HP P6000 Continuous Access Implementation Guide (T3680-96431, August 2012)

Changing host port data replication settings
NOTE:
• Manually setting host port preferences should be done carefully and only when absolutely
necessary. Using this feature requires advanced knowledge of array operation to ensure the
expected results are achieved.
• Host port replication settings can be managed using HP P6000 Command View, HP P6000
Replication Solutions Manager, or the HP Storage System Scripting Utility. The following
information assumes the use of HP P6000 Command View, which provides more capability
when performing this task.
• The host port preferences for EVA3000 and EVA5000 arrays should be left at the predefined
defaults.
HP P6000 Command View 9.0 or later enables the monitoring and setting of controller host ports
preferences for data replication traffic. This functionality is supported on XCS 6.xxx or later and
XCS 09xxxxxx or later. Host port replication settings are managed from the Data Replication Folder
Properties page within HP P6000 Command View. See Figure 20 (page 57).
Host port preferences are set to defaults during controller initialization. The port settings can be
changed, regardless of whether there are active DR groups on the array or not. This enables a
source array to establish a unique host port priority sequence for each destination array visible to
the source: 1st – 4th for 8-port controller pairs, and 1st or 2nd for 4–port controller pairs. There
is also a No DR host port option which blocks the creation of tunnels on the specified port, disabling
all remote replication traffic for that port.
The port preferences are automatically checked by the controller software at the Check interval
setting, one minute after a change is sent to the controller software by the management software,
and when a controller state change results in a data replication tunnel opening (for example, a
controller resync or link state change). The Check interval setting can be changed or disabled. If
port checking is disabled and changes to the port preferences are saved, the changes will not be
invoked until port checking is re-enabled or a controller state change occurs.
IMPORTANT: Even when port checking is not enabled, the port preferences that were saved will
become active with controller state changes.
A port actively forwarding data replication traffic may be changed to No DR. This change moves
the tunnel to the next highest priority port when the next port preference check occurs. Changing
a host port preference to NO DR does not cause the remaining host port values to be reset. For
example, if the host port with 1st priority is set to No DR, the preferences for the 2nd, 3rd, and
4th host ports will remain in effect and will not change value. In this example, the controller software
would make the host port with a value of 2nd the highest priority host port available on the
controller.
Purging a node removes it from the Remote Nodes list. A node can only be purged when there
are no DR groups between the selected source array and the array to be purged and the array is
unreachable. It may be necessary to purge a node when it is removed from an environment, or
when remote replication is no longer in use. Purging a node deletes it from the Remote System list
on the Host port data replication settings property page and the Remote System Connection status
properties page on the View remote connections tab.
The Reset to defaults button returns all host port priority and the port checking values to their
defaults.
56 Implementing remote replication