IBM i and IBM Storwize Family: A Practical Guide to Usage Scenarios

IBM i and IBM Storwize Family: A Practical Guide to Usage Scenarios

by Sabine Jordan, Mario Kisslinger, Rodrigo Jungi Suzuki
Released April 2014
Publisher(s): IBM Redbooks
ISBN: None

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Book description

The use of external storage and the benefits of virtualization became a topic of discussion in the IBM® i area during the last several years. The question tends to be, what are the advantages of the use of external storage that is attached to an IBM i environment as opposed to the use of internal storage. The use of IBM PowerVM® virtualization technology to virtualize Power server processors and memory also became common in IBM i environments. However, virtualized access to external storage and network resources by using a VIO server is still not widely used.

This IBM Redbooks® publication gives a broad overview of the IBM Storwize® family products and their features and functions. It describes the setup that is required on the storage side and describes and positions the different options for attaching IBM Storwize family products to an IBM i environment. Basic setup and configuration of a VIO server specifically for the needs of an IBM i environment is also described.

In addition, different configuration options for a combined setup of IBM PowerHA® SystemMirror® for i and the Storwize family products are described and positioned against each other. Detailed examples are provided for the setup process that is required for these environments.

The information that is provided in this book is useful for clients, IBM Business Partners, and IBM service professionals who need to understand how to install and configure their IBM i environment with attachment to the Storwize family products.

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. Introduction to IBM Storwize Family for IBM i
    1. 1.1 Decision support for internal versus external storage
    2. 1.2 Attachment options
      1. 1.2.1 Direct attached
      2. 1.2.2 Native attached
      3. 1.2.3 vSCSI attached
      4. 1.2.4 N-Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) attached
    3. 1.3 Basics of IBM Storwize family
    4. 1.4 IBM Storwize V7000
      1. 1.4.1 Control enclosure models
      2. 1.4.2 Expansion enclosure models
  5. Chapter 2. Configuring IBM Storwize V7000 with IBM i
    1. 2.1 Initial setup
    2. 2.2 Initial configuration
    3. 2.3 Preparing the IBM Storwize V7000
      1. 2.3.1 Step 1: Creating the storage pool
      2. 2.3.2 Step 2: Creating a generic volume
      3. 2.3.3 Step 3: Creating a compressed volume
      4. 2.3.4 Step 4: Creating a host
      5. 2.3.5 Step 5: Mapping the LUN to the host
    4. 2.4 IBM Storwize V7000 and hardware compression
      1. 2.4.1 Using the IBM Comprestimator Utility
      2. 2.4.2 Creating a volume mirrored copy on a compressed volume
      3. 2.4.3 Comparing the performance of compressed and non-compressed volumes
    5. 2.5 Tips for implementing IBM Storwize V7000 in a IBM i environment
      1. 2.5.1 Storwize V7000 configuration options
      2. 2.5.2 Host attachment
      3. 2.5.3 Multipath
      4. 2.5.4 Zoning SAN switches
      5. 2.5.5 Data layout
      6. 2.5.6 Solid-State Drives
      7. 2.5.7 Booting from SAN
      8. 2.5.8 Sizing for performance
      9. 2.5.9 Performance monitoring
      10. 2.5.10 Copy services considerations
      11. 2.5.11 Translation from 520-byte blocks to 512-byte blocks
  6. Chapter 3. Setting up VIOS
    1. 3.1 Before you start
    2. 3.2 VIOS setup by using HMC GUI
    3. 3.3 VIOS setup by using the CLI
    4. 3.4 Mapping storage through VIOS to IBM i
      1. 3.4.1 Setting up vSCSI connections
      2. 3.4.2 Mapping storage by using NPIV
    5. 3.5 Network setup
      1. 3.5.1 Optional step: LACP setup for adapter redundancy in each VIOS
      2. 3.5.2 Creating VLAN-capable trunk Ethernet adapters
      3. 3.5.3 Shared Ethernet Adapter setup
      4. 3.5.4 Transporting VLANs to the external network
    6. 3.6 Customizing
      1. 3.6.1 Changing ksh to bash style
      2. 3.6.2 Configuring monitoring by using SNMP
      3. 3.6.3 Creating an image repository for client D-IPL
    7. 3.7 Troubleshooting
      1. 3.7.1 Measuring performance
      2. 3.7.2 Restarting the RMC connection
      3. 3.7.3 Collecting troubleshooting data for support
  7. Chapter 4. PowerHA and the IBM Storwize Family
    1. 4.1 Usage scenarios for IBM PowerHA SystemMirror for i
      1. 4.1.1 Metro Mirror
      2. 4.1.2 Global Mirror
      3. 4.1.3 LUN level switching
      4. 4.1.4 FlashCopy
    2. 4.2 Setting up IBM PowerHA SystemMirror for i
      1. 4.2.1 Requirements for PowerHA SystemMirror for i with SAN Volume Controller or Storwize
      2. 4.2.2 SAN Volume Controller split cluster and LUN level switching
      3. 4.2.3 LUN level switching in combination with Global Mirror
      4. 4.2.4 Metro Mirror setup
      5. 4.2.5 Adding LUNs to an existing IASP
  8. Chapter 5. Live Partition Mobility
    1. 5.1 Usage scenarios for Live Partition Mobility
    2. 5.2 License considerations with Live Partition Mobility
    3. 5.3 Setting up Live Partition Mobility
      1. 5.3.1 Requirements
      2. 5.3.2 Preparation
      3. 5.3.3 Live Partition Mobility migration
      4. 5.3.4 Hints and tips for the validation process
  9. Chapter 6. BRMS and FlashCopy
    1. 6.1 Introduction to PowerHA, BRMS, and FlashCopy scenario
    2. 6.2 PowerHA and FlashCopy
      1. 6.2.1 Preparation for FlashCopy on the Storwize side
      2. 6.2.2 Changes in PowerHA to add the third node into the cluster
    3. 6.3 Backup Recovery, and Media Services (BRMS)
      1. 6.3.1 Setting up the BRMS network group
      2. 6.3.2 Configuring BRMS media classes and media policies
      3. 6.3.3 Configuring the BRMS control group
  10. Appendix A. PowerHA Tools IBM i
    1. PowerHA Tools for IBM i
    2. IBM Lab Services Offerings for PowerHA for IBM i
  11. Related publications
    1. IBM Redbooks
    2. Other publications
    3. Online resources
    4. Help from IBM
  12. Back cover

Product information

  • Title: IBM i and IBM Storwize Family: A Practical Guide to Usage Scenarios
  • Author(s): Sabine Jordan, Mario Kisslinger, Rodrigo Jungi Suzuki
  • Release date: April 2014
  • Publisher(s): IBM Redbooks
  • ISBN: None