LSI 磁盘阵列管理软件santricity 的几个功能

一.快照

Snapshot Volume
The Snapshot Volume premium feature creates a logical point-in-time image of another
volume. Snapshot Volume is a premium feature of the storage management software and
must be enabled either by you or your storage vendor.(snapshot 要付钱买license)
Because the only data blocks that are physically stored in the snapshot repository volume
are those that have changed since the time the snapshot volume was created, the snapshot
volume uses less disk space than a full physical copy.(snapshot只需要存储从第一次做
snapshot以来改变的数据，所以snapshot用的物理容量比全盘复制少了）
Typically, you create a snapshot so that an application (for example, a backup application)
can access the snapshot and read the data, while the base volume remains online and
user-accessible. When the backup is completed, the snapshot volume is no longer needed.
You can also create snapshots of a base volume and write data to the snapshot volumes to
perform testing and analysis. Before upgrading your database management system, for
example, you can use snapshot volumes to test different configurations. Then you can use
the performance data provided by the storage management software to help you decide
how to configure your live database system.（代表性的，你建立一个快照，然后一个应用
-比如是备份进程--可以进入这个快照来读数据，而基本卷仍然在线而且用户可访问。当
备份进程完成后，快照卷也不再需要了。
你同样也可以建立基本卷的快照，然后把数据写入这个快照，这样可以在基本卷的快照上做
测试和分析。
举个例子来说，在升级你的数据库管理系统之前，你可以用快照卷来测试不同的配置。你可以用snapshot 卷来测试不同的配置。然后你能够根据相应情况下存储管理软件的表现来帮助你配置你实际的数据库系统。）
The maximum number of snapshot volumes allowed is one-half of the total volumes
supported by your controller model, while the maximum number of snapshot volumes
supported by a volume is four.（系统支持的快照数是你控制器支持的快照数的一个半，
而一个卷支持的最大的快照数是4个）
Creating Snapshot Volumes
When a snapshot volume is created, the controller suspends I/O activity to the base
volume for a few seconds while it creates a physical volume, called the snapshot
repository volume, in which to store the snapshot volume metadata and copy-on-write
data.（当建立一个snapshot卷的时候，控制器会把基本卷的I/O活动停一会，
此时它将建立物理卷，这个物理卷叫做快照仓库卷，在它里面来存储快照卷的元数据
以及实时的读/写数据）
Use the Create Snapshot Volume Wizard to create snapshot volumes by defining the name
of the snapshot and the name of its associated snapshot repository volume, and to specify
the capacity of the snapshot repository volume as a percentage of the capacity of the base
volume.
（使用Create Snapshot Volume Wizard 来建立快照卷，通过定义快照的名字和定义它对应
的快照仓库卷的名字来确定，我们要指定快照仓库卷的大小，一般按基本卷的大小百分比率来制定。）
Either the Simple Path or Advanced Path can be selected:
• Simple Path – Select this path to preview the preconfigured snapshot volume and
snapshot repository volume parameters.

• Advanced Path – Select this path to choose a free capacity or unconfigured capacity
node on which to place the snapshot repository volume, and to change the snapshot
repository volume parameters. You can choose the Advanced Path regardless of
whether free capacity or unconfigured capacity is selected.
When the snapshot repository volume nears a user-specified threshold, the storage
management software provides a “threshold exceeded” notification. The threshold defined
is a percentage of the snapshot repository volume’s capacity and, by default, is set to
50 percent. When this condition occurs, you can expand the capacity of the snapshot
repository volume by using free capacity on the volume group. If you are out of free
capacity on the volume group, you can add unconfigured capacity to the volume group to
expand the snapshot repository volume.

Discontinuing Use of a Snapshot Volume
As long as a snapshot volume is enabled, storage array performance is affected by the
copy-on-write activity to the associated snapshot repository volume. When you no longer
need a snapshot volume, you can disable, reuse, or delete it:
• Disable – Stops copy-on write activity. Keeps the snapshot volume and snapshot
repository volume intact.
• Reuse – Creates a different point-in-time image of the same base volume. This action
takes less time to configure than re-creating the snapshot volume.
• Delete – Completely removes the snapshot volume and associated snapshot repository
volume. If you want to re-enable a snapshot volume, you must re-create it.

当一个快照卷被激活后，磁盘阵列的表现将被相关的快照仓库卷的读写活动所影响，
当你不再需要快照卷的时候，你可以disable,reuse,或者delete 它。

二.动态卷扩容

Dynamic Volume Expansion (DVE)   动态卷扩容
CAUTION Increasing the capacity of a standard volume is only supported on
certain operating systems – If volume capacity is increased on a host
operating system that is unsupported, the expanded capacity is unusable, and
you cannot restore the original volume capacity. For information on
supported operating systems, refer to the Storage System Product Release
Notes shipped with the storage management software. （注意，对基本卷组的大小扩容只
在某些操作系统上被支持，如果卷容量在一个不被支持的操作系统上扩展了，扩展的容量
是不能用的，而且你不能恢复到初始的卷容量。）
Dynamic Volume Expansion (DVE) is a modification operation that increases the capacity
of standard or snapshot repository volumes. The increase in capacity can be achieved by
using any free capacity available on the volume group of the standard or snapshot
repository volume. Data is accessible on volume groups, volumes, and disk drives
throughout the entire modification operation.
If you receive a warning that the snapshot repository volume is in danger of becoming full,
you can use the DVE modification operation to increase the capacity of the snapshot
repository volume.
Increasing the capacity of a snapshot repository volume does not increase the capacity of
the associated snapshot volume. The capacity of the snapshot volume is always based on
the capacity of the base volume at the time that the snapshot volume is created.

3.远距离磁盘阵列镜象

Remote Volume Mirroring
The Remote Volume Mirroring feature is used for online, real-time replication of data
between storage arrays over a remote distance. This is a premium feature of the storage
management software and must be enabled either by you or your storage vendor.

You must enable and activate the Remote Volume Mirroring premium feature on both the
primary and secondary storage arrays to create a mirror relationship.
（远距离卷镜像功能是用在远距离的磁盘阵列之间在线、实时的卷复制上，这个功能是需要
额外收费的，而且必须在主和辅助的磁盘阵列上都购买这个功能才能做远程的卷镜像。）

Primary and Secondary Volumes
When you create a remote volume mirror, a mirrored-volume pair is set up and consists of
a primary volume at a primary storage array and a secondary volume at a secondary
storage array. A standard volume may only be included in one mirrored-volume pair.
There can be up to 32 defined mirrors on an E2600 array module and up to 64 defined
mirrors on an E4600 or E5600 command module.
The primary volume is the volume that accepts I/O activity from the host and stores
application data. The secondary volume maintains a mirror (or copy) of the data from its
associated primary volume. The controller owner of the secondary volume receives
remote writes from the owner of the primary volume controller but does not accept host
write requests. Hosts are able to read from the secondary volume, which appears as
read-only.
（主阵列卷是接收服务器以及应用数据的的I/O读写的卷。二辅助阵列卷是存储
主阵列卷的镜像数据的卷）辅助阵列卷的控制器只接受主阵列控制器的写命令，
不接受服务器的写命令。服务器能够从辅助阵列卷读信息，但是只是只读的。