Application tagging for HPE 3PAR and HPE Primera volumes

User can represent an application instance that is running on the host, consuming storage from the 3PAR virtual volumes as an App Volume Set. You can manage the App Volume Sets resource from HPE SSMC. You can create or add existing virtual volumes which are part of an application instance to an app volume set. You can associate application properties like the instance name, type, and business unit to the App Volume Set.

You can perform actions like create, edit, delete, export, and unexport an app volume set from the app volume sets screen. The App Volume Set detail pane include the following views: Overview, Capacity, Exports, Performance, Activity, Map. You can also perform the snapshot and peer motion operations for the app volume set through the corresponding virtual volume set screen.

App Volume Sets enables the storage system management to be more application aware and intelligent. You can create new virtual volumes in an optimal storage system based on the system ranking provided by SSMC using the saturation levels over a period of seven days. You will get to see the free available capacity in the system and the time series saturation graph for seven days which include historical and forecasted values using which you can choose the best fit system. The historical saturation data of seven days is considered for the forecast values. You can associate the newly created virtual volumes to an app volume set. System ranking based on saturation and the saturation graph is available only for all flash systems. For other arrays, system ranking is based on free available capacity.

Following is the list of application tags and policies available to associate to a volume or set of volumes (existing volumes or during the creation of new volumes):

• Name

  Mandatory field. Name of the application instance consuming storage from the virtual volumes on the 3PAR system and HPE Primera storage systems. For example, for SQL application, it could be server FQDN/SQL server named instance or any other name which is unique in the HPE 3PAR system.

• Application

  Mandatory field. It is the type of the application instance consuming storage from the virtual volumes on the 3PAR system. SSMC provides a prepopulated list of application types which you can choose from or enter your own application type.

• Business Unit

  Optional field. Identifies the business unit of the application to a volume or a set of volumes in the 3PAR systems.

• Volume Selection

  SSMC supports the following options for volume selection:

  • Use Existing Volumes

  • Create New Volumes

  Use Existing Volumes: If you intend to use existing volumes, then select the Use Existing volumes followed by domain and the HPE 3PAR system of the virtual volumes. In App Volume Set Members field, select the virtual volumes to be added to the app volume set. SSMC supports the following filters for intended virtual volume search:

  • All Volumes

  • Hosts

  • Host Sets

  • VV Sets

  Create New Volumes: If you intend to create volumes, then provide the following information in the virtual volumes panel:

  • Number of volumes: Number of virtual volumes you want to create.

  • Size: Size of the virtual volume you want to create.

  The App Volume Set Members panel appears, only after you enter your choices in the fields available in Virtual Volumes panel. The App Volume Set Members panel contains the rows for the number of volumes entered along with the size for each volume. You will be asked to select a 3PAR system. After system is selected, SSMC prepopulates the volume names based on the name of the app volume set. You can keep the suggested volume names or change the volume names according to your needs. You can also change the size for each volume.

  Once user clicks select system, SSMC provides you the following system details, based on which you can finalize the system to create/place the new volumes.

  • The list of systems with their names, available free capacity of the system and ranked by the saturation levels over a period of seven days.

  • Time series graph of historical and forecasted saturation of the systems. SSMC projects 3.5 days of saturation forecast for seven days of historical saturation data.

  Once the system is selected, you will be presented with the list of CPGs. S elect a CPG to create the virtual volumes. The selected CPG will be used as copy CPG as well.

  NOTE:

  • For other systems (nonall flash systems), the systems are ranked by free available capacity of the system.

  • If you choose Create New Volumes volume selection and create volumes, then SSMC creates thin provisioned volumes.

  • SSMC supports to associate an App Volume Set to volumes from single array.

Actions in App Volume Set:

You can perform various actions like create, edit, delete, export, and unexport an app volume set from the app volume sets screen.

The Export action for an App Volume Set supports only the Hosts and Host set VLUN templates. When you export an App Volume Set to a host or host set, a VLUN template is created. The template enables you to export all the virtual volumes of the App Volume Set as SCSI VLUNs. The virtual volumes are exported to:

• The initiators of the WWNs of a specified host or,

• The initiators of a host which is a part of the specified host set.

For more information on App Volume Set actions, see HPE SSMC User Guide.