Merging grids

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You can merge two existing TS7700 Grids to create a larger grid. This solution permits you to keep redundant copies of data within both grids during the entire merge process versus needing to remove one or more clusters first and exposing them to a single copy loss condition.

This solution permits merging of two grids while retaining redundant copies of data within both grids during the merge process. By this method, it is not necessary to first remove one or more clusters from a grid, avoiding exposure to a single copy loss condition.

The following restrictions apply:
  • The final resulting grid configuration cannot have more than three different microcode levels. The microcode level is shown on the login screen.
  • Feature codes on both grids must be compatible
  • All cluster IDs must be unique
  • All virtual volumes must be unique
  • The new (merging) grid should have fewer virtual volumes than the existing (receiving) grid
  • The total number of virtual volumes in the grid cannot exceed four million
  • The final, merged grid cannot contain more than eight clusters.
Feature Codes
All clusters in a grid must have FC 4015 (Grid Enablement) installed before the beginning of the merge. This feature is typically installed in manufacturing. However, it is possible that a TS7700 ordered originally as a stand-alone cluster does not have FC 4015 installed. In this instance, FC 4015 must be purchased and installed before the beginning of the merge. Use the installation instructions and license key that are delivered with FC 4015 to complete the grid configuration before beginning the merge operation.
To maximize the full number of virtual volumes that are supported on the grid, the quantity of installed instances of FC 5270 and FC 5271 must be the same for all clusters in the final, merged grid. If this requirement is not met, then the number of volumes that the grid supports is determined by the cluster with the lowest number of FC 5270 and FC 5271 instances installed.
To create a grid with more than two clusters, first create a two-cluster grid by using one of the following conditions:
  • If one cluster is empty and another cluster contains data (an existing cluster), join the empty cluster to the existing cluster
  • If both clusters are empty or both clusters have data, it is suggested to join the higher-numbered cluster to the lower-numbered cluster (i.e. cluster 1 to cluster 0) to form a grid
Complete the worksheet TS7700 Grid local addresses in the topic Planning for new system arrival (customer tasks) in preparation for any upcoming merge operation. A link to this topic is in the Related information section.