Using the CLI

The command-line interface (CLI) is a collection of commands that you can use to manage the system.

Overview

The CLI commands use the Secure Shell (SSH) connection between the SSH client software on the host system and the SSH server on the system.

Note: Before you can use the CLI, you must create a system.

To use the CLI from a client system, complete the following steps:

Install and set up SSH client software on each system that you plan to use to access the CLI.
Authenticate to the system by using a password.
Use an SSH public key if you require command line access without entering a password. Then, store the SSH public key for each SSH client on the system.
Note: After the first SSH public key is stored, you can add SSH public keys by using either the management GUI or the CLI.

Use the CLI commands to change or create arrays, drives, enclosures, storage pools, and volumes. You can also use the CLI commands to specify encryption or security settings or work with systems.

For example, use the CLI commands to:

Set up the system, its nodes, and the I/O groups.
Set up and maintain canisters and enclosures.
Analyze error logs event logs (logs).
Set up and maintain managed disks (MDisk) and storage pools.
Set up and maintain client public SSH keys on the system.
Set up and maintain volumes.
Setup logical host objects.
Map volumes to hosts.
Navigate from managed hosts to volumes and MDisks (and the reverse direction up the chain).
Set up and start Copy Services functions:
- For FlashCopy® and FlashCopy consistency groups
- For Synchronous Metro Mirror and Metro Mirror consistency groups and relationships
- For Asynchronous Global Mirror and Global Mirror consistency groups and relationships
- For active-active consistency groups and relationships
Setup licensing or featurization settings.

CLI commands generally give feedback whether or not the command ran. Check the audit log or event log (for configuration events, for example) after you specify a command to verify successful completion. You can also check the I/O group of the volume that you change.