Hitachi Command Suite 8 User Guide

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Managing tasks
This module describes how to manage tasks.
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About tasks
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Customizing which tasks display in the global monitoring bar
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Viewing HCS task status
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Rescheduling HCS tasks waiting to be executed
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Stopping running data migration or data placement profile tasks
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Canceling scheduled HCS tasks
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Moving HCS tasks to the HCS Task History tab
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Restarting a failed or stopped HCS task
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Deleting HCS tasks
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Viewing system task status
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Managing system tasks
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Troubleshooting system tasks
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Viewing data collection task status
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Restarting a data collection task
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							About tasksTasks are submitted to perform specific functions, such as to allocate orcreate volumes, or to group storage resources. For tasks that you or other
users submit, task status and task results display in a task list.
The method for submitting tasks and the tasks you can run differ depending
on the task type. There are three types of tasks in HCS:
• HCS Tasks HCS tasks are tasks that are submitted using Hitachi Command Suite.
Typically, you schedule HCS tasks to run at a time that is best suited for
your storage system environment, such as during a period of low storage
system activity. Resources connected to a task, such as volumes and
parity groups, are reserved so that other tasks that use these resources do
not run at the same time. The status of each registered task changes
when the task finishes by completing successfully, failing, or stopping.
Until a registered task finishes, you should not perform any other tasks on
any volumes included in the task.
From the Tasks & Alerts tab, HCS Tasks list, depending on the status of the task, you can:
○ Cancel tasks that are in Waiting status
○ Stop migration tasks or data placement profile tasks
○ Move finished tasks to the HCS Task History tab
You cannot restart deleted tasks or tasks that have been moved to the
HCS Task History tab. Additionally, HCS tasks that have been moved to
the history are automatically deleted in order beginning from the oldest when the number of tasks exceeds 100,000.
○ Reschedule tasks that are in Waiting status
○ Delete completed tasks
○ Restart failed or stopped tasks
To restart a task, it must meet the requirements that allow it to be
restarted. Restarted tasks inherit the same configured values that were
initially set when the task was registered and submitted. The configuration of the resource might have changed between the timewhen the task was initially submitted and when it is restarted, so when
restarting a task, verify the configuration to determine whether you can
restart it.
○ Receive email notification of the completion of migration tasks by
specifying an email address when submitting migration tasks. Email
notification is sent when the task completes, either by completing successfully, failing, or stopping, which makes it unnecessary to
manually monitor the progress of a task. Use email notification in cases where you want to verify the results for a task, when it is necessary to contact a server administrator or application administrator regarding
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							changes to storage system settings, or when you submit a task thatcould take a long time to complete.
• System Tasks System tasks are specific to Virtual Storage Platform G1000 storagesystems, and are submitted from Hitachi Device Manager - Storage
Navigator.
From the Tasks & Alerts tab, System Tasks list, you can view: • Task name
• Task type • User
• Storage system (VSP G1000) • Status (link)
Clicking the status link will display additional status information in a
Status Details  window. For example, when a system task runs (Delete
LDEVs for example) an Update Database sub-task that applies storage configuration changes to the HCS database also runs. When you click the
status link of the primary task (Delete LDEVs), you will see the Update
Database sub-task displayed in the  Status Details window. Note that the
Update Database task is also displayed in the Data Collection Tasks tab like
other HCS data collection activities.
To take further action on a system task, you would click Manage System
Tasks and in the displayed window actions would include:
• View task details
• Delete or modify task settings • Apply configuration changes as a result of the task completion
• Suspend or resume tasks (system tasks cannot be restarted)
• Data Collection Tasks Data collection tasks are listed on the Administration tab, under ManagedResources, on the Data Collection Tasks tab. These tasks can be sortedand filtered like tasks listed on the Tasks & Alerts tab.
Data collection tasks are created by adding, refreshing, editing, andremoving storage systems, file servers, and hosts from the Administration tab or the Resources tab.
Data collection tasks are also created by submitting System tasks thatperform an Update Database sub task.
On the Data Collection Tasks tab, in the data collection tasks list, you can:
• Check task results and task status
• Delete tasks • Restart tasksNote:  Adding a file server is not registered as a data collection task because
adding a file server is performed by registering Device Manager information
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							Host information can be synchronized with Compute Systems Manager hosts.This task is listed as a data collection task.
The global monitoring bar provides the following task functionality:
• Displayed at the bottom of the HCS GUI, these task status links provide convenient access for reviewing and managing HCS task and System taskinformation from the Tasks & Alerts tab. The numbers displayed on the
global monitoring bar are the sum of HCS tasks and system tasks. Note that data collection tasks cannot be accessed from the global monitoring
bar. Task status links provide easy access to the following task categories:
○ Waiting (Waiting, Suspended)
○ In Progress (In Progress, Stopping, Stopping Immediate, Canceling, or
Deleting, or Updating Database)
○ Completed (Completed, Canceled, or Stopped)
○ Failed (Failed or Database Update Failed)
• Clicking a task status link will display a dialog box where you can review and manage HCS tasks and System tasks on separate tabs. Filtering anddisplay controls in the dialog box are the same as in the Tasks & Alerts
tab. The management options available in the dialog box depend on the
task status category. For example, you can stop an in progress HCS task,
but the stop option would not be available for completed or failed HCS
tasks.
• Depending on the category of tasks you select, you can also control which tasks are visible using a cut off date, or by moving tasks to task history.
Take the following actions to troubleshoot task errors: • If, during the execution of a task, an error message displays indicating a database blockage, terminate the Device Manager server, and then recover
the database. After recovering the database, restart the Device Manager
server, and then refresh the storage systems. For the task that ended in
an error, review the storage system logs and then, if necessary, run the task again.
• If a window does not display or if information to be displayed cannot be obtained, follow the instructions in the displayed error message, check the
network status, and then run the task again or contact the server
administrator.
Related tasks
•
Viewing HCS task status  on page 385
•
Rescheduling HCS tasks waiting to be executed  on page 386
•
Stopping running data migration or data placement profile tasks  on page
386
•
Canceling scheduled HCS tasks  on page 387
•
Moving HCS tasks to the HCS Task History tab  on page 387
•
Restarting a failed or stopped HCS task  on page 388
•
Managing system tasks  on page 390
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							•Viewing data collection task status on page 392
•
Customizing which tasks display in the global monitoring bar  on page 385
Customizing which tasks display in the global monitoring
bar
You can control which tasks are visible when using the task status links byfiltering tasks with a cut off date or moving failed tasks to task history.
The cut off date serves as a filter for the tasks from the Tasks & Alerts tab.
You can change the date to restore older tasks to your view.
Moved tasks are can be displayed from Tasks & Alerts, HCS Task History tab.Note:  The Move to History button is also available in the Tasks & Alerts tab
and applies to all task types, not just failed tasks. You may also select failed
tasks and click Delete Tasks to permanently remove them.
Procedure
1. Specify a cut off date to reduce the number of displayed tasks, and/or
move failed tasks to the  HCS Task History tab, as follows:
a. Click  Failed  or Completed  to display tasks. Click  Edit Duration and
specify a cutoff date, and click  OK.
b. Click  Failed , select HCS failed tasks, and click  Move to History.
Result
The size of the visible task list is reduced.
Related concepts
•
About tasks  on page 382
Viewing HCS task status View the status of HCS tasks to see if the task has completed, summary
information about the task, and task configuration details.
Procedure 1. On the  Tasks & Alerts  tab, select All Tasks.
2. View the  Status column on the  HCS Tasks tab or on the  HCS Task
History  tab to determine if a task has completed.
3. Click the task name link in the  Task column on either the  HCS Tasks
tab or the  HCS Task History  tab to view the Task Details window,
which provides the task details and task summary.
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							If a task has failed, the Message field provides a description for why the
task failed.
Related concepts
•
About tasks  on page 382
Rescheduling HCS tasks waiting to be executed You may reschedule HCS tasks waiting to be executed.
Procedure 1. On the  Tasks & Alerts  tab, select All Tasks.
2. Select the waiting task you want to reschedule from the  HCS Tasks tab
and click the  Reschedule Tasks  button to specify a new schedule from
the dialog box.
3. You can now either execute the rescheduled task or confirm that the
waiting task is rescheduled by viewing the  HCS Tasks list.
Related concepts •
About tasks  on page 382
Related tasks
•
Viewing HCS task status  on page 385
Stopping running data migration or data placement profile
tasks
Data migration or data placement profile tasks can be stopped duringexecution, in the following ways:
• Normal stop: A task stop request is issued and processing that is currently beingperformed is continued. For data migration, tasks are stopped when data moving processing completes. For Data Placement Profile operations, tasks
are stopped when processing for each storage system completes. Processing that has not been started is stopped. It might take a long time
after a task stop request is issued before the task stops completely.
Stopped tasks can be restarted.
• Immediate stop: If you select the Stop the tasks immediately check box (immediate stop),
or if a task is performed that searches for inconsistent data placement
profiles when a storage system is refreshed, all processes are stopped
immediately. For data migration tasks, since data that was being migrated remains in the target volume, the user must delete the data in the target
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							volume. Therefore, we recommend that you use immediate stop only foremergencies.
The storage administrator checks the task progress and results in the Tasks &
Alerts tab allowing the schedule of a task that is waiting to be changed.
Procedure 1. In the  Tasks & Alerts  tab, select All Tasks.
2. From the  HCS Tasks  tab, select one or more running tasks that you
want to stop, and click  Stop Tasks.
3. In the confirmation dialog box, click  OK.
4. In the HCS tasks list window, confirm that the status of the task is
stopped.Note:  To access the  Task Details dialog box to see the point at which a
task was stopped, click  All Tasks in the Tasks & Alerts  tree and click
the task name link in the summary column of the  HCS Tasks  tab.
Related concepts
•
About tasks  on page 382
Canceling scheduled HCS tasks You can cancel scheduled HCS tasks that have not yet started.
Note: You can only cancel tasks that are in Waiting status.
Procedure
1. On the  Tasks & Alerts  tab, select All Tasks and select a task from the
HCS tasks list.
2. Click  Cancel Tasks .
Result
Upon cancellation of a task the status of the task appears as Canceled.
Related concepts
•
About tasks  on page 382
Moving HCS tasks to the HCS Task History tab You can move completed, failed, stopped, or canceled tasks from the HCS
Tasks tab to the HCS Task History tab.
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							For example, you could manage the completed and cancelled tasks by
moving them to the HCS Task History tab and keep the submitted, stopped, and failed tasks in the HCS Tasks tab until these tasks run to completion or
are resolved.
After a task has been moved to the HCS Task History tab, it cannot be moved back to the HCS Tasks tab.Note:  After a task has been moved to the HCS Task History tab, the task
cannot be restarted again.
Procedure
1. On the  Tasks & Alerts  tab, select All Tasks.
2. On the  HCS Tasks  tab, select one or more tasks and click  Move to
History .
3. Verify the tasks to move and click  OK.
Result The selected tasks are moved to the HCS Task History tab.
Related concepts
•
About tasks  on page 382
Related tasks •
Deleting HCS tasks  on page 389
Restarting a failed or stopped HCS task Any HCS tasks that have failed or stopped prior to completion can be
restarted. Restarted tasks inherit the values that were set at the time the task was submitted.
Note:  After a HCS task has been moved to the HCS Task History tab or has
been deleted, it cannot be restarted. If a HCS task has been restarted several
times, and the last instance of the task that you attempted to restart is
deleted, the task cannot be restarted again.
Prerequisites
Verify that the status of the target HCS task is Failed or Stopped.
Procedure 1. On the  Tasks & Alerts  tab, click the HCS Tasks tab, and select a
Failed  or Stopped  task.
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							2.For the selected  Failed or Stopped  task, view the  Task Details dialog
box, and verify in the Message field whether the task can be restarted.
3. Click  Restart Task .
4. Click  Submit  to restart the process.
5. You can check the progress and the result of the task on the  Tasks &
Alerts  tab.
Verify the results for each restarted task by viewing the details of the task.
Result
The status of the task you restarted no longer appears as Failed or Stopped in the list of HCS tasks.
Related concepts
•
About tasks  on page 382
Related tasks •
Viewing HCS task status  on page 385
Deleting HCS tasks You can delete tasks from the HCS Tasks tab or the HCS Task History tab.
Procedure 1. On the  Tasks & Alerts  tab, select All Tasks.
2. On the  HCS Tasks  tab or HCS Task History  tab, select one or more
tasks and click  Delete Tasks.
3. Click  OK.
Result
The selected tasks are deleted.
Viewing system task status Viewing the status of system tasks allows you to see if the task has
completed, as well as other details.
Procedure 1. On the  Tasks & Alerts  tab, select All Tasks.
2. On the  System Tasks  tab, view the Status column to determine if a
task has completed.
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							3.To view task details, on the  System Tasks tab, click Manage System
Tasks , select the storage system for which the task was submitted, click
OK , and review the task list.Note:  Click the  Status column link to view the  Status Details window,
allowing you to view the progress of sub-tasks such as Update Database. Use the  Data Collection Tasks  tab to view details of the Update
Database sub-task or to re-execute the task.
Related concepts
•
About tasks  on page 382
Related tasks
•
Managing system tasks  on page 390
•
Troubleshooting system tasks  on page 391
Managing system tasks If your storage system is Virtual Storage Platform G1000, some operationsare registered as system tasks.
With system tasks, you can view task details, and suspend, resume, cancel, or prevent tasks from being automatically deleted.
Procedure 1. On the  Tasks & Alerts  tab, select All Tasks.
2. On the  System Tasks  tab, click Manage System Tasks .
3. Select the storage system where the task is registered and click  OK.
4. Select a task and choose one of the following options:
• Click  Delete Tasks  to delete or cancel a task.
• Click  Suspend Tasks  to suspend a queued task.
• Click  Resume Tasks  to resume a suspended task.
• Click  More Actions > Enable Auto Delete  to delete completed tasks
when the task list is full.
Note:  HCS can manage many storage systems. Therefore you can
manage up to 100,000 tasks before the oldest tasks start getting
deleted. Because system tasks are created for VSP G1000 storage only, the system task list will display 384 tasks (for each VSP G1000
storage system), including up to 128 tasks with a status of In Progress, Waiting, or Suspended, and up to 256 tasks with a status of
Completed or Failed. Enable Auto Delete is recommended.
• Click  More Actions > Disable Auto Delete
 to keep tasks after they
are completed.
390Managing tasksHitachi Command Suite User Guide