HP XP P9500 Storage - Manual (Page 30)

Connecting mainframe volumes
Mainframe volumes, that pre-exist on an external storage system and are accessed by FICON
channels, cannot connect directly to the P9500 storage system as an external volume. The P9500
storage system does not recognize these volumes because of the fibre channel.
To use external volumes as mainframe volumes, there are two ways:
•
Zero-format external volumes on the external storage system side, map the external volumes
to the internal volumes using External Storage on the local storage system side, and then
perform the Write to Control Blocks operation using the Virtual LVI/Virtual LUN function on
the local storage system side.
•
Map the external volumes to the internal volumes using External Storage on the local storage
system side, and then format the mapped external volumes using the Virtual LVI/Virtual LUN
function on the local storage system side.
If you set the emulation type for the mainframe system (for example, 3390) as you map the external
volume, the status of the mapped volume becomes Blockade after the mapping operation. After
the system administrator performs the Write to Control Blocks operation or formats the mapped
external volumes using the Virtual LVI function on the local storage system side, the mainframe host
can then access the new mainframe volume through the local storage system’s FICON channels.
NOTE: If you format the mapped volume of the external storage system from the external storage
system side, the existing data before formatting cannot be assured. When you use the mapped
external volume from the mainframe operating system, format the mapped volume from the local
storage system (P9500) side.
For the procedures of the volume formatting operation and the Write to Control Blocks operation,
see the HP P9000 Provisioning for Mainframe Systems User Guide.
Connecting open systems volumes
Open systems volumes in external storage systems connect to and are recognized by the P9500
storage system as open-systems volumes, without requiring reformatting. Reformatting is not required
because the connection between the P9500 storage system and the external storage system is fibre
channel. If you need to initialize the data area for the volume, format the volume using the Virtual
LUN function. For the procedure of the volume formatting operation, see the HP P9000 Provisioning
for Open Systems User Guide.
OPEN-V emulation is recommended because, in most cases, OPEN-V emulation provides the most
efficient use of storage and the best performance. Also, emulation types other than OPEN-V may
not retain existing data after being mapped.
Choosing mapping policy
Mapping policy is a list of settings of the necessary information for mapping the external volume.
By setting the mapping policy in advance, mapping will be easier.
The default mapping policy is prepared in advance. Users can change the values of the default
mapping policy.
Port discovery and volume discovery
Port discovery and volume discovery are processes that find external volumes, and are executed
when you map external volumes or when you add external paths.
Port discovery searches for and gets information about target ports of the connected external
storage system from an external port of the local storage system. The latest information about the
external storage system can be viewed in a dialog box of the External Storage when you execute
port discovery.
30 Prerequisites