI Snapshot Sizing

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Snapshot overview A snapshot is a point-in-time view of the iSCSI LUN. When a snapshot is created, all the space that is currently used by the LUN is assigned to the snapshot. Subsequently, write operations cause additional blocks to be allocated for the new data, preserving the point-in-time view of the snapshot. The amount of storage pool space occupied by the iSCSI LUN and snapshot depends on how much data has been changed because the oldest snapshot was taken.

It is difficult to determine the space required for a snapshot. The provisioning wizard on the VNXe platform recommends a reasonable protection size, which is appropriate in a wide variety of situations. However, for better control of space utilization, you can override the recommended settings.

Calculate space requirements Consider the following aspects when you calculate the space required in a pool:

1. The size of the LUN. If you need a 100 GB LUN, the minimum pool size starts

at 100 GB.

2. For the first snapshot, provision enough space to ensure that the system stays stable and the data is protected even in a worst-case scenario. For example, if every single block of data in the LUN is changed while the snapshots are active, the pool requirement is doubled, that is, 200 GB.

3. Enough space is required to accommodate subsequent snapshots, each with a variable amount of changed data. If you create snapshots every day for a week and about 10 percent of the data is expected to change, then the pool requirement becomes 270 GB (after adding the extra 10 percent multiplied by 7).

4. Snapshots may be used at some point in time. If read-only access is required to the snapshot, then no additional space is required. However, to get write access to the snapshot, an additional amount of space that is proportional to the amount of data change is required. Therefore, if 1 percent of the data will change in the writeable copy, the required space for the pool is 271 GB for a 100 GB LUN.

A single snapshot presents the largest cost in terms of space reservation. As the number of snapshots grows, the amount of storage required changes by the data change rate for that snapshot.

Note The VNXe platform uses the same underlying technology as the EMC Celerra® product family. The Sizing Considerations for iSCSI Replication on EMC Celerra—Technical Note available on EMC Powerlink, provides a complete discussion of sizing considerations in a wide variety of use cases.

Note The sizing information presented in this section is only applicable to iSCSI LUNs. The shared folder snapshots on the VNXe platform use a different set of technologies that have different sizing requirements.


Appendix C System Comparison and Limits

This appendix presents the following topics:

Model components and limits ...................................................................108

Software configuration limits ....................................................................108

System Comparison and Limits

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Model components and limits The VNXe3100 and VNXe3300 models in the VNXe family consist of the same core software. However, the two models have very different hardware.

Table 3 compares the VNXe3100 and VNXe3300.

Table 3. VNXe model components and limits

Component VNXe3100 VNXe3300

Connectivity options 12 x 1 GbE 16 x 1 GbE

8 x 1 GbE and 4 x 10 GbE

Maximum number of disks

96 (dual SP)

48 (single SP)

120

Allowed drive types 300 GB 15k SAS

600 GB 15k SAS

2 TB NL-SAS

1 TB NL-SAS

300 GB 15k SAS

600 GB 15k SAS

2 TB NL-SAS

1 TB NL-SAS

Software configuration limits Table 4 describes the VNXe operating system limits.

Table 4. Software configuration limits

Parameter Limit

Hosts connected 500

Snapshots per virtual disk 2,000

Virtual disks 256

Snapshots per shared folder 96

Shared folders 500

Maximum virtual disk size 1.999 TB

Maximum shared folder size 15.533 TB

Open files 200,000

Concurrent connections 20,000

Documents

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