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snapmirror initialize

Start a baseline transfer

Availability: This command is available to cluster and Vserver administrators at the admin privilege level.

Description​

The snapmirror initialize command initializes the destination Vserver, volume or a non-Data ONTAP endpoint of a SnapMirror relationship. The command behaves differently between data protection (DP), extended data protection (XDP) and load-sharing (LS) relationships.

If you specify a sync-mirror or strict-sync-mirror type policy, the snapmirror initialize command creates and initializes a synchronous relationship and brings it InSync, providing zero RPO data protection.

For data protection (DP) and extended data protection (XDP) relationships, the snapmirror initialize command initializes the destination volume.

For load-sharing (LS) relationships, the snapmirror initialize command initializes a new load-sharing mirror in an existing set of load-sharing mirrors. If the command finishes before the start of a scheduled or manual transfer of the set of load-sharing mirrors, the load-sharing mirror is up to date with the set of load-sharing mirrors; otherwise, the load-sharing mirror will be brought up to date at the next scheduled or manual transfer of the set of load-sharing mirrors.

The initial transfer to an empty destination volume is called a baseline transfer. During a baseline transfer for a data protection (DP) or extended data protection (XDP) relationship, the snapmirror initialize command takes a Snapshot copy on the source volume to capture the current image of the source volume. For data protection relationships, the snapmirror initialize command transfers all of the Snapshot copies up to and including the Snapshot copy created by it from the source volume to the destination volume. For extended data protection (XDP) relationships, the snapmirror initialize command behavior depends on the snapmirror policy associated with the relationship. If the policy type is async-mirror then depending on the rules in the policy it can transfer either all the Snapshot copies up to and including the Snapshot copy created by it or only the Snapshot copy created by it from the source volume to the destination volume. For extended data protection (XDP) relationships with policy type vault or mirror-vault the snapmirror initialize transfers only the Snapshot copy created by it.

After the snapmirror initialize command successfully completes, the last Snapshot copy transferred is made the exported Snapshot copy on the destination volume.

You can use the snapmirror initialize command to initialize a specific load-sharing mirror that is new to the set of load-sharing mirrors. An initialize of the new load-sharing mirror should bring it up to date with the other up-to-date destination volumes in the set of load-sharing mirrors.

Note
Using the snapmirror initialize command to initialize a set of load-sharing mirrors will not work. Use the >snapmirror initialize-ls-set command to initialize a set of load-sharing mirrors.

If a SnapMirror relationship does not already exist, that is, the relationship was not created using the snapmirror create command, the snapmirror initialize command will implicitly create the SnapMirror relationship, with the same behaviors as described for the snapmirror create command before initializing the relationship. This implicit create feature is not supported for Vservers.

For relationships with "Relationship Capability" of "8.2 and above", you can track the progress of the operation using the snapmirror show command.

The snapmirror initialize command must be used from the destination Vserver or cluster.

Parameters​

{ [-source-path | -S {<[vserver:][volume]>|<[[cluster:]//vserver/]volume>|<hostip:/lun/name>|<hostip:/share/share-name>}] - Source Path
This parameter specifies the source endpoint of the SnapMirror relationship in one of four path formats. The normal format includes the names of the Vserver (vserver) and/or the volume (volume).
| [-source-cluster <Cluster name>] - Source Cluster
This parameter is not supported in ONTAP 9.4 and above.
[-source-vserver <vserver name>] - Source Vserver
This parameter is not supported in ONTAP 9.4 and above.
[-source-volume <volume name>]} - Source Volume
This parameter is not supported in ONTAP 9.4 and above.
{ -destination-path {<[vserver:][volume]>|<[[cluster:]//vserver/]volume>|<hostip:/lun/name>|<hostip:/share/share-name>} - Destination Path
This parameter specifies the destination endpoint of the SnapMirror relationship in one of four path formats. The normal format includes the names of the Vserver (vserver) and/or volume (volume).
| [-destination-cluster <Cluster name>] - Destination Cluster
This parameter is not supported in ONTAP 9.4 and above.
-destination-vserver <vserver name> - Destination Vserver
This parameter is not supported in ONTAP 9.4 and above.
-destination-volume <volume name>} - Destination Volume
This parameter is not supported in ONTAP 9.4 and above.
[-source-snapshot | -s <text>] - Source Snapshot
This optional parameter specifies the Snapshot copy that snapmirror initialize will use for the baseline transfer. For data protection (DP) relationships, the baseline transfer will include all of the Snapshot copies up to and including the specified Snapshot copy. For extended data protection (XDP) relationships, the snapmirror initialize command behavior depends on the snapmirror policy associated with the relationship. If the policy type is async-mirror then depending on the rules in the policy it can transfer either all the Snapshot copies up to and including the specified Snapshot copy or only the specified Snapshot copy from the source volume to the destination volume. For extended data protection (XDP) relationships with policy type vault or mirror-vault the snapmirror initialize transfers only the specified Snapshot copy.
[-type <snapmirrorType>] - Snapmirror Relationship Type
Specifies the type of SnapMirror relationship if a relationship is implicitly created. This parameter is the same as the one used in the snapmirror create command.
[-policy <sm_policy>] - SnapMirror Policy
This optional parameter designates the name of the SnapMirror policy which is associated with the SnapMirror relationship. If you do not designate a policy, the current policy will be retained.
Note
You define and name a policy using the snapmirror policy create command.
[-throttle | -k <throttleType>] - Throttle (KB/sec)
This optional parameter limits the network bandwidth used for the initialize transfer. It sets the maximum rate (in Kbytes/sec) at which data can be transferred during the operation. If this parameter is not specified, the throttle value configured for the relationship with the snapmirror create or snapmirror modify command will be used. To fully use the network bandwidth available, set the throttle value to unlimited or 0. The minimum throttle value is four Kbytes/sec, so if you specify a throttle value between 1 and 4, it will be treated as if you specified 4. For FlexGroup relationships, the throttle value is applied individually to each constituent relationship. For SnapMirror Synchronous relationships the throttle value is applicable only for asynchronous transfers performed as part of user-initiated operations.
[-transfer-priority {low|normal}] - Transfer Priority
This optional parameter specifies the priority at which the transfer runs. The default value for this parameter is the value in the SnapMirror policy associated with this relationship.
[-is-auto-expand-enabled {true|false}] - Is Auto Expand Enabled
This optional parameter specifies whether or not a FlexGroup SnapMirror relationship and its destination FlexGroup should be auto-expanded if the source FlexGroup is expanded. This parameter is supported only for FlexGroup SnapMirror relationships. If this initialize is creating a new Snapmirror relationship, the default value is true. If it is not creating a new relationship, if a value is specified, it must match the current value for the existing relationship. If the parameter is not specified the existing value will be retained.
[-foreground | -w [true]] - Foreground Process
This parameter is not supported in ONTAP 9.4 and above.

Examples​

To start the initial transfer for the SnapMirror relationship with the destination endpoint vs2.example.com:dept_eng_dp_mirror2 after the relationship has been created with the snapmirror create command, type the following command:

vs2.example.com::> snapmirror initialize -destination-path
       vs2.example.com:dept_eng_dp_mirror2

To create a data protection mirror relationship between the source endpoint vs1.example.com:dept_mkt, and the destination endpoint vs2.example.com:dep_mkt_dp_mirror, and start the initial transfer, type the following command:

vs2.example.com::> snapmirror initialize -destination-path
         vs.example.com2:dept_mkt_dp_mirror
         -source-path vs1.example.com:dept_mkt

To start the initial transfer for the Vserver SnapMirror relationship with destination endpoint dvs1.example.com: after the relationship was created with the snapmirror create command, type the following command:

cluster2::> snapmirror initialize -destination-path
         dvs1.example.com:

To initialize the SnapMirror Synchronous relationship between FlexVols vol_log and vol_log_sync_dp and bring it to InSync, after it is created using the snapmirror create command, type the following command:

vs2.example.com::> snapmirror initialize -destination-path
         vs2.example.com:vol_log_sync_dp

To create a strict SnapMirror Synchronous relationship between FlexVols vol_log and vol_log_sync_dp, to initialize it and bring it to InSync, type the following command:

vs2.example.com::> snapmirror initialize -destination-path
         vs2.example.com:vol_log_sync_dp -source-path
         vs1.example.com:vol_log -policy StrictSync

Under PVR control to create a SnapMirror synchronous Consistency Group relationship with the following attributes:
  • It is between the source Consistency Group cg_src in Vserver vs1.example.com, and the destination Consistency Group cg_dst in Vserver vs2.example.com.
  • It has item mappings between lun1 and lun2 on volume srcvol and lun1 and lun2 on volume dstvol.
  • It uses a policy named SmgrSync that has a policy type of smgr-mirror that the user has previously created.
and initialize it and bring it InSync, type the following command:
vs2.example.com::> snapmirror initialize -destination-path
         vs2.example.com:/cg/cg_dst -source-path
         vs1.example.com:/cg/cg_src -type XDP -policy SmgrSync
         -cg-item-mappings /vol/srcvol/lun1:@/vol/dstvol/lun1,
                           /vol/srcvol/lun2:@/vol/dstvol/lun2

Under PVR control to initialize the relationship with destination Consistency Group cg_dst in Vserver vs2.example.com that has been created with the snapmirror create command and bring it InSync, type the following command:

vs2.example.com::> snapmirror initialize -destination-path
         vs2.example.com:/cg/cg_dst