Create snapshots

TimeFinder SnapVX is a local replication solution that is designed to non-disruptively create point-in-time copies (snapshots) of critical data.

Prerequisites

See Roles and associated permissions to determine the user roles that can perform this task.
The maximum number of snapshots per source volume is 256.
Snapshots of linked targets are permitted only after the volume is fully defined.
Storage groups of Celerra FBA emulation may be managed externally using eNAS.
You can create a SNAP VX snapshot from source devices with legacy TF emulation. To perform this operation:
- A storage group must exist with TF emulation source devices.
- A device group must already have been created from this storage group.
- The TF sessions must already have been created for the device group (and by implication the storage group).
You can create a legacy TF emulation from source devices with a SNAP VX snapshot. To perform this operation:
- A SnapVX storage group exists that has a snapshot.
- A device group has been created from this storage group, and the device group also has enough candidate target devices to create the required TF emulation session.
You can perform the operation from any of the following: TimeFinder/SnapVX view, Storage view, or Data Protection dashboard. Depending on the location from which you are performing this operation, some of the following steps may not apply:

About this task

This procedure explains how to create TimeFinder SnapVX snapshots.

NOTE: Secure snapshots may only be terminated after they expire or by customer-authorized support. See Knowledge Base article 498316 for additional information.

To create snapshots:

Steps

Select the storage system.
Do the following, depending on the location from which you want to perform the procedure:
TimeFinder/SnapVX view:
1. Click Protection and select Manual SnapVX from the Protected Storage Groups section of the summary panel.
2. Select a storage group and click Create to open the Create Snapshot dialog.
  For storage groups with Celerra FBA emulation, a warning dialog is displayed indicating that the storage group may be managed externally using eNAS. To continue click OK, otherwise click Cancel.
Storage Groups view:
1. Select Storage > Storage Groups to open the Storage Groups view.
2. Select the storage group and click Protect to open the Protect Storage Group wizard.
3. If not already selected, select Point In Time Protection Using SnapVX.
4. Click Next.
Data Protection dashboard:
1. Select Protection to open the Data Protection dashboard.
2. Click Create Snapshot from the Actions panel..
Select whether to create a snapshot or reuse an existing snapshot.

If reusing an existing snapshot, select it from the list. Using this method assigns generation numbers to the snapshots in the order in which they were created (latest = generation 0, previous incrementing by one). This naming convention enables you to differentiate point-in-time copies of the same volumes.

CAUTION: It is the users responsibility to manage the snapshot names being used. If snapshots are being applied to parent and child storage groups individually, care should be taken to never use the same snapshot name at different levels of the storage group construct. The same issue applies if snapshots are being created for some of the volumes in multiple storage groups; the same snapshot names should also be avoided across the different storage groups.

Choose an expiry type from the drop-down menu. The options are:
- None—If no automatic expiry time is set, you must delete the snapshot.
- Time to live—Once the time you set has expired, the snapshot is automatically terminated, provided it is not linked to any target volumes. If an expired snapshot is linked, the system waits until the last link has been removed before terminating the snapshot. To override this behavior and terminate the snapshot, select the Force option under the Advanced Options link.
If you chose Time to live as the protection type, use the Days and Hours drop-down menus to set the expiry time of the snapshot.
Click Advanced Options to see the advanced options. They are:
- Enable Secure Snaps—Select this option to set a Secure snapshot that cannot be deleted before the expiry time you set. Once you tick the Secure checkbox, the Days and Hours drop-down menus appears and you can use the menus to set the expiry time of the snapshot. Once the retention time has expired, the Secure snapshot is automatically terminated unless there is a linked device or an active restore session is ongoing. StorageAdmins can choose to move the retention time forward.
- Both Sides—Select this option to create a snapshot at both sides of an SRDF pairing simultaneously. The following limitations apply:
  - A consistent snapshot on both sides is only allowed when the SRDF pairs exist on the source Storage Group volumes in Synchronous SRDF mode and the SRDF pair state is Synchronous.
  - A consistent snapshot on both sides is only allowed when the SRDF pairs are in Active SRDF mode and the SRDF pair state is ActiveActive or ActiveBias.
  - A mixture of R1 and R2 devices is not allowed.
  - All the SRDF devices in the SG must be in same SRDF group.
  - Concurrent SRDF is not supported.
  - For cascaded SRDF setups, the selected Storage Group supports the Both Sides option and the next immediate hop, but not the subsequent hops.
- Enable Force Flag—Select this option to force the operation even though one or more volumes may not be in the normal, expected states.
Click Next.
Do one of the following:
- Click Run Now to perform the operation now.
- Expand Run Now and click Add to Job List to add this task to the job list, from which you can schedule or run the task at your convenience. For more information, see Schedule jobs and Preview jobs.