Hi All.  We discovered an external storage (3rd Party) successfully in our FS7300. Its visible and all set. However, to use import image-mode volumes, it states in the very first screen the below and few more restrictions. And all those are common scenarios.

Now, IBM pSeries and VIOS is a well-known combination, and so is their Cluster like Oracle Cluster on top of AIX. And, that it says: It can't do. So, how to do the migrations in such cases. What is the other way to do migrations where Servers in external storage involve VIOS and is clustered. Migration guide has lots of other options given (asking wrt. to Storage Based Migrations) but it is still not clear what to use in above cases with VIOS. 

Second part to ask is:  How to make the external storage disks local here and make those mdisks available in FS7300. Where is that option, as the manual only talks about -  make a list of external volumes, record WWPNs etc, but doesn't talk about how to make them available here first.

Okay, after some checks, I got the 2nd query resolved. I can see the mdisk from the external storage, ready for migration. Good.

So, please answer the first one, which is :  What is the alternative way to migrate the Clustered Hosts and the one with VIOS etc.

Additionally, the wizard indicates to stop I/O. Unmap all volumes being migrated from the hosts. So need to understand how long this stop I/O needs to be done. Till the migration is completed/mirrors synced. Or, it is an initial cut at the time of start of migration, and then while the sync is happening in the background, one can have I/O to source also, while it is mirroring to two copies on target. As, it is not easy to get a 'migration window' for hours/days etc for huge migrations.

Please advise.  Thanks.

.

Hi Bacil,

• Are you using vSCSI or NPIV on these Aix Oracle hosts?
• What do you mean Oracle Cluster? RAC?
• If you use RAC - with ASM or GPFS

------------------------------
Nezih Boyacioglu
------------------------------

Hi Nezih.  Thanks.

• Are you using vSCSI or NPIV on these Aix Oracle hosts?  NPIV
• What do you mean Oracle Cluster? RAC?  Yes.  RAC.
• If you use RAC - with ASM or GPFS   They do use ASM all the time. However, during last two time, the source disks remained stuck and were not able to release by either lpar or ASM processes, and only way out was a planned reboot of the server. So, thats why they are looking for Storage Based Migration and preferably non-disruptive.
• Database Migration through ASM balancing - And the LPAR Controller Reboot | AIX

Best...

Original Message:
Sent: Mon May 12, 2025 12:33 PM
From: Nezih Boyacioglu
Subject: Discover Storage

Hi Bacil,

• Are you using vSCSI or NPIV on these Aix Oracle hosts?
• What do you mean Oracle Cluster? RAC?
• If you use RAC - with ASM or GPFS

------------------------------
Nezih Boyacioglu
------------------------------

As you seen in the Migration Wizard you need to stop I/O from old storage to host, change the volume mapping on old storage to FS7300, discover storage (detect mdisk) on FS7300 and continue to wizard steps to map these imported volumes to host on FS7300. As I said and migration wizard mentions "you must stop I/O" and it takes time as your speed of following the steps. If your customer wants to migrate their Oracle data non-disruptively, they need to use ASM. It's non-disruptive and easy to use. 

------------------------------
Nezih Boyacioglu
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: Mon May 12, 2025 12:57 PM
From: Bacil123
Subject: Discover Storage

Hi Nezih.  Thanks.

• Are you using vSCSI or NPIV on these Aix Oracle hosts?  NPIV
• What do you mean Oracle Cluster? RAC?  Yes.  RAC.
• If you use RAC - with ASM or GPFS   They do use ASM all the time. However, during last two time, the source disks remained stuck and were not able to release by either lpar or ASM processes, and only way out was a planned reboot of the server. So, thats why they are looking for Storage Based Migration and preferably non-disruptive.
• Database Migration through ASM balancing - And the LPAR Controller Reboot | AIX

Best...

------------------------------
Bhuppi
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: Mon May 12, 2025 12:33 PM
From: Nezih Boyacioglu
Subject: Discover Storage

Hi Bacil,

• Are you using vSCSI or NPIV on these Aix Oracle hosts?
• What do you mean Oracle Cluster? RAC?
• If you use RAC - with ASM or GPFS

------------------------------
Nezih Boyacioglu

Thanks Nezih.  Also, how about the very first screenshot. What is the Storage Based Migration alternative for Clustered Hosts and VIOS.  Why it says No for them. 

(The assumption that every customer will get a SVC(Physical) with each Flash System is weird).

Also, Nezih: "you must stop I/O" and it takes time as your speed of following the steps".  So, this cut will be an initial cut, right. And not for the entire duration of the 'data-move'. I guess it will be initial cut only, as after that it will be background copy and host will write on both the copies. Correct. (As this is what used to occur when we migrated a lot of stuff into A9000R from a 3rd Party Storage using DM Tool there. Similar tech/concept).

Thanks.

Original Message:
Sent: Mon May 12, 2025 01:08 PM
From: Nezih Boyacioglu
Subject: Discover Storage

As you seen in the Migration Wizard you need to stop I/O from old storage to host, change the volume mapping on old storage to FS7300, discover storage (detect mdisk) on FS7300 and continue to wizard steps to map these imported volumes to host on FS7300. As I said and migration wizard mentions "you must stop I/O" and it takes time as your speed of following the steps. If your customer wants to migrate their Oracle data non-disruptively, they need to use ASM. It's non-disruptive and easy to use. 

------------------------------
Nezih Boyacioglu
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: Mon May 12, 2025 12:57 PM
From: Bacil123
Subject: Discover Storage

Hi Nezih.  Thanks.

• Are you using vSCSI or NPIV on these Aix Oracle hosts?  NPIV
• What do you mean Oracle Cluster? RAC?  Yes.  RAC.
• If you use RAC - with ASM or GPFS   They do use ASM all the time. However, during last two time, the source disks remained stuck and were not able to release by either lpar or ASM processes, and only way out was a planned reboot of the server. So, thats why they are looking for Storage Based Migration and preferably non-disruptive.
• Database Migration through ASM balancing - And the LPAR Controller Reboot | AIX

Best...

------------------------------
Bhuppi


Original Message:
Sent: Mon May 12, 2025 12:33 PM
From: Nezih Boyacioglu
Subject: Discover Storage

Hi Bacil,

• Are you using vSCSI or NPIV on these Aix Oracle hosts?
• What do you mean Oracle Cluster? RAC?
• If you use RAC - with ASM or GPFS

------------------------------
Nezih Boyacioglu

as screenshot says;

Restrictions:
• You are not using the IBM Spectrum Virtualize Migration wizard to migrate clustered hosts, including clusters of VMware hosts or Virtual I/O Servers (VIOS) due to additional configuration necessary for these types of hosts to be successfully migrated.
• You are not using the IBM Spectrum Virtualize Migration wizard to migrate SAN boot images.

this means wizard's instructions do not include additional steps that these systems may need.

2- yes, not for the entire duration of the data migration! but as I said before I prefer ASM for this kind of migrations. 

------------------------------
Nezih Boyacioglu
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: Mon May 12, 2025 01:30 PM
From: Bacil123
Subject: Discover Storage

Thanks Nezih.  Also, how about the very first screenshot. What is the Storage Based Migration alternative for Clustered Hosts and VIOS.  Why it says No for them. 

(The assumption that every customer will get a SVC(Physical) with each Flash System is weird).

Also, Nezih: "you must stop I/O" and it takes time as your speed of following the steps".  So, this cut will be an initial cut, right. And not for the entire duration of the 'data-move'. I guess it will be initial cut only, as after that it will be background copy and host will write on both the copies. Correct. (As this is what used to occur when we migrated a lot of stuff into A9000R from a 3rd Party Storage using DM Tool there. Similar tech/concept).

Thanks.

Original Message:
Sent: Mon May 12, 2025 01:08 PM
From: Nezih Boyacioglu
Subject: Discover Storage

As you seen in the Migration Wizard you need to stop I/O from old storage to host, change the volume mapping on old storage to FS7300, discover storage (detect mdisk) on FS7300 and continue to wizard steps to map these imported volumes to host on FS7300. As I said and migration wizard mentions "you must stop I/O" and it takes time as your speed of following the steps. If your customer wants to migrate their Oracle data non-disruptively, they need to use ASM. It's non-disruptive and easy to use. 

------------------------------
Nezih Boyacioglu


Original Message:
Sent: Mon May 12, 2025 12:57 PM
From: Bacil123
Subject: Discover Storage

Hi Nezih.  Thanks.

• Are you using vSCSI or NPIV on these Aix Oracle hosts?  NPIV
• What do you mean Oracle Cluster? RAC?  Yes.  RAC.
• If you use RAC - with ASM or GPFS   They do use ASM all the time. However, during last two time, the source disks remained stuck and were not able to release by either lpar or ASM processes, and only way out was a planned reboot of the server. So, thats why they are looking for Storage Based Migration and preferably non-disruptive.
• Database Migration through ASM balancing - And the LPAR Controller Reboot | AIX

Best...

------------------------------
Bhuppi


Original Message:
Sent: Mon May 12, 2025 12:33 PM
From: Nezih Boyacioglu
Subject: Discover Storage

Hi Bacil,

• Are you using vSCSI or NPIV on these Aix Oracle hosts?
• What do you mean Oracle Cluster? RAC?
• If you use RAC - with ASM or GPFS

------------------------------
Nezih Boyacioglu

Hi.  So to be sure we fully understand the needs.  Is the endgame, moving from an older storage array into a new FS7300? (you seem to have connected/zoned the older array to be virtualized under your  FS7300 for now)  All connected through FC (npiv) switches, and the question is around technically moving an AIX LPAR, running on a dual VIO setup redundant (how are the VIOs configured?  Internal disks?), running an Oracle ASM instance, from old array to new array?   Doing it live if possible.

• Moving "database" LUNs from old array into new array? (all within ASM configurations right?  no pointers to a /something?  We had something around the fact the configuration of the ASM_DISKSTRING pointed to /dev/ instead of using the ORCL:* on a specific machine which caused some issues for us)
• Moving AIX OS LUNs from old array into new array?  (what VGs are there to move?)

Technically, if this is all that needs to be done, it can all be done live, adding new LUNs to the AIX box, configuring them for ASM, discovered with ASM (adding news disks from new storage, rebalancing and dropping older disks) and for the AIX OS portion, the user of mirrorvg/migratepv etc can get the job done, live without issues (done it here many times)

Steph

------------------------------
Stephan Durand
Manager Information Technology – Storage & Backups, Disaster Recovery & Infra *NIX
Rona Inc
Boucherville QC
5145995900
------------------------------

Hi Stephan.  Thanks.  Yes, that has been the methodology adopted in the past and was tried in this case as well. ASM and LVM. However, due to some reasons the Oracle Cluster had some corruption, and it is working on single node as of now. We gave them new LUNs from FS7300, and they tried to restore entire thing without success. So, they have asked us to assist in Storage level migration. Thats why I raised this query in this thread, as that is the only way to go with. 

And in the entire document I am not able to find such statement which we used to have for A9000/A9000R (and have used it successfully in the past) : 

During data migration initiation, hosts are offline for a short time before being connected to your IBM FlashSystem® A9000 and A9000R systems. The original LUNs are then natively re-presented to the host while the data is transparently migrated in the background, in a controlled fashion. 

          Requires only a short outage to switch LUN ownership. This enables the immediate connection of a host server to the IBM FlashSystem A9000 and A9000R systems, providing the user with direct access to all the data before it has been copied to the new storage system. 

       This is the part we want to confirm in case of FS7300.

 

Thanks.