CLI Guide

Creating A Virtual Disk Copy

Before creating a virtual disk copy, ensure that a suitable target virtual disk exists on the storage array, or

create a new target virtual disk specifically for the virtual disk copy. The target virtual disk must have a

capacity equal to or greater than the source virtual disk.

You can have a maximum of eight virtual disk copies in progress at one time. Any virtual disk copy greater

than eight has a status of Pending until one of the virtual disk copies with a status of In Progress

completes.

The following steps show the general process for creating a virtual disk copy:

1. Enable the Virtual Disk Copy feature.

2. Determine candidates for a virtual disk copy.

3. Create the target virtual disk and source virtual disk for a virtual disk copy.

Enabling The Virtual Disk Copy Feature

The first step in creating a virtual disk copy is to make sure the feature is enabled on the storage array.

You need a feature key to enable the feature. To enable the feature key file, use the command:

enable storageArray feature file="filename"

where, the file parameter is the complete file path and file name of a valid feature key file. Enclose the

file path and file name in quotation marks (" "). Valid file names for feature key files usually end with a .key

extension.

Determining Virtual Disk Copy Candidates

All virtual disks might not be available for use in virtual disk copy operations. To determine which

candidate virtual disks on the storage array can be used as a source virtual disk, use the show

virtualDiskCopy sourceCandidates command. To determine which candidate virtual disks on the

storage array can be used as a target virtual disk, use the

show virtualDiskCopy targetCandidates

command. These commands return a list of the expansion enclosure, slot, and capacity information for

source virtual disk and target virtual disk candidates. You can use the show virtualDiskCopy

sourceCandidates

and the show virtualDiskCopy targetCandidates commands only after you

have enabled the virtual disk copy feature.

A source virtual disk can be a standard or thin virtual disk. A target virtual disk can be a standard or thin

virtual disk in a disk group or disk pool and, if the legacy version is enabled, a legacy snapshot base virtual

disk.

Creating A Virtual Disk Copy

CAUTION: A virtual disk copy overwrites data on the target virtual disk. Ensure that you no longer

need the data or have backed up the data on the target virtual disk before starting a virtual disk

copy.

When you create a virtual disk copy, you must define which virtual disks to use for the source virtual disk

and target virtual disks. Define the source virtual disk and target virtual disk by the name of each virtual

disk. You can also define the copy priority and choose whether you want the target virtual disk to be write

enabled or read only after the data is copied from the source virtual disk.