Configuring IBM Storwize V7000, Storwize V7000 Unified, or Flex System V7000 Storage Node external storage systems

By default, Storwize® V7000, Storwize V7000 Unified, or Flex System V7000 Storage Node external storage systems are configured as external storage layers to the SAN Volume Controller replication layer.

Partnerships among the replication and storage layer systems are limited by these rules:

SAN Volume Controller is always in a replication layer and cannot be changed.
Storage layer systems can be used as external storage only by replication layer systems.
Replication layer systems can participate in Metro Mirror or Global Mirror partnerships only with other replication layer systems.
Storage layer systems can participate in Metro Mirror or Global Mirror partnerships only with other storage layer systems.

Tasks to configure the storage layer system

To configure a system as a storage layer, follow these general tasks:

On the storage layer system, first define a host object and add all worldwide port names (WWPNs) from the SAN Volume Controller system to it.
On the storage layer system, create host mappings between each volume that you want to manage by using SAN Volume Controller and the host object that you created.

The volumes that are presented by the storage layer system appear in the SAN Volume Controller managed disk (MDisk) view. The storage layer system appears in the SAN Volume Controller view with a vendor ID of IBM®.

Quorum disks on storage layer storage systems

The storage layer systems support quorum disks. Clustered systems that have a storage level system can choose MDisks that are presented by a storage level system as quorum disks.

Advanced functions for storage layer systems

Replication layer systems can use storage that is presented by the storage layer system, but Metro Mirror and Global Mirror cannot interoperate between the two systems. Replication layer systems can participate in Metro Mirror and Global Mirror partnerships only with other replication layer systems. Storage layer systems can participate in Metro Mirror and Global Mirror partnerships only with other storage layers.

For more information, see Metro Mirror and Global Mirror partnerships information.

Volumes that are defined on a storage layer system can be used by the replication layer system as a source or target for advanced copy functions. Advanced copy functions include FlashCopy®, Metro Mirror, and Global Mirror. Flex System V7000 Storage Node, Storwize V7000, or Storwize V7000 Unified advanced copy functions are not supported for volumes that are used as MDisks.

Sharing the storage layer system between a host and the SAN Volume Controller system

A Flex System V7000 Storage Node, Storwize V7000, or Storwize V7000 Unified system can present some volumes to the SAN Volume Controller system and other volumes to hosts on the SAN. However, an individual volume cannot be presented to both the SAN Volume Controller system and a host simultaneously.

SAN zoning for storage layer systems

If many storage layer systems are managed by a single SAN Volume Controller, be aware of the published limit for maximum Flex System V7000 Storage Node, Storwize V7000, or Storwize V7000 Unified storage systems per fabric. If the limit is exceeded by as little as a single storage system, divide the storage layer systems into multiple zones. Replication layer Flex System V7000 Storage Node, Storwize V7000, or Storwize V7000 Unified systems count toward the maximum number of SAN Volume Controller nodes that might be present within a single SAN zone. For more information, see the following website: