Dell POWERVAULT MD3600I - Manual (Page 190)

1. In the AMW of the local storage array, select the Storage & Copy Services tab.
2. Select Copy Services → Remote Replication → Remote Replication → Replication Group → Create.
The Create Remote Replication Group window is displayed.
3. In Remote replication group name, enter a group name (30 characters maximum).
4. In the Choose the remote storage array drop-down, select a remote storage array.
NOTE: If a remote storage array is not available, you cannot continue. Verify your network configuration or
contact your network administrator.
5. In the Connection type drop-down, choose your data protocol (iSCSI or Fibre Channel only).
6. Select View synchronization settings to set the synchronization settings for your Remote Replication group.
For more information on the synchronization settings, see the online help topics.
7. Click OK.
The Remote Replication group is created.
Replicated Pairs
The last step in setting up Remote Replication is creating a replicated pair of virtual disks and placing them in an
already-created Remote Replication group.
A replicated pair consists of two virtual disks, one serving as the primary virtual disk on the local storage array and the
other serving as the secondary virtual disk on the remote storage array. In a successful Remote Replication
configuration, both these virtual disks contain identical copies of the same data. The replicated pair is contained in
Remote Replication group, allowing them to synchronize at the same time as any other replicated pairs within the same
Remote Replication group.
At the I/O level, all write operations are performed first to the primary virtual disk and then to the secondary virtual disk.
Guidelines for Choosing Virtual Disks in a Replicated Pair
The first step of creating a replicated pair begins by adding a virtual disk to the Remote Replication group on the local
storage array. This virtual disk then becomes the primary virtual disk in the remote replicated pair. When a virtual disk
on the remote storage array is added to same Remote Replication group, the replicated pair creation process is
complete. This remote storage virtual disk becomes the secondary virtual disk in the replicated pair.
The two virtual disks -- one on the local storage array and one on the remote storage array -- essentially function as a
single entity and allow you to manage the pair in tandem, not as two individual virtual disks.
Guidelines For Choosing Virtual Disks In A Replicated Pair
The following guidelines apply:
• Only standard virtual disks can be used in a replicated pair. Thin provisioned or snapshot virtual disks (any type)
cannot be used.
• The Remote Replication premium feature must be enabled and activated on the local and remote storage arrays
used for replication before creating replication pairs or Remote Replication groups.
• Local and remote storage arrays must be connected using supported Fibre Channel or iSCSI connections.
• The remote storage array must contain a virtual disk that is greater than or equal to the capacity of the primary
virtual disk on the local storage array.
• Creating a replicated pair requires you to use the AMW of the local storage array and the AMW of the remote
storage array to complete the creation process. Make sure that you have access to both storage arrays.
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