Symmetrix and VMAX3 offer the following functions which are integrated in SHC-OSD:
SRDF (Symmetrix Remote Data Facility)
SRDF can be used to back up the productive data onto a second, geographically distant storage system without any additional load on the server. The second storage system can (theoretically) be installed at any location. In the event of a disaster, a copy of the data is always available on this remote storage system. Thus failure recovery functionality is provided. In this manual, the term disaster indicates the simultaneous failure of the local system and/or the local Symmetrix/VMAX3 of a Data Center, e.g. in the event of damage due to fire, flood, explosion, earthquake, etc.TimeFinder and TimeFinder SnapVX
The functions of the TimeFinder family enable copies of a unit to be generated. These copies can be addressed separately and used to process critical data separately, e.g. for backup or test purposes.For Symmetrix, the TimeFinder family consists of the TimeFinder/Snap and TimeFinder/Clone functions.
The TimeFinder SnapVX function is offered instead of the TimeFinder family for VMAX3. The TimeFinder/Clone function is implemented compatibly by SHC-OSD in the previous scope with the previous interfaces using TimeFinder SnapVX. The TimeFinder/Snap function is not offered. Snapshots are offered with enhanced functionality by TimeFinder SnapVX and implemented compatibly by SHC-OSD in the previous scope by TimeFinder/Snap with the previous interfaces.
These functions are also collectively referred to as the replication functions of the storage systems. See also the chapter "Overview of the replication functions".
virtual provisioning
The virtual provisioning function offers options for efficient use of the capacity of storage systems by preconfiguring devices with a virtual capacity.
VMAX3 is implemented completely with Virtual provisioning.
Meta volumes (not for VMAX3)
The Symmetrix systems offer the option of working with meta volumes. A meta volume consists of multiple Symmetrix volumes. Only the first of the volumes (meta header volume) is visible to the server . The remaining meta member volumes are visible under SHC-OSD only as “non-generated” devices.
Meta volumes can be used as striped volumes (parallel addressing) and as concatenated volumes (sequential addressing).