Introduction
IBM Storage FlashSystem just announced new version of the product v8.7.3.0, introducing enhanced management of the storage at workload level with dedicated storage partitions. Storage partition is a set of objects including volumes, volume groups, hosts and host mappings in the system. The best part of this is user can manage storage partition at common user interface with simple one-click operation.
Typically, Storage Partition is designed such a way that it can be assigned to specific workload. This further enables the flexibility of easy Storage Partition Migration to significantly simplify data transfers across different storage controllers, enhancing the prior experience of guided steps. This blog explores how Storage Partition and Migration feature enhance the user experience and simplify host integration with IBM Storage FlashSystem environment.
Understanding Storage Partition Migration[1]
With Storage partition feature IBM Storage Virtualize can now help non-disruptive migration of different workloads between systems in given network. This function allows data mobility at the Storage Partition, granularity across multiple flash systems without any application downtime.
Single Click Storage Partition Migration
The enhanced version simplifies storage partition migration with one-click management, automating host rescans for seamless, non-disruptive data migrations.
Enhancing Host Integration
For environments with automatic rescan capabilities, the Storage Partition Migration process will now wait to allow a complete rescan across all hosts. In the absence of automatic rescanning, the system prompts users to manually rescan the relevant hosts.
To improve the end-to-end user experience, the new process includes:
- Detecting Automatic Rescan Capabilities: The system checks if the host environment supports automatic rescans.
- Providing Host Insights: Users receive detailed information to help them decide on the best path forward for their Storage Partition Migration setup.
- Manual Configuration or Override Options: Users can manually configure[2] or override[3] the automatic rescan behaviour as needed.
Host Insights and Monitoring
After configuring the host environment, users sometimes encountered challenges that could impact system performance. These challenges often emerged from factors like inconsistent node logins, incomplete discoveries, or irregularities in path configurations-each suggesting potential issues with zoning, network issues, or multipath configurations.
Recognizing these challenges, the latest enhancement provides host insights to assist user with troubleshooting. It gathers key performance metrics like:
- Total number of hosts : A quick overview of the complete host environment.
- Status: Identifying the number of offline or degraded hosts.
- Discoveries: Identifying the number of hosts which have issued discoveries.
- I/O Activity: Whether any host has carried out I/O operations on source or target within the last two minutes.
Conclusion
The latest enhancements in Storage Partition Migration significantly improves ease of use and provide valuable host insights. These advancements empower users to make informed decisions and ensure a seamless, efficient data mobility experience.
References
1. To understand Storage Partition Migration workflow, refer this link:
Storage Partition Migration
2. To manually configure host rescan behaviour, refer this link:
Configuration_of_host
3. To override rescan behaviour of host, refer this link:
Override_rescan_behaviour_of_host
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