Dell PowerVault MD3820f - Manual (Page 193)

Before creating a new virtual disk copy for an existing copy pair, both the host server and the associated
virtual disk you are recopying have to be in the proper state. Perform the following steps to prepare your
host server and virtual disk:
1. Stop all I/O activity to the source and target virtual disk.
2. Using your Windows system, flush the cache to both the source and the target virtual disk (if
mounted). At the host prompt, type: SMrepassist -f and press
.
For more information, see
SMrepassist Utility .
3. Click the Summary tab, then click Storage & Copy Services to ensure that the virtual disk is in
Optimal or Disabled status.
4. Remove the drive letter(s) of the source and (if mounted) virtual disk in Windows or unmount the
virtual drive(s) in Linux to help guarantee a stable copy of the drive for the virtual disk. If this is not
done, the copy operation reports that it has completed successfully, but the copied data is not
updated properly.
5. Follow any additional instructions for your operating system. Failure to follow these additional
instructions can create unusable virtual disk copies.
NOTE: If your operating system requires additional instructions, you can find those instructions
in your operating system documentation.
Recopying The Virtual Disk
You can use the Copy Manager to create a new virtual disk copy for a selected source virtual disk and a
target virtual disk. Use this option when you have stopped a virtual disk copy and want to start it again or
when a virtual disk copy has failed or completed. The virtual disk copy starts over from the beginning.
Keep these guidelines in mind when re-copying a virtual disk:
• If hosts are mapped to the source virtual disk, the data that is copied to the target virtual disk when
you perform the re-copy operation might have changed since the previous virtual disk copy was
created.
• Select only one virtual disk copy in the Copy Manager dialog.
CAUTION: Possible loss of data—The re-copying operation overwrites existing data on the target
virtual disk.
CAUTION: Possible loss of data access—While a virtual disk copy has a status of In Progress or
Pending, source virtual disks are available for read I/O activity only. Write requests are allowed
after the virtual disk copy has completed.
To recopy the virtual disk:
1. Stop all I/O to the source virtual disk and the target virtual disk.
2. Unmount any file systems on the source virtual disk and the target virtual disk.
3. In the AMW, select Copy Services → Virtual Disk Copy → Manage Copies.
The Copy Manager window is displayed.
4. Select the copy pair in the table.
5. Select Copy → Re-Copy.
The Re-Copy window is displayed.
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