HPE Support Center

HPE 3PAR Remote Copy Software - Setting Up Remote Copy Over Fibre Channel
Setting up remote copy over fibre channel
Configuring ports for RCFC
Disabling IntCoal
Setting up dedicated node pairs for RCFC
Setting up remote copy interface for RCFC
Checking RCFC link throughput and latency
Setting up RCFC over an IP network
Link to the list of available documents

Setting up remote copy over fibre channel

Initial remote copy pair in RCFC setup illustrates the initial remote copy pair in anRCFC configuration.

Initial remote copy pair in RCFC setup

top

Configuring ports for RCFC

For RCFC configurations, each link between a remote copy pair is a physical link between a controller nodeon one storage system and a
controller node on the other storage system in the pair. These links use up tofour 8 Gb/s or 16 Gb/s FC adapter ports from each of the nodes
in the storage systems that belong to theremote copy pair.

If these ports were not set up during the initial setup of the storage system, or if the configuration haschanged, reconfigure the ports before
user set up the remote copy transport layer.

To configure the ports, use the controlport config rcfc command.

CAUTION: Each pair of RCFC ports that support an RCFC link must exist in an exclusive zone. Fabric zonescannot be shared.

NOTE: When configuring an RCFC port, ensure the IntCoal attribute is disabled.

More information

Disabling IntCoal

top

Disabling IntCoal
When configuring an RCFC port, ensure the IntCoal attribute is disabled. User can disable IntCoal CLI command in the following
situations:

Prior to configuring an RCFC port

On a newly configured inactive RCFC port
On an RC port that is already active

NOTE: Disabling an RC port that is already active is disruptive. After disabling a host port, wait 5-10 minutesfor the port to stabilize and
verify the port is back online prior to taking action on another host port.

Procedure

1. Issue the controlport intcoal disable <N:S:P> where:

<N:S:P>is the port, in Node:Slot:Port format, for which user want to disable IntCoal.
top

Setting up dedicated node pairs for RCFC

RCFC requires a dedicated node pair for each secondary system, as shown in Figure 10: RCFC dedicatednode pairs.

RCFC dedicated node pairs

In Figure 10: RCFC dedicated node pairs

FC interfaces on nodes 0 and 1 on the primary system connect to FC interfaces on backup System1nodes 0 and 1, respectively.
FC interfaces on nodes 2 and 3 on the primary system connect to FC interfaces on backup System2nodes 0 and 1, respectively.

Procedure

1. Verify that each FC interface on each node on the primary remote copy system connects to a dedicatedFC interface on each node on
the backup remote copy system.

top

Setting up remote copy interface for RCFC

Procedure

1. To start remote copy, issue the following command:

startrcopy
2. Issue the following command for an FC adapter port on one storage system:
cli% controlport offline <N:S:P>
Where:
<N:S:P> - FC adapter port, expressed as node:slot:port
Issuing this command will take the port offline, as shown in the following example:
cli% controlport offline 3:2:1
Are user sure want to run controlport offline on port 3:2:1?
select q=quit y=yes n=no: y
3. Issue the following command:
cli% controlport config rcfc -ct point -f <N:S:P>
Where:
-ct point - point-to-point mode
<N:S:P> - FC adapter port, expressed as node:slot:port
4. Record the port positions by issuing the showport -rcfc command
5. Repeat steps 2 on through 4 for each port on each system in the remote copyconfiguration.
6. To verify that the FC communication links have been established, issue the following command:
cli% showrctransport -rcfc
The FC adapter ports should appear, and the State column should display new. For example:
N:S:P Peer_Node_WWN Peer_Port_WWN State
3:2:1 2FF70002AC00005F 23410002AC00005F new
1:4:1 2FF70002AC00005F 21510002AC00005F new

NOTE: If the ports do not match the ports user recorded on the worksheet, then the wrong ports werespecified in step 3

7. To initialize the FC adapter port, issue the controlport rcfc init command on one system:
cli% controlport rcfc init -f <N:S:P>
 Where: <N:S:P> represents the location of the FC adapter port, expressed as node:slot:port.
8. To verify that the FC adapter port is ready to begin setting up the remote copy systems, issue the followingcommand:
cli% showrctransport -rcfc
The State column should display ready. For example:
cli% showrctransport -rcfc
N:S:P Peer_Node_WWN Peer_Port_WWN State
3:2:1 2FF70002AC00005F 23410002AC00005F ready
1:4:1 2FF70002AC00005F 21510002AC00005F ready

NOTE: If the State column displays incomplete or new, then repeat 7 on and 8 untilthe port is in a ready state.

9. Repeat steps 7 through 8 for each RCFC port on each remote copy system.

top

Checking RCFC link throughput and latency

By default, the checkrclink command uses port 5001. There is, however, an optional parameter thatallows user to specify a different port
number:

cli% checkrclink startclient <N:S:P> <dest_addr> <time>[<port>]

cli% checkrclink startserver [options] <N:S:P>[dest_addr] [<port>]

Verify that the firewall settings allow the remote copy systems access to TCP port 5001 (default).

It is not advisable to use port 5785 as the TCP port used to run the checkrclink command. Doing socan have an adverse effect on
existing remote copy links.

To check links, follow these steps:

Procedure

1. Ensure that the systems are not displaying signs of saturation.

2. Starting with the secondary system, issue the following command on a system in the remote copy pair(System2):
cli% checkrclink startserver [options] <N:S:P>
Where:
The option time <sec>, using an integer from 300 to 172,800, is the time in seconds for the test torun. For example, if the
command is checkrclink startserver -time 172800 0:2:1, theremote copy link check will run for 172,800
seconds (48 hours). If no time is specified, the default is172800.
<N:S:P> specifies the port on which to run the test, expressed as node:slot:port.
3. On the secondary system in the remote copy pair (System1), issue the following command:
cli% checkrclink startclient <N:S:P> <dest_addr><time>
Where:
<N:S:P> - Interface, expressed as node:slot:port
<dest_addr> - IP address on the secondary system
<time> - Duration of the test in seconds
4. Issue the following command on the first secondary system in the remote copy pair (System2, the systemon which user issued the
startserver command):
5. Repeat 2 through 4 on each link and each system in the configuration.
6. Proceed to Setting up the remote copy servers.

top

Setting up RCFC over an IP network

NOTE: User can configure only RCFC connections to communicate over an IP network for remote copy inasynchronous periodic mode.

Procedure

1. Set up FC over IP on the network switches.

For instructions, refer to the documentation provided by user switch manufacturer.
2. Set up the remote copy systems for RCFC.
For instructions, see Setting up remote copy over Fibre Channel.

top

Link to the list of available documents

Click here to view a list of documents available for the HPE 3PAR Remote Copy Software .

top