Feature Specification

Microcode Level:
Product/Feature:
Involved Components:

Enginuity Version 5874 Enhancements for

Symmetrix VMAX
FAST Fully Automated Storage Tiering
Enginuity, Solutions Enabler SYMCLI, Symmetrix
Management Console, Optimizer

Introduction

The EMC Symmetrix VMAX is the newest addition to

the Symmetrix product line. Built on the strategy of
simple, intelligent, and modular storage, it incorporates a
new scalable fabric interconnect design that allows the
storage array to seamlessly grow from an entry level
configuration into the worlds largest storage system. The
Symmetrix VMAX provides improved performance and
scalability for demanding enterprise storage environments
while maintaining support for EMCs broad portfolio of
platform software offerings.
EMC Enginuity version 5874 is the latest Enginuity
release supporting the Symmetrix VMAX storage arrays.
Enginuity version 5874 features new software functions
such as Fully Automated Storage Tiering (FAST) and
enhancements to current products including EMC Virtual
Provisioning and EMC SRDF.
A key feature available in this latest release of Enginuity is
FAST, which provides automated tier management at the
LUN/volume level within the array. FAST supports both
open systems and mainframe environments.

Product description
EMC Symmetrix VMAX FAST for standard provisioned,
non-thin environments automates the identification of data
volumes for the purposes of allocating or re-allocating
application data across different performance tiers within a
single array. FAST proactively monitors workloads at the
volume (LUN) level in order to identify busy volumes
that would benefit from being moved to higher performing
drives. FAST will also identify less busy volumes that
could be relocated to higher capacity drives, without
affecting
the
existing
performance.
This
promotion/demotion activity is based on policies that
associate a storage group to multiple drive technologies, or
RAID protection schemes, based upon the performance
requirements of the application contained within the
storage group. Data movement executed during this
activity is performed non-disruptively, without affecting
business continuity and data availability.
The primary benefits of FAST include:
Elimination of manually tiering applications when
performance objectives change over time.

June 2010

Automating the process of identifying volumes that

can benefit from Enterprise Flash Drives or that can be
kept on higher capacity, less expensive SATA drives
without impacting performance.
Improving application performance at the same cost,
or providing the same application performance at
lower cost. Cost is defined as acquisition (both HW
and SW), space/energy, and management expenses.
Optimizing and prioritizing business applications by
allowing customers to dynamically allocate resources
within a single array.
Delivering greater flexibility in order to meet different
price/performance ratios throughout the lifecycle of
the information stored.

Management and operation of FAST are provided by the

Symmetrix Management Console (SMC), as well as the
Solutions Enabler Command Line Interface (SYMCLI).
Symmetrix Performance Analyzer (SPA) also provides
detailed performance trends, forecasting, alerts, and
resource utilization. Finally, EMC Ionix ControlCenter
provides the capability for advanced reporting and analysis
to be used for charge back and capacity planning.

Feature description
For FAST to operate on a Symmetrix VMAX, there are
three types of components that need to be configured
Storage Groups, FAST Policies, and Symmetrix Tiers.
Storage Groups are a logical collection of Symmetrix
volumes, typically associated with an application, that are
to be managed together.
FAST Policies contain a set of tier usage rules that can be
applied on one or more storage groups.
Symmetrix Tiers are a combination of a drive technology
(EFD, FC, or SATA) and a RAID protection type.
The storage group definitions are shared between FAST
and Auto-provisioning Groups. However, a Symmetrix
device may only belong to one storage group that is under
FAST control.
A FAST policy groups between one and three tiers and
assigns an upper usage limit for each Symmetrix tier. The

FAST Fully Automated Storage Tiering

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upper limit specifies how much capacity of an associated

storage group can reside on that particular Symmetrix tier.
The upper capacity usage limit for each Symmetrix tier is
specified as a percentage of the associated storage group.
The usage limit for each tier must be between 0 percent
and 100 percent. When combined, the upper usage limit for
all Symmetrix tiers in the policy must total at least 100
percent, but may be greater than 100 percent.
A Symmetrix tier will contain at least one physical disk
group from the Symmetrix, but can contain more than one.
If a Symmetrix tier contains more than one physical disk
group, the disk groups must be of a single drive technology
type.
There are two types of Symmetrix tiersstatic and
dynamic. A static tier contains explicitly specified physical
disk groups, while a dynamic tier contains all disk groups
of the same drive technology.
When a storage group is associated with a FAST policy,
the policy defines the maximum percentage of volumes in
a storage group that can exist in a particular Symmetrix
tier. A policy associates a storage group with up to three
tiers. When aggregated, the percentage of storage specified
for each tier in the policy must total at least 100 percent.
However, it may total more than 100 percent. At the time
of association with a policy, users must also give a priority
level (between 1 and 3) to the storage group.
Figure 1 shows two storage groups, ProductionApp_SG
and Development_SG. Each storage group is associated
with one policy, Platinum and Bronze, respectively. These
policies associate the storage groups with up to three
Symmetrix tiers.

Based on the Platinum policy, FAST will place 25 percent

of the Symmetrix devices in the Production_SG, based on
capacity, as RAID 5 (3+1) on EFD, 50 percent as RAID 5
(7+1) on FC, with the remaining 25 percent as RAID 6
(14+2) on SATA drives. In the case of the
Development_SG storage group, all of the devices can
exist as RAID 6 (14+2) on SATA drives. However,
depending on performance needs and utilization, up to 25
percent of the devices may be configured by FAST as
RAID 5 (7+1) on FC.
You can define time windows to specify when the FAST
engine should collect performance data. Once you have
collected the data, Symmetrix analyzes it to determine the
appropriate tier for devices, as well as when to perform the
necessary configuration changes to move the devices
between tiers.
Users can configure FAST to run in Automatic mode, or
User Approved mode. For the latter, when FAST creates a
configuration change plan, the plan is not executed until
FAST receives approval from the storage administrator.

FAST algorithms
FAST uses three distinct algorithms to determine the
appropriate tier a device should belong to. The algorithms,
in order of probability, are:

EFD promotion/demotion algorithm

Capacity-based algorithm

FC/SATA cross-tier algorithm

The goal of the EFD promotion/demotion algorithm is to

maximize Flash drive utilization within the array. When
complete, the algorithm lists the devices in the array in
order of which devices should be configured on EFD first.
FAST will then attempt to place those devices onto Flash
drives.
The goal of the capacity-based algorithm is to enforce the
FAST policy storage usage rules. A storage group is
considered to be in violation when a higher percentage of
devices exist on a tier than are configured in the policy for
that tier.
The goal of the FC/SATA cross-tier algorithm is to balance
utilization across Fibre Channel and SATA technologies.
Devices are sorted by disk service time, and the most
utilized devices will be moved to the least utilized disks.
If Optimizer is also enabled on the Symmetrix, then the
traditional Optimizer algorithm will be used to balance
load within a physical disk group.

Figure 1. FAST policy association

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FAST Fully Automated Storage Tiering

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Device movement
There are two methods, a swap or move, by which a device
will be relocated to another tier.
A swap occurs when there is no unconfigured space in the
target tier, and results in a corresponding device being
moved out of the target tier. In order to preserve data on
both devices involved in the swap, a single DRV is used.

A FAST software license key to manage the FAST

Engine from Solutions Enabler and SMC

A separate Optimizer license key to perform intra-disk

group optimization

Packaging

FAST is available as part of the FAST Suite. The

FAST Suite consists of the Advanced Tiering and
Storage Management (ATSM) package and FAST
Software.

Symmetrix metadevices are moved as a complete entity

metadevice members may not exist in different physical
disk groups.

FAST is also available as an add-on license to

customers who have already purchased the ATSM
package or Symmetrix Optimizer.

Syntax

Limitations and restrictions

Three new commands have been added to Solutions

Enabler 7.1 to support the configuration and management
of FAST.

The following considerations apply to FAST:

A move occurs when unconfigured space exists in the

target tier. Only one device is involved in a move, and a
DRV is not required.

To create a storage group, run:

FAST management of Virtual Provisioning devices is

not supported, that is, thin devices and DATA devices.

FAST management of EMC TimeFinder/Snap

devices is not supported, that is, VDEV and SAVE
devices.

FAST management of CKD EAV, or IBM iSeries

(AS400), devices is not supported.

In open systems environments, at least one FBA DRV

must be configured in the array for FAST to perform
swap operations on FBA devices.

In mainframe environments, at least four CKD DRVs

must be configured in order to swap a CKD
metadevice (four members).

symsg sid 1234 create Exchange_SG

To add devices to the storage group, run:

symsg sid 1234 -sg Exchange_SG addall devs
range 100:104

To create a Symmetrix tier, run the following:

symtier -sid 1234 create -name Work_Tier tgt_raid5 -tgt_prot 7+1 -technology FC inc_type static -dsk_grp 2

To create a FAST policy, run:

symfast -sid 1234 -fp create -name
Production

EMC believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its

publication date. The information is subject to change without notice.

To add a tier to a FAST policy, run:

symfast -sid 1234 -fp -fp_name Production
add -tier_name Work_Tier -max_sg_percent 50

Finally, to associate a policy to a storage group, run:

symfast -sid 1197 -fp_name Development
associate -sg Development_SG -priority 2

THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION IS PROVIDED AS

IS. EMC CORPORATION MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR
WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO THE
INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION, AND SPECIFICALLY
DISCLAIMS IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
Use, copying, and distribution of any EMC software described in the
publication requires an applicable software license.
For the most up-to-date listing of EMC product names, see EMC
Corporation Trademarks on EMC.com. All other trademarks used herein
are the property of their respective owners.

Requirements

Symmetrix VMAX series array running Enginuity

version 5874.xxx.xxx

Solutions Enabler version 7.1

Symmetrix Management Console version 7.1

June 2010

Copyright 2009, 2010 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

FAST Fully Automated Storage Tiering

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