Abstract
This paper describes using SYMCLI commands to obtain Symmetrix configuration and status information.
Its focus is on information that will help you perform SRDF and TimeFinder control operations.
Published 4/24/2003
4/24/2003
EMC believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. The information is
subject to change without notice.
Use, copying, and distribution of any EMC software described in this publication requires an applicable
software license.
Table of Contents
Introduction .........................................................................................................4
Purpose and Scope...................................................................................................................... 4
Related Documentation................................................................................................................ 4
Practical Uses......................................................................................................4
Introduction
WideSky Solutions Enabler (SYMCLI) maintains configuration and status information about every device
inside the Symmetrix units that are accessible from your host. This information is stored in a SYMAPI
database file that resides on the host. You can use SYMCLI commands to display in standard or XML
format various levels of information about:
= Symmetrix units attached to the host
= Remote Symmetrix units that are connected by RDF links to the locally-attached Symmetrix units
= Devices within each Symmetrix unit
= A user-defined device group that represents a collection of devices
Related Documentation
The following manuals and white papers provide information related to the concepts in this paper:
= WideSky Solutions Enabler Symmetrix Base Management CLI Product Guide
= WideSky Solutions Enabler Symmetrix SRDF CLI Product Guide
= WideSky Solutions Enabler Symmetrix TimeFinder CLI Product Guide
= WideSky Solutions Enabler Symmetrix Configuration Change CLI Product Guide
= Using SYMCLI to Perform SRDF Control Operations (P/N 300-000-076)
= Using SYMCLI to Set Up TimeFinder BCV Pairs (P/N 300-000-072)
= Using SYMCLI to Set Up TimeFinder Multiple BCVs and Concurrent BCVs (P/N 300-000-073)
= Using SYMCLI to Perform TimeFinder Control Operations (P/N 300-000-074)
Practical Uses
Examining Symmetrix configuration data is especially helpful in understanding the configuration of the
Symmetrix units in your storage complex. Each Symmetrix unit has a unique serial number called a
Symmetrix ID (sid). A listing of Symmetrix units accessible to your host provides the sid for each
Symmetrix unit and specifies whether the unit is local or remote. You can use the sid in subsequent
commands to display more detailed information about that Symmetrix unit, such as a list of SRDF devices
or TimeFinder BCV devices on that Symmetrix unit.
Beginning with SYMCLI version 5.0 (and any Enguinity level supported by SYMAPI), you can use a
symdisk list command to display the configuration and status of the physical disks and their
hypervolumes within a Symmetrix unit. Beginning with Enginuity version 5568 and higher, you can use a
symaudit list command to retrieve information from the Symmetrix Audit Log file from data written
to the file during control operations. This audit information allows you to determine what application on
what host initiated actions that directed Symmetrix behavior.
With SYMCLI version 4.3.1 and higher, you can set an environment variable or include the out XML
option on a command line to produce display output in XML format rather than standard format.
Your hosts SYMAPI database file stores information about the device group and the standard devices and
BCVs included in it. But information about BCV pairs is also stored in the Symmetrix units global
memory, meaning that the Symmetrix remembers previous device pairing relationships that may no
longer be active. Consequently, a BCV or standard device that you add to your device group may have an
existing pairing relationship with a device that does not belong to your device group. Thus, to avoid any
confusion when trying to create new BCV pairs from devices that you added to your device group, EMC
recommends that you examine device status information first.
You can use the symcfg discover command to rebuild your hosts SYMAPI database file with the
most current information about the physical devices directly connected to your host. The command scans
all buses, collects information about all the devices found, and rebuilds the database with collected
information from all locally and remotely attached Symmetrix devices. If you have disconnected a
Symmetrix unit from the configuration since the last discover process, a subsequent symcfg discover
does not automatically remove outdated Symmetrix information from the database file unless you first set
the environment variable SYMCLI_REMOVE_SYMS to a value of 1. (You can also use the symcfg
remove command to remove information about disconnected Symmetrix units.)
The simplest way to display high-level information on Symmetrix units accessible to your host is to invoke
the symcfg list command from the host. For example:
symcfg list
S Y M M E T R I X
The display shows the configuration from the local hosts point of view. The local host is the controlling
host from which you enter SYMCLI commands, and the local Symmetrix unit is the one that is connected to
the local host. A remote Symmetrix unit is one that is connected to the local Symmetrix unit via RDF links.
The display shows that local Symmetrix 161 is connected to remote Symmetrix 505. Both Symmetrix units
are running Enginuity version 5567.
The Num Symm Devices column displays the total number of Symmetrix devices configured for a
Symmetrix unit. The Num Phys Devices column displays only those devices that are mapped to the host
and/or have a physical host device name. The local host has access (read/write capability) to 545 physical
devices on the local Symmetrix unit. The local host (or point-of-view host in this case) cannot access
devices on the remote Symmetrix, which accounts for the zero value under Num Phys Devices.
If you issue the symcfg list command from a host connected to Symmetrix 505, then this Symmetrix
unit is displayed as the Local Symmetrix, and Symmetrix 161 is the Remote unit.
You can add the verbose option (-v) to the symcfg list command to obtain detailed information about
Symmetrix units, such as whether the concurrent RDF and dynamic RDF states are enabled. You can
display details of all Symmetrix units in the configuration or a specific Symmetrix by including its sid on
the command line. For example, to display the details of Symmetrix 233:
symcfg list sid 233 -v
Devices that are configured as PowerPath-connected devices provide support for controlling SRDF
consistency groups and for performing TimeFinder consistent split operations. This Symmetrix display
shows 40 PowerPath configured devices running PowerPath software version 2.1.0.
Both the SDDF Configuration State (the ability to track changes and perform incremental updates) and the
Configuration Change State (the state of allowing configuration changes) are enabled. The WORM (Write
Once Read Many) configuration level is not enabled (N/A) for this Symmetrix unit. The Symmetrix
Configuration Checksum (438DA) indicates the initial Enginuity program load for this configuration. You
can use the symcfg verify command to determine if the Symmetrix configuration has changed
compared to the SYMAPI database.
The last four configuration states in the display are all disabled. Switched RDF involves non-blocking
switching devices that interconnect two or more nodes, allowing a Symmetrix port pair to run full-duplex.
For information about Concurrent RDF, Dynamic RDF, and RDF Data Mobility, refer to the white paper
Using SYMCLI to Perform SRDF Control Operations (P/N 300-000-076).
Another useful SYMCLI command to examine Symmetrix connections is symcfg list ra all.
This command reaches all Symmetrix units that are accessible through RDF links one or two hops away
and displays Remote Link Director information. Information in the Remote SymmID column shows that
Symmetrix units 3264 and 3263 are connected to Symmetrix unit 3265 but that 3263 and 3264 are not
connected to each other. Figure 1 illustrates this Symmetrix configuration.
symcfg list -ra all
S Y M M E T R I X R D F D I R E C T O R S
S Y M M E T R I X R D F D I R E C T O R S
S Y M M E T R I X R D F D I R E C T O R S
Figure 1 illustrates that an RA adapter can be the interface to an RDF link between Symmetrix systems. In
this case, RDF groups (RA groups) represent an established connection between paired R1 and R2 devices,
forming an SRDF-pair-associated link. The Local RA Grp and Remote RA Grp columns list the RA group
numbers in the Figure 1 configuration. RA group 2 forms the RDF link between Symmetrix units 3264 and
3265. RA group 1 forms the link between Symmetrix units 3265 and 3263.
RA Group 2
R1 R2
Host
RA Group 1
R1 R2
BCV
CLI-000019
Other useful options with the symcfg list command are included in Table 1. For a complete list of
options, refer to WideSky Solutions Enabler Symmetrix Base Management CLI Product Guide.
Option Display
-applications sid # Symmetrix-registered applications that have accessed a certain Symmetrix.
-connections sid # All hosts that have accessed a certain Symmetrix.
-services Network services in the client/SYMAPI server connection.
-dir all Configuration and status information about all directors in a Symmetrix unit.
-sa all Configuration of all front-end directors (SA and FA) in a Symmetrix unit.
-lock Symmetrix units that have a Symmetrix external lock.
The partial symdev list output below displays devices on the local Symmetrix unit by default. To
display devices on a remote Symmetrix unit, include the sid option with the identifier of the remote
Symmetrix unit. The ellipsis () indicates where output was omitted. The first column contains a devices
Symmetrix device name (the hexadecimal number that the Symmetrix assigns to each physical device), and
the second column contains its physical device name (host name) if the device is visible to the host.
symdev list
Director information includes the SA front-end director (SCSI adapter) number and port that connects the
device to the host, as well as the DA disk director number and interface that transfers data from the device
to cache. Question marks (???:?) in the SA:P column indicate that this device is not mapped to a front-end
adapter port, or is mapped to multiple ports with no clearly distinguishable primary path.
Device information includes a devices configuration, whether it currently belongs to a device group
(N/Grpd or N/Asstd means it does not), its status (read/write or otherwise), and its storage capacity in
megabytes. A meta head (M), the first device in a meta device, and a meta member (m) are displayed with
these letter notations.
Useful options with the symdev list command include multiport and firstport, which
display devices mapped to multiple front-end adapter ports or to just the first port of information for
devices mapped to more than one port, respectively. Refer to Example 3: Obtaining More Device
Information for displays using these options.
The partial sympd list output below displays the same information as the symdev list output but
only for devices that are visible to the host, listing physical device names in the first column. Any device
with a 3-megabyte (MB) capacity is a configured gatekeeper device. Note that the Not Visible devices
from the previous symdev list display are omitted from this display. N/Grpd means that a standard
device does not currently belong to a device group. N/Asstd means that a BCV does not belong to (is not
associated with) a device group.
sympd list
You can use options with the sympd list command to display only devices of specific interest. For
example, use the -powerpath option to display only the PowerPath devices in a Symmetrix unit.
sympd list -powerpath
P O W E R P A T H D E V I C E S
Each PowerPath device in this display is configured to have multiple physical device names and SA (SCSI
adapter) connections that provide alternate paths for load-balancing and failover capabilities. The physical
device names all represent the same PowerPath device (for example, four physical device names represent
the PowerPath device 041C). The emcpower name is a PowerPath pseudo name; some operating systems
display this name, some do not. Depending on the circumstances, PowerPath determines which path to use.
When determining SRDF devices or BCV devices or both to add to a device group, you can list devices
that have the same type of configuration. Table 2 lists some common options. For a complete list of
options, refer to WideSky Solutions Enabler Symmetrix Base Management CLI Product Guide.
Option Display
-r1 All RDF1 type (R1) devices.
-bcv All BCV devices.
-drv All DRV devices.
-meta All meta devices.
-hotspare All devices that have a dynamic (hot) spare invoked against them.
-r1 -bcv All RDF1 BCV devices (BCVs configured to copy data to a target R2 device).
-sid # -bcv All BCV devices on the Symmetrix identified by its sid number, which is useful for
listing BCVs on a remote Symmetrix while issuing commands from the local host.
-nobcv All standard devices.
Option Display
-range begin:end A range of devices between a beginning device name and an ending device name.
-N # The number of devices to list (for example, N 9 to list nine devices).
-dynamic Displays devices that are configured as capable of being either dynamic R1 or R2
devices1. When combined with the r1 option, the display is limited to devices
configured as capable of being only dynamic R1 devices. When combined with the
r2 option, the display shows devices capable of being only dynamic R2 devices.
Because the primary purpose of RDF BCV devices is to mirror data from a local Symmetrix on a target
Symmetrix, these BCV devices are usually configured to be not accessible (not visible) to the local host for
read/write access. The following display shows R1 BCV devices that, in this instance, happen to be Not
Visible to this host. N/Asstd means the devices are not associated with any existing device group.
symdev list -r1 -bcv
The following symdev list command invoked from the local host displays BCVs on remote
Symmetrix 505. These remote devices are Not Visible to (not accessible for I/O by) the local host.
However, if you were to invoke the same command from a remote host connected to Symmetrix 505, the
viewpoint and display would change. From the remote hosts viewpoint, these devices are visible.
symdev list sid 505 -bcv
For detailed configuration information about a specific device, use the sympd show PdevName
command or symdev show SymDevName. The following symdev show command displays the
details of BCV 0064, which is an R1 BCV that belongs to a device group named sar. It acquired the logical
device name BCV001 by default when it was associated with this device group. Figure 2 at the end of this
display illustrates the configuration in which this device participates.
1
With Enginuity version 5567, SRDF devices are configured for dynamic R1/R2 swap (fast swap) when a Symmetrix unit is
configured. With Enginuity version 5568 and the introduction of full-fledged dynamic RDF, non-SRDF devices are configured
such that they can become dynamic SRDF pairs when you use the symrdf createpair command.
Vendor ID : EMC
Product ID : SYMMETRIX
Product Revision : 5568
Device Capacity
{
Cylinders : 9206
Tracks : 138090
512-byte Blocks : 8837760
MegaBytes : 4315
KiloBytes : 4418880
}
Dynamic Spare Invoked: No means that no dynamic spare (hot spare) was invoked for a failed disk.
The Service State: Normal is a setting that relates to mirrors. If the configuration is SRDF and
partitioned, the service state for SRDF is Degraded. If the configuration is TimeFinder and the DA is write-
disable, the service state is Degraded; if the DA is Not Ready, the service state is Failed.
The Device Status: Not Ready means that the host cannot read or write to the device, but it can see it
(for example, when a BCV is established and goes to an NR state).
The Device SA Status: N/A means that the device is not mapped to an SA. Other possible settings when
checking the read/write status on the SA are Not Ready, Write Disabled, or Ready.
The next section displays Disk Director information related to Symmetrix device 0064. The Hyper Status
of Not Ready means that the part of the physical disk to which BCV 0064 is mapped is not currently
accessible for reads or writes by its host. Either the BCV device is established (which is the case here) or it
is in trouble (Not Ready) on the DA.
The BCV Pair Information section shows that BCV 0064 is paired with local standard device 0000.
The BCV Device Status: Not Ready means that currently there is no read/write access to the BCV by its
host. State of Pair indicates that the BCV pair is currently in the Synchronized state.
The BCV State Flags: (inc) means that, on the next split operation, data from the BCVs moving mirror
will be incrementally copied to its fixed mirror. Ordinarily, this setting is displayed on a full establish.
The RDF Information section of this display shows that BCV 0064 is also configured as an SRDF pair with
a remote R2 device (0218) on the remote Symmetrix (sid 505).
RDF Information
{
Device Symmetrix Name : 0064
RDF Type : R1
RDF (RA) Group Number : 2 (B)
Device RDF Status: Ready is specific to the R1 side, which is almost always Ready except when a device
is in Domino mode. Device SA Status: N/A means that the device is not mapped to any SA. Device RA
Status: Ready means that the RA is ready for read/write activity. Device Link Status: Not Ready means
that the R1 devices RDF link to the remote R2 device is currently suspended.
Device Suspend State: N/A means that the device does not belong to an enabled consistency group or
that it does but is synchronized and does not have an R1 suspend state. If the device is part of a tripped
consistency group, its Suspend State can be Pending Offline or Offline.Device Consistency State:
Disabled means that the device is not part of an enabled consistency group.
RDF Pair State indicates that the SRDF pair is currently in the Suspended state, as you would expect
when an R1 BCV is synchronized locally as a BCV pair. (Establishing an R1 BCV in a local BCV pairing
relationship automatically suspends the R1 BCVs RDF link to its paired R2 device.) Device RDF State:
Not Ready is a composite setting that means the R1 device (0064) is not currently accessible for copying
data to its R2 device. Remote Device RDF State means that the remote R2 device (0218) is write
disabled to its host.
The resolution of invalid tracks depends on which operation you perform. For instance, you can have
remote invalids on both the R1 and R2 sides prior to an establish or a restore operation. If so, performing an
establish operation copies modified R1 tracks to the R2 side. A restore operation indicates the opposite
that you want to copy modified R2 tracks to the R1 side. In this display, there are no invalid tracks.
0000
Standard
0064 0218
Source SRDF Target
(R1) Pair (R2)
RDF BCV Standard
CLI-000017
Entries in the RDF Typ:G column identify the device as either an R1 or R2 device and the RDF (RA) group
number after the colon. The display also shows the state of the SRDF devices and their RDF links. For the
SRDF pairs that are in the Synchronized state, the R1 devices are read-writeable (RW), and the RDF links
are read-writeable (RW). However, the state of their remote devices (Rdev), which are acting as mirrors to
the R1 devices, are not ready (NR) and cannot be written to by the target-side host at this time.
The reverse is true for those SRDF pairs that are in the Suspended state. In this case, the R1 devices are
write disabled (WD), the RDF links are not ready (NR), and the remote devices are read-writeable (RW).
The R2 Invalid Tracks column indicates the number of tracks that have been written to the R2 side since
the suspension of the RDF links.
The RDF links for these devices are operating either in synchronous mode (SYN) or Adaptive Copy mode
(ACp). Domino mode is disabled (DIS). When in Adaptive Copy mode, the modes type is either Adaptive
Copy Disk (AD) or Adaptive Copy Write-Pending (WP). Status information about the Front End Director
(SA) and Remote Link Director (RA) is also displayed.
By default, symrdf list displays devices by their Symmetrix device name. To display host-visible
devices by their physical device name, include the pd argument on the command line.
Options such as r1, r2, bcv, or nobcv allow you to display a list of specific interest, such as
just the R1 devices, R2 devices, BCV devices, or standard devices. For a complete list of options for this
command, refer to WideSky Solutions Enabler Symmetrix SRDF CLI Product Guide.
If the concurrent RDF configuration state is enabled for a Symmetrix unit, use the concurrent option
to display devices that are configured as concurrent RDF pairs. For example:
symrdf list -sid 77 -concurrent
The display shows an R1 source device (028) paired with two R2 target devices (050 and 000); Symmetrix
device 029 is paired concurrently with devices 051 and 001. Note that each of the two concurrent devices
of an SRDF concurrent pair belongs to a different RDF group (1 and 2).
If the dynamic RDF configuration state is enabled for a Symmetrix unit, you can use the dynamic
option to display SRDF pairs whose devices have been configured as dynamic SRDF devices. With
Enginuity version 5567, the following display shows SRDF devices that have been configured for dynamic
swap (fast swap).
With Enginuity version 5568, this display will show devices configured for RDF use and created as
dynamic SRDF pairs using the symrdf createpair command. Once you have created dynamic
SRDF pairs, you can display all, or subsets of, these pairs by omitting or including various options with the
symrdf list dynamic command(both, r1, or r2). Including the both option displays
dynamic SRDF pairs in which the paired devices can be either R1 or R2 devices (a requirement for
dynamic R1/R2 swap). Including the r1 option displays only dynamic SRDF pairs in which R1 devices
cannot become R2 devices. Including the r2 option displays only R2 devices that cannot become R1
devices. Omitting all three of these options displays all dynamic SRDF pairs, regardless of their device
configurations.
When you initially form a device group, membership information about the groups BCVs and standards
may differ from the pairing information stored inside the Symmetrix. For example, a BCV or standard that
you add to your device group could have a current pairing relationship with a device that does not belong to
the device group.
Figure 3 shows that while the standard device 084 and BCV 089 are members of the same device group,
the record in the Symmetrix indicates that the same standard device 084 was last paired with BCV 088 and
still has a pairing relationship with that device. Any attempt to establish an 084/089 pair would fail without
the use of a preferred pair attachment or symmir full establish command options that override
the standards prior pairing relationship with BCV 088.
Host
Symmetrix
Figure 3. Device Group Memberships that Overlap with BCV Pairing Relationships
If you are creating BCV pairing relationships from devices that have never been paired, the process is
relatively straightforward. However, if previous pairings may exist from old device groups, check the status
of devices before adding them to your group. Even if no old device groups exist, device pairings may have
been made using a device file, or the Symmetrix may still be keeping track of device pairs that belonged to
an old device group that was deleted, or devices may have been paired from a different host.
To check if BCV devices already belong to a device group, use the symdev list bcv command:
symdev list -bcv
Asstd means that BCVs 08A and 08B belong to (are associated with) a device group. N/Asstd means
that BCVs 088 and 089 are not associated with a device group. To determine which device group BCVs
08A and 08B belong to, you can use the symdev show 08A and symdev show 08B commands.
To check if BCV devices have a current pairing relationship, use the symbcv list command:
symbcv list
The Split status of BCVs 088, 089, 08A, and 08B means that these devices have a current pairing
relationship with a standard device (084, 085, 086, and 087, respectively). To establish one of these BCVs
with a different standard device would require a symmir command that explicitly overrides the current
pairing relationship.
The display also shows two BCVs (030 and 031) that are not visible to the host and do not have a current
pairing relationship. NeverEstab means never established. Also, these two BCVs constitute a meta device
a meta head (M) and a meta member (m).
The symdg list command displays a list of any device groups that have already been defined in your
hosts SYMAPI database file. The symdg show DgName command displays the membership and
configuration details of any existing device group2. For example, the following display of an RDF1 type
device group named RDFGrp1 shows that the group includes seven local standard devices, seven locally
associated BCVs, and seven remotely associated BCVs (devices located on a remote Symmetrix unit but
associated with the device group defined on the local host). Figure 4 in the middle of this display illustrates
this configuration. The device group also includes one gatekeeper device (GK), which means that this
gatekeeper device is dedicated to the standard devices in this device group.
symdg show RDFGrp1
2
The symcg list and symcg show commands display the same information for an SRDF consistency group.
Standard R2
Host
R1 BRBCV
BCV
CLI-000018
The first part of the symdg show output displays local information about the device group, including the
names and status of each device belonging to the group. Note that each device has a physical device name
(PdevName), Symmetrix device name (a four-digit hexadecimal number that the Symmetrix assigns to each
physical device)3, and logical device name (LdevName). When you add a device to a device group, a
logical device name is assigned to it by default or by specifying a specific name on the command line.
This second part of the symdg show output displays the device groups RDF information, including the
identity of each remote Symmetrix unit in the configuration, RDF configuration settings, and the combined
state of all BCV RDF devices in the group and their RDF links.
Device Group BCV RDF Information
{
RDF Type : R1
RDF (RA) Group Number : 2 (B)
3
Prior to Enginuity version 5568, a Symmetrix device name is a three-digit hexadecimal number.
The SYMCLI query argument is a useful means of displaying information about device pairs, especially
real-time status of Symmetrix devices belonging to a device group or consistency group. Querying a
TimeFinder device group displays the state of BCV pairs in a Symmetrix unit. Querying an SRDF device
group or consistency group displays the state of SRDF pairs in a configuration in which data copying
occurs over RDF links. Table 3 lists several often used commands that use the query argument.
The following symmir query command shows the status of the four BCV pairs in the device group
after an establish operation was performed. Two of the pairs are fully synchronized, and two are still in
progress (the BCVs Inv Tracks column indicating the number of invalid tracks on the BCV that still need
to be copied from the standard device). An asterisk (*) next to the BCVs device name means that the BCV
belongs to the device group. If the asterisk is absent, the BCV is outside the device group.
symmir -g ProdBgrp query
Legend:
After splitting all BCV pairs in this device group and concurrently establishing DEV001 with BCV003 and
BCV004, a symmir query command with the multi option displays the DEV001 relationship with
the two concurrent BCVs as well as its prior pairing relationship with BCV001. The DEV002 standard
device still has a pairing relationship with BCV002. However, the prior pairing relationships of DEV003
and DEV004 with their BCVs were superceded by DEV001s new pairing relationship with those BCVs.
symmir -g ProdBgrp query -multi
Option Display
-attach The BCV attachment relationship and pairing relationship.
-multi All BCVs that can be incrementally established with or restored to the standard device.
-bg All BCVs that are still splitting in the background after an instant split.
-percent Used with the bg option to display what percent of the background split has occurred.
-protect The status of a protected restore operation.
The symrdf query command displays the state of a device groups SRDF devices and their RDF
links.
symrdf -g Rdf1Grp query
The R1 devices are read-writeable, and the RDF links are read-writeable. However, the R2 devices, which
are acting as mirrors to the R1 devices, are write disabled (WD) and cannot be written to by their target-
side host(s) at this time. The link is operating in synchronous mode (indicated by SYN in the Mode
column). One of the SRDF pairs is fully synchronized and one is still in the process of synchronizing. On
the SyncInProg pair, 830 R2 invalid tracks on the source (R1) side still remain to be copied to the target
device (055) to complete the synchronization process. The R2 invalid tracks on the R1 side represent those
tracks that are still owed to the R2 side.
Table 5 includes some of the more commonly used options with the symrdf query command.
Option Display
-bcv All RDF BCV devices that are members of a device groups SRDF pairs.
-rdfg all Ensures that the display shows the status of both links of a concurrent SRDF pair.
-rdfg # Status of each concurrent R2 mirror whose link is represented by the RDF group number (#).
-i # Redisplays SRDF pair status in intervals specified as a number (#) in seconds, which is
especially useful when monitoring an update until operation.
The symcfg discover command builds or rebuilds your hosts SYMAPI database file with the most
current information about the physical devices directly connected to your host. The command scans all
buses, collects information about all the devices found, and rebuilds the database with collected
information from all locally and remotely attached Symmetrix devices.
# symcfg discover
The symcfg list command displays the configuration information from the local hosts SYMAPI
database file.
# symcfg list
S Y M M E T R I X
The symcfg verify command determines if the Symmetrix configuration and the SYMAPI database
file are in sync. If they are out of sync, the verify action returns code 24 (CLI_C_NOT_IN_SYNC). If they
are in sync, the verify action returns code zero (the CLI_C_SUCCESS value) as shown below using the
echo $status command.
# echo $status
0
A new device is now added to local Symmetrix 814, changing the configuration. The verify action is
repeated, and its output shows an out-of-sync condition. The echo $status command returns the
value 24, confirming that the configuration and the database configuration information are now out of sync.
The Symmetrix configuration and the database file are NOT in sync.
# echo $status
24
The symcfg discover command rebuilds your hosts SYMAPI database file with the most current
information.
# symcfg discover
The symcfg list command now displays the updated configuration information from the local hosts
rebuilt SYMAPI database file. Note that the number of Symmetrix devices displayed for Symmetrix 814
has increased from 1085 (shown in the previous symcfg list) to 1086.
# symcfg list
S Y M M E T R I X
The symcfg verify command confirms that the configuration and SYMAPI database file are now in
sync again.
Using the connections option with symcfg list command allows you to see the host
connections to a Symmetrix unit. Only those hosts that have at least one registered application are listed.
The node name hk185500814 is the service processor.
Symmetrix ID : 000185500814
Symmetrix Host
------------- -----------------------------------------------------------
Director Port Node Name IP Address HW Type OS Name OS Revision
-------- ---- ------------- --------------- -------- -------- -----------
Using the sorthost option with the connections option and symcfg list command allows
you to display the host connections to Symmetrix units by host rather than by Symmetrix ID. The ellipsis
() represents truncated output.
Host Symmetrix
------------------------------------------------- --------------------------
Node Name IP Address OS Name OS Revision ID Director Port
------------ --------------- -------- ----------- ------------ -------- ----
External locks are used to lock access to the entire Symmetrix unit during critical operations. SYMAPI uses
lock numbers 0 to 15; applications assigned by EMC use lock numbers greater than 15. By default, the
symcfg list lock command displays what Symmetrix units have a lock number of 0 (used to lock
a Symmetrix during SRDF operations). The display shows two unlocked Symmetrix units.
S Y M M E T R I X L O C K S
Using the lockn option with symcfg list displays Symmetrix units that have a specific lock
number. Specifying zero (0) in the following command displays Symmetrix units that currently have an
external lock for SRDF operations. That is, an SRDF control operation was executing when this command
was issued. Using the lockn RDF option displays Symmetrix units that have any of the sixteen locks
(0x100 to 0x10F) used during SRDF operations. Using the lockn ALL option displays these operation
locks plus other locks used by such applications as Optimizer, device masking, and Configuration Manager.
S Y M M E T R I X L O C K S
Using the applications option with symcfg list displays all applications that are registered in
a Symmetrix unit and that have accessed that Symmetrix unit. The following display lists such applications
on a Symmetrix unit (sid 814) connected to the local host. An application listed with the connections
option is not listed here if it has never accessed the Symmetrix unit.
Symmetrix ID : 000185500814
Host Application
---------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
Node Name IP Address ID Vendor ID Version Attr
------------ --------------- ---------------- ---------------- --------------
Using the semaphores option with symcfg list displays gatekeeper (GK), database (DB), and
lock file (FILE) semaphores.
S Y M A P I S E M A P H O R E S
Lock Proc.
ID Key State Type Wait Lock Full Path Specification
------ ---------- -------- ---- ----- ----------------------------
Using the services option with symcfg list displays configured network services for use by the
SYMAPI client. These services are listed in the network services file (netcnfg) in the /var/symapi/config
directory.
S Y M A P I N E T S E R V I C E S
Port
Name Domain Type Node Name Address Number
------------ ------ -------- -------------------- --------------- ------
SYMAPI uses device external locks in a Symmetrix unit to lock BCV pairs during TimeFinder operations
and SRDF pairs during SRDF control operations. The following command displays external locks on
standard devices on Symmetrix 814 during a Symmetrix Automated Replication (SAR) operation. That is,
the command was issued in the middle of a SAR cycle.
S Y M M E T R I X D E V I C E L O C K S
Using the multiport option with the symdev list command displays devices that are mapped to
multiple front-end SCSI (SA) adapter ports. For example, the following display shows Symmetrix device
0000 mapped to SA ports 12B:0 and 05B:0. Other devices (Sym column) are mapped to these same ports.
M U L T I - P O R T D E V I C E S
Using the firstport option with the symdev list command displays just the first port of
information for devices that are mapped to multiple ports.
Using the resv option with the sympd list command displays all Symmetrix devices that have
SCSI reservations.
The symdev list command with the meta option shows the meta head member on the meta
device. Concated means that the meta device consists of a certain number (# of Devs) of concatenated
devices. Striped means that the meta device is striped in Stripe Size chunks across # of Devs devices.
"Cap MB" is the total capacity of the entire meta device (meta head plus meta members).
When a disk fails, a hot spare (a spare disk) is invoked against it. All devices that have mirrors
(hypervolumes) on the failed disk against which the hot spare was invoked, are shown in the symdev
list hotspare display as having a hot spare invoked against them. This display shows that
Symmetrix 120 has not had any hot spares invoked against failed disks, whereas Symmetrix 180 shows one
hot (dynamic) spare invocation against disk 01A:D0. Note that Unprotected devices with a hot spare
invoked against them become not ready (NR) because unprotected devices have no mirror to kick in to
mirror the spare hypervolume. On the other hand, mirrored devices stay ready (RW) when a hot spare is
invoked against them.
The symcfg list command displays high-level information on Symmetrix units in this configuration.
# symcfg list
S Y M M E T R I X
With Enginuity version 5568 and higher, the symdev list command with the dynamic option
displays devices that have been created as, or are capable of being created as, dynamic SRDF devices using
the symrdf createpair command. Devices on Symmetrix 810 that are visible to the host are capable
of being dynamically paired as either R1 or R2 devices. When combined with the r1 option, symdev
list dynamic displays only devices capable of being dynamic R1 devices; when combined with the
r2 option, only devices capable of being dynamic R2 devices are displayed. RDF1+Mir devices in the
display have already been created as dynamic R1 devices, but are still capable of being either an R1 or R2
device (a requirement for dynamic R1/R2 swap).
This display is similar to the symdg show RDFGrp1 display on page 19, but shows a configuration in
which five local R1 devices are the source devices and five remotely associated BCVs are the targets. That
is, the R1 devices copy data to their R2 devices, which copy that data to the BCVs located on the same
remote Symmetrix unit.
This second part of the symdg show output displays the device groups RDF information, including the
identity of the remote Symmetrix unit (sid 505), RDF configuration settings (Enabled or Disabled), and the
combined state of all standard RDF devices in the group and their RDF links (ReadyRead/Write enabled
or Write Disabled).
It is possible to get device configuration and status information about devices by querying the device group
to which they have been added. The symmir query command displays the status of BCV pairs in a
device group, Rdf1Grp, that contains one SRDF standard device and one local BCV device. The BCV pair
is currently in the Split state.
Legend:
The symrdf query command displays the status of SRDF pairs in the device group. The R1 source
device (010F) is currently suspended from its R2 target device (00BF).
The symdg show command with the lock option displays existing device external locks on devices
within the device group named sar. The display shows which devices on the local and remote Symmetrix
units are locked during Symmetrix Automated Replication (that is, in the middle of a SAR cycle).
S Y M M E T R I X D E V I C E G R O U P L O C K S
The symdisk list command displays the configuration and status of the physical disks and their
hypervolumes within a Symmetrix unit. A disk is identified by its DA symbol (Symb), its interface (Int)
and its target ID (TID). To display verbose information about a specific disk (for example, 01A:C3) and its
hypervolumes, use symdisk list da 01A interface C tid 3 v hypers.
# symdisk list
Symmetrix ID : 000185500814
Disks Selected : 96
Capacity(MB)
Ident Symb Int TID Vendor Type Hypers Total Free
------ ---- --- --- ---------- ---------- ------ -------- --------
DA-1A 01A C 0 SEAGATE CHET_73 17 70007 446
DA-1A 01A C 1 SEAGATE CHET_73 17 70007 446
DA-1A 01A C 2 SEAGATE CHET_73 16 70007 962
DA-1A 01A C 3 SEAGATE CHET_73 16 70007 962
DA-1A 01A C 4 SEAGATE CHET_73 15 70007 5465
DA-1A 01A C 5 SEAGATE CHET_73 19 70007 5977
DA-1A 01A D 0 SEAGATE CHET_73 17 70007 446
DA-1A 01A D 1 SEAGATE CHET_73 17 70007 446
DA-1A 01A D 2 SEAGATE CHET_73 16 70007 962
DA-1A 01A D 3 SEAGATE CHET_73 16 70007 962
DA-1A 01A D 4 SEAGATE CHET_73 17 70007 1666
DA-1A 01A D 5 SEAGATE CHET_73 16 70007 2697
DA-2A 02A C 0 SEAGATE CHET_73 17 70007 446
DA-2A 02A C 1 SEAGATE CHET_73 17 70007 446
DA-2A 02A C 2 SEAGATE CHET_73 16 70007 962
DA-2A 02A C 3 SEAGATE CHET_73 16 70007 962
DA-2A 02A C 4 SEAGATE CHET_73 16 70007 5466
DA-2A 02A C 5 SEAGATE CHET_73 19 70007 5977
DA-2A 02A D 0 SEAGATE CHET_73 17 70007 446
DA-2A 02A D 1 SEAGATE CHET_73 16 70007 962
DA-2A 02A D 2 SEAGATE CHET_73 16 70007 962
DA-2A 02A D 3 SEAGATE CHET_73 18 70007 3612
DA-2A 02A D 4 SEAGATE CHET_73 18 70007 1667
DA-2A 02A D 5 SEAGATE CHET_73 18 70007 1667
DA-15A 15A C 0 SEAGATE CHET_73 17 70007 446
DA-15A 15A C 1 SEAGATE CHET_73 17 70007 446
DA-15A 15A C 2 SEAGATE CHET_73 16 70007 962
DA-15A 15A C 3 SEAGATE CHET_73 16 70007 962
DA-15A 15A C 4 SEAGATE CHET_73 16 70007 5466
DA-15A 15A C 5 SEAGATE CHET_73 19 70007 1664
DA-15A 15A D 0 SEAGATE CHET_73 17 70007 446
DA-15A 15A D 1 SEAGATE CHET_73 16 70007 962
DA-15A 15A D 2 SEAGATE CHET_73 16 70007 962
DA-15A 15A D 3 SEAGATE CHET_73 16 70007 962
The symaudit commands retrieve information from the Symmetrix Audit Log file from data written to
the file during control operations. This information allows you to determine what application on what host
initiated actions that directed Symmetrix behavior. The symaudit show command below displays the
time period and quantity of data in the Audit Log file that relate to local Symmetrix 814.
# symaudit show
A U D I T L O G D A T A
Symmetrix ID : 000185500814
The following symaudit list command displays the extracted audit log records for local Symmetrix
814 during the time period that data was collected. The ellipsis () indicates where some output was
omitted for brevity.
# symaudit list
A U D I T L O G D A T A
Symmetrix ID : 000185500814
Using the text option with the symaudit list command displays the text associated with the
audit log record.
A U D I T L O G D A T A
Symmetrix ID : 000185500814
The following symaudit list command displays detailed information about record number 124
during a TimeFinder split operation (that is, the BCV is being split from its paired standard device). The
Text line displays which BCV pairs are being split (for example, device 0390 from device 03A0).
A U D I T L O G D A T A
Symmetrix ID : 000185500814
By default, the symcfg list command produces a standard mode output display as shown below.
# symcfg list
S Y M M E T R I X
# export SYMCLI_OUTPUT_MODE=xml
The symcfg list command now produces the same output in XML format.
# symcfg list
<SymCLI_ML>
<Symmetrix id="000185500814" attachment="Local" model="8230"
microcode_version="5568" cache_megabytes="4096"
physical_devices="757"
devices="1097"/>
<Symmetrix id="000185500505" attachment="Remote" model="8230"
microcode_version="5568" cache_megabytes="8192" physical_devices="0"
devices="970"/>
</SymCLI_ML>
The unset command terminates the previous setting for SYMCLI_OUTPUT_MODE. In effect, this
operation returns the mode setting to standard mode.
# unset SYMCLI_OUTPUT_MODE
By default, the symcfg list command should now produce its output in standard mode. However, the
following command includes the out XML option to again display output in XML format rather than
standard format.
<SymCLI_ML>
<Symmetrix id="000185500814" attachment="Local" model="8230"
microcode_version="5568" cache_megabytes="4096"
physical_devices="757"
devices="1097"/>
<Symmetrix id="000185500505" attachment="Remote" model="8230"