Feature Specification

Microcode Level: Product/Feature: Involved Components:

Introduction
EMC Enginuity version 5773 is the latest Enginuity release supporting the Symmetrix Direct Matrix Architecture DMX-3 and DMX-4 storage arrays, and contains features that provide increased storage utilization and optimization, enhanced replication capabilities, greater interoperability and security, and multiple ease-of-use improvements. A key feature available in the Enginuity 5773 Q1 Service Release is Fully Automated Storage Tiering (FAST) for Symmetrix DMX, which provides automated tier management at the LUN/volume level within the array. FAST supports standard provisioned environments for both open systems and mainframe environments. (FAST does not support Symmetrix Virtual Provisioning.)

Enginuity Version 5773 Enhancements for Symmetrix DMX FAST for DMX Fully Automated Storage Tiering Enginuity, Solutions Enabler SYMCLI, Symmetrix Management Console, Optimizer
The primary benefits of FAST for DMX include: Reduced management costs due to reduced time required to monitor and optimize IT infrastructures Improving application performance at the same cost, or providing the same application performance at lower cost. Costs include acquisition (both HW and SW), space/energy, and management expense Management and operation of FAST for Symmetrix DMX is provided by the Symmetrix Management Console (SMC).

Feature description
With the introduction of FAST for Symmetrix DMX, a new type of device movement rule, called a Cross Disk Group rule, has been added to Optimizer. When created, the rule is associated with a list of Symmetrix devices, an Optimizer device list. The Optimizer device list can contain devices of multiple sizes and RAID protection types, configured across multiple physical disk groups and drive types. However, when associated with a Cross Disk Group rule, Optimizer will only perform swaps amongst devices of the same size and protection type. When created, the Cross Disk Group rule will serve as an implicit allocation policy for the Symmetrix device lists associated with the rule. That is to say, if a device list containing 10 equally sized devices is createdwith, for example, two devices configured on EFD, four devices configured on FC, and four devices configured on SATAFAST for DMX will attempt to optimize the workload on each of those 10 devices by swapping devices with other devices on the same list. While the drive type the individual devices are configured on may change, the device list will always be configured with the same initial layout. Multiple Cross Disk Group rules may be created by creating and associating additional device lists. However, FAST for DMX will only perform swaps of devices pairs contained within the same list, and are of the same size and RAID protection type.

Product description
EMC Symmetrix Optimizer improves array performance by continuously monitoring access patterns and migrating devices (Symmetrix logical volumes) to achieve balance across the drives within a physical disk group, and thereby reduce the risk of hot spots. This automated process is based on user-defined parameters and is completely transparent to end users, hosts, and applications in the environment. Traditionally, Symmetrix Optimizer performs operations within a Symmetrix physical disk group that contains drives of the same type. EMC Symmetrix FAST for DMX, built on Symmetrix Optimizer technology, allows device movements to take place between distinct drive technologies. This enables customers to automate the movement and placement of data across drive types, including enterprise flash, Fibre Channel and SATA drives, based on changing requirements, and settings unique to the customers environment. FAST makes it easy and cost effective to provide the right levels of service to critical applications. With FAST, the workload on an array can be balanced across all drives.

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FAST algorithms
FAST for DMX uses two distinct algorithms when determining the appropriate drive technology a device should be configured on. The algorithms, in order of probability, are: EFD promotion/demotion algorithm FC/SATA cross-tier algorithm The goal of the EFD promotion/demotion algorithm is to promote more heavily utilized devices from Fibre Channel or SATA disks to EFDs. The goal of the FC/SATA cross-tier algorithm is to balance utilization across Fibre Channel and SATA technologies. The traditional Optimizer algorithm is also used to balance workloads within a physical disk group.

with the DRV providing protection in the case of a drive failure.

Requirements
Symmetrix DMX-3 and DMX-4 arrays running Enginuity version 5773.155.107 Symmetrix Management Console version 7.1 Solutions Enabler version 7.1 A FAST software license key is required to manage FAST for DMX from SMC A separate Optimizer license key is required to perform intra-disk group optimization

Packaging
FAST is available as part of the FAST Suite for DMX, which (like the FAST Suite for EMC Symmetrix VMAX) includes FAST and the Advanced Tiered Storage Management Bundle (ATSM) components (Symmetrix Priority Controls, Dynamic Cache Partitioning, and Optimizer) Alternatively, customers that already have Optimizer or ATSM can purchase the FAST Add-On model.

Device movement
Device movements performed by FAST for DMX are accomplished by swapping the physical locations of two devices associated with the same Cross Disk Group rule. In order to preserve data on both devices involved in the swap, two Dynamic Reallocation Volumes (DRVs) are used.

Limitations and restrictions

The following considerations apply to FAST: FAST for DMX cannot move logical devices between different RAID schemes When swapping Symmetrix metadevices between disk groups, all members of the metadevice will be swappedmetadevice members may not exist in different physical disk groups. FAST management of Virtual Provisioning devices is not supported, that is, thin devices and DATA devices FAST management of EMC TimeFinder/Snap devices is not supported, that is, VDEV and SAVE devices FAST management of CKD meta (RAID 10), CKD EAV, or IBM i (AS400) devices is not supported At least two DRVs, of each emulation to be swapped, must be configured in the array for FAST to perform swap operations DRVs are required to be the same size, and emulation, as the devices being swapped

On Symmetrix DMX, swaps are performed by changing the individual physical hypers of the devices one at a time. The hypers being swapped will be marked as not ready,

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