DELL 34XX User Manual

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In this case, the remote write operation cannot be completed to the secondary virtual disk, and the 
primary virtual disk and the secondary virtual disk are no longer correctly replicated. The primary RAID 
controller module transitions the replicated pair into an Unsynchronized state and sends an I/O 
completion to the primary host. The primary host can continue to write to the primary virtual disk, but 
remote writes do not take place.
When communication is restored between the RAID controller module owner of the primary virtual disk 
and the RAID controller module owner of the secondary virtual disk, a resynchronization takes place. This 
resynchronization happens automatically, or it must be started manually, depending on which write 
mode you chose when setting up the replication relationship. During the resynchronization, only the 
blocks of data that have changed on the primary virtual disk during the link interruption are copied to the 
secondary virtual disk. After the resynchronization starts, the replicated pair transitions from an 
Unsynchronized status to a Synchronization in Progress status.
The primary RAID controller module also marks the replicated pair as unsynchronized when a virtual disk 
error on the secondary side prevents the remote write from completing. For example, an offline 
secondary virtual disk or a failed secondary virtual disk can cause the remote replication to become 
unsynchronized. When the virtual disk error is corrected (the secondary virtual disk is placed online or 
recovered to an Optimal status), then synchronization is required. The replicated pair then transitions to a 
Synchronization in Progress status.
Resynchronization
Data replication between the primary virtual disk and the secondary virtual disk in a replication 
relationship is managed by the RAID controller modules and is transparent to host machines and 
applications. When the RAID controller module owner of the primary virtual disk receives a write request 
from a host, the RAID controller module first logs information about the write to a replication repository 
virtual disk. The RAID controller module then writes the data to the primary virtual disk. The RAID 
controller module then initiates a write operation to copy the affected data to the secondary virtual disk 
on the remote storage array.
If a link interruption or a virtual disk error prevents communication with the secondary storage array, the 
RAID controller module owner of the primary virtual disk transitions the replicated pair into an 
Unsynchronized status. The RAID controller module owner then sends an I/O completion to the host 
sending the write request. The host can continue to issue write requests to the primary virtual disk, but 
remote writes to the secondary virtual disk do not take place.
When connectivity is restored between the RAID controller module owner of the primary virtual disk and 
the RAID controller module owner of the secondary virtual disk, the virtual disks must be resynchronized 
by copying the blocks of data that changed during the interruption to the secondary virtual disk. Only the 
blocks of data that have changed on the primary virtual disk during the link interruption are copied to the 
secondary virtual disk.
CAUTION: Possible loss of data access – Any communication disruptions between the primary 
storage array and the secondary storage array while resynchronization is underway could result 
in a mix of new data and old data on the secondary virtual disk. This condition would render the 
data unusable in a disaster recovery situation.
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