EMC TimeFinder Commands

The following are the Timefinder Procedural Commands

It outlines everything that needs to be done from start to finish. Realize that for routine operations, some of these steps won’t be needed; however, for the sake of completeness.

Prepare EMC structures

1. Create a Symmetrix disk group

symdg -t [ Regular | RDF1 | RDF2 ] create ${group}

2. Add devices to the disk group

symld -g ${group} add pd /dev/dsk/c#t#d#
symld -g ${group} add dev 01a

3. Associate BCV devices to the disk group

symbcv -g ${group} associate pd ${bcv_ctd}
symbcv -g ${group} associate dev ${bcv_dev}

Establish BCV mirrors

1. ID the logical device names: Timefinder defaults to using the logical device names. You can id the logical device names by:

symmir -g ${group} query

2. First time establish, execute a full establish:

symmir -g ${group} -full establish ${std_log_dev} bcv ${bcv_log_dev}

3. Use symmir query to monitor progress.

symmir -g ${group} query

Break BCV mirrors

1. Types of splits:

1. Instant split: Split is performed in the background after the completion of the split I/O request.
2. Force split: Splits the pair during establish or restore operations; invalid tracks may exist.
3. Reverse split: Resyncs the BCV with the full data copy from its local or remote mirror.
4. Reverse differential split: Enables a copy of only out-of-sync tracks to the BCV from its mirror.
5. Differential split: Enables a copy of only the updated tracks to the BCV’s mirror.

2. Commands:

symmir -g ${group} split
symmir -g ${group} split -instant
symmir -g ${group} split -differential
symmir -g ${group} reverse split -differential

Reestablish or restore BCV mirrors

1. Restore copies data from BCV back to standard pair. >Reestablish, on the other hand, does a differential update of the BCV from the standard device.

2. Commands:
symmir -g ${group} establish Differential reestablish from standard device to BCV
symmir -g ${group} -full restore Full restore of all tracks on BCV to standard device.
symmir -g ${group} restore Differential restore of BCV data to standard device.

The Timefinder Strategies are as follows

1. Maintain BCV mirrors with the standard device; break the mirrors when you want to backup, test, or develop on a copy of the original.

This is probably the most common way of running Timefinder. The advantage is that the split operation will happen almost instantly as the mirrors are fully synced all the time. The disadvantage is that anything towards that happens to the standard device will be reflected in the BCV mirror.

2. Maintain the BCV as a split device to keep an online backup of the original data.

Short Guide for Netapp commands

This post contains the list of commands that will be most used and will come handy when managing or monitoring or troubleshooting a Netapp filer.


•sysconfig -a : shows hardware configuration with more verbose information

•sysconfig -d : shows information of the disk attached to the filer

•version : shows the netapp Ontap OS version.

•uptime : shows the filer uptime

•dns info : this shows the dns resolvers, the no of hits and misses and other info

•nis info : this shows the nis domain name, yp servers etc.

•rdfile : Like "cat" in Linux, used to read contents of text files/

•wrfile : Creates/Overwrites a file. Similar to "cat > filename" in Linux

•aggr status : Shows the aggregate status

•aggr status -r : Shows the raid configuration, reconstruction information of the disks in filer
•aggr show_space : Shows the disk usage of the aggreate, WAFL reserve, overheads etc.

•vol status : Shows the volume information

•vol status -s : Displays the spare disks on the filer

•vol status -f : Displays the failed disks on the filer

•vol status -r : Shows the raid configuration, reconstruction information of the disks

•df -h : Displays volume disk usage

•df -i : Shows the inode counts of all the volumes

•df -Ah : Shows "df" information of the aggregate

•license : Displays/add/removes license on a netapp filer

•maxfiles : Displays and adds more inodes to a volume

•aggr create : Creates aggregate

•vol create : Creates volume in an aggregate

•vol offline : Offlines a volume

•vol online : Onlines a volume

•vol destroy : Destroys and removes an volume

•vol size [+|-] : Resize a volume in netapp filer

•vol options : Displays/Changes volume options in a netapp filer

•qtree create : Creates qtree

•qtree status : Displays the status of qtrees

•quota on : Enables quota on a netapp filer

•quota off : Disables quota

•quota resize : Resizes quota

•quota report : Reports the quota and usage

•snap list : Displays all snapshots on a volume

•snap create : Create snapshot

•snap sched : Schedule snapshot creation

•snap reserve : Display/set snapshot reserve space in volume

•/etc/exports : File that manages the NFS exports

•rdfile /etc/exports : Read the NFS exports file

•wrfile /etc/exports : Write to NFS exports file

•exportfs -a : Exports all the filesystems listed in /etc/exports

•cifs setup : Setup cifs

•cifs shares : Create/displays cifs shares

•cifs access : Changes access of cifs shares

•lun create : Creates iscsi or fcp luns on a netapp filer

•lun map : Maps lun to an igroup

•lun show : Show all the luns on a filer

•igroup create : Creates netapp igroup

•lun stats : Show lun I/O statistics

•disk show : Shows all the disk on the filer

•disk zero spares : Zeros the spare disks

•disk_fw_update : Upgrades the disk firmware on all disks

•options : Display/Set options on netapp filer

•options nfs : Display/Set NFS options

•options timed : Display/Set NTP options on netapp.

•options autosupport : Display/Set autosupport options
•options cifs : Display/Set cifs options
•options tcp : Display/Set TCP options
•options net : Display/Set network options
•ndmpcopy : Initiates ndmpcopy

•ndmpd status : Displays status of ndmpd

•ndmpd killall : Terminates all the ndmpd processes.

•ifconfig : Displays/Sets IP address on a network/vif interface

•vif create : Creates a VIF (bonding/trunking/teaming)

•vif status : Displays status of a vif

•netstat : Displays network statistics

•sysstat -us 1 : begins a 1 second sample of the filer's current utilization (crtl - c to end)
•nfsstat : Shows nfs statistics

•nfsstat -l : Displays nfs stats per client

•nfs_hist : Displays nfs historgram

•statit : beings/ends a performance workload sampling [-b starts / -e ends]
•stats : Displays stats for every counter on netapp. Read stats man page for more info

•ifstat : Displays Network interface stats

•qtree stats : displays I/O stats of qtree

•environment : display environment status on shelves and chassis of the filer
•storage show : Shows storage component details

•snapmirror intialize : Initialize a snapmirror relation

•snapmirror update : Manually Update snapmirror relation

•snapmirror resync : Resyns a broken snapmirror

•snapmirror quiesce : Quiesces a snapmirror bond

•snapmirror break : Breakes a snapmirror relation

•snapmirror abort : Abort a running snapmirror

•snapmirror status : Shows snapmirror status

•lock status -h : Displays locks held by filer

•sm_mon : Manage the locks

•storage download shelf : Installs the shelf firmware

•software get : Download the Netapp OS software

•software install : Installs OS

•download : Updates the installed OS

•cf status : Displays cluster status

•cf takeover : Takes over the cluster partner

•cf giveback : Gives back control to the cluster partner

•reboot : Reboots a filer