emc GRAB utility - need help with strategy

Question

Hello all,
Here is my issue, we have seventy servers spread across 3 EMC Clariions in which EMC wants us to perform host grabs on all the servers prior to flare code upgrade. We have all flavors of OS from Windows, Unix, Linux, AIX, etc we have it all.

I need to know what is the simplest way to accomplish this task because the difficulty is that I have seventy servers with 20 different system admins for all these servers. My problem is that it takes too much coordination and time spent with each Admin to get them to run the grab utility on each of their servers and have them each send me the Grab output for each host. This is too much work for one storage admin to supervise since I have to email them the grab program with instruction. Then I have to make sure they each send back the grab output file to me to upload the result to EMC.

Does anyone have a strategy or suggestion on how to make this process easier???

Any advice would help at this point. Thank you in advance!

- Johnny

RRR · Answer

The way I did it (300 hosts) is:- create a change and define which hosts need to be 'emcgrabbed'- each OS group get a list of the servers they need to access for the emcgrab- emcgrab runs from a few minutes to 20 minutes or so- the output needs to be sent to a central person or put into a subdirectory on some fileserver or soTips:- create an easy manual in which you specify the steps to be done- hand this manual over to each OS group or each operator- maybe plan a meeting in which you perform 1 emcgrab as an example

dynamox · Answer

yep, same here. I just created a share on our file server and put emcgrabs for different OS's there, underneath that folder i created subfolder called emcgraboutput and asked system admins to drop completed grabs there.

bodnarg · Answer

Unfortunately there is no automated or easy way to do this offered by EMC - I think the post by RRR is pretty much the best you can do unless you have some automated process you can ride by inserting these commands.

We just went through this process for about 100 hosts doing a similar process where we sent each OS support team a list of servers to run the grabs and some rudimentary instructions on what to do. Luckily for us most had experience with this utility so it was not a big deal - just a pain in the butt to do.

I would definitely recommend setting-up a fileshare so you can get them uploaded automatically and have a good central place to store them until you are done with your upgrade.

I've heard of some shops running EMC grab as part of a weekly automated configuration saving process to always have a recent dump available. Something to consider in the long run which makes events like code upgrades or migrations just an exercise in file collecting instead of utility running and file collecting.

PS Would REALLY like to see the ECC agent have the ability to do grabs and pull the information to a central server...

RRR · Answer

Did you get the answer you can live with ?

JohnnyK1 · Answer

Yes, but I'm definitely open to more suggestions from other people. Thank you RRR!

AranH1 · Answer

Johhny,Give those guys some points then for their answers . They provided some good answers.Aran

JohnnyK1 · Answer

How do I do that? I would love to... I did not know there was a point system to posts. I just thought it was automatic? Sorry.

AranH1 · Answer

You can click on the helpful (2 per thread) or correct (1 per thread) icon next to the post.

JohnnyK1 · Answer

bodnarg,I like your idea of having the groups make it a habit of running grabs on a routine basis. But how would they automate that?Is there a script that easily be written on each host to run the emc grab weekly and dump it somewhere? So I assume this would be a schedule such like 'Scheduled Tasks' in Windows or 'crontab' in Unix.If anyone has any samples on how to write that script please do share. Thanks!

CLARiiON

emc GRAB utility - need help with strategy

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