performance and scalability guidelines · performance and scalability guidelines p/n 300-003-703...

This document contains guidelines that help design and configure EMC ControlCenter for performance and scalability. The guidelines apply to ControlCenter components and products and the networks that connect them.

Note: If you are using Symmetrix functionality with 16K or more devices, refer to the Extra Large Symmetrix Configuration Guidelines for specific information.

Note: This document assumes that you are familiar with ControlCenter and have reviewed the EMC ControlCenter 5.2 installation and configuration documentation, especially EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 5 Release Notes, EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Overview and EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 5 Planning and Installation Guide, Volume 1.

Topics include:

◆ Revision History ................................................................................... 2◆ Introduction........................................................................................... 3◆ Planning guidelines for the infrastructure........................................ 6◆ Infrastructure installation guidelines .............................................. 12◆ Data Collection Policy guidelines .................................................... 16◆ Upgrade guidelines............................................................................ 20◆ Networking guidelines...................................................................... 21◆ Console guidelines ............................................................................. 24◆ Agent guidelines................................................................................. 27◆ Extra Large Symmetrix Configuration Guidelines........................ 50◆ Hardware configuration examples .................................................. 58

EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 5

Performance and ScalabilityGuidelinesP/N 300-003-703

Rev A01

September 2006

1

2

Revision History

Revision HistoryTable 1 Performance and scalability content updates by revision

What Changed Where Changed

Changes for Revision A01

Added Storage Agent for NAS and Storage Agent for HDS to Note. Table 4 on page 10

Added WLA Daily and WLA Revolving collection times for Storage Agent for HDS. Table 14 on page 32

Added description to Storage Agent for NAS bullet ”Guideline A2” on page 28

Added the following new guideline: Limit the number of Celerra systems managed by the Storage Agent for Celerra on infrastructure hosts.

”Guideline A19” on page 42

Added the following new guideline: Manage up to ten medium Celerra systems when Storage Agent for NAS (Celerra) is deployed on a dedicated host.


Added the following new guideline: Manage up to 8 medium HDS Arrays when Storage Agent for HDS is deployed on a dedicated host.


Added the following new guideline: Manage up to four medium Celerra systems when Storage Agent for Celerra is deployed on a production server.


Added the following new guideline: Manage up to four medium HDS Arrays when Storage Agent for HDS is deployed on a production server.


Added 2-hour and 3-hour columns to Managed objects per Workload Analyzer Archiver table.


EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 5 Performance and Scalability Guidelines

Introduction

IntroductionThis document contains guidelines for planning, installing, and configuring EMC ControlCenter® 5.2 Service Pack 5. The guidelines can help you achieve maximum performance and scalability and therefore realize the full potential of ControlCenter.

Before you begin using the guidelines, read this section to gain a high-level understanding of ControlCenter. Also, read the following publications for details on ControlCenter installation, configuration, administration, and operation:◆ EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Overview

◆ EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 5 Release Notes

◆ EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 5 Administration/User Guide

◆ EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 5 Planning and Installation Guide, Volume 1

◆ EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 5 Planning and Installation Guide, Volume 2

◆ EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Upgrade Guide (for upgrade only)

Key ControlCenter concepts

The physical and logical elements managed by ControlCenter are known as managed objects—they include storage arrays, hosts, switches, databases, and fabric zones, etc. One of the major tasks in configuring ControlCenter for optimal performance and scalability is determining the overall size of a ControlCenter configuration, which involves considering the size, number, and specific types of the managed objects that ControlCenter is to manage.

Data collection policies (DCPs) specify the data to be collected by ControlCenter agents and the frequency of collection. Each agent has predefined DCPs and collection policy templates that can be managed through ControlCenter Administration.

When planning and installing ControlCenter, you will be asked to choose between the following configuration types:

◆ Single-host infrastructure configuration — the infrastructure components (ECC Server, Store, Repository, and WebConsole Server) reside on one host.

◆ Distributed infrastructure configuration — the infrastructure components listed above reside on two or more hosts.

EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 5 Performance and Scalability Guidelines 3

4

Introduction

The listed configuration types, and the ControlCenter components that comprise the infrastructure, are described in detail in EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 5 Planning and Installation Guide, Volume 1.

The following interfaces allow users to monitor and manage the ControlCenter environment:

◆ The ControlCenter Console, a Java application through which you can view and manage your ControlCenter environment, and perform a basic set of common functions, like discovery, monitoring, management, and ControlCenter administration (for authorized users only).

◆ The Web Console, a Web-based interface through which you can perform a limited number of ControlCenter functions such as monitoring, reporting, and alert management. Unlike the ControlCenter Console, no installation of the Web Console is necessary—users can access it through a Web browser. The Web Console is best suited to users who are to monitor ControlCenter remotely, or local users who do not require full ControlCenter Console capabilities.

Using the guidelines Specifically, the performance and scalability guidelines in this document can help you determine:

◆ The optimal ControlCenter configuration type (single-host or distributed infrastructure).

◆ The sizes of storage arrays, switches, hosts, and other managed objects.

◆ When to upgrade a ControlCenter configuration to the next size classification (refer to ”Guideline P2” on page 7 for details).

◆ Optimal settings for data collection policies (DCPs).

◆ Where to place ControlCenter infrastructure components so network latency is minimized.

When reading the guidelines, keep in mind that the following factors affect ControlCenter performance and scalability:

◆ Type, number, and size of managed objects

◆ Type, number, and frequency of DCPs


Introduction

◆ System resources available to the agent host and ControlCenter infrastructure components (ECC Server, Repository, and Store, and WebConsole Server)

◆ Number of active ControlCenter Consoles (and optionally, Web Consoles)

◆ Number of available Stores


6

Planning guidelines for the infrastructure


Guideline P1 Determine managed object sizes, using Table 2.◆ Managed object size is determined by the number of Managed

Object resources (not the total capacity). For example, a host that has 1 TB of storage spread over 10 devices (10 metavolumes) is considered small. 25 small hosts equal one medium host and 10 medium hosts equal one large host.

◆ A host device is a physical device, such as: /dev/rdsk/cXtXyd

◆ An agent host logical volume is a logical device with multiple host devices, created by a logical volume manager such as VERITAS.

◆ A Symmetrix logical volume (also known as a Symmetrix® logical device or hypervolume) is a virtual disk drive in a Symmetrix array.

If the size of a managed object exceeds Large, (other than extra large Symmetrix), contact the EMC Solutions Validation Center ([email protected]).

Table 2 Managed object sizes

Managed Object Resource Small Medium Large

Symmetrixa Logical volumes 1-800 801-2000 2001-8192

Front-end mappings 1-1600 1601-4000 4001-16000

CLARiiON®Disks 1-60 61-80 81-120

LUNs 1-256 257-512 513-1024

Celerra®bLogical devices 1-512 513-2048 2049 - 4096

Data Movers 2 5 14

HDS Logical Devices 1-256 257-512 513-1024

Switch Ports 1-16 17-64 65-256

Oracle or DB2 database Sum of data files and tablespaces 1-100 101-200 201-400

SQL Server or Sybase Sum of databases, data files, log files, file groups 1-100 101-200 201-400

Agent host

Host devices 1-16 17-128 129-512

Logical volumes 1-16 17-64 65-128

File systems (NTFS, UFS, VXFS, etc.) 1-16 17-64 65-128

Redundant paths 1-2 3-4 5-32



Guideline P2 Determine the configuration size.Using Table 3 on page 8 and Table 4 on page 10, determine the configuration size. The numbers in the tables are based on medium-size managed objects and five hour data collection intervals. Refer to ”Hardware configuration examples” on page 58 for additional information.

When using the sizing tables, keep the following in mind:

◆ If a host is to be connected to a storage array, use only dedicated server-class hosts listed in the EMC Support Matrix on Powerlink™. Otherwise, select a host that is comparable to those listed in Table 24 on page 58 (in this case, the host does not have to be listed in the EMC Support Matrix). Refer to Table 4 on page 10 for memory requirements if a single-host configuration with agents is being deployed.

◆ The listed configurations include the Master Agent and appropriate host agent on all hosts.

◆ Disk space is the amount required for installing both ControlCenter and the operating system on the target host. If you are upgrading, the amount of disk space required is greater. Refer to the EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Upgrade Guide for information.

◆ The ControlCenter Components column shows the installed components—although not listed, it is assumed that the Master Agent and Host Agent are also installed.

◆ The Storage Arrays column lists the total number of medium-sized storage arrays of any type (EMC, HDS, HP, Sun, IBM, etc.).

a. Larger Symmetrix classifications are provided in ”Extra Large Symmetrix Configuration Guidelines” on page 50.

b. All logical devices are mapped to all Data Movers.

What if I plan to implement the Web Console?

The Web Console, an optional component of ControlCenter 5.2 that provides ControlCenter access through a Web interface, requires the WebConsole Server component. The configurations in Table 2 and Table 3 on page 6 and page 8 do not include the WebConsole Server component, which requires additional resources. Refer to ”Guideline I2” on page 12 for details on planning and installing the WebConsole Server.


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8


InstaS

S

Me

L(2 S

Me

L(1

L(2 S

Note: In Table 3 on page 8, the number of managed objects includes the enabled default WLA DCPs.

Table 3 Infrastructure sizing: typical configurations

llation ize

Host Configuration Maximum Number of Supported Medium-sized Managed Objects

Configuration Type

# CPU

Min. Speed

Min. Memory

Min. Disk

Space

ControlCenter Components

Storage Arrays # Hosts # Oracle

DBs# Switches or (Ports)

Dual 1.0 GHz Processor Host

mall Single-Host 2 1.0 GHz 2 GB 36 GB

ECC ServerStore

RepositoryStorageScope™

25 200 60 16(1024)

dium Distributed2 1.0 GHz 1 GB 36 GB

ECC ServerRepository

StorageScope 40 300 150 24(1536)

2 1.0 GHz 1 GB 18 GB Store

arge tores) Distributed

2 1.0 GHz 1 GB 36 GB ECC Server Repository

StorageScope80 620 310 64

(4096)2 1.0 GHz 1 GB 18 GB Store 1

2 1.0 GHz 1 GB 18 GB Store 2


dium Single-Host 2 2.4 GHz 2 GB 36 GB

ECC Server Store

RepositoryStorageScope

45 310 180 24(1536)

arge Store) Distributed

2 2.4 GHz 2 GB 36 GBECC Server Repository

StorageScope 60 410 250 32(2048)

2 2.4 GHz 2 GB 36 GB Store

argetores) Distributed



(4096)2 2.4 GHz 2 GB 36 GB Store 1




L(3 S

Me

L(1

L(2 S

L(3 S

InstaS



StorageScope

100 1400 880 128(8192)





dium Single-Host 2 3.0 GHz 2 GB 36 GB

ECC Server Store


45 360 190 24(1536)

arge Store) Distributed


StorageScope 60 460 280 32(2048)


argetores) Distributed



(4096)2 3.0 GHz 2 GB 36 GB Store 1




StorageScope

100 1525 910 128(8192)




Table 3 Infrastructure sizing: typical configurations (continued)

llation ize


Configuration Type

# CPU

Min. Speed

Min. Memory

Min. Disk

Space

ControlCenter Components

Storage Arrays # Hosts # Oracle

DBs# Switches or (Ports)


10


In

Note: Important: When deploying Storage Agents for CLARiiON, NAS (Celerra), and Symmetrix on an infrastructure host like the one shown in “Configuration #2: 3 GB RAM Host” in Table 4, refer to ”Guideline A15” on page 39, ”Guideline A18” on page 41, and ”Guideline A19” on page 42.

Table 4 Infrastructure sizing: infrastructure with agent configuration

stallation Size


Configuration Type

# CPUs

Min. Speed

Min. Memory

Min. Disk

Space

Software Components

Storage Arrays

# Hosts #

Oracle DBs

# Switchesor (Ports)

Configuration #1: 2 GB RAM Host

Small Single-Host 2 1.0 GHz 2 GB 36 GB ECC ServerStore


Master/Host AgentsWLA Archiver

FCC AgentCommon Mapping Agent

5 30 10 4(256)

Small Single-Host 2 2.4 GHz 2 GB 36 GB 10 75 30 8(512)


Configuration #2: 3 GB RAM Host

Small Single-Host 2 1.0 GHz 3 GB 72 GB ECC ServerStore

RepositoryControlCenter ConsolePerformance Manager

StorageScopeMaster/Host AgentsOnAlert™ (v2.0 and

higher)Any 5 of the following:

Storage Agent for Symmetrix with

Solutions EnablerSymmetrix SDM AgentCLARiiON Agent with

Navisphere® CLI (v6.19 and higher)

WLA ArchiverCommon Mapping Agent

FCC Agent orStorage Agent for NAS

15 80 30 8(512)





Infrastructure Host Memory: To upgrade, or not to upgrade?

The recommended minimum infrastructure host memory for a ControlCenter configuration like “Configuration #2: 3 GB RAM Host” in Table 4 is 3 GB. However, if you are upgrading to ControlCenter 5.2 from a previous version, and have a smaller amount of memory available on the infrastructure host (such as 2 GB), you can safely remain at 2 GB if current performance levels are acceptable, except if you implement the Web Console (refer to ”Guideline I2” on page 12 for details). If you keep the smaller amount of memory, EMC recommends that you consider upgrading your infrastructure host memory to 3 GB at your earliest possible convenience.


12

Infrastructure installation guidelines

Infrastructure installation guidelinesThis section contains guidelines for planning, installing, and maintaining the ControlCenter infrastructure.

Guideline I1 Install the WebConsole Server only when required.The Web Console is an optional Web-based interface through which you can perform a limited number of ControlCenter functions, like monitoring, reporting, and alert management. The Web Console is ideally suited to remote ControlCenter users and local ControlCenter users requiring only monitoring functions.

The WebConsole Server, an infrastructure component that provides server-side communications for the Web Console, requires additional resources on the infrastructure host where it resides—therefore it should be installed only when you plan to use the Web Console interface. If users do not require Web Console access, skip the WebConsole Server during ControlCenter infrastructure installation (you can always install the WebConsole Server later if desired).

Guideline I2 Install the WebConsole Server for optimal performance and scalability.Using Tables 2, 3, and 4 on page 6, page 8, and page 10, determine the configuration type that is most suitable for your storage environment. Table 5 provides the available options for installing the WebConsole Server (“fresh” installation or upgrade).

Table 5 Available options for WebConsole Server installation or upgrade

Configuration TypeHost Configuration

Software Components Available Options#

CPUsMin

SpeedMin

MemoryMin Disk

Space

Single-host infrastructure (refer to Table 4 on page 10,

2GB RAM Host)

2 1.0 GHz 2 GB 36 GBInfrastructure

components with agents

Install the WebConsole Server on a separate, dedicated host.

22.4 GHz

or3.0 GHz

2 GB 36 GBInfrastructure

components with agents

• Option 1: Install WebConsole Server on a dedicated host

• Option 2: Add 1 GB of RAM

Single-host infrastructure (refer to Table 4 on page 10,

3GB RAM Host))2

2.4 GHzor

3.0 GHz3 GB 72 GB

Infrastructure components with

agents

• Option 1: Install WebConsole Server on a dedicated host

• Option 2: Add 1 GB of RAM• Option 3: Uninstall ControlCenter Console, install

WebConsole Server

Distributed infrastructure (refer to Table 3 on page 8) 2

2.4 GHzor

3.0 GHz2 GB 36 GB Infrastructure

components onlyInstall the WebConsole Server on a separate, dedicated

host.



If you decide to install WebConsole Server on a dedicated host, depending on the configuration, you can deploy some ControlCenter agents on that same host, as described in Table 6.

Guideline I3 When a Store is overloaded or the configuration size increases to the next classification, install another Store or redistribute DCPs.A Store is considered to be overloaded when the alert with the display name Store Load Alert displays in the Alerts View and does not clear for about an hour. The alert triggers when the workload of a Store exceeds a threshold value, indicating that you might need to add another Store. A Store requires a minimum of 600 MB of disk space. If no other ControlCenter components (other than a Store) are to reside on a disk drive, install the Store on a smaller drive (for example, 9 GB).

To determine the cause of the Store being overloaded:

◆ Investigate whether DCPs are properly distributed. If they are scheduled to start concurrently, reschedule them so they are staggered. Refer to ”Guideline D1” on page 16 and use the DCP Schedule Utility on Powerlink for help with tuning your DCP schedules.

Note: Be aware that DCPs run based on the system time of the agent host. The agent host system time and the Store system time may be different (for example, in different time zones).

Table 6 Dedicated WebConsole Server host configurationa

a. See ”Guideline A28” on page 48 for additional disk space requirements when installing WLA Archiver.

Host Configuration

Software Components# CPUs Min Speed Min Memory Min Disk

Space

2 1.0 GHz 1 GB 8 GB WebConsole Server only

2 2.4 GHz or 3.0 GHz 2 GB 8 GB

WebConsole Server and any two of the following:• Workload Analyzer Archiver• FCC Agent• CLARiiON Agent• Common Mapping Agent• Storage Agent for NAS


14


Note: WLA DCP frequency does not impact Store processing. Transactions generated by WLA DCPs are either saved on the local disk of the agent host running WLA policies or sent to WLA Archiver bypassing Store.

◆ Determine if managed objects were added to ControlCenter over time without being redistributed or without DCPs being reconfigured.

After determining which DCPs caused the overload, address the overload conditions by doing one or all of the following:

◆ Distribute DCPs evenly over longer periods of time so bottlenecks are not created.

◆ Decrease the frequency of the DCPs (for example, change the frequency from one minute to five minutes).

◆ Move from a single-host configuration to a distributed configuration by uninstalling the Store and installing it on a new host, or adding more Stores on new hosts.

Guideline I4 Follow these recommendations when providing high availability for infrastructure hosts.When allocating disk space on infrastructure hosts, consider these recommendations.

◆ For high availability, use a mirrored (RAID 1) disk (keep in mind that this doubles the number of required physical hard drives).

◆ For system performance, a RAID controller is the minimum recommendation for disk mirroring. Other options for increased system performance include using disk arrays such as Symmetrix (metavolume) or CLARiiON (RAID-10 LUN).

◆ Host-based mirroring is strongly discouraged.

◆ Do not use RAID5 when installing the repository. ControlCenter is considered an OLTP application and RAID5 may degrade the performance.



Guideline I5 Follow these recommendations to ensure optimal host operating system performance.Windows provides tools and programs designed to keep your computer safe, manage your system, and perform regularly scheduled maintenance that keeps your computer running at optimum performance. Here are some recommended maintenance tasks:

◆ Cleanup temporary disk space.

◆ Shutdown all ControlCenter components on the host and run a disk defragment utility to defragment the drive.

◆ Using a Microsoft performance tuning guide, shutdown any unnecessary services, leaving the required ControlCenter services running.


16

Data Collection Policy guidelines


Guideline D1 Distribute daily data collection (polling) policies evenly.By default all agents with the same system time perform daily discovery data collection concurrently. To avoid resource contention, schedule multiple DCPs in one-hour, off-peak time slots, using Table 7 to determine the maximum number of hosts to be rediscovered. Keep in mind that agent polling cycles are based on the system time of the agent host. When creating DCPs, consider agent host’s time zone.

Table 7 Guidelines for rediscovery of hosts

Installation Size

Host Configuration Discovery Guideline

Configuration Type # CPUs Min. Speed

Hosts Per Hour

Medium Large


Small Single-Host 2 1.0 GHz 40 4

Medium Distributed2 1.0 GHz

60 62 1.0 GHz

Large (2 Stores) Distributed

2 1.0 GHz

125 132 1.0 GHz

2 1.0 GHz


Medium Single-Host 2 2.4 GHz 60 6

Large (1 Store) Distributed2 2.4 GHz

80 82 2.4 GHz


2 2.4 GHz

190 192 2.4 GHz

2 2.4 GHz



Guideline D2 Schedule daily data collection (polling) policies.Running DCPs for medium and large hosts requires significant ControlCenter infrastructure resources. To maintain the best system level performance during business hours, schedule DCPs for off-peak hours. The maximum amount of memory that the Store can use has been doubled in ControlCenter version 5.2 Service Pack 3 (and maintained at the same level in subsequent Service Packs) to accommodate discovery of a Symmetrix array having up to 64K logical volumes. This will allow the Store to process more transactions concurrently. Customers with more than 2 Stores (distributed configuration), should ensure that daily Discovery policy is evenly distributed to avoid overloading the ControlCenter repository.


2 2.4 GHz

280 282 2.4 GHz

2 2.4 GHz

2 2.4 GHz


Medium Single-Host 2 3.0 GHz 72 7

Large (1 Store) Distributed2 3.0 GHz

90 92 3.0 GHz


2 3.0 GHz

210 212 3.0 GHz

2 3.0 GHz


2 3.0 GHz

300 302 3.0 GHz

2 3.0 GHz

2 3.0 GHz

Table 7 Guidelines for rediscovery of hosts (continued)

Installation Size

Host Configuration Discovery Guideline

Configuration Type # CPUs Min. Speed

Hosts Per Hour

Medium Large


18


◆ Avoid overlapping DCPs with critical application tasks running on the agent hosts. For example, avoid scheduling an agent host DCP execution at midnight if the agent host has to run a mission-critical backup task at that time.

◆ Do not schedule DCPs when StorageScope™ is scheduled to process daily reports (StorageScope places a load on the Repository, not on the agent host). Schedule StorageScope processing after the last discovery DCP executes, to provide the most current data in StorageScope reports.

◆ If possible, avoid overlapping DCP execution with ControlCenter maintenance tasks such as those listed in Table 8.

Guideline D3 Disable WLA Revolving Data collection policy to conserve resource utilization on agent host.Performance statistics data being collected by WLA Daily, Revolving, and Analyst DCPs are identical but they operate at different frequencies. Typically, WLA Revolving DCP would collect statistics data for last 2 hours and save it on local disk of agent host. Data collected by WLA Revolving DCP is used during the day whereas WLA Daily data is for short and long term trending etc.

Note: WLA Daily, Revolving and Analyst polices are disabled by default.

Beginning with ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 3, data collected by the WLA Daily DCP is processed every hour by the WLA Archiver agent, instead of waiting until midnight before it begins to process WLA Daily data for the previous day. Automation reports will continue to be produced starting at midnight on a daily basis. This change provides several benefits, including but not limited to:

◆ Performance statistics data gathered by the WLA Daily DCP is available for immediate use.

Table 8 ControlCenter maintenance task scheduling

Task Name When Scheduled

Database Export 10 p.m. daily

Hot Backup of the Repository 2 a.m. daily

Computation of the free tablespaces in the Repository 9 p.m. daily

Database backup to external media Defined by the customer

Analyze tables 11 p.m. daily



◆ The WLA Revolving DCP may no longer be needed since WLA Daily data can be used. Disabling the WLA Revolving policy helps conserve system resource utilization on the agent host running agents like CLARiiON, FCC etc.

Guideline D4 Schedule WLA Analyst DCP for short duration only.The WLA Analyst policy, designed to collect granular performance data for troubleshooting a performance problem on one or a few managed objects at a time, should only run for time periods that sufficiently capture the event(s) necessary to identify problems. It is not intended to be routinely run for all managed objects. In order to achieve the desired level of data granularity, the data collection frequency may be set at a higher rate than other DCPs. This high data collection frequency can have a potential performance impact on the target managed object, as well as the ControlCenter component hosts for the collecting agent and the WLA Archiver. The degree of impact depends on the type and size of the managed object and many other factors.

Only experienced users, who understand the effects of data collection frequency on the performance of a particular managed object, should enable this policy for use. Furthermore, it is expected that this DCP will be used when a performance issue has been identified using other tools or DCPs, and further detailed performance data is required to characterize the problem or root cause the issue. WLA Daily DCP should be routinely used to collect round the clock performance data for managed objects.

When running concurrent WLA Analyst DCPs each collecting data from a different managed object but using the same agent, restrict concurrent WLA Analyst policies to two managed objects for 3-6 hours per agent, or only as long as required to capture the necessary data, whichever duration is shorter [in order to minimize performance impact on the affected managed object(s)].

Scenario: Symmetrix #37 is having a spike on IO rate between 2:00 and 3:30 pm. This Symmetrix is managed by a Storage Agent for Symmetrix installed on host #46. Create one WLA Analyst policy at 2 minute interval for this Symmetrix. Apply a custom schedule to this policy for a period of 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. At 4:00 pm, the policy will be automatically closed and data will be available in Performance Manager for analysis.


20

Upgrade guidelines

Upgrade guidelinesThis section contains guidelines for upgrading to ControlCenter 5.2 from a previous version.

Guideline U1 Include the WebConsole Server as part of an upgrade only when required.The main performance and scalability consideration when upgrading to ControlCenter 5.2 is where to install the Web Console:

◆ If you plan to implement Web Console access, you must install the WebConsole Server (refer to ”Guideline I1” on page 12).

◆ If you do not plan to implement Web Console access, skip the section of the upgrade that installs the WebConsole Server.

The WebConsole Server is the only new component that requires additional CPU and memory usage in ControlCenter 5.2. Therefore, if you do not install the WebConsole Server at upgrade, it is most likely that ControlCenter 5.2 will run with adequate performance and scalability on the same hardware configuration that supported your previously installed ControlCenter release.

Guideline U2 Upgrade agents in batches.When upgrading multiple agents, ControlCenter begins discovery of managed objects assigned to agents that are already deployed. To avoid system level performance problems during that time, restrict concurrent agent upgrade sessions as recommended in Table 9 on page 20. If the agent host is selected for upgrade, then all agents on that host will be automatically upgraded. Limiting the number of agent hosts to be upgraded concurrently will also limit the number of concurrent agent upgrades. Also, wait at least one hour between agent upgrade sessions for the Infrastructure to finish discovering managed objects assigned to upgraded agents. Do not run multiple agent upgrade sessions at the same time—if you do, ControlCenter Console response time, and refresh resulting from configuration commands (SDR, Meta Device Configuration, etc.) might be slow.

Table 9 Limitations of Concurrent Agent Upgrades

Managed Object Type (Agents) Medium Large

Host (Host or Common Mapping Agent) 50 10

Storage Array (Symmetrix, CLARiiON, HDS, etc.) 20 10

Database (Oracle or Common Mapping Agent) 20 5


Networking guidelines

Networking guidelines This section provides guidelines related to ControlCenter components in a distributed network.

Guideline N1 Minimize the effect of network latency on ControlCenter.As network latency increases, so does execution time. In situations where latency is high, some ControlCenter operations may time out, especially for real-time actions. Do the following to reduce the effect of latency on a ControlCenter configuration:

◆ Ensure that latency between infrastructure components (ECC Server, Store, Repository, and WebConsole Server) is less than 8 ms (milliseconds). Try to keep infrastructure components on the same LAN segment.

◆ Ensure that latency between ControlCenter agents and the infrastructure does not exceed 200 ms. The minimum bandwidth is 386 Kbps with 50 percent utilization.

Note: Because data traffic between agents and the infrastructure is far less than between infrastructure components or between ControlCenter Console interfaces and the infrastructure, agents can tolerate a higher latency.

◆ Ensure that latency between the Web Console and the infrastructure does not exceed 50 ms.

◆ Ensure that latency between the ControlCenter Console and the infrastructure does not exceed 15 ms. Optimally, latency should be at 8 ms or less. If network latency exceeds 8 ms:

• Consider using the Web Console instead of the ControlCenter Console. Keep in mind that the Web Console does not have all the capabilities of the ControlCenter Console (refer to ”Key ControlCenter concepts” on page 3 for details).

• If you require the extended capabilities of the ControlCenter Console, use Citrix MetaFrame XP for Windows or Microsoft Terminal Services to access the ControlCenter Console.

Note:: Do not access the ControlCenter Console through Citrix or Terminal Services running on an infrastructure host.


22


Using Citrix MetaFrame XP allows you to:

– Access the ControlCenter Console over a high-latency, low-bandwidth network.

– Access the ControlCenter Console through a Network Address Translation (NAT) firewall—for example, on a virtual private network (VPN) over cable or DSL. Note that this only applies when the ControlCenter Console is accessed through Citrix MetaFrame XP.

– Operate with an additional layer of security.

Guideline N2 Consider the impact of network latency on various DCPs.High latency is generally associated with low bandwidth. ControlCenter agents are very efficient at data transfer. However, when deploying many ControlCenter agents in a remote location, consider the following:

◆ A host agent managing a medium or large host generates a burst of data nightly when Discovery DCPs are executed.

◆ By default, Discovery DCPs are scheduled to occur at the same time each day. This results in all agents transmitting data concurrently and possibly overloading the network segment/connection.

◆ Concurrent execution of Discovery DCPs by many remote host agents, over a low-bandwidth network with latency under 200 ms, can cause latency to increase to over 200 ms.

◆ As previously recommended, avoid latency above 200 ms. High latencies may cause agent transactions to the Store to be incomplete and rejected, resulting in unpredictable behavior.

◆ The ECC Server dynamically assigns agents to Stores taking the Store load into account. There is no benefit in adding a Store in a remote location with the intention of all the remote agents in that location being assigned to that remote Store.

Table 10 on page 23 lists some DCPs and the resulting data volume that the agent sends to either Store or WLA Archiver. Using Table 10 on page 23, consider adjusting the DCPs of the remote agents so that they are staggered. In this way, the agents do not execute concurrently and create a bottleneck in the network.



Agent functionality was tested at 200 ms latency on a 386 Kbps to 764 Kbps bandwidth network having 50 percent to 60 percent utilization. Figure 1 further illustrates other ControlCenter functionality at various network latency.

Figure 1 ControlCenter functionality and network latency

Note: Important: For Moderate Latency in Figure 1, do not allow the latency between Workload Analyzer Archiver and other ControlCenter agents to exceed 75 ms.

Table 10 Data Volumes sent to the Store or WLA Archiver

Data Collection Policy Approximate Data Volume

Full configuration load of a medium Symmetrix array 1 MB

Rediscovery of a medium Solaris host 1 MB

Topology validation of a medium switch 40 KB

WLA Daily policy data for a medium Symmetrix array 600 KB

WLA Daily policy data for a medium host 15 KB


24

Console guidelines

Console guidelinesThese guidelines apply to installing and configuring the ControlCenter Console, as well as utilizing the ControlCenter Console and Web Console simultaneously.

Guideline C1 When installing a stand-alone ControlCenter Console, ensure that the client host meets minimum specifications.Table 11 shows the minimum hardware requirements for stand-alone ControlCenter Console hosts (a stand-alone ControlCenter Console host does not contain any ControlCenter infrastructure components). The requirements in Table 11 are for one instance of the ControlCenter Console. Refer to the EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 5 Support Matrix on Powerlink for supported operating system versions.

1 250 MB if logging is turned off.

Guideline C2 When running the Web Console, ensure that the client host meets minimum specifications.Table 12 lists the minimum hardware requirements for ControlCenter Web Console hosts.

Guideline C3 Limit the combined number of active ControlCenter Consoles and Web Consoles to ten during peak ControlCenter use.Limiting the combined number of active ControlCenter Consoles and Web Consoles to ten helps maintain performance. ControlCenter Consoles and Web Consoles are considered active if they are running user commands, including views that update real-time information.

Table 11 Host requirements for stand-alone consoles with logging

Operating System # of Processors Minimum Speed Minimum Memory Minimum Disk Space

Windows 1 500 MHz 512 MB 550 MB1

Solaris 1 360 MHz 512 MB 550 MB1

Table 12 Host requirements for Web Consoles

Operating System # of Processors Minimum Speed Minimum Memory

Windows 1 500 MHz 128 MB

AIX, HP-UX, Linux, and Solaris 1 360 MHz 128 MB


Console guidelines

An active Web Console session is one that is processing a user request. Additional Web Console sessions can be open as long as they are not simultaneously processing user requests.

Note: Important: If the combined number of active ControlCenter Consoles and Web Consoles exceeds ten, contact Customer Support for assistance.

Guideline C4 Limit the number of active StorageScope sessions to 5 during peak ControlCenter use.A StorageScope session is considered “active” if it is being used by the user to request reports, chart, and so on. If you must have more than 5 StorageScope sessions active during peak usage, contact Customer Support for assistance.

Guideline C5 Be aware of restrictions associated with installing the ControlCenter Console.◆ You can install the ControlCenter Console and one approved

agent (refer to ”Guideline A2” on page 28) on a stand-alone Store host that has a minimum of 2 GB of RAM and dual 2.4 GHz processors.

◆ In a single-host infrastructure setup, you can install the ControlCenter Console on the infrastructure host, as long as that host has at least 3 GB of RAM and WebConsole Server is not installed. You can manage the objects and agents shown in Table 4 on page 10 as part of that configuration.

◆ Do not install the ControlCenter Console on a dedicated Repository host.

◆ You can install the ControlCenter Console on hosts where the ECC Server and Store reside, as long as those hosts have a minimum of 2 GB RAM and dual 2.4 GHz processors.

Guideline C6 Use terminal emulation or the Web Console when latency between the ControlCenter Console and infrastructure exceeds 8 ms.When latency between the ControlCenter Console and infrastructure components exceeds 8 ms, consider using terminal emulation software to access the ControlCenter Console, or switch to the Web Console if limited functionality is acceptable. Refer to ”Guideline N1” on page 21 for details.


26

Console guidelines

Guideline C7 Run Storage Provisioning and Symmetrix Configuration commands during periods of low activity.Storage Provisioning operations and Symmetrix Configuration Control commands (SDR, Meta Device Configuration, Device Type Definition, etc.) should be executed during periods of low ControlCenter Infrastructure activity. These commands can rapidly complete during these low-activity periods without experiencing delays due to busy Store(s).

Avoid overlapping these commands with:

◆ Scheduled daily Discovery DCP for hosts

◆ Installation or upgrade of agents in batches


Agent guidelines

Agent guidelinesThis section contains guidelines for deploying and managing ControlCenter Agents.

Guideline A1 When deploying agents, limit the initial discovery of managed objects.The ControlCenter Agent Installation consumes more resources during initial discovery than during rediscoveries of the same managed objects. Therefore, you should restrict concurrent initial discovery of managed objects per hour and Store as recommended in Table 13. This is accomplished by limiting the number of concurrent agent installs using the ControlCenter Console Agent Installation Wizard and also by limiting the number of agents being restarted concurrently.

Do not run multiple agent deployment sessions through the ControlCenter Console Agent Installation Wizard.

When deploying agents using tasks in the Agent Installation Wizard, ensure that you wait at least one hour between large tasks (those that involve more than 20 agents). This is because after the wizard reports successful completion of each task, the Infrastructure is still busy processing recently discovered managed objects. Starting consecutive installation processes may overload the Infrastructure.

ControlCenter Console response time may be degraded during the agent deployment process because the Infrastructure is busy processing recently discovered managed objects. Do not overlap agent installation process with configuration management commands (SDR, Meta Device Configuration, etc.). The ControlCenter Console might not be refreshed in this situation.

Table 13 Limitations of initial discovery

Managed Object Type Medium Managed Objects per Store per Hour Large Managed Objects per Store per Hour

Host 40 10

Symmetrix 10 5


28

Agent guidelines

Guideline A2 Follow these guidelines when deploying agents on stand-alone Store hosts.

Note: Stand-alone Store hosts are hosts running only the Store component in a distributed configuration. Those hosts must have a minimum of dual 2.4 GHz processors and 2 GB RAM for agents to be deployed on them.

You can deploy any two of the following agents on a stand-alone Store host (not including Master and Host agents):

◆ Fibre Channel Connectivity (FCC) Agent — Follow ”Guideline A12” on page 36 for recommended DCPs.

◆ Storage Agent for Symmetrix and Symmetrix SDM Agent — Manage no more than six medium or four large Symmetrix arrays.

◆ WLA Archiver — See ”Guideline A28” on page 48 for the number of managed objects that a single WLA Archiver agent can manage.

◆ Storage Agent for CLARiiON — Manage no more than ten small or five medium CLARiiON systems.

◆ Common Mapping Agent — Refer to ”Guideline A25” on page 46 for the number of managed objects that one CMA agent can manage.

◆ Storage Agent for NAS (Celerra) — Manage no more than six small or three medium Celerra systems. When managing large Celerra systems, always deploy this agent on dedicated hosts.

Note: FCC and NAS agents do not coexist on the same host due to port conflict.

Guideline A3 Deploy only one ControlCenter agent on a stand-alone Store host where the ControlCenter Console is also installed.EMC recommends that you deploy only one agent (not including the Master Agent and Host Agents) on a stand-alone Store host where the ControlCenter Console also resides.

An exception is Storage Agent for Symmetrix and Symmetrix SDM Agent, which can be installed together on a stand-alone Store host where the ControlCenter Console also resides.


Agent guidelines

Guideline A4 When running Storage Agent for Symmetrix, CLARiiON Agent, Host Agent, Database Agent for Oracle, FCC Agent, Symmetrix SDM Agent, and WLA Archiver on the same agent host, manage:◆ No more than six medium-size Symmetrix arrays with one

Storage Agent for Symmetrix and Symmetrix SDM agent.

◆ No more than three medium-size CLARiiON arrays with one CLARiiON Agent.

◆ No more than three medium-size databases with one Database Agent for Oracle.

◆ No more than nine medium-size switches with one Fibre Channel Connectivity Agent.

The agent host must have a minimum of dual 1.0 GHz processors with 1 GB RAM.

Guideline A5 On agent hosts, allocate 300 MB additional disk space for each agent that runs WLA DCPs.The WLA Revolving DCP saves collected data to the local host disk and does not send it over to the WLA Archiver, until and unless the user requests it via the Console. The maximum amount of data that this policy can save on to the disk is 100 MB per policy per managed object.

If ControlCenter agents that run WLA Daily and WLA Analyst DCPs (for example, Storage Agent for Symmetrix) cannot communicate with Workload Analyzer Archiver (because of a network failure, for example), those agents will save up to 100 MB of WLA data for each policy on an agent host. This allows WLA data collection to continue while connectivity to Workload Analyzer Archiver is restored. To support this function, on hosts where agents that run WLA Daily and WLA Analyst DCPs reside, allocate 200 MB additional disk space for each agent that runs those DCPs.

For example, if WLA Daily, WLA Analyst and WLA Revolving DCPs are planned to be enabled for Host Agent for Windows and FCC Agent on a single host, allocate 600 MB (300 MB for each agent) additional disk space on that host.

Note: Important: Concurrent processing of all WLA DCPs on the same host will likely cause data gaps. Refer to ”Guideline D3” on page 18 and ”Guideline D4” on page 19 for more details.


30

Agent guidelines

Note: Important: If the amount of locally collected data for WLA DCPs exceeds 100 MB, local data collection will continue (if connectivity to the Workload Analyzer Archiver host is not restored)—however, some of the collected data might be lost due to the 100 MB limit.

Guideline A6 Follow these minimum gatekeeper recommendations.The following are gatekeeper recommendations for applicable agents.

◆ Ensure that each Storage Agent for Symmetrix has 2 gatekeepers for monitoring and 2 additional gatekeepers for Symmetrix Configuration commands when managing a Symmetrix with up to 16K logical volumes. Refer to ”Guideline A33” on page 55 in the “Extra Large Symmetrix Configuration Guidelines” for Symmetrix with 16K and more logical volumes.

◆ Common Mapping Agent and Host Agents do not require gatekeepers.

Note: SYMCLI scripts should use their own gatekeepers.

Guideline A7 Use agent resource utilization to help schedule DCPs.The impact of an agent on system resources depends on the agent type, polling frequency, and the number and size of the managed objects managed by the agent.

◆ For agents with polling frequencies that are less than one hour, the average Steady State (over 24 hours) CPU resource utilization of the agent should preferably remain under 1 percent when managing one medium-size managed object.

◆ For agents having a daily polling cycle, small spikes of resource utilization occur for a few minutes each day.

Table 14 on page 32 shows the CPU utilization for ControlCenter agent polling with one medium-size managed object. These duration and average CPU usage values were determined by tests conducted on the following agent host configurations.

Note: Note: Consider these differences in hardware configuration when using performance data for agent host comparison.

◆ Windows: Two 1 GHz processors with 1 GB RAM, running Windows 2000 Advanced Server.


Agent guidelines

◆ Solaris: Two 500 MHz processors with 2 GB RAM, running Solaris 8.

◆ HP-UX: Two 440 MHz processor with 2 GB RAM, running HP-UX B11.11.

◆ AIX: Four 375 MHz processors with 4 GB of RAM, running IBM AIX 5.1.

Note: These performance measurements reflect maximum expected performance for hosts that are dedicated to agent processing with no other applications running. Your actual performance may vary if agents are run on the same host with other applications or other ControlCenter agents.

Use Table 14 to determine resource requirements for ControlCenter agents. When using the table, keep the following in mind.

◆ The information in the Default Polling Frequencies column does not address functionality associated with user commands.

◆ Average CPU Usage By Platform includes Master Agent CPU usage. No real-time commands were processed during testing. Agents detected a very low number of alerts during testing.

◆ Estimated Memory By Platform shows an estimated memory allocation for an agent managing one medium-size managed object. Memory consumption increases proportionally when the size or count of the managed object increases.


32

Agent guidelines

Table 14 Resource requirements for ControlCenter agents

Agent Type Default Polling Cycles Duration (mm:ss) Avg. CPU Usage Estimated

Memory Required Disk

Space

Storage Agent

forSymmetrix

Alert Polling 2 Minutes

Steady State

Windows 2.5%Solaris 3.6%

HP-UX 3.91%AIX 4.8%

Windows 89.4 MBSolaris 89.3MB

HP-UX 115.7 MBAIX 74.7 MB

Windows 28 MBSolaris 12 MBHP-UX 22 MB

AIX 33 MB

CLI Generation Once daily at Midnight

Configuration 10 Minutes

Historical Data Once daily at Midnight

Local Discovery Once daily at Midnight

Performance Statistics 2 Minutes

BCV/RDF Status 5 Minutes

Real-time BCV/RDF Status 1 Minute

WLA Daily 15 Minutes Steady State


HP-UX 4.63%AIX 5.4%WLA Revolving 2 Minutes

Database Agent

for Oracle

Discovery Once daily at 6:00 a.m.

Windows 01:41Solaris 01:32HP-UX 01:37

AIX 01:30


HP-UX 10.99%AIX 9.98% Windows 10 MB

Solaris 8 MBHP-UX 30 MB

AIX 20 MB


AIX 40 MBWLA Daily 15 MinutesSteady State

Windows <1.0%Solaris <1.0%HP-UX <1.0%

AIX <1.0%WLA Revolving 15 Minutes

Fibre Channel Connectivity

Agent

Fabric Validation 1 HourSteady State


AIX <1.0% Windows 30 MBSolaris 40 MBHP-UX 40 MB

AIX 33 MB


AIX 40 MB

Device Validation 1 Hour

WLA Daily 15 MinutesSteady State


AIX <1.0%WLA Revolving 15 Minutes


Agent guidelines

Host Agent

Discovery

Once daily at MidnightOnce daily at 2:00 a.m.Once daily at 2:00 a.m. Once daily at 4:00 a.m.Once daily at 4:00 a.m.

Windows 03:04Solaris 01:10Linux 00:26

HP-UX 01:30AIX 01:36

Windows 1.00%Solaris 17.27%Linux 34.93%HP-UX 9.46%AIX 22.68%

Windows 16 MBSolaris 28 MBLinux 10MBHP-UX 7 MBAIX 28 MB


AIX 28 MBLinux 22 MB

WLA Daily Collection 15 Minutes

Steady State

Windows 0.42%a

Solaris 0.86%Linux 0.49%

HP-UX 0.91%AIX <1.0%

WLA Revolving Collection 2 Minutes

Watermarks for File Systems 15 Minutes

Watermarks for Logical Volumes 15 Minutes

Watermarks for Volume Groups 15 Minutes

Storage Agent

for CLARiiON

Discovery (45 disks, 512 LUNs) Once daily at Midnight

Windows 00:52Solaris 00:55

AIX 00:48HP-UX 00:43


AIX 14.4%HP-UX 28.2% Windows 4.9 MB

Solaris 9.2 MBAIX 7.4 MB

HP-UX 4.1 MB

Windows 16 MBSolaris 6 MBAIX 19 MB

HP-UX:16 MBWLA Dailyb 15 MinutesSteady State


AIX 5.6%HP-UX 4.8%WLA Revolving 2 Minutes

Storage Agent for

HDS

Discovery (512 devices) Once daily at Midnight


Windows 4.1%Solaris 6.65%HP-UX 14.4% Windows 6.2 MB

Solaris 13 MBHP-UX 3.47 MB

Windows 11 MBSolaris 5 MB

HP-UX 10 MBWLA DAily 15 MinutesSteady State

Windows 1% Solaris 1.5% HP-UX 2.5%WLA Revolving 10 Minutes

Symmetrix SDM Agent

Re-Discovery (4000 masking entries) 12 Hours


AIX 01:30

Windows 24%Solaris 10%HP-UX 8%AIX 18% Windows 24 MB


AIX 32 MB


AIX 44 MBMasking Configuration (4000

masking entries)6 Hours


AIX 00:13

Windows 15%Solaris 12%HP-UX 10%

AIX 18%

Table 14 Resource requirements for ControlCenter agents (continued)



Space


34

Agent guidelines

Storage Agent for

NAS

Celerra Discovery Once daily at Midnight Windows 07:16 Windows 12.6%

Windows 17.6 MB

Windows 16 MB

WLA Daily 15 MinutesSteady State Windows 1.3%

WLA Revolving 10 Minutes

NetApp Discovery—1 filer, 12 file systems, 23

devices, 2 lvolumes)

Once daily at Midnight Windows 00:02 Windows 0.78% Windows 5.5 MB

Storage Agent for Centera™

Discovery (2 nodes, 4 services, 1 pool,

11 profiles)Once daily at Midnight Windows 00:22 Windows 0.54% Windows 4 MB Windows 5 MB

Common Mapping

Agent

Host Discovery (proxy) Once daily at Midnight Windows 05:27

Solaris 05:24Windows 1.78%Solaris 1.88%

Windows 30.5 MBSolaris 30 MB


Informix Discovery (proxy) Once daily at Midnight Solaris 01:38 Solaris 0.62% Solaris 15.5 MB

Sybase Discovery (proxy) Once daily at Midnight

Solaris 04:20HP-UX 02:51

AIX 04:25

Solaris 11.38%HP-UX 12.50%

AIX 12.2%


AIX 50 MB

SQL Server Discovery (proxy) Once daily at Midnight Windows 04:17 Windows 0.62% Windows 17 MB

IBM UDB Discovery (proxy) Once daily at Midnight AIX 19:22 AIX 6.21% AIX 17 MB

Generic Backup Agent

for EDM™

Discovery (system with 32 jobs every 2

hours, 12 data systems, 3 clients)

Once daily at 4:00 a.m. Solaris 00:01 Solaris 1.13% Solaris 29 MB Solaris 5 MB

Backup Agent for VERITAS NetBackup



Once Daily at 4:00 a.m. Windows 00:01AIX 00:01

Windows 1.31%AIX 0.87%

Windows 4 MBAIX 4.5 MB

Windows 11 MBAIX 21 MB

Backup Agent for Legato® NetWorker™



Once Daily at 4:00 a.m.Windows 00:06HP-UX 00:16

AIX 00:04

Windows 0.77%HP-UX 0.61%

AIX 1.81%

Windows 3.5 MBHP-UX 13 MB

AIX 4.5 MB

Windows 11 MBHP-UX 11 MB

AIX 21 MB

Backup Agent for TSM



Once daily at 4:00 a.m. AIX 00:06 AIX 9.55% AIX 5.5 MB AIX 33 MB

a. The ControlCenter High Watermark data collection policy for Volume Manager experiences very high overhead on Windows when VxVM 4.0 and higher is in use. You may disable watermarks data collection policies on Windows host to conserve CPU resource consumption on the agent host.

b. To reduce CPU usage by WLA policies, adjust the policy frequency as described in ”Guideline A25” on page 46.

Table 14 Resource requirements for ControlCenter agents (continued)



Space


Agent guidelines

FCC Agent Guidelines

Fibre Channel Connectivity (FCC) Agent discovers and monitors connectivity devices and fabrics. This section contains guidelines for deploying and managing FCC Agent.

Guideline A8 Deploy two agents to significantly improve DCP processing speed.Two FCC Agents process DCPs nearly twice as fast as one FCC Agent. The agents share the workload associated with processing DCPs and other user-initiated tasks. In a failover situation, either agent can take on the workload of the other agent.

Guideline A9 Before deploying FCC Agent and Storage Agent for NAS on the same host, update the agent port configuration.Unless you perform configuration updates, Fibre Channel Connectivity Agent and Storage Agent for NAS cannot reside on the same host. Refer to the Planning for Agents in EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 5 Planning and Installation Guide, Volume 1 for details.

Guideline A10 When discovering larger fabrics that have Brocade switches, ensure that the Save connection settings for each switch checkbox in the Connectivity Device Discovery Wizard is cleared (unchecked).When you discover connectivity devices (select Discover, then Connectivity Devices in the ControlCenter Console task bar) and select the Prompt for missing connection settings advanced option in the Search for Connectivity Devices dialog, a special Connection Settings dialog box appears whenever a proxy switch for a Brocade fabric is found. The Connection Settings dialog box contains a checkbox labeled Save connection settings for each switch.

Checking Save connection settings for each switch causes each switch to be discovered individually—a time-consuming process for fabrics that contain more than 12 to 15 switches. Leaving the checkbox unchecked causes fabrics to be discovered via proxy, which significantly improves discovery time and performance. For example, discovery for a fabric with 31 switches can take 4 hours when Save connection settings for each switch is checked versus only 40 minutes when the box is not checked.

Guideline A11 Perform single-switch discovery whenever possible.In cases where the configuration of only one switch is changed, rediscover only that switch (instead of the entire fabric). Rediscovery of a single switch typically takes less than 2 minutes.


36

Agent guidelines

Guideline A12 Configure FCC Agent DCPs to run more efficiently.The DCP execution time depends on the policy type, availability of the Store, switch size (number of ports, zone sets, nickname/alias etc.) and network latency between the agent and switches. Table 15 shows recommended DCP collection intervals for various configurations, considering the listed factors.

Note: The information in the Table 15 may change based on results of ongoing scalability tests.

Note: McDATA service processors running EMC Connectrix Manager (ECM) higher than version 8.1 have significant negative impact on various DCPs. ECM 8.1 and below are not affected. Tests were conducted to compare the DCP performance on a configuration that had 9 switches behind a service processor totaling 490 ports and 3 fabrics. Device Validation, Fabric Validation and WLA Daily DCPs took 90, 53, and 30 minutes respectively with ECM 8.7.1. When the same test was repeated with ECM 8.1, Device Validation, Fabric Validation and WLA Daily DCPs took 9, 8 and 7 minutes respectively.

To achieve DCP performance as listed in Table 15, exclude McDATA switches and fabrics that are running ECM higher than version 8.1.

You can compensate for running device and fabric validation DCPs less frequently by enabling SNMP trap forwarding to FCC Agent.

Table 15 Recommended FCC Agent DCP frequencies

Data Collection Policy Name

Number of Agents

1 to 512Ports

513 to 1024Ports

1025 to 2048 Ports

2049 to 3072 Ports

3073 to 4096 Ports

4097 to 8192Ports

Fabric Validation1 30 Minutes 30 Minutes 1 Hour 45 Minutes 1 Hour 2 Hours

2 15 Minutes 30 Minutes 30 Minutes 30 Minutes 1 Hour 2 Hours

Device Validation1 30 Minutes 1 Hour 1 Hour 2 Hours 2 Hours 4 Hours

2 15 Minutes 30 Minutes 1 Hour 1 Hour 1 Hour 2 Hours

WLA Daily1 30 Minutes 30 Minutes Disabled Disabled Disabled Disabled

2 15 Minutes 30 Minutes 60 Minutes Disabled Disabled Disabled

WLA Revolving 1 or 2 Disabled Disabled Disabled Disabled Disabled Disabled

Performance Statistics (10 managed objects at a time only) 1 or 2 Disabled Disabled Disabled Disabled Disabled Disabled


Agent guidelines

Alerts will be displayed in the Alert view, and appropriate policies may be executed on demand to refresh the ControlCenter Console.

ControlCenter 5.2 allows you to specify in Workload Analyzer Archiver DCPs the switches for which WLA performance data is to be collected (in other words, you do not have to collect performance data for all switches). If you want to collect WLA Daily data for all switches, consider the recommendations in this guideline for tuning FCC agent DCPs.

Storage Agent guidelines

The Storage Agent for Symmetrix, Storage Agent for CLARiiON, Storage Agent for NAS (Celerra), and Storage Agent for HDS discover and manage Symmetrix, CLARiiON, NAS (Celerra), and HDS arrays for ControlCenter. This section describes guidelines when deploying and configuring those agents.

Guideline A13 Manage up to twenty medium Symmetrix arrays when the Storage Agent for Symmetrix and Symmetrix SDM agents are installed on a dedicated host.Execution time of DCPs depends on the number of Symmetrix arrays being managed by an agent. WLA Daily policy for one 16K device Symmetrix would be faster than eight 2K device Symmetrix arrays totaling the same 16K devices.

You can manage up to twenty medium Symmetrix Arrays or 40,000 Symmetrix logical volumes (whichever is smaller) with one Storage Agent for Symmetrix that runs DCPs (including WLA Daily and WLA Revolving), performs configuration management, and handles real-time commands. Set Configuration policies to 15 BCV/RDF Status to 10 minutes and BCV/RDF Real Time Status to 3 minute intervals. All other DCPs may remain in default interval setting.

Be aware that by executing the BCV/RDF Status policy less frequently, the state of BCV/RDF devices will be updated less frequently in data protection task dialogs. Example of state values are: restored, sync in progress, and split. Even though the state value displayed on data protection dialogs may not be up to date, upon task submission ControlCenter will check for state value and prevent any inappropriate tasks from being executed.

Manage up to 12 medium Symmetrix arrays or 24,000 Symmetrix logical volumes (whichever is smaller) to run all policies (including WLA Daily and WLA Revolving) at default interval.

Support for up to twenty medium Symmetrix arrays or 40,000 Symmetrix logical volumes (whichever is smaller) requires that


38

Agent guidelines

Storage Agent for Symmetrix resides on a dedicated host with a minimum of 2 GB RAM and dual 2.4 GHz processors (if running Windows) or compatible hardware and software (if running UNIX). You must also allocate four gatekeepers for each managed Symmetrix array (20 arrays results in the Agent requiring 80 gatekeepers in total). SYMCLI scripts should use their own gatekeepers.

The number of HBAs required to support this configuration depends on the HBA vendor. For example, if the HBA has a limit of six Symmetrix arrays per HBA (the fan-out ratio), a minimum of four HBAs is required to support the 20 Symmetrix arrays. If an HBA has a 12 to 1 fan-out ratio (12 Symmetrix arrays per HBA), only two HBAs are required to support the 20 Symmetrix arrays.

When managing 20 medium Symmetrix Arrays or 40,000 Symmetrix logical volumes (whichever is smaller) with a Storage Agent for Symmetrix installed on a HP-UX agent, be aware that the memory requirement for the agent process (egsagent) is estimated to be 1.2 GB. The HP-UX operating system has limits to the amount of memory that a single process can consume. Kernel tuning may be required to allow an agent process to grow up to 1.2 GB. Changing maxdsiz larger than the memory size of the process as well as changing maxssize to 10 MB may be required. The ulimits may be increased for the login session to match the maxdsize and maxssize kernel parameters.

Guideline A14 Manage up to four medium Symmetrix arrays when the Storage Agent for Symmetrix and Symmetrix SDM agents are installed on a production server.You can manage up to four medium Symmetrix arrays or 8,000 Symmetrix logical volumes (whichever is smaller) when Storage Agent for Symmetrix is installed on production server. It can run all DCPs (including WLA Daily and WLA Revolving) at default intervals, perform configuration management and process real-time commands. The host must have a minimum of dual 1.0 GHz processors and 1 GB of RAM. Agent is expected to consume steady-state 12-15% CPU on the agent host of similar hardware specification while managing four medium Symmetrix Arrays.

40-45% CPU utilization is expected on the agent host if Storage Agent for Symmetrix is managing six medium Symmetrix arrays or 12,000 Symmetrix logical volumes (whichever is smaller) on a dual 1.0 GHz processors with 1 GB of RAM host. All DCPs (including WLA Daily and WLA Revolving) may be scheduled at default interval except BCV/RDF Status policy that should be set to 10 minute interval.


Agent guidelines

The number of Symmetrix arrays that a single agent can manage is limited by the system resources allowed on the production host. Other considerations includes proper execution of DCPs and user-initiated tasks (such as configuration management or performance monitoring).

Managing more Symmetrix arrays could create unacceptable levels of system resource utilization on production hosts and missed DCPs.

Be aware that by executing the BCV/RDF Status policy less frequently, the state of BCV/RDF devices will be updated less frequently in data protection task dialogs. Example of state values are: restored, sync in progress, and split. Even though the state value displayed on data protection dialogs may not be up to date, upon task submission ControlCenter will check for state value and prevent any inappropriate tasks from being executed.

Guideline A15 Limit the number of Symmetrix arrays managed by Storage Agent for Symmetrix on infrastructure hosts.When Storage Agent for Symmetrix is deployed on an infrastructure host with a ControlCenter configuration like the one described in “Configuration #2: 3 GB RAM Host” in Table 4 on page 10, Storage Agent for Symmetrix can manage up to two medium or three small Symmetrix arrays.

When Storage Agent for Symmetrix is to manage more than two medium or three small Symmetrix arrays in a configuration like the one described in “Configuration #2: 3 GB RAM Host” in Table 4 on page 10, distribute Storage Agent for Symmetrix to other hosts.

When distributing Storage Agent for Symmetrix to other hosts with the intention of balancing the load between those agents, you must ensure that the balanced load on the Storage Agent for Symmetrix residing on the infrastructure host does not exceed recommended levels. By default, ControlCenter will balance the agent processing load between all Storage Agents for Symmetrix. Consider the following example, which employs full load balancing (enabled by default):

◆ Six medium-sized Symmetrix arrays are to be managed.

◆ One Storage Agent for Symmetrix resides on an infrastructure host like the one described in “Configuration #2: 3 GB RAM Host” in Table 4 on page 10.

◆ Two additional Storage Agents for Symmetrix are deployed on separate hosts.


40

Agent guidelines

◆ Full load balancing distributes the processing load so two of the six medium-sized Symmetrix arrays are managed by each Storage Agent for Symmetrix.

◆ Because two medium-sized Symmetrix arrays are managed by the Storage Agent for Symmetrix on the infrastructure host, the configuration adheres to the recommended guideline for managing Symmetrix arrays.

Note: Important: When managing large Symmetrix arrays, or when the results of load balancing create a load on the Storage Agent for Symmetrix residing on the infrastructure host that exceeds established guidelines, do not deploy Storage Agent for Symmetrix on infrastructure hosts.

Refer to Configuring Agent Load Balancing in EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 5 Planning and Installation Guide, Volume 1 for details on load balancing. Use the information in that section to determine if load balancing will allows for effective management of the number of Symmetrix arrays in your ControlCenter configuration.

Guideline A16 Know the scalability limit for the open system Storage Agent for Symmetrix proxy.Manage no more than 12 medium-sized Symmetrix arrays. One Storage Agent for Symmetrix can act as a proxy for up to four hosts (each running Solutions Enabler) that are connected to three medium Symmetrix arrays. The recommended dedicated hardware configuration is dual 1.0 GHz processors with 1.5 GB of RAM.

Table 16 lists the recommended DCP frequency when Storage Agent for Symmetrix in proxy mode is managing varying number of Symmetrix arrays.

Table 16 Recommended DCP frequency for Storage Agent for Symmetrix in proxy mode

Data Collection Policy Name Default Frequency

Recommended Frequency

12 Symmetrix arrays or 12K logical volumes (whichever is smaller)

12 Symmetrix arrays but no more than 24K logical volumes

Alert Polling 2 Minutes 2 Minutes 2 Minutes

BCV/RDF Status 5 Minutes 5 Minutes 10 Minutes

CLI Generation Daily Daily Daily

Configuration 10 Minutes 10 Minutes 20 Minutes

Historical Data Daily Daily Daily


Agent guidelines

Guideline A17 Limit the number of CLARiiON arrays managed by the Storage Agent for CLARiiON on infrastructure hosts.When Storage Agent for CLARiiON is deployed on an infrastructure host with a ControlCenter configuration like the one described in “Configuration #2: 3 GB RAM Host” in Table 4 on page 10, Storage Agent for CLARiiON can manage up to three medium or five small CLARiiON systems.

When the Storage Agent for CLARiiON is to manage more than three medium or five small CLARiiON systems, in a configuration like the one described in “Configuration #2: 3 GB RAM Host” in Table 4 on page 10, it is recommended that you distribute the Storage Agent for CLARiiON to other hosts.

When managing large CLARiiON systems, always deploy the Storage Agent for CLARiiON on non-infrastructure hosts.

Guideline A18 Manage up to twelve CLARiiON arrays when the Storage Agent for CLARiiON is deployed on a dedicated or production host.Storage Agent for CLARiiON can manage up to 12 CLARiiON arrays of any size when the agent resides on a host with a minimum of 1 GB RAM and dual 1.0 GHz processors (Windows) or compatible hardware and software (UNIX).

The agent DCP settings must comply with the guidelines shown in Table 17 on page 42, which show recommended DCP frequency for configurations that contain all small, all medium, and all large CLARiiONs. If your configuration contains a mixture of small, medium, and large CLARiiONs, use the DCP settings for the highest recommended configuration in Table 17 on page 42. For example, if your configuration has 5 small and 3 medium CLARiiONs, use the recommended DCP settings for 8 medium CLARiiONs.

Data Collection Policy Name Default Frequency

Recommended Frequency

12 Symmetrix arrays or 12K logical volumes (whichever is smaller)

12 Symmetrix arrays but no more than 24K logical volumes

Local Discovery Daily Daily Daily

Performance Statistics 2 Minutes 2 Minutes 2 Minutes

BCV Real-time 1 Minute 1 Minute 2 Minutes

Daily 15 Minutes 15 Minutes 15 Minutes

Revolving 2 Minutes 2 Minutes 10 Minutes

Table 16 Recommended DCP frequency for Storage Agent for Symmetrix in proxy mode


42

Agent guidelines

Refer to the discussion on disabling of WLA Revolving policy for CLARiiON agent in ”Guideline D3” on page 18. If WLA Revolving data is required for troubleshooting, consider creating individual WLA Revolving DCPs for each CLARiiON array. Set frequency to 5 minutes for such DCPs.

CLARiiON agent managing medium and large CLARiiON arrays consumes significant CPU resources on the agent host. Example, on a Windows host (Dual 1.0 GHz processors with 1 GB of RAM), the CLARiiON agent consumed 25-30% CPU and 10MB of memory while managing 8 medium or 4 large CLARiiON arrays executing DCPs at recommended frequency as provided in Table 17. If this level of CPU utilization is unacceptable on a production host, install the CLARiiON agent on a dedicated agent host. Managing a small CLARiiON would result in 2-12% CPU utilization on an agent host based on the count of CLARiiON arrays being managed and thus may be installed on production host.

Guideline A19 Limit the number of Celerra systems managed by the Storage Agent for NAS on infrastructure hosts.When the Storage Agent for NAS (Celerra) is deployed on an infrastructure host with a ControlCenter configuration like the one described in “Configuration #2: 3 GB RAM Host” in Table 4 on page 10, Storage Agent for NAS (Celerra) can manage up to four medium or eight small Celerra systems.

Table 17 Recommended DCP collection settings for CLARiiON arrays

Number of CLARiiON Arrays

Discovery WLA DAily Frequency

All Sizes (small, medium, or large)

Small (60 disks, 256 LUNS)

Medium (80 disks, 512 LUNS)

Large (120 disks, 1024 LUNS)

1

Once a day

5 Minutes 10 Minutes 10 Minutes

2 5 Minutes 15 Minutes 15 Minutes



8 15 Minutes 60 Minutes Disabled


12 30 Minutes Disabled Disabled


Agent guidelines

When the Storage Agent for Celerra is to manage more than four medium or eight small Celerra systems, in a configuration like the one described in “Configuration #2: 3 GB RAM Host” in Table 4 on page 10, distribute the Storage Agent for NAS (Celerra) to other hosts.

When managing large Celerra systems, always deploy this agent on dedicated hosts.

Guideline A20 Manage up to ten medium Celerra systems when Storage Agent for NAS (Celerra) is deployed on a dedicated host.Storage Agent for NAS (Celerra) can manage up to four large or 16 small Celerra systems when the agent resides on a host with a minimum of 1 GB RAM and dual 1.0 GHz processors.

The agent DCP settings must comply with the guidelines shown in Table 18 on page 44, which show recommended DCP frequency for configurations that contain all small, all medium, and all large Celerra systems. If your configuration contains a mixture of small, medium, and large Celerra systems, use the DCP settings for the highest recommended configuration in Table 18 on page 44. For example, if your configuration has 5 small and 3 medium Celerra systems, use the recommended DCP settings for 8 medium Celerra systems. Refer to the discussion on disabling of WLA Revolving policy for the Celerra agent in ”Guideline D3” on page 18. If WLA Revolving data is required for troubleshooting, consider creating individual WLA Revolving DCPs for each Celerra system. Set frequency to 5 minutes for such DCPs.


44

Agent guidelines

Guideline A21 Manage up to four medium Celerras when Storage Agent for Celerra is deployed on a production server.You can manage up to eight small Celerra systems when the Storage Agent for NAS (Celerra) is installed on a production server. It can run Discovery and WLA Daily DCPs at intervals specified in Table 18 on page 44. The host must have a minimum of dual 1.0 GHz processors and 1 GB of RAM. Agent is expected to consume steady-state 10 - 12% CPU on the agent host of similar hardware specification while managing four medium Celerras.

The number of Celerras that an agent can manage is limited by the system resources allowed on the production host. When managing large Celerra systems, always deploy this agent on dedicated hosts.

Guideline A22 Manage up to twelve medium HDS Arrays when Storage Agent for HDS is deployed on a dedicated host.Storage Agent for HDS can manage up to six large or 16 small HDS Arrays when the agent resides on a host with a minimum of 1 GB RAM and dual 1.0 GHz processors.

The agent DCP settings must comply with the guidelines shown in Table 19 on page 45, which show recommended DCP frequency for configurations that contain all small, all medium, and all large HDS systems. If your configuration contains a mixture of small, medium,

Table 18 Recommended DCP collection settings for Celerra arrays

Number of Celerra Arrays

Discovery WLA Daily Frequency

All Sizes (small, medium, or large)

Small (2 Data Movers, 512 Logical

Devices)

Medium (5 Data Movers, 2048 Logical

Devices)

Large (14 Data Movers, 4096

Logical Devices)

1

Once a day

5 Minutes 10 Minutes 15 Minutes










Agent guidelines

and large HDS systems, use the DCP settings for the highest recommended configuration in Table 19 on page 45. For example, if your configuration has 5 small and 3 medium HDS systems, use the recommended DCP settings for 8 medium HDS systems. Refer to the section on disabling of WLA Revolving policy for the HDS agent in ”Guideline D3” on page 18. If WLA Revolving data is required for troubleshooting, consider creating individual WLA Revolving DCPs for each HDS system. Set frequency to 5 minutes for such DCPs.

Guideline A23 Manage up to four medium HDS Arrays when Storage Agent for HDS is deployed on a production server.You can manage up to four medium or eight small HDS Arrays when Storage Agent for HDS is installed on a production server. It can run Discovery and WLA Daily DCPs at intervals specified in Table 19 on page 45. The host must have a minimum of dual 1.0 GHz processors and 1 GB of RAM. The agent is expected to consume steady-state 10-15% CPU on the agent host of similar hardware specification while managing four medium HDS arrays.

The number of HDS Arrays that an agent can manage is limited by the system resources allowed on the production host. Other issues include proper execution of DCPs and user-initiated tasks (such as configuration management and performance monitoring).

When managing large HDS systems, always deploy the Storage Agent for HDS on dedicated hosts.

Table 19 Recommended DCP collection settings for HDS arrays

Number of HDS Arrays

Discovery WLA Daily Frequency

All Sizes (small, medium, or large) Small Medium Large

1

Once a day

10 Minutes 10 minutes 10 Minutes










46

Agent guidelines

Common Mapping Agent guidelines

The Common Mapping Agent can discover and monitor (but not manage) databases and host configuration information locally on a single host or on remote hosts (via proxy). One Common Mapping Agent can replace several individual host and database agents if limited functionality is needed for the associated managed objects. However, to ensure proper performance and scalability, limit the number of managed objects per Common Mapping Agent and consider using host and database agents for large managed objects, as described in this section.

Guideline A24 Do not discover large hosts or large databases via proxy with the Common Mapping Agent.Discovery and rediscovery of large hosts and databases (refer to Table 2 on page 6 for details) using Common Mapping Agent via proxy can take a very long time. For example, daily rediscovery of large hosts and databases with Common Mapping Agent can take up to an hour. When large hosts are to be monitored, use the Host agent for the appropriate platform. Avoid monitoring large SQL Server, Sybase, Informix, and IBM DB2 database instances with Common Mapping Agent. For details on deploying those agents, refer to Plan for Agents in EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 5 Planning and Installation Guidelines, Volume 1.

Guideline A25 Limit the number of managed objects per Common Mapping Agent.When the number of managed objects per Common Mapping Agent exceeds the counts listed in Table 20 on page 46, consider deploying additional Common Mapping Agents to sustain optimum performance.

For example, one Common Mapping Agent can manage a total count of 100 before adding a second Common Mapping Agent. Discovery polling will be done in five off-peak hours. The Common Mapping Agent may coexist with other agents or Infrastructure components.

Note: The limitation is based on an agent host with two CPUs (700 MHz to 1.0 GHz) and 1 GB of memory.

Table 20 Managed objects per Common Mapping Agent

Managed Object Type (medium-sized objects) Managed Object Count

Hosts (Windows, Solaris, HP-UX, and AIX) 60

Databases (Sybase, Informix, and SQL Server) 40


Agent guidelines

Host, Oracle, and WLA Archiver Agent guidelines

Host Agent for Windows allows you to effectively manage Windows servers. Workload Analyzer Archiver generates Performance Manager Automated Reports and processes performance data collected by individual ControlCenter agents.

Guideline A26 Enable Windows File Level Summary policies only when required. Host Agent for Windows provides file summary reports that can be viewed using the ControlCenter Console or StorageScope. The StorageScope-based reports require the FLS File Level Summary Reporting DCP. For the file set reports, one or more FLS File Set or FLS File Set Advanced data collection policies must also be enabled. These policies are scheduled to run at 2:00 a.m. every day, but are disabled by default.

Running these policies consumes resources on the agent host and on ControlCenter infrastructure hosts. If hosts contain folders with more than 100,000 files in them, the FLS File Level Summary Reporting DCP can take up to 30 minutes to run.

Guideline A27 Ensure Watermark DCPs are not set below default 15 minutes for hosts having more than 1024 volumes and file systemsStarting with the 5.2 Service Pack 3 release, the Host agent has three new Watermarks DCPs that collect the capacity utilization information of volume groups, volumes, and file systems size information every15 minutes (default) and these policies are enabled by default. The capacity utilization data for the day is sent to the Store along with the Daily Discovery transactions which is typically scheduled once a day. Watermark data gathered from hosts is reported in various StorageScope reports. Ensure that Watermark DCP frequencies are not faster than 15 minutes for hosts having 1024 volumes and file systems.

On a test Solaris host (SUN280R - dual 750 MHz, with 4 GB RAM) with 256 devices, and configured with large 1024 volume groups and 1024 file systems, the WLA Daily, WLA Revolving, and Watermark DCPs (all at default frequencies) consumed a steady state of 2.92% CPU utilization. If this level of CPU utilization is not acceptable on a production host, disable or reduce the Watermark policy frequency.


48

Agent guidelines

Guideline A28 Limit the number of managed objects per Workload Analyzer ArchiverWhen the total number of managed objects managed by Workload Analyzer Archiver exceeds a threshold value, consider adding more Workload Analyzer Archivers to sustain performance.

Table 21 shows the number of medium-sized managed objects that can be managed for an agent host with the following configurations:

◆ Shared: Dual CPUs (700 MHz to 1.0 GHz), 1 GB of RAM, and 36 GB disk space. Workload Analyzer Archiver is deployed on a stand-alone Store host or with other agents (refer to ”Guideline A4” on page 29).

◆ Dedicated: Dual 2.4 GHz CPUs, 2 GB of RAM, and 146 GB disk space. No other infrastructure components or agents are installed on the host.

Your threshold might be slightly higher or lower depending on the host configuration and the managed object count. Use Table 21 as a guideline when establishing your own threshold.

Table 21 Managed objects per Workload Analyzer Archiver

Prior to version 5.2 Service Pack 3, the user had to wait for the next day to view the performance data collected by the WLA Daily DCP as the archiving process would run at midnight. With recent versions, the availability of performance data for Performance Manager depends on the frequency of archiving which is hourly by default.

Managed Object Type (medium-sized objects) Dedicated Shared

Hourly conversion Every 2-hour conversion

Every 3-hour conversion

Conversion at hourly, 2-hour, or 3-hour

Storage arrays 75 85 100 50

Hosts 300 520 600 200

Databases 75 85 100 50

Switches 50 110 130 30

Total of all listed managed objects 500 800 930 330


Agent guidelines

By slowing down the archiving frequency (once every 2 or 3 hours) a significant increase can be achieved for dedicated WLA Archiver agents with a version higher than 5.2 Service Pack 3. Follow these steps if you wish to change the archiving frequency:

1. Go to WLA archive Agent host, under WLA archive agent folder ..\exec\ENW520.

2. Make a copy of ENW.ini and change the name to ENW.ini.org.

3. Modify ENW.ini configuration file parameter timestamps per ttp.

• Default timestamps per ttp = 4 means ttp to btp conversion frequency is every hour.

• If you want to change ttp to btp conversion frequency to every 2 hours, Set parameter timestamps per ttp = 8.

• If you want to change ttp to btp conversion frequency to every 3 hours, Set parameter timestamps per ttp = 12, etc.

4. Save the modified ENW.ini file.

5. Re-start the WLA archive agent via ControlCenter Console.

Guideline A29 Know the scalability limit of Oracle agent (local and proxy).Manage no more than 50 medium instances when the Oracle agent is installed on the database host (local agent). It is assumed that the database server has dual 2.4 GHz processors (Windows) or equivalent configuration in Unix platforms. An Oracle agent running on such a database server would need approximately 25 MB of virtual memory.

In proxy mode, a single Oracle agent can manage up to 30 medium database instances running on a database server. Dual 1.0 GHz processors with 1 GB of RAM is the recommended hardware configuration on Windows platform.

This limitation takes into account processing of WLA Daily and WLA revolving policies.


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Extra Large Symmetrix Configuration Guidelines

Extra Large Symmetrix Configuration GuidelinesSymmetrix DMX™ systems running Enginuity™ 5671, can support up to 64512 (64K) devices depending on data protection options and hardware configuration.

Refer to the Symmetrix DMX1000, DMX2000, and DMX3000 Product Guide, P/N 300-000-661, Rev A06 for a description of the maximum logical volumes supported on each Symmetrix DMX model by data protection option.

The following terminology is used in this section to describe the Symmetrix array as it relates to ControlCenter.

If you want to discover and manage arrays larger than 16K device Symmetrix systems, you need to upgrade to ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 4 or higher. In the ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 3 release, the maximum heap size for the ECC Server and the Store processes was increased from 512 MB to a new default value of 1024 MB to accommodate the processing of a Symmetrix array with 16K devices. The increased heap size for the ECC Server and Store is sufficient for discovering and managing Symmetrix arrays with 64K devices with ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 4 or higher.

Guideline P3 Symmetrix and SDM agent managing a Symmetrix array with 16K devices or larger is not supported on a single-host configurations.Single-host infrastructure as described in “Configuration #2: 3 GB RAM Host” on Table 4 on page 10 does not support Storage Agent for Symmetrix and Symmetrix SDM agent.

Table 22 Extra large Symmetrix configuration types

Symmetrix Configuration Type Configuration Specifications

16K 8192-16K logical volumes with up to 32K front end mappings

32K 16K-32K logical volumes with up to 64K front end mappings

64K 32K-64K logical volumes with up to 128K front end mappings



Guideline U3 Upgrade and install Storage Agents for Symmetrix one at a time.Upgrade/install one Storage Agent for Symmetrix at a time that is managing Symmetrix with 16K devices or bigger systems. Initial discovery of a Symmetrix array with 64K devices may take up to 90 minutes whereas all subsequent full rediscoveries would take between 12 and 18 minutes depending on the amount of changes to the configuration. Transactions may get queued up and Console response time may degrade if more than one Storage Agent for Symmetrix installs/upgrades are initiated at the same time.

Guideline A30 Follow these guidelines when deploying a Storage Agent for Symmetrix managing a Symmetrix array with 16K devices on a stand-alone store.

Note: Stand-alone Store hosts are hosts running only the Store component in a distributed configuration. Those hosts must have a minimum of dual 2.4 GHz processors and 2 GB RAM for agents to be deployed on them.

You can deploy any two of the following agents on a stand-alone Store host:

◆ Fibre Channel Connectivity (FCC) Agent — Follow ”Guideline A12” on page 36 for recommended DCPs.

◆ Storage Agent for Symmetrix and Symmetrix SDM agent manage no more than six medium or four large or one Symmetrix array with 16K devices. Storage Agent for Symmetrix and Symmetrix SDM agent are not supported on a stand-alone Store managing Symmetrix arrays with more than 16K devices.

◆ WLA Archiver—See ”Guideline A28” on page 48 for the number of managed objects that a single WLA Archiver agent can manage.

◆ Storage Agent for CLARiiON—Manage no more than six small or three medium CLARiiON systems.

◆ Common Mapping Agent—Refer to ”Guideline A25” on page 46 for the number of managed objects that one CMA agent can manage.

◆ Storage Agent for NAS—FCC and NAS agents do not coexist on the same host by default due to port conflict.

◆ Host agent—No restrictions.


52


Guideline A31 Deploy either Storage Agent for Symmetrix or Symmetrix SDM agent on a stand-alone Store that has a ControlCenter Console installed. When managing one Symmetrix array with 16k devices, either the Storage Agent for Symmetrix or Symmetrix SDM agent can be deployed on a standalone Store host that has a Console installed.

Guideline A32 When running Storage Agent for Symmetrix, CLARiiON Agent, Host Agent, Database Agent for Oracle, FCC Agent, Symmetrix SDM Agent, and WLA Archiver on a dedicated agent host, manage:◆ No more than one 16K or six medium Symmetrix arrays with one

Storage Agent for Symmetrix and Symmetrix SDM agent.

◆ No more than three medium-sized CLARiiON arrays with one CLARiiON Agent.

◆ No more than three medium-sized databases with one Database Agent for Oracle.

◆ No more than nine medium-sized switches with one Fibre Channel Connectivity Agent.

The agent host must have a minimum of dual 1.0 GHz processors with 2 GB RAM.



Table 23 Resource Requirements for Storage Agent for Symmetrix



Space

64K Symmetrix - Storage Agent Resource Requirement

Storage Agent

forSymmetrix


Steady State

Windows 49%Solaris 49%











Windows 50%Solaris 57%WLA Revolving 10 Minutes

Symmetrix SDM Agent

Re-Discovery (128,000 masking

entries)12 Hours Windows 00:65

Solaris 00:83Windows 20%Solaris 24%


Windows 63MBSolaris 34 MBMasking

Configuration (128,000 masking

entries)

6 Hours Windows 00:21Solaris 00:17



54



Storage Agent

forSymmetrix


Steady State












Windows 22%Solaris 40%WLA Revolving 5 Minutes

Symmetrix SDM Agent







entries)



Table 23 Resource Requirements for Storage Agent for Symmetrix (continued)



Space



Guideline A33 Minimum gatekeeper recommendations for Symmetrix arrays with 16K devices and aboveThe following are gatekeeper recommendations for applicable agents.

◆ Ensure that each Storage Agent for Symmetrix has 3 gatekeepers for monitoring and 2 additional gatekeepers for Symmetrix Configuration commands when managing a Symmetrix array with 16K devices or larger.

◆ Common Mapping Agent and Host Agents do not require gatekeepers.

Note: SYMCLI scripts should use their own gatekeepers.


Storage Agent

forSymmetrix


Steady State












Windows 14.5%Solaris 24.5%WLA Revolving 2 Minutes

Symmetrix SDM Agent







entries)



Table 23 Resource Requirements for Storage Agent for Symmetrix (continued)



Space


56


Guideline A34 Consider the CPU, memory and disk space utilization.Table 23 on page 53 shows the CPU, memory and disk space utilization by Storage Agent for Symmetrix and Symmetrix SDM agent on Windows and Solaris hosts. For performance reasons, EMC recommends managing Symmetrix arrays with 64K devices from Windows and Solaris host only.

Test were conducted on hosts with following specifications:

◆ Windows: Two 2.4 GHz processors with 2 GB RAM, running Windows 2000 Advanced Server.

◆ Solaris: Two 500 MHz processors with 2 GB RAM, running Solaris 8.

Guideline A35 Manage up to three Symmetrix arrays with 16K devices, or two Symmetrix arrays with 32K devices, or one Symmetrix array with 64K devices when the Storage Agent for Symmetrix is installed on a dedicated host.You can manage the above configuration with one Storage Agent for Symmetrix that runs DCPs (including WLA Daily and WLA Revolving), performs configuration management, and handles real-time commands on a dedicated host with a minimum of dual 2.4 GHz processors with 2GB of RAM if running Windows. Use comparable hardware and software (when running on UNIX).

The following changes must be made to the DCP schedule to support this configuration:

◆ Configuration policy interval to be changed from 10 to 20 minutes

◆ BCV Status policy interval to be changed from 5 to 15 minutes.

◆ Real-time BCV/RDF Status policy interval to be changed from 1 to 4 minutes

◆ Performance Statistics policy interval to be changed from 2 to 5 minutes

◆ WLA Revolving policy interval to be changed from 2 to 10 minutes

Refer to the gatekeeper recommendation in ”Guideline A33” on page 55.



Guideline A36 Manage only one Symmetrix array with 64K devices in proxy mode.Make following changes to the DCP frequency:

◆ Configuration policy from 10 minutes to 20 minutes

◆ BCV/RDF Status Policy from 5 minutes to 10 minutes

◆ Real-time BCV/RDF Status Policy from 1 minute to 5 minutes

◆ Performance Status Policy from 2 minutes to 5 minutes

◆ WLA Revolving from 2 minutes to 10 minutes

Guideline A37 Plan for at least 2 dedicated agent hosts to manage Symmetrix arrays with more than 32K devices.The Storage Agent for Symmetrix when managing a Symmetrix array with 32K devices or larger has a resource footprint that is best managed by installing it on a dedicated agent host. By default, the Storage Agent for Symmetrix participates in failover, and if proper safeguards are not in place, management of a 32K device or 64K device Symmetrix array may be assigned to agent hosts that are ill equipped to handle the workload.

Ensure that only one 64K device Symmetrix array or two 32K device Symmetrix arrays are zoned-in to two hosts with the proper hardware specification (”Guideline A35” on page 56). Example, HostA and HostB are both zoned-in to a 64K device Symmetrix array. HostA is the primary for the Symmetrix array while HostB is secondary (active/passive). HostA goes down and now the ECC Server is forced to assign the responsibility of managing the 64K device Symmetrix array to HostB as that is the only surviving host that can communicate to the 64K device Symmetrix array.

It is likely that a 32K or 64K device Symmetrix array would have remote Symmetrix arrays (R2). Use techniques like symavoid to exclude remote Symmetrix arrays from being discovered via the primary agent managing 32K or 64K device Symmetrix arrays.

Increase the number of agent log files for your Storage Agent for a Symmetrix with 64K devices.

In order to maintain 36 hours of historical log files, especially when running WLA DCPs with a 64K device Symmetrix array, increase the log file count from 10 log files to 25 log files. Log file size should remain the same. Increasing in log file would require 45 MB of additional disk space.


58

Hardware configuration examples

Hardware configuration examplesTable 24 lists examples of the recommended specification for dual-processor configurations.

Note: Any dedicated server-class systems with equivalent configurations are acceptable if those servers are qualified and listed in the EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Service Pack 5 Support Matrix, refer to the following website: http://www.EMC.com/interoperability

Table 24 System components for dual processor configurations

PartSystem Specifications

3.0 GHz Processors 2.4 GHz Processors 1.0 GHz Processors

Base Unit Processor Intel Xeon, 3.06 GHz with 1 MB Cache Intel Xeon, 2.4 GHz with 512 KB Cache Intel Pentium III, 1.0 GHz with 256 KB Cache

Second Processor Intel Xeon, 3.06 GHz with 1 MB Cache Intel Xeon, 2.4 GHz with 512 KB Cache Intel Pentium III, 1.0 GHz with 256 KB Cache

Memory 2 GB DDR SDRAM 266 MHz (2x1 GB) 2 GB DDR, 200 MHz, 4x512 MB DIMMS

1 GB SDRAM, 133 MHz, 2 x 512 MB DIMMs

Hard Drive 73 GB, 10 K RPM, Ultra 320 SCSI Hard Drive

36 GB, 10K RPM, 1" Ultra3 (Ultra 160) SCSI Hot Plus Hard Drive

36 GB U160M SCSI, 1.0", 10,000 RPM Hard Drive

Hard Drive Controller RAID on Motherboard, PERC3-DI 128 MB

PERC3-DI, 128 MB Battery Backed Cache, 2 Internal Ch-Embedded RAID RAID Enabler, PERC3-DI, 128 MB

Floppy Disk Drive 1.44 MB, 3.5" Floppy Drive 1.44 MB, 3.5" Floppy Drive 1.44 MB, 3.5" Floppy Drive

Operating System Windows 2000 Server orWindows 2000 Advanced Server

Windows 2000 Server orWindows 2000 Advanced Server

Windows 2000 Server or Windows 2000 Advanced Server

NIC Dual On-Board NICs On-Board NIC On-Board NIC

CD-ROM orDVD-ROM Drive 24X IDE Internal CD-ROM Drive 24X IDE Internal CD-ROM Drive 24X IDE Internal CD-ROM Drive,

Black

Additional Storage Products

73 GB, 10 K RPM, Ultra 320 SCSI Hard Drive

36 GB, 10 K RPM, 1" Ultra3 (Ultra 160) SCSI Plug Hard Drive

36 GB U160M SCSI, 1.0", 10,000 RPM Hard Drive

Miscellaneous N/A N/A Power Supply, 330W, 2 Units, DOM, Redundant


60


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