startfcmap

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Use the startfcmap command to start a FlashCopy® mapping. This command makes a point-in-time copy of the source volume at the moment that the command is started.

Syntax

Parameters

-prep: (Optional) Specifies that the designated mapping be prepared prior to starting the mapping. A mapping must be prepared before it can be started. When you use this parameter, the system automatically issues the prestartfcmap command for the group that you specify.
Note: If you have already used the prestartfcmap command, you cannot use the -prep parameter on the startfcmap command; the command fails. However, if the FlashCopy has successfully prepared before, the startfcmap command succeeds.
-restore: (Optional) Specifies the restore flag. When combined with the prep option, this forces the mapping to be prepared even if the target volume is being used as a source volume in another active mapping. An active mapping is in the copying, suspended, or stopping state.
fc_map_id | fc_map_name: (Required) Specifies the ID or name of the mapping to start.

Description

This command starts a single mapping, which results in a point-in-time copy of the source volume. You can combine the restore parameter with the prep parameter to force the mapping to be prepared prior to starting, even if the target volume is being used as a source volume of another active mapping. In this case, the mapping is restoring as shown in the lsfcmap view. If the restore parameter is specified when starting a mapping where the target volume is not the source volume of another active mapping, the parameter is ignored and the mapping is not restoring as shown in the lsfcmap view.

If a mapping is started and the target volume of the mapping being started has up to four other incremental FlashCopy mappings using the target, the incremental recording is left on. If there are more than four other incremental FlashCopy mappings using the target volume, the incremental recording for all of these mappings is turned off until they are restarted.

Note: The startfcmap command can take some time to start, particularly if you use the prep parameter. If you use the prep parameter, you give additional starting control to the system. The system must prepare the mapping before the mapping is started. To keep control when the mapping starts, you must issue the prestartfcmap command before you issue the startfcmap command.

This command is rejected if the target of the FlashCopy mapping is the secondary volume in a Metro Mirror or Global Mirror relationship (so that the FlashCopy target is the remote copy secondary).

Note: If the remote copy is idling or disconnected, even if the FlashCopy and remote copy are pointing to the same volume, the auxiliary volume is not necessarily the secondary volume. In this case, you can start a FlashCopy mapping.

The FlashCopy mapping also fails in the following cases, if the target of the FlashCopy mapping is the primary volume in a Metro Mirror or Global Mirror relationship (so that the FlashCopy target is the remote copy primary):

The remote copy is active.
The FlashCopy target (and remote copy primary target) volume is offline. If this occurs, the FlashCopy mapping stops and the target volume remains offline.

Maps that are rc_controlled are not shown in the view when this command is specified.

An invocation example

startfcmap -prep 2

The resulting output:

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