Removing Disk Units in an SVC Environment

Owned by Brian Nordland
Last updated: Oct 10, 2022 by Peter Lafler
4 min read

Learn how to remove disk units from an existing SVC configuration (including configurations using IBM FlashSystems or IBM Storwize storage devices)

Before you begin

These steps assume you have experience configuring and managing an IBM® Spectrum Virtualize-based storage device and that you have a functioning configuration running.

Required PTF Group: These steps require the following PTF groups on all partitions in the PowerHA environment:

  • 7.4: SF99666 Level 6

  • 7.3: SF99876 Level 14

  • 7.2: SF99776 Level 17

About this task

In some instances, you may want to remove storage from your Independent Auxiliary Storage Pool (IASP). This may be to allocate the storage to other environments or to replace the units with ones of a different size. Complete the following procedure to remove units to the IASP in an SVC environment.

Procedure

  1. If the configuration contains FlashCopy, end any currently active FlashCopy sessions using the ENDSVCSSN command.

  2. Remove the volume from the IASP on the source/production IBM i.

  1. From the IBM i command line, type STRSST and press enter to start System service tools (SST).

  2. Sign on to SST with your service tools user ID and password.

  3. Select option 3: Work with disk units.

  4. Select option 2: Work with disk configuration.

  5. Select option 12: Work with removing units from configuration.

  6. Select option 3: Remove units from configuration.

  7. Find the unit(s) you wish to remove and select option 4 on those units.

Finding the ASP Number

The units are listed by ASP number. To find the ASP number of the existing IASP, use the Display ASP Status (DSPASPSTS) command. The ASP number will appear in the ASP Device field near the top left of the screen.

Determining the Unit on the Storage

If the units are attached to the system with either Physical Fibre Channel or with Virtual Fibre Channel, the disk unit serial number can be used to correlate the disk unit with the appropriate disk unit on the external storage device. In the example below unit 4003, with serial number YF524F000032, matches up with volume ID 48 in the storage. The UID ends with 000032.

Example unit 4003 matches with external storage device volume with a UID ending in 000032
Example unit ending in UID 000032 with volume ID 48

8. When asked to confirm, press enter to confirm the removal of the units.

9. Use option 2 to display the status of the remove operation. The remove operation will happen in the background.

10. Once done, display the disk configuration to verify that the expected disk is no longer in the IASP.

 

3. If the configuration contains either Metro Mirror or Global Mirror, undo the replication configuration for the volumes that were removed. If the environment does not contain either Metro Mirror or Global Mirror, skip to step 8.

  1. On the storage device expand Copy Services and then click on Remove Copy.

  2. Expand the consistency group that the volume was a part of.

3. Right-click on the relationship that represents the volume to be removed and select delete.

4. Enter the number of relationships to be deleted.

5. Check the box: Delete the relationship even when the data on the target volume is inconsistent, or if the target volume has other dependencies.

4. Repeat this process for any additional volumes.

4. Update the source copy description using the Change SVC Copy Description (CHGSVCCPYD) command. When updating the vdisk range in the copy description, update the ranges so that they no longer contain the removed volumes.

5. Update the target copy description using the Change SVC Copy Description (CHGSVCCPYD) command.

6. Verify with the Display SVC Session (DSPSVCSSN) command that replication is currently active for the session.

7. Verify the target IASP is still usable by using the DETACH operation to test the target copy.

  1. Use the Change SVC Session (CHGSVCSSN) command with the *DETACH option

  2. Vary on the IASP on the target node to verify the vary on of the IASP is successful

  3. Once verified, vary off the IASP on the target node

  4. Use the Change SVC Session (CHGSVCSSN) command with the *REATTACH option to restart replication

8. If the configuration contains FlashCopy, update any FlashCopy target copy descriptions by using the CHGSVCCPYD command to remove the disks that are no longer part of the configuration.

9. The non-configured units can now be removed from the IBM i, and optionally deleted from the storage device if no longer needed.

Results

The removed disk units are now listed under the non-configured units. These non-configured units can now be removed from the IBM i, and optionally deleted from the storage device if no longer required.

 

Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Impressum
From time to time, this website may contain technical inaccuracies and we do not warrant the accuracy of any posted information.
Copyright © Fortra, LLC and its group of companies. All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.