Virtualization, Migration and Cloud Integration
Domain 5 - Virtualization, Migration and Cloud Integration
This domain tests moving data and presenting it to hosts without downtime: heterogeneous virtualization with eDevices, SmartMigration identity takeover, cross-array migration patterns, and integration with OpenStack, Kubernetes CSI and DME.
Rules
- SmartVirtualization: Huawei front-end ports act as initiators to a third-party array, take over its LUNs as eDevices, and present them to hosts. Hosts see only the Huawei array; the old array becomes a backend.
- SmartMigration moves a LUN within the same storage system. The target inherits the source identity (WWN), so host multipath needs no reconfiguration. Target capacity must be at least the source capacity and the LUN type must match.
- Cross-array migration: virtualize the source LUN as an eDevice, SmartMigrate it to a native LUN, then delete the eDevice and the old zones.
- Containers and cloud: the CSI driver provisions persistent volumes from OceanStor, OpenStack Cinder uses the same REST interface, and DME centralizes multi-array management and automation.
Worked example
Replace an ageing third-party array with an OceanStor system and no host downtime. Step 1: zone OceanStor front-end ports to the old array and create eDevices from the existing LUNs. Step 2: re-zone hosts to the OceanStor, verifying that multipath shows one healthy path set per LUN. Step 3: SmartMigrate each eDevice to a native LUN in the target pool. Step 4: once host I/O is confirmed on the native LUN, delete the eDevices, remove the old zones and decommission. The WWN takeover at step 3 is why no host LUN rescan or mount change is needed.
Traps
Presenting old and new paths to the host simultaneously; migrating to a smaller target LUN; forgetting that eDevice performance is bounded by the old array's back end; cutting over before the target is writable; assuming an eDevice inherits the new array's cache and QoS behaviour.