Dell PowerVault MD3000 Information Update page 11

Preparing Host Servers to Create a Virtual Disk Copy
NOTICE:
Before you create a new copy of a source virtual disk, stop any data access (I/O) activity or suspend
data transfer to the source virtual disk (and, if applicable, the target disk) to ensure that you capture an accurate
point-in-time image of the source virtual disk. Close all applications, including Windows Internet Explorer, to make
sure all I/O activity has stopped.
NOTE:
Removing the drive letter of the associated virtual disk(s) in Windows or unmounting the virtual drive in
Linux will help to guarantee a stable copy of the drive for the virtual disk copy.
Before creating a virtual disk copy, both the server and the associated virtual disk you are copying have
to be in the proper state. Perform the following steps to prepare your server and virtual disk:
1 Stop all I/O activity to the source and target virtual disk.
2 Using your Windows system, flush the cache to both the source and the target virtual disk (if mounted).
At the host prompt, type
SMrepassist -f <filename-identifier>
and press <Enter>. See "SMrepassist Utility" in the User's Guide for more information.
3 Click the Summary tab, then click the Disk Groups & Virtual Disks link to ensure that the virtual disk
is in Optimal or Disabled status.
4 Remove the drive letter(s) of the source and (if mounted) virtual disk in Windows or unmount the
virtual drive(s) in Linux to help guarantee a stable copy of the drive for the virtual disk. If this is not
done, the copy operation will report that it has completed successfully, but the copied data will not be
updated properly.
5 Follow any additional instructions for your operating system. Failure to follow these additional
instructions can create unusable virtual disk copies.
NOTE:
If your operating system requires additional instructions, you can find those instructions in your
operating system documentation.
Copying the Virtual Disk
After first preparing the host server(s) as specified in the preceding procedure, complete the following
steps to make a virtual disk copy:
1 Click the Configure tab, then click the Create Virtual Disk Copies link.
2 On the Select Source Virtual Disk page, select the virtual disk to copy (source virtual disk), and
click Next.
The Select Target Virtual Disk page appears.
NOTE:
If the virtual disk you select is not valid, an information dialog box appears explaining the types of
virtual disks you can use as the source for a virtual disk copy. Click the OK button to close this dialog box
and select a different source virtual disk.
Information Update
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