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Configure Storage Workflows

Storage Workflows allow storage and virtualization administrators to create customized templates for the key processes involved in the creation and use of Copy Data policies. Copy types, destinations, and parameters are configured in Storage Workflows, which can be used and re-used in Copy Data policies.

Generally, a storage administrator creates Storage Workflows after registering storage providers in ECX and creating accounts that will create, edit, and run Copy Data and Use Data policies through role-based access control. When configuring a Copy Data policy, available Storage Workflows display in the policy creation wizard, tailored to the type of Copy Data policy being created. VMware Copy Data policies support EMC VNX, IBM, and NetApp Storage Workflows.

ECX Copy Data policies utilizing a VM Copy Storage Workflow can also be directed to Amazon Web Services (AWS) S3 destinations through an AWS Storage Gateway.

In a NetApp Storage Workflow, after an initial primary snapshot is added to the workflow, additional vaults and mirrors ensure your data is replicated to multiple locations.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

Register storage providers to be used in the Storage Workflows. Assign the storage providers to Sites. See Register a Provider and Add a Site.
If configuring an AWS Storage Workflow, ensure the AWS provider has been correctly added to ECX. AWS access keys and secret keys must first be configured through the AWS Management Console and then added to ECX. See the "Add an Amazon Web Services (AWS) key and register an associated provider" section in Add a Key.
Create an account with the necessary permissions to create and run Copy Data policies. See Role-Based Access Control Overview.
All related NetApp storage resources associated with a VMware provider must be added to ECX, which include NetApp storage controllers and clusters. See Register a Provider.
For email notifications, at least one SMTP server must be configured. Before defining a policy, add SMTP resources. See Register a Provider.

CONSIDERATIONS:

Note that VMware Copy Data and Use Data policies only support vCenters or ESX hosts running vSphere 5.1 through 6.0.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR VMWARE VIRTUAL VOLUMES:

Storage Workflows that include virtual machines stored on virtual volume (VVOL) datastores through VM Copy sub-policies are supported. Replication is supported on the VM Copy target.
Storage snapshots of virtual machines that reside on a VVOL are currently not supported. If a storage snapshot operation is selected for a virtual machine that resides on a VVOL, the virtual machine is skipped.

To create a Storage Workflow:

Click the Plan tab. On the Views pane, select Storage Workflows . The All Storage Workflows pane opens.
In the All Storage Workflows pane, click New . The New Storage Workflow pane opens.
Enter a name and a meaningful description of the Storage Workflow.
In the Type field, select a type of workflow to create based on your storage provider. Select AWS to create an Amazon Web Services Copy Data workflow containing VM copies, NetApp to create a NetApp Copy Data workflow containing snapshots, VM copies, mirrors and vaults, IBM to create an IBM Copy Data workflow containing FlashCopies, Global Mirrors with Change Volumes, and VM Copies, or EMC VNX to create an EMC VNX Copy Data workflow containing snapshots and replication copies. VMware Copy Data policies support IBM, EMC VNX, and NetApp Storage Workflows depending on your storage provider.
Configure AWS Storage Workflows
To add a VM Copy sub-policy to an AWS Storage Workflow:
1. Select the source icon and define the recovery point objective to determine the minimum frequency and interval with which backups must be made. In the Frequency field select Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly, then set the interval in the Interval field.
2. Click Add VM Copy .
3. In the VM Copy Destination pane select an AWS cloud destination from the list of available resources as the VM Copy destination, along with an associated storage gateway. Note that storage gateways are discovered based on the region of the AWS provider.
4. In the Options pane set the VM Copy sub-policy options.
5. Keep Copies
6. After a certain number of copies are created for a resource, older copies are purged from the gateway. Enter the age of the copies to purge in the Days field, or the number of copies to keep in the Copies (maximum) field.
Configure NetApp Storage Workflows
To add a snapshot sub-policy to a NetApp Storage Workflow:
1. Select the source icon and define the recovery point objective to determine the minimum frequency and interval with which backups must be made. In the Frequency field select Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly, then set the interval in the Interval field.
2. Click Add Snapshot . In the Options pane, set the snapshot sub-policy options.
3. Keep Snapshots
4. After a certain number of snapshot instances are created for a resource, older instances are purged from the storage controller. Enter the age of the snapshot instances to purge in the Days field, or the number of instances to keep in the Snapshots field.
5. Disable system snapshot policy
6. Disables all the system snapshot policies on the storage volumes.
7. Snapshot Prefix Label
8. Enter an optional label to identify the snapshot. This label is added as a prefix to the snapshot name created by the policy.
9. Note: Snapshot labels must contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores.
10. Name
11. Enter an optional name to replace the default snapshot sub-policy name displayed in ECX. The default initial name is Snapshot0.
To add a VM Copy sub-policy to a NetApp Storage Workflow:
1. Select the source icon and define the recovery point objective to determine the minimum frequency and interval with which backups must be made. In the Frequency field select Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly, then set the interval in the Interval field.
2. Click Add VM Copy .
3. In the VM Copy Destination pane select an SVM from the list of available resources as the VM Copy destination, along with an associated aggregate. If no aggregate is selected, the aggregate with the largest amount of space available is chosen by default.
4. In the Options pane set the VM Copy sub-policy options.
5. Keep Snapshots
6. After a certain number of snapshot instances are created for a resource, older instances are purged from the storage controller. Enter the age of the snapshot instances to purge in the Days field, or the number of instances to keep in the Snapshots field.
7. Disable system snapshot policy
8. Disables all the system snapshot policies on the storage volumes.
9. Snapshot Prefix Label
10. Enter an optional label to identify the snapshot. This label is added as a prefix to the snapshot name created by the policy.
11. Note: Snapshot labels must contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores.
12. Name
13. Enter an optional label to replace the default snapshot sub-policy label displayed in ECX. The default initial label is VM Copy0.
14. Storage Efficiency (Deduplication)
15. Enable or disable storage efficiency. Storage efficiency uses data deduplication to store the maximum amount of data while consuming less space.
16. Destination Datastore Type
17. Set the destination datastore type. Available datastore types include NFS and VMFS.
To add a mirror sub-policy to a NetApp Storage Workflow:
1. Select a snapshot, VM Copy, vault or mirror from the workflow pane and click Add Mirror .
2. In the Mirror Destination pane select a storage controller or SVM from the list of available resources as the mirror destination, along with an associated aggregate. If no aggregate is selected, the aggregate with the largest amount of space available is chosen by default.
3. In the Options pane set the Mirror sub-policy options.
4. Name
5. Enter an optional name to replace the default mirror sub-policy name displayed in ECX. The default initial name is Mirror0.
6. Keep Source Volume name for target volume
7. Enable to retain the source volume name for copy data generated by ECX.
8. Volume Prefix Label
9. Enter an optional label to identify the volume. This label is added as a prefix to the volume name created by the policy and cannot be edited after the policy is submitted.
10. Note: Volume prefix labels must contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores. Labels cannot begin with numeric characters.
11. Storage Efficiency (Deduplication)
12. Enable or disable snapshot storage efficiency. Storage efficiency uses data deduplication to store the maximum amount of data while consuming less space.
13. Throttle
14. Set the transfer throughput in KBs per second between the source and the destination, which controls the number of parallel transfers that can take place.
15. Destination storage limit in GB / Destination volumes limit
16. Specify quotas for storage usage and the number of volume created on the destination for all policies utilizing the Storage Workflow.
To add a vault sub-policy to a NetApp Storage Workflow:
1. Select a snapshot, vault or mirror from the workflow pane and click Add Vault .
2. In the Vault Destination pane select a storage controller or SVM from the list of available resources as the vault destination, along with an associated aggregate. If no aggregate is selected, the aggregate with the largest amount of space available is chosen by default.
3. In the Options pane set the Vault sub-policy options.
4. Keep Snapshots
5. After a certain number of snapshot instances are created for a resource, older instances are purged from the storage controller. Enter the age of the snapshot instances to purge in the Days field, or the number of instances to keep in the Snapshots field.
6. Name
7. Enter an optional name to replace the default vault sub-policy name displayed in ECX. The default initial name is Vault0.
8. Keep Source Volume name for target volume
9. Enable to retain the source volume name for copy data generated by ECX.
10. Volume Prefix Label
11. Enter an optional label to identify the volume. This label is added as a prefix to the volume name created by the policy and cannot be edited after the policy is submitted.
12. Note: Volume prefix labels must contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores. Labels cannot begin with numeric characters.
13. Storage Efficiency (Deduplication)
14. Enable or disable snapshot storage efficiency. Storage efficiency uses data deduplication to store the maximum amount of data while consuming less space.
15. Throttle
16. Set the transfer throughput in KBs per second between the source and the destination, which controls the number of parallel transfers that can take place.
17. Destination storage limit in GB / Destination volumes limit
18. Specify quotas for storage usage and the number of volume created on the destination for all policies utilizing the Storage Workflow.
Configure IBM Storage Workflows
To add a VM Copy sub-policy to an IBM Storage Workflow:
1. Select the source icon and define the recovery point objective to determine the minimum frequency and interval with which backups must be made. In the Frequency field select Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly, then set the interval in the Interval field.
2. Click Add VM Copy .
3. In the Destination pane select an IBM host destination from the list of available resources as the VM Copy destination, along with an associated storage pool. If no storage pool is selected, the storage pool with the largest amount of space available is chosen by default. To select the original target destination, select Use Original.
4. In the Options pane set the VM Copy sub-policy options.
5. Keep Snapshots
6. After a certain number of snapshot instances are created for a resource, older instances are purged from the storage controller. Enter the age of the snapshot instances to purge in the Days field, or the number of instances to keep in the Snapshots field.
7. Snapshot Prefix Label
8. Enter an optional label to identify the snapshot. This label is added as a prefix to the snapshot name created by the policy.
9. Note: Snapshot labels must contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores.
10. Name
11. Enter an optional label to replace the default snapshot sub-policy label displayed in ECX. The default initial label is VM Copy0.
12. Protocol
13. If more than one storage protocol is available, select the protocol to take priority in the policy. Available protocols include iSCSI and Fibre Channel.
14. Destination storage limit in GB / Destination volumes limit
15. Specify quotas for storage usage and the number of volume created on the destination for all policies utilizing the Storage Workflow.
To add a FlashCopy sub-policy to an IBM Storage Workflow:
1. Select the source icon and define the recovery point objective to determine the minimum frequency and interval with which backups must be made. In the Frequency field select Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly, then set the interval in the Interval field.
2. In the Target FlashCopy Storage Pool pane select an IBM host destination from the list of available resources as the FlashCopy destination, along with an associated storage pool. If no storage pool is selected, the storage pool with the largest amount of space available is chosen by default. To select the original target destination, select Use Original. Note that you can select multiple storage pools from multiple IBM resources, but only one storage pool is allowed for each node.
3. To enable an Incremental FlashCopy, select Enable Incremental FlashCopy in the Incremental FlashCopy Storage Pool pane. Select an IBM host destination from the list of available resources as the FlashCopy destination, along with an associated storage pool. If no storage pool is selected, the storage pool with the largest amount of space available is chosen by default. To select the original target destination, select Use Original.
4. If the Enable Incremental FlashCopy option is selected, note that the base FlashCopy will be sent to the destination selected in the Incremental FlashCopy Storage Pool pane. Subsequent incremental FlashCopies will be sent to the destination selected in the Target FlashCopy Storage Pool pane.
5. Note that the Target FlashCopy Storage Pool must reside on the same storage system as the Incremental FlashCopy Storage Pool.
6. Click Add FlashCopy . In the Options pane, set the FlashCopy sub-policy options.
7. Keep Snapshots
8. After a certain number of snapshot instances are created for a resource, older instances are purged from the storage controller. Enter the age of the snapshot instances to purge in the Days field, or the number of instances to keep in the Snapshots field.
9. Name
10. Enter an optional name to replace the default FlashCopy sub-policy name displayed in ECX. The default initial name is FlashCopy0.
11. FlashCopy Volume Prefix
12. Enter an optional label to identify the FlashCopy. This label is added as a prefix to the FlashCopy name created by the policy.
13. Note: FlashCopy labels must contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores.
To add a Global Mirror sub-policy to an IBM Storage Workflow:
1. Select the source icon and define the recovery point objective to determine the minimum frequency and interval with which backups must be made. In the Frequency field select Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly, then set the interval in the Interval field.
2. Click Add Global Mirror with Change Volumes .
3. In the Global Mirror with Change Volumes Destination pane select an IBM host destination from the list of available resources as the Global Mirror destination, along with an associated storage pool. If no storage pool is selected, the storage pool with the largest amount of space available is chosen by default. To select the original target destination, select Use Original.
4. In the Options pane set the Global Mirror with Change Volumes sub-policy options.
5. Keep Snapshots
6. After a certain number of snapshot instances are created for a resource, older instances are purged from the storage controller. Enter the age of the snapshot instances to purge in the Days field, or the number of instances to keep in the Snapshots field.
7. Name
8. Enter an optional name to replace the default Global Mirror sub-policy name displayed in ECX. The default initial name is Global Mirror0.
9. Keep Source Volume name for target volume
10. Enable to retain the source volume name for copy data generated by ECX.
11. Volume Prefix Label
12. Enter an optional label to identify the volume. This label is added as a prefix to the volume name created by the policy and cannot be edited after the policy is submitted.
13. Note: Volume prefix labels must contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores. Labels cannot begin with numeric characters.
14. Cycle Period (seconds)
15. Specify the time in which the change volumes will be refreshed with a consistent copy of the data. If a copy does not complete in the cycle period, the next cycle period will not start until the copy is complete. The range of possible values is 60 through 86400. The default is 300.
16. Global Mirror Volume Prefix
17. Enter an optional label to identify the Global Mirror. This label is added as a prefix to the Global Mirror name created by the policy.
18. Note: Global Mirror labels must contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores.
19. Destination storage limit in GB / Destination volumes limit
20. Specify quotas for storage usage and the number of volume created on the destination for all policies utilizing the Storage Workflow.
Configure EMC VNX Storage Workflows
To add a VM Copy sub-policy to an EMC VNX Storage Workflow:
1. Select the source icon and define the recovery point objective to determine the minimum frequency and interval with which backups must be made. In the Frequency field select Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly, then set the interval in the Interval field.
2. Click Add VM Copy .
3. In the VM Copy Destination pane select an EMC host destination from the list of available resources as the VM Copy destination, along with an associated storage pool. If no storage pool is selected, the storage pool with the largest amount of space available is chosen by default.
4. In the Options pane set the VM Copy sub-policy options.
5. Keep Snapshots
6. After a certain number of snapshot instances are created for a resource, older instances are purged from the storage controller. Enter the age of the snapshot instances to purge in the Days field, or the number of instances to keep in the Snapshots field.
7. Snapshot Prefix Label
8. Enter an optional label to identify the snapshot. This label is added as a prefix to the snapshot name created by the policy.
9. Note: Snapshot labels must contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores.
10. Name
11. Enter an optional label to replace the default snapshot sub-policy label displayed in ECX. The default initial label is VM Copy0
12. Access Type
13. Select the access type for file-based storage. Available access types include Hidden .ckpt folder (read-only) and Shares, based on CIFS or NFS mounting.
14. Destination storage limit in GB / Destination volumes limit
15. Specify quotas for storage usage and the number of volume created on the destination for all policies utilizing the Storage Workflow.
To add a snapshot sub-policy to a EMC VNX Storage Workflow:
1. Select the source icon and define the recovery point objective to determine the minimum frequency and interval with which backups must be made. In the Frequency field select Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly, then set the interval in the Interval field.
2. Click Add Snapshot . In the Options pane, set the snapshot sub-policy options.
3. Keep Snapshots
4. After a certain number of snapshot instances are created for a resource, older instances are purged from the storage controller. Enter the age of the snapshot instances to purge in the Days field, or the number of instances to keep in the Snapshots field.
5. Name
6. Enter an optional name to replace the default snapshot sub-policy name displayed in ECX. The default initial name is Snapshot0.
7. Snapshot Prefix Label
8. Enter an optional label to identify the snapshot. This label is added as a prefix to the snapshot name created by the policy.
9. Note: Snapshot labels must contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores.
10. Access Type
11. Select the access type for file-based storage. Available access types include Hidden .ckpt folder (read-only) and Shares, based on CIFS or NFS mounting.
To add a Replication sub-policy to an EMC VNX Storage Workflow:
1. Select the source icon and define the recovery point objective to determine the minimum frequency and interval with which backups must be made. In the Frequency field select Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly, then set the interval in the Interval field.
2. Click Add Replication .
3. In the Replication Destination pane select an EMC host destination from the list of available resources as the Replication destination, along with an associated storage pool. If no storage pool is selected, the storage pool with the largest amount of space available is chosen by default.
4. In the Options pane set the Replication sub-policy options.
5. Keep Snapshots
6. After a certain number of snapshot instances are created for a resource, older instances are purged from the storage controller. Enter the age of the snapshot instances to purge in the Days field, or the number of instances to keep in the Snapshots field.
7. Name
8. Enter an optional name to replace the default Replication sub-policy name displayed in ECX. The default initial name is Replication0.
9. Keep Source Volume name for target volume
10. Enable to retain the source volume name for copy data generated by ECX.
11. Target Volume Prefix Label
12. Enter an optional label to identify the target volume. This label is added as a prefix to the volume name created by the policy.
13. Note: Volume prefix labels must contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores. Labels cannot begin with numeric characters.
14. Snapshot Prefix Label
15. Enter an optional label to identify the snapshot. This label is added as a prefix to the snapshot name created by the policy.
16. Note: Snapshot labels must contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores.
17. Synchronization
18. Specify the time in minutes in which the change volumes will be synchronized with a consistent copy of the data. If a copy does not complete in the cycle period, the next cycle period will not start until the copy is complete. Synchronization can also be initiated manually.
19. Destination storage limit in GB / Destination volumes limit
20. Specify quotas for storage usage and the number of volume created on the destination for all policies utilizing the Storage Workflow.
When you are satisfied that the Storage Workflow-specific information is correct, click Finish. The Storage Workflow appears on the All Storage Workflows pane and can be applied to new and existing Copy Data policies.

NEXT STEPS:

Create a Copy Data policy that utilizes a Storage Workflow.