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Convert a FlexVol volume SnapMirror relationship to a FlexGroup volume SnapMirror relationship

Contributors netapp-lenida netapp-aaron-holt netapp-aherbin

To convert a FlexVol volume SnapMirror relationship to a FlexGroup volume SnapMirror relationship in ONTAP, you must first convert the destination FlexVol volume followed by the source FlexVol volume.

About this task
  • FlexGroup conversion is supported only for SnapMirror asynchronous relationships.

  • Conversion time depends on several variables. Some of the variables include:

    • CPU of the controller

    • Utilization of CPU by other applications

    • Amount of data in the initial Snapshot copy

    • Network bandwidth

    • Bandwidth used by other applications

Before you begin
  • The FlexVol volume that is being converted must be online.

  • The source FlexVol volume in the SnapMirror relationship must not be the source volume for multiple SnapMirror relationships.

    Beginning with ONTAP 9.9.1, fanout SnapMirror relationships are supported for FlexGroup volumes. For more information, see Considerations for creating SnapMirror cascade and fanout relationships for FlexGroups.

  • The operations and configurations on the FlexVol volume must be compatible with the conversion process.

    An error message is generated if the FlexVol volume has any incompatibility and the volume conversion is aborted. You can take corrective actions and retry the conversion.

Steps
  1. Verify that the SnapMirror relationship is healthy:

    snapmirror show

    Only XDP type mirror relationships can be converted.

    Example:

    cluster2::> snapmirror show
                                                                           Progress
    Source            Destination Mirror  Relationship   Total             Last
    Path        Type  Path        State   Status         Progress  Healthy Updated
    ----------- ---- ------------ ------- -------------- --------- ------- --------
    vs0:src_dpv DP   vs2:dst_dpv  Snapmirrored
                                          Idle           -         true    -
    vs0:src_xdp XDP  vs2:dst_xdp  Snapmirrored
                                          Idle           -         true    -
  2. Verify whether the source volume is compatible for conversion:

    1. Log in to the advance privilege mode:

      set -privilege advanced
    2. Verify the conversion process:

      volume conversion start -vserver <src_svm_name> -volume <src_vol> -check-only true

      Example:

      volume conversion start -vserver vs1 -volume src_vol -check-only true

      You must rectify all errors before converting the volume.

  3. Convert the destination FlexVol volume to FlexGroup volume.

    1. Quiesce the FlexVol SnapMirror relationship:

      snapmirror quiesce -destination-path <dest_svm:dest_volume>

      Example:

      cluster2::> snapmirror quiesce -destination-path vs2:dst_xdp
    2. Start the conversion:

      volume conversion start -vserver <dest_svm> -volume <dest_volume>

      Example:

      cluster-1::> volume conversion start -vserver vs2 -volume dst_xdp
      
      Warning: After the volume is converted to a FlexGroup, it will not be possible
      to change it back to a flexible volume.
      Do you want to continue? {y|n}: y
      
      [Job 510] Job succeeded: SnapMirror destination volume "dst_xdp" has been successfully converted to a FlexGroup volume.
      You must now convert the relationship's source volume, "vs0:src_xdp", to a FlexGroup.
      Then, re-establish the SnapMirror relationship using the "snapmirror resync" command.
  4. Convert the source FlexVol volume to FlexGroup volume: `

    volume conversion start -vserver <src_svm_name> -volume <src_vol_name>

    Example:

    cluster-1::> volume conversion start -vserver vs0 -volume src_xdp
    
    Warning: Converting flexible volume "src_xdp" in Vserver "vs0" to a FlexGroup
             will cause the state of all Snapshot copies from the volume to be set
             to "pre-conversion". Pre-conversion Snapshot copies cannot be
             restored.
    Do you want to continue? {y|n}: y
    [Job 57] Job succeeded: success
  5. Resync the relationship:

    snapmirror resync -destination-path dest_svm_name:dest_volume

    Example:

    cluster2::> snapmirror resync -destination-path vs2:dst_xdp
After you finish

You must ensure that when the source FlexGroup volume is expanded to include more constituents, the destination volume is also expanded.