NetApp SnapVault

Snap vault

Snapvault is a heterogeneous disk –to-disk backup solutions for Netapp filers and systems with other OS (solaris, HP-UX, AIX, windows, and linux) . in event of data loss or corruption on a filer, backed up data can be restored from the snap vault secondary storage system with less downtime and less of the uncertainly associated with conventional tape backup and restore operations . snapshot technology is used for the snap vault operation.

Snap vault can be done beteween the two system either netapp filer to filer or from unix/win servers to netapp filer. While doing the snapvault from server to filer we need to install the snapvault agent on server.the snapvault agent name is ossv(open system snap vault).

Snapvault technology works on snap vault client and snapvault server model means the client is whose data is to be backedup and the snapvault server is where the client data will get backed up.

Snapvault works on snapshot technology first the baseline transfer will happen and then the incremental backup will happen. The snapshot of the data will get backedup and the retention of the backed data is also simple, we need to mount the backup volume via nfs or cifs and then copy the data.

Snapvault reguired two licenses one is for the primary site and one is for the secondary site.

Steps to configure the snapvault between the two netapp storage.

Step 1. Add the license on primary filer and secondary filer.

Filer1> license add xxxxxxx

Filer2> license add xxxxxxx

Step 2. Enable the snapvault on the primary filer and do the entry on the primary filer of secondary filer.

Filer1> options snapvault.enable on

Filer1> options snapvault.access host=filer2

Step 3. Enable the snapvault on the secondary filer and do the entry on the secondary filer of primary filer.

Filer2> options snapvault.enable on

Filer2> options snapvault.access host=filer1

Now let the destination volume name is vipuldest where all the backups are done on filer2 and the source volume name is vipulsource whose backup is to be taken on filer1  , so filer2> /vol/vipuldest and for the primary filer filer1>/vol/vipulsource/qtree1.

Step 4.  We need to disable the snapshot schedule on the destination volume. Snap vault will manage the destination snapshot schedule.

Filer2> snap sched vipuldest 0 0 0

Step 5.  Do the initial baseline backup

Filer2> snapvault start –S filer1:/vol/vipulsource/qtree1 filer2:/vol/vipuldest/qtree1

Step 6. Creating the schedule for the snapvault backup on source and destination filer

On source we will create less number of retention schedules and destination we can create more number of retention schedules.

On source we will create 2 hourly, 2daily, 2weekly and on destination we will create 6 hourly, 14daily, 6 weekly.

Note: the snapshot name should be prefixed by “sv_”

Filer1> snapvault snap sched vipulsource sv_hourly 2@0-22

Filer1> snapvault snap sched vipulsource sv_hourly 2@23

Filer1> snapvault snap sched vipulsource sv_weekly 2@21@sun.

Step 7. Make the schedule on the destinations.

Filer2> snapvault snap sched vipuldest sv_hourly 6@0-22

Filer2> snapvault snap sched vipuldest sv_hourly 14@23@sun-fri

Filer2> snapvault snap sched vipuldest sv_weekly 6@23@sun.

To check the status use the snapvault status  cmd either on source or on destinations.