DS8000 Global Mirror Best Practices

DS8000 Global Mirror Best Practices

by Nick Clayton, Alcides Bertazi, Bert Dufrasne, Peter Klee, Robert Tondini
Released January 2019
Publisher(s): IBM Redbooks
ISBN: 9780738456010

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Book description

This IBM® Redpaper™ publication reviews the architecture and operations of the IBM DS8000® Global Mirror function. The document looks at different aspects of the solution in terms of performance, infrastructure requirements, data integrity, business continuity, and impact on production.

Hints and tips are provided on how to best configure the overall Global Mirror environment, in terms of connectivity, storage configuration, and specific parameters tuning. The guidelines that are provided are in general related to performance, which ultimately ensures a better recovery point objective (RPO). Therefore, we encourage you to follow those guidelines.

Table of contents

  1. Front cover
  2. Notices
    1. Trademarks
  3. Preface
    1. Authors
    2. Now you can become a published author, too!
    3. Comments welcome
    4. Stay connected to IBM Redbooks
  4. Chapter 1. Global Mirror overview and architecture
    1. 1.1 Global Mirror overview
      1. 1.1.1 Communication between primary disk systems
    2. 1.2 Setting up a Global Mirror session
      1. 1.2.1 A simple configuration
      2. 1.2.2 Establishing connectivity to a secondary site (PPRC paths)
      3. 1.2.3 Creating a Global Copy relationship
      4. 1.2.4 Introducing FlashCopy
      5. 1.2.5 Defining a Global Mirror session
      6. 1.2.6 Populating a Global Mirror session with volumes
      7. 1.2.7 Starting a Global Mirror session
    3. 1.3 Forming consistency groups
      1. 1.3.1 The different phases of consistency formation
      2. 1.3.2 Impact of the consistency formation process
      3. 1.3.3 Collisions
  5. Chapter 2. Planning and implementation
    1. 2.1 Sizing tools for Global Mirror
      1. 2.1.1 RMF and RMF Magic
      2. 2.1.2 IBM Spectrum Control
      3. 2.1.3 Global Mirror Bandwidth/RPO estimation tool
      4. 2.1.4 Disk Magic
    2. 2.2 Global Mirror implementation planning
      1. 2.2.1 Growth within Global Mirror configurations
    3. 2.3 Configuration guidelines for primary and secondary
      1. 2.3.1 Primary disk system performance
      2. 2.3.2 Performance at distance
      3. 2.3.3 Secondary disk system performance
      4. 2.3.4 Volume placement on secondary disk system
      5. 2.3.5 Global Mirror secondary disk system recommendations
      6. 2.3.6 Taking advantage of Easy Tier
  6. Chapter 3. Connectivity
    1. 3.1 Inter-site connectivity
    2. 3.2 Fibre Channel to IP conversion
    3. 3.3 Bandwidth estimation
    4. 3.4 Long-distance link considerations
      1. 3.4.1 Fibre Channel flow control
      2. 3.4.2 Configuring the FCIP gateway
      3. 3.4.3 Compression
    5. 3.5 DS8000 configuration considerations
  7. Chapter 4. Performance tuning
    1. 4.1 Global Mirror/GlobalCopy data synchronization
    2. 4.2 Managing peak activity
    3. 4.3 Bandwidth reduction
    4. 4.4 Global Mirror tuning
      1. 4.4.1 Global Mirror externalized parameters
      2. 4.4.2 Pokeables or internal switches
      3. 4.4.3 Extreme distance tuning
      4. 4.4.4 Path and port configuration for optimal data transmission.
      5. 4.4.5 Environments with very low bandwidth
  8. Chapter 5. Global Mirror recovery
    1. 5.1 Taking an additional copy for Disaster Recovery testing
    2. 5.2 General recovery principle
      1. 5.2.1 Planned recovery scenario
      2. 5.2.2 Unplanned recovery scenario
    3. 5.3 Autonomic behavior
      1. 5.3.1 PPRC paths
      2. 5.3.2 PPRC pairs
      3. 5.3.3 Global Mirror session
  9. Chapter 6. Topologies and solution scenarios
    1. 6.1 Asymmetrical configuration
      1. 6.1.1 Return to primary site with asymmetrical Global Mirror configuration
    2. 6.2 Symmetrical configuration
    3. 6.3 Multiple Target PPRC with Global Mirror
      1. 6.3.1 Overview of a Metro Mirror and Global Mirror topology
    4. 6.4 Metro Global Mirror
    5. 6.5 Four-site configuration
    6. 6.6 Data Migration example scenario
      1. 6.6.1 Replacement of Global Mirror secondary DS8870 system
      2. 6.6.2 Replacement of Global Mirror primary DS8870 system
  10. Chapter 7. Global Mirror management and disaster recovery solutions
    1. 7.1 Copy Services Manager
    2. 7.2 GDPS Global Mirror (GDPS/GM)
    3. 7.3 IBM System i PowerHA for i
    4. 7.4 VMware SRM
  11. Related publications
    1. IBM Redbooks
    2. Online resources
    3. Help from IBM
  12. Back cover

Product information

  • Title: DS8000 Global Mirror Best Practices
  • Author(s): Nick Clayton, Alcides Bertazi, Bert Dufrasne, Peter Klee, Robert Tondini
  • Release date: January 2019
  • Publisher(s): IBM Redbooks
  • ISBN: 9780738456010