startfcconsistgrp

Use the startfcconsistgrp command to start a FlashCopy consistency group of mappings. This command makes a point-in-time copy of the source volumes at the moment that the command is started.

Syntax

 startfcconsistgrp    [  -prep  ]   [  -restore  ]   {  fc_consist_group_id  |  fc_consist_group_name  }

Parameters

-prep
(Optional) Specifies that the designated FlashCopy consistency group be prepared prior to starting the FlashCopy consistency group. A FlashCopy consistency group must be prepared before it can be started. When you use this parameter, the system automatically issues the prestartfcconsistgrp command for the group that you specify.
-restore
(Optional) Specifies the restore flag. When combined with the prep option, this forces the consistency group to be prepared even if the target volume of one of the mappings in the consistency group is being used as a source volume in another active mapping. An active mapping is in the copying, suspended, or stopping state.
fc_consist_group_id | fc_consist_group_name
(Required) Specifies the ID or name of the consistency group mapping to start.

Description

This command starts a consistency group, which results in a point-in-time copy of the source volumes of all mappings in the consistency group. You can combine the restore parameter with the prep parameter to force the consistency group to be prepared prior to starting, even if the target volume of one or more mappings in the consistency group is being used as a source volume of another active mapping. In this case, the mapping is restoring as shown in the lsfcmap view. If the restore parameter is specified when starting a consistency group where none of the target volumes are the source volume of another active mapping, the parameter is ignored.

If a consistency group is started and the target volume of the mapping being started has up to four other incremental FlashCopy mappings using the target, the incremental recording is left on. If there are more than four other incremental FlashCopy mappings using the target volume, the incremental recording for all of these mappings is turned off until they are restarted.

Note: The startfcconsistgrp command can take some time to process particularly if you have specified the prep parameter. If you use the prep parameter, you give additional processing control to the system because the system must prepare the mapping before the mapping is started. If the prepare process takes too long, the system completes the prepare but does not start the consistency group. In this case, error message CMMVC6209E displays. To control the processing times of the prestartfcconsistgrp and startfcconsistgrp commands independently of each other, do not use the prep parameter. Instead, first issue the prestartfcconsistgrp command, and then issue the startfcconsistgrp command to start the copy.
This command is rejected if the target of the FlashCopy mapping in the specified consistency group is the secondary volume in a remote copy relationship (so that the FlashCopy target is the remote copy secondary).
Note: If the remote copy is idling or disconnected, even if the FlashCopy and remote copy are pointing to the same volume, the auxiliary volume is not necessarily the secondary volume. In this case, you can start a FlashCopy mapping.
The FlashCopy mapping also fails in the following cases, if the target of the FlashCopy mapping in the specified consistency group is the primary volume in a remote copy relationship (so that the FlashCopy target is the remote copy primary target:
  • The remote copy is active.
  • The FlashCopy target (and remote copy primary target) volume is offline. If this occurs, the FlashCopy mapping stops and the target volume remains offline.
Maps that are rc_controlled are not shown in the view when this command is specified.
If any source volumes in the FlashCopy consistency group are in an active-active relationship, the group can only be started if the information on all those source volumes current, or an older copy to which access has been provided by specifying:
stoprcrelationship -access
A current volume in an active-active relationship is the primary copy, or the secondary copy when the relationship's state is consistent_syncronized.

An invocation example

startfcconsistgrp -prep 2

The resulting output:

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