SnapProtect^™ Backup - NetApp SnapVault/SnapMirror

Overview

SnapVault allows a secondary NetApp filer to store SnapProtect snapshots. Multiple primary NetApp file servers can backup data to this secondary filer. Typically, only the changed blocks are transferred, except for the first time where the complete contents of the source need to be transferred to establish a baseline. After the initial transfer, snapshots of data on the destination volume are taken and can be independently maintained for recovery purposes.

SnapMirror is a replication solution that can be used for disaster recovery purposes, where the complete contents of a volume or qtree is mirrored to a destination volume or qtree.

Prerequisites

Licenses

The NetApp SnapVault/SnapMirror feature requires the NetApp Snap Management license.
SnapRestore license for Revert operations (LUNs and NFS shares).
FlexClone license for backup and restore operations of NFS shares.
iSCSI Initiator must be configured on the client and proxy computers to access the storage device.
For the Virtual Server Agent, the iSCSI Initiator is required when the agent is configured on a separate physical server and uses iSCSI datastores. The iSCSI Initiator is not required if the agent is using NFS datastores.
FFCP, ISCSI, CIFS, NFS licenses for features such as Fiber Channel Protocol, iSCSI protocol, CIFS file sharing, and NFS File Sharing. Use the appropriate license for the specific data types.
Protection Manager, Operations Manager, and Provisioning Manager licenses for DataFabric Manager 4.0.2 or later.
SnapMirror Primary and Secondary Licenses for disaster recovery operations.
SnapVault Primary and Secondary License for backup and recovery operations.
HTTP/HTTPS licenses on the NetApp file server to allow communication.

Array Software

DataFabric Manager (DFM) - A server running NetApp DataFabric® Manager server software. DataFabric Manager 4.0.2 or later is required.
SnapMirror - NetApp replication technology used for disaster recovery.
SnapVault - NetApp replication technology used for backup and recovery.

Setting Up SnapVault

Before using SnapVault and SnapMirror, ensure the following conditions are met:

On your source file server, use the license command to check that the sv_ontap_pri and sv_ontap_sec licenses are available for the primary and secondary file servers respectively.
Enable SnapVault on the primary and secondary file servers as shown below:
options snapvault.enable on
On the primary file server, set the access permissions for the secondary file servers to transfer data from the primary as shown in the example below:
options snapvault.access host=secondary_filer1, secondary_filer2
On the secondary file server, set the access permissions for the primary file servers to restore data from the secondary as shown in the example below:
options snapvault.access host=primary_filer1, primary_filer2

Installing DataFabric Manager

The Data Fabric Manager (DFM) server must be installed. For more information, see Setup the DataFabric Manager Server.
The following must be configured:
- Discover storage devices
- Add Resource Pools to be used for the Vault/Mirror storage provisioning

Configuration

Once you have the environment setup for using SnapVault and SnapMirror, you need to configure the following before performing a SnapVault or SnapMirror operation.

Create Storage Policy

Use the following steps to create a storage policy.

From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Policies.
Right-click the Storage Policies node and click New Storage Policy.

Click Next.

Specify the name of the Storage Policy in the Storage Policy Name box.
Select Provide the DataFabric Manager Server Information.
Click Next.

In the Library list, select the default library to which the Primary Copy should be associated.

It is recommended that the selected disk library uses a LUN from the File server.
Click Next.

Select a MediaAgent from the MediaAgent list.
Click Next.

Click Next.

Verify Name and MediaAgent Name.
Click Browse to specify location for Deduplication Store.
Click Next.

Provide the DataFabric Manager server information.
- If a DataFabric Manager server exists, click Select to choose from the drop-down list.
- If you want to add a new DataFabric Manager Server, click Add.
Click Next.

10.

Click Finish.

11.

The new Storage Policy creates the following:

Primary Snap Copy, used for local snapshot storage
Primary Classic Copy, used for optional data movement to tape, disk or cloud.

Create a Secondary Snapshot Copy

After the Storage Policy is created along with the Primary Snap Copy, the Secondary Snap Copy must be created on the new Storage Policy.

From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Policies | Storage Policies.
Right-click the storage policy and click All Tasks | Create New Snapshot Copy.

Enter the Copy Name.
Select the Library and MediaAgent from the drop-down list.
Click Vault/Backup or Mirror protection type based on your needs.

It is recommended that the selected disk library uses a CIFS or NFS share or a LUN on the File server.

Click the Copy Policy tab.

Depending on the topology you want to set up, click Specify Source for Auxiliary Copy and select the source copy.

Copies can be created for the topologies listed in the following table:

Topology	Source Copy
Primary-Mirror	Primary
Primary-Mirror-Vault	Mirror
Primary-Vault	Primary
Primary-Vault-Mirror	Vault
Primary-Mirror-Mirror	Mirror

Click the Provisioning tab.
Click Refresh to display the DFM entities.
Select the Provisioning Policy from the drop-down list.
Select the Resource Pools available from the list.
Click OK.
The secondary snapshot copy is created.

If you are using a Primary-Mirror-Vault (P-M-V) or Primary-Vault (P-V) topology on ONTAP version higher than 7.3.5 (except ONTAP 8.0 and 8.0.1), perform the following steps:

Connect to the storage device associated with the source copy of your topology. You can use SSH or Telnet network protocols to access the storage device.
From the command prompt, type the following:
options snapvault.snapshot_for_dr_backup named_snapshot_only
Close the command prompt window.

It is recommended that you perform this operation on all nodes in the P-M-V topology.

Configure Backup Copy

Follow the steps given below to configure Backup Copy for moving snapshots to media.

1.	From the CommCell Console, navigate to Policies \| Storage Policies. Right-click the <storage policy> and click Properties.
2.	Click the Snapshot tab. Select Enable Backup Copy option to enable movement of snapshots to media. Click OK.
3.	Select Specify Source for Backup Copy. From the drop-down list, select the source copy to be used for performing the backup copy operation.

Setup the Array Information

The following steps describe the instructions to set up the primary and secondary arrays.

From the CommCell Console, navigate to Tools | Control Panel.
Click Array Management.

Click Add.

Select NetApp from the Snap Vendor list.
Specify the name of the primary file server in the Name field.
The name of primary file server may be different in the DataFabric Manager, CommServe, MediaAgent and other entities, but it should resolve to the same IP address. However, if you plan to create a Vaut/Mirror copy, ensure the IP address of the primary file server resolves to the primary IP of the network interface and not to an alias.

You can provide the host name, fully qualified domain name or TCP/IP address of the file server.
Enter the user access information in the Username and Password fields.
Select File Server, then click Primary for the array type.
Use the Description field to enter a description about the entity. This description can include information about the entity's content, cautionary notes, etc.
Click OK.

Click Add again to enter the information for the secondary array.

Specify the name of the secondary file server in the Name field.

The name of secondary file server may be different in the DataFabric Manager, CommServe, MediaAgent and other entities, but it should resolve to the same IP address.

Enter the user access information in the Username and Password fields.
Select File Server for the array type.
Use the Description field to enter a description about the entity. This description can include information about the entity's content, cautionary notes, etc.
Click OK.

SnapProtect™ Backup - NetApp SnapVault/SnapMirror