3PAR Snap shots, VVSets and Hostgroups

[adamdb]

Hi Guys,
just wanted to confirm my thinking on a couple of topics as I'm getting struggling to get a definitive response from HPE L3 tech support. I have a customer running 3.3.1 MU3 using hostsets for presentation of VV's over ISCSI. I know host sets are being used as SSMC clearly shows the volumes as being exported when looking at host set config.

Customer also has a number of VVSETS created which are used in conjunction with the 3PAR scheduler to take daily rolling storage level virtual snapshots which expire every 24h. Looking at vvset config screen it shows exported VV's as zero. All fine.

My understanding is that as hostsets are being used for presentation I should be able to make changes to the VVETS and or the createsv commands on the 3PAR scheduler and have zero impact on lun presentation to hosts.

However the L3 I've spoken to is insisting that if I want to modify or change a VVSet it will impact host presentation (even though none of the volumes are presented via this route).

They now have me doubting my own logic.

Just an example of some output below (edited to just include example of one group)

% showhostset
Id Name Members

2 VDI.Cluster
ESX11
ESX12
ESX17
ESX16
ESX13
ESX14
esx15
ESX18
ESX19

% showvlun -host set:VDI.Cluster
Active VLUNs
no vluns listed

VLUN Templates
Lun VVName HostName -Host_WWN/iSCSI_Name- Port Type
0 3PA01.VMFS.SCRATCH.06.TPVV set:VDI.Cluster ---------------- --- host set
6 3PA01.VMFS.VDI.1.TDVV set:VDI.Cluster ---------------- --- host set
7 3PA01.VMFS.VDI.2.TDVV set:VDI.Cluster ---------------- --- host set
8 3PA01.VMFS.VDI.3.TDVV set:VDI.Cluster ---------------- --- host set
9 3PA01.VMFS.VDI.4.TDVV set:VDI.Cluster ---------------- --- host set
10 3PA01.VMFS.VDI.5.TDVV set:VDI.Cluster ---------------- --- host set
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 total


cli% showvvset
Id Name Members

5 VVSET2
3PA01.VMFS.VDI.1.TDVV
3PA01.VMFS.VDI.2.TDVV
3PA01.VMFS.VDI.3.TDVV
3PA01.VMFS.VDI.4.TDVV
3PA01.VMFS.VDI.5.TDVV

PSTO3PA01 cli% showvlun -t <edited>

Lun VVName HostName -Host_WWN/iSCSI_Name- Port Type
1 3PA01.VMFS.SCRATCH.06.TPVV ESX18 ---------------- --- host
2 3PA01.VMFS.VDI.1.TDVV ESX18 ---------------- --- host
3 3PA01.VMFS.VDI.2.TDVV ESX18 ---------------- --- host
4 3PA01.VMFS.VDI.3.TDVV ESX18 ---------------- --- host
5 3PA01.VMFS.VDI.4.TDVV ESX18 ---------------- --- host
11 3PA01.VMFS.VDI.5.TDVV ESX18 ---------------- --- host

cli% showvlun -v set:VVSET2
Active VLUNs
no vluns listed

VLUN Templates
no vluns listed


So the hostset VDI.Cluster is being used to present to ESXi.
We then only use the VVSet 'VVSET2' to perform snapshot operations from the schedulder
by running something like

createsv –exp 24h @count@-@d@-@b@-@H@@M@-@vvname@ set:VVSET2

which would perform a snap of all vols in VVSET2.


Can someone confirm my thinking is correct.?

thanks

[MammaGutt]

I agree with you.

Just a side note. Is it important that the snaps are consistent with each other? If they don't you're probably better off making one schedule per VV.

[adamdb]

I agree with you.

Just a side note. Is it important that the snaps are consistent with each other? If they don't you're probably better off making one schedule per VV.

thanks for the feedback. That's a fair comment in regard to the snapshots consistency. To be fair I'm not sure they've ever tested this in anger, although according to the best practice guide it should not be a major issue. The number of snaps being refreshed in each VVSET is typically very small (5 to 10 VVs).


thanks for confirming my logic anyways... It does seem as if tech support product knowledge has fallen off a cliff of late... they passed the case up to an L2 in the end whom I am still waiting to hear from but I feel a little better now!

best wishes.
Ad.

[MammaGutt]

thanks for confirming my logic anyways... It does seem as if tech support product knowledge has fallen off a cliff of late...

My personal and general experience with the support organisation of multiple vendors the last decade is that most people filling those spots have very limited or no experience from general operation. They are able to figure out most issues and they are good at that but if you don't have an issue yet, they might not be of much help.

Go back two decades and most support people also did consultancy as remote troubleshooting wasn't quite as simple and most big companies had local support organizations everywhere. Go to a start-up and support and consultancy go hand in hand.

The question you're trying to get answered is more down the line of "how can I do this" or "How should I do this" and not "I have this issue....".

So what I'm trying to say is that my experience is that those questions are better targeted at consultants rather than support.