Creating a FlashCopy relationship using DS CLI

Complete this task to create a FlashCopy^® relationship between a source and target volume that enables a point-in-time copy of a source volume onto a target volume.

You can create a FlashCopy relationship between a source and a target volume that enables a point-in-time copy of a source volume onto a target volume. FlashCopy functions run on the DS6000™ storage units and are supported on many operating systems. For example, if you set up and configure your DS6000 to use i5/OS^®, you can create copies of System i™ disk pools within a single DS6000 using FlashCopy. After the FlashCopy function completes, you can immediately access the target point-in-time copies by associating another System i™ or logical partition.

When you issue a FlashCopy command with the background copy option, the FlashCopy relationship is established but it is put in a queue for background copying. The time difference between the submission and actual start time of the task depends on the number of FlashCopy relationships that are currently copying in the background or waiting in the queue. When the copy processing starts, the status displays as "background copy running" for that FlashCopy volume pair.

How long the actual physical copy processing takes can depend on the amount of data being copied and other activities that are occurring on the storage unit.

You can complete this task using either the DS CLI or the DS Storage Manager.

Perform the following steps to create FlashCopy relationships using the DS CLI commands. The example commands in this task are shown in two formats. The first format shows the type of information the command requires. The second format is an example command with declared values for the variables.

Issue the mkflash command to create FlashCopy relationships. Enter the mkflash command at the dscli command prompt with the following parameters and variables:
dscli>mkflash -dev storage_image_ID sourcevolumeID:targetvolumeID
Example
```
dscli>mkflash -dev IBM.1750-68FA150 0001:0004
```
Notes:
1. Specify the storage unit for the -dev storage_image_ID parameter. This parameter is required if you do not specify a fully qualified ID for the source and target volumes and you do not specify a value for the devid variable in your profile file. If the management console has an IP connection to the specified storage unit, the command works. If the IP connection is not established, you can use the mkremoteflash command if there is a PPRC Path established between the storage unit from which you issue the command and the (remote) storage unit where the FlashCopy volumes are located.
2. For further information, including optional parameters, see the mkflash and mkremoteflash commands.
A confirmation message is issued for each successful FlashCopy pair that is created.
Issue the lsflash command to check the status information for each FlashCopy relationship. A detailed report (when you use the -l parameter) is displayed for each FlashCopy relationship. Enter the lsflash command at the dscli command prompt with the following parameters and variables:
dscli>lsflash -dev storage_image_ID -l SourceVolumeID:TargetVolumeID.
```
dscli>lsflash -dev IBM.1750-68FA150  -l 0100:0100
```
Use the -l parameter to provide a more detailed report about the FlashCopy relationships.
Note: If you used the mkremoteflash command, you must enter the lsremoteflash command to perform a status check.