Migrating Files to EMC VNX

There are several methodologies in migrating files to EMC VNX. One method I used recently to migrate Windows files (CIFS) was to copy files between the source CIFS server to the target VNX server using the emcopy migration suite of tools from EMC. EMC provides these free tools including emcopy, lgdup, and sharedup to accomplish the migration task. There are several steps you need to follow for a successful migration. In general, I used the following procedure:

1. Create the necessary VDM (Virtual Data Mover), File System, and CIFS server on the target VNX machine.
2. Create CIFS share. Copy the share permissions (or ACL) and the NTFS root folder ACLs from the old share to new share. You can also use the sharedup.exe utility.
3. Use lgdup.exe utility to copy local groups from the source CIFS server to the target CIFS server.
4. Run emcopy.exe to perform baseline copy.
5. Create an emcopy script to sync the files every night. This will temendously cut the time needed to update the files on the final day of migration.
6. Analyze emcopy log to make sure files are being copied successfully. You may also spot check the ACLs and/or run tools to compare files and directories between the source and target.
7. On the day of the cutover:
a. Disconnect users from the source CIFS server and make the file system read-only.
b. Run the final emcopy script.
c. Follow EMC156835 to rename the CIFS server so that the new CIFS server will have the name of its old CIFS server. This procedure entails unjoining the source and target CIFS server from Active Directory (AD), renaming NetBIOS name on the new CIFS server, joining back the CIFS server, etc. Update the DNS record too if necessary.
8. Check the new CIFS shares and make sure the users are able to read/write on the share.

To migrate UNIX/Linux files, use the UNIX rsync utility to copy files between source and target VNX.

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