MODULE 6 DATA

PROTECTION WITH
SNAPSHOTS

PARTICIPANT GUIDE

PARTICIPANT GUIDE
 Module 6 Data Protection with Snapshots

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Table of Contents

Snapshots Overview .................................................................................................. 4

Snapshots Overview ............................................................................................................ 5
Snapshot Redirect on Write Architecture ............................................................................. 6
Combined (LUN and File System) Snapshot Capabilities ..................................................... 8
Apply a Snapshot Schedule ................................................................................................. 9
Snapshot Settings for a Pool .............................................................................................. 10
Creating Snapshots ........................................................................................................... 11
Snapshot Operations ......................................................................................................... 13
Snapshot Schedules .......................................................................................................... 14

LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots ........................................................... 19

LUN Consistency Group Snapshots ................................................................................... 20
Multiple LUN Snapshots..................................................................................................... 21
Creating LUN Snapshots - Create LUNs Wizard ................................................................ 22
Creating LUN Snapshots - LUN Properties ........................................................................ 23
LUN Snapshot Restore - Process ...................................................................................... 24
LUN Snapshot Restore - Operation ................................................................................... 27
Attach LUN Snapshot to Host - Process ............................................................................ 28
Attach LUN Snapshot to Host - Operation .......................................................................... 30
Detach LUN Snapshot from Host - Process ....................................................................... 32
Detach LUN Snapshot from Host - Operation .................................................................... 34
LUN Snapshot Copy - Process .......................................................................................... 35
LUN Snapshot Copy - Operation........................................................................................ 37
Accessing a LUN Snapshot ............................................................................................... 38
Activity: LUN Snapshots..................................................................................................... 40

File System Snapshots ............................................................................................ 41

Multiple File System Snapshots ......................................................................................... 42
Creating File System Snapshots - Create File System Wizard ........................................... 43
Creating File System Snapshots - File System Properties ................................................. 44
File System Snapshot Restore - Process ........................................................................... 45

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 File System Snapshot Restore - Operation ........................................................................ 48
File System Snapshot Copy - Process ............................................................................... 49
File System Snapshot Copy - Operation ............................................................................ 51
Accessing a File System Read/Write Snapshot ................................................................. 52
Accessing a File System Read-Only Snapshot .................................................................. 54
Activity: File System Snapshots ......................................................................................... 58

Native vVol Snapshots ............................................................................................ 59

Native vVol Snapshots - Overview ..................................................................................... 60
Creating a vVol Snapshot in Unisphere.............................................................................. 61
Restore a vVol from a Snapshot in Unisphere.................................................................... 66
Data Protection with Snapshots Key Points ....................................................................... 69

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Snapshots Overview

Snapshots Overview

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 Snapshots Overview

Snapshots Overview

Snap images Image use

- Read-only - Backups
- Read/write - Restores
- Mining
- Testing

LUN File system

Pool

Disks

Snapshots are derived from their storage resource

The Snapshots feature is enabled with the Local Copies license which enables
space efficient point-in-time snapshots of storage resources for block, file, and
VMware "data" vVols. The snap images can be read-only or read/write and used in
various ways. They provide an effective form of local data protection. If data is
mistakenly deleted or corrupted, the production data can be restored from a
snapshot to a known point-in-time data state. Hosts access snapshot images for
data backup operations, data mining operations, application testing, or decision
analysis tasks. The upcoming slides detail the feature architecture, capabilities,
benefits, and specifics of its operations and uses.

Caution: Snapshots are not full copies of the original data. Dell
Technologies recommends that you do not rely on snapshots for
mirrors, disaster recovery, or high-availability tools. Snapshots of
storage resources are partially derived from the real-time data in the
relevant storage resource. If the primary storage becomes
inaccessible, snapshots can also become inaccessible (not readable).

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Snapshots Overview

Snapshot Redirect on Write Architecture

Storage resource
Production data access Snapshot image access

Existing data Existing data

reads reads
Existing data

Redirected writes Free space Redirected writes

Reads of new writes Reads of new writes

Thick file system

Snapshots transition to thin
require pool 256 MB slice for 256 MB slice for
file system
new 8 KB writes new 8 KB writes
space for new performance
slice allocation

Parent pool

Snapshots of storage resources [block LUNs, file systems, and VMware

datastores] are architected using Redirect on Write technology. This architecture
avoids a performance penalty that Copy on First Write technology has when
existing data is changed.

With Redirect on Write technology, when a snapshot is taken, the existing data on
the storage resource remains in place. The snapshot provides a point-in-time view
of the data. Production data access also uses this view to read existing data.

Another benefit of Redirect on Write is that no storage resource is required to

create a snapshot. With Copy on First Write technology, a storage resource must
be reserved to hold original data that changed to preserve the point-in-time view.

With Redirect on Write technology, when writes are made to the storage resource,
those writes are redirected. A new location is allocated as needed from the parent
pool in 256 MB slices. New writes are stored in 8 KB chunks on the newly allocated
slice. Reads of the new writes are serviced from this new location as well.

If the snapshot is writable, any writes are handled in a similar manner. Slice space
is allocated from the parent pool, and the writes are redirected in 8 KB chunks to
the new space. Reads of newly written data are also serviced from the new space.

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 Snapshots Overview

Storage space is needed in the pool to support snapshots as slices are allocated
for redirected writes.

Because of the on-demand slice allocation from the pool, snapped thick file
systems transition to thin file system performance characteristics.

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Snapshots Overview

Combined (LUN and File System) Snapshot Capabilities

The table defines various combined snapshot capabilities for each of the Dell Unity
XT models. These combined limits have an interaction between each other. For
example, if a model 380 system had 20 LUNs and 20 file systems, each LUN and
file system could not have 256 user snapshots. The number of user snapshots
would exceed the maximum of 8000 for the system.

Dell Unity XT Models VSA 380/380F 480/480F 680/680F 880/880F

Max snapshots per LUN 164 256 256 256 256

Max snapshots per file 31 256 256 256 256

system

Max snapshots source LUNs 64 1000 1500 2000 6000

per system

Max source LUNs in 50 75 75 75 75

Consistency Group

Max Consistency Groups per 64 1000 1500 2000 6000

system

Max user snapshots 128 8000 14000 20000 30000

Max user visible fs + snaps 64 1000 1250 2000 2500

per system

Hierarchical snap level - 10 10 10 10 10

LUN and file system

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 Snapshots Overview

Apply a Snapshot Schedule

To apply a Snapshot schedule to a storage resource, open the Snapshots tab on

the Properties page of the resource. Then, click the Snapshot Schedule option.
From the Snapshot Schedule drop-down list, select a schedule to apply to the
resource.

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Snapshots Overview

Snapshot Settings for a Pool

Snapshots consume space from the parent storage pool that the storage resource
uses. To prevent the pool from running out of space due to snapshots, there are
two options for automatically deleting the oldest snapshots. These options can be
set from the Properties page of the pool and selecting the Snapshot Settings tab.
One option triggers the automatic deletion that is based on the total pool space
consumed. Another option triggers the automatic deletion that is based on the total
snapshot space consumed. Either option can be used singularly, or they can both
be used in combination. Both options allow the configuration of a space threshold
value to start the deletion and a space threshold value for stopping the automatic
deletion. When a pool is created, the Total pool consumption option is set by
default. The option cannot be changed during pool creation but can be modified
after the pool is created. If both options are cleared, this setting disables the
automatic deletion of the oldest snapshots based on space that is used. Automatic
snapshot deletion is still configurable based on snapshot retention values.

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 Snapshots Overview

Creating Snapshots

CG

LUNs

LUN File system

VMFS datastore NFS datastore

Snapshots are created on storage resources for block, file, and VMware. All are
created in a similar manner. For block, the snapshot is created on a LUN or a
group of LUNs within a Consistency Group. For file, the snapshot is configured on
a file system. For VMware, the storage resource is either going to be a LUN for a
VMFS datastore or a file system for an NFS datastore. When each of these storage
resources are created, the system provides a wizard for their creation. Each wizard
provides an option to automatically create snapshots on the storage resource.
Each resource snapshot creation is nearly identical to the other resources. For
storage resources already created, snapshots can be manually created for them
from their Properties page. As with the wizard, the snapshot creation from the
storage resource Properties page is nearly identical to the other resources.

More details on the snapshot creation within the block storage LUN creation wizard
and the file storage file system creation wizard are shown in separate topics. Each

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Snapshots Overview

topic also details the creation of manual snapshots from the LUN and file system
properties pages.

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 Snapshots Overview

Snapshot Operations

CG

LUNs File system

VMFS datastore NFS datastore

Snapshot Operations Snapshot Operations

Restore Restore
Attach to host Copy

Detach from host Refresh

Copy
Refresh and Replicate

The operations that can be performed on a snapshot differ based on the type of
storage resource the snapshot is on. Operations on LUN-based snapshots are
Restore, Attach to host, Detach from host, Copy, Refresh, and Replicate.
Operations on file system-based snapshots are Restore, Refresh, and Copy.

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Snapshots Overview

Snapshot Schedules

To apply a Snapshot schedule to a storage resource, go to the Snapshots tab on

the Properties page of the resource. From there, select the Snapshot Schedule
option. From the Snapshot schedule drop-down list, select a schedule to apply to
the resource.

Apply a Snapshot Schedule

Note: Snapshot schedules are not supported on vVols.

Schedules and UTC Time

• Internally, Unity systems use the UTC time zone for time and scheduling.
− The operating system, logs, schedules, and other features all use UTC.
• When you connect to Unisphere, the times that are displayed are adjusted by
Unisphere to the time zone of the browser.
• When changing time on the system, or the timing on a feature, it is stored
internally in UTC format.
• By default, Unity systems do not consider Daylight Savings Time (DST).

− Also known as Daylight Time and Summer Time.

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 Snapshots Overview

− Daylight Savings Time is not observed by the entire world.

Snapshots and Time Zones

When you create a schedule, the time to take the snapshot is stored
internally in UTC time.

UTC time does not consider Daylight Savings Time.

Because snapshot schedules are stored internally in UTC time, the time that a
snapshot is taken is not adjusted when Daylight Savings Time begins or ends.

Example: On August 2, 2020 a user in Massachusetts (US) creates a snapshot

schedule to create snapshots at 1:00 AM local time.

• Massachusetts is UTC -4 hours at this time of year.

• The snapshot schedule stores the time as 5:00 AM UTC.
• From this point forward, all snapshots will occur at 5:00 AM UTC.

Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, November 7 at 2:00 AM.

• "Wall clock" time is adjusted backwards 1 hour at this point.

Snapshots still occur at 5:00 AM UTC.

Time August 2, 2020 November 2, 2020

12:00 AM 4:00 AM 11:00 PM 4:00 AM

1:00 AM 5:00 AM 12:00 AM 5:00 AM

Wall Clock UTC Wall Clock UTC

Take Snapshot

• The timing of snapshots “shifts” 1 hour (wall clock time).

• The direction of the shift depends on whether DST is beginning or ending.

To continue having snapshots taken at 1:00 AM local time, the operator must edit
the schedule.

Beginning with Dell EMC Unity OE 5.1, users can enable Time Zone support.

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Snapshots Overview

• Newly created schedules adjust automatically if the local time zone implements
Daylight Saving Time.
• NOTE: Schedules that were created before upgrading to OE 5.1 must be edited
one time to update the snapshot time.

Schedule Before Enabling Time Zone Support

Before enabling Schedule Time Zone support, the schedule appears as shown.

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 Snapshots Overview

Enabling Time Zone Support

Beginning with Dell EMC Unity XT OE 5.1, the system supports a time zone option
to correct timing issues for snapshot schedules and asynchronous replication
throttling.

The setting applies to system defined and user created snapshot schedules. The
setting is not a system setting, and does not apply to other features such as logs or
FAST VP.

After upgrading to version 5.1, the schedule time zone is set to UTC Legacy. No
changes are made to schedules when upgrading.

If the user enables the time zone settings, the internal snapshot schedule is NOT
updated to the same absolute time. The user must check to see whether the
snapshot schedule must be updated after enabling time zone support.

To enable the feature, choose System Settings > Management > Schedule Time
Zone.

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Snapshots Overview

Schedule After Time Zone Support Enabled

When Schedule Time Zone is enabled, the system updates the schedule with the
value that had been stored internally, in UTC time. The user must check the
schedule, and edit it if necessary.

In the example shown, the schedule must be edited to return the snapshot time to
its previous value, 1:00 AM.

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 LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

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LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

LUN Consistency Group Snapshots

LUN CG: CG snapshot:

A group of LUNs Suspends writes to
forming an LUN group
instance of capturing I/O
addressable LUN consistency across
storage the LUNs
CG

LUNs

A LUN Consistency Group (CG) is a grouping of multiple LUNs to form a single

instance of LUN storage. They are primarily designed for host applications that
access multiple LUNs, such as a database application. Snapshots provide a
mechanism for capturing a snapshot of the multiple LUNs within a consistency
group. When a Consistency Group snapshot is taken, the system completes any
outstanding I/O to the group of LUNs. Then writes to the LUNs are suspended until
the snap operation completes. The snapshot therefore captures a write-order
consistent image of the group of LUNs.

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 LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

Multiple LUN Snapshots

Attach
Multiple hosts attach
Multiple snapshots to snapshots for RO
capture different point-in- or RW access
time data states

Copies of snapshots can Attach

be created and capture

identical data states
Copied RW
snapshots can nest
10 level
hierarchically to 10
max levels
LUN

With Dell Unity XT Snapshots, it is possible to create multiple snapshots of a LUN

to capture multiple point-in-time data states. In this example, the three o’clock and
the four o’clock snapshots are two different “child” snapshots of a common parent.
They capture two different data states of a common storage resource.

It is also possible to copy a snapshot. In this example, the four o’clock snapshot is
copied. Other than having a unique name, the copy is indistinguishable from the
source snapshot and both capture identical data states.

Multiple hosts can be attached to any specific LUN snapshot or multiple snapshots
within the tree. When a host is attached to a snapshot for access to its data, the
attach can be defined for read-only access or read/write access. In the example, a
host attaches to the three o’clock snapshot for read-only access and the snapshot
remains unmodified from its original snapped data state. A different host is
attached to the four o’clock snapshot copy for read/write access. By default, the
system creates a copy of the snapshot to preserve its original data state. The user
can optionally not create the snapshot copy. When the snap is read/write attached,
its data state is marked as modified from its source.

It is also possible to nest copied read/write attached snapshots that form a

hierarchy of snapshots to a maximum of 10 levels deep.

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LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

Creating LUN Snapshots - Create LUNs Wizard

LUN snapshots can easily be created in several ways. Within the wizard to Create
LUNs, there is an option to automatically create snapshots for the LUN based on a
schedule. The wizard contains a drop-down list selection that has three different
system defined schedules to select from to create the LUN snapshots. There is
also a snapshot retention value that is associated with each of the three schedules.
A customized schedule can also be created for use. The scheduler has the
granularity to configure a snapshot frequency by the hour, day, or week. A
snapshot retention policy can also be defined.

Note: Configuration fields that are annotated with a red asterisk are required.

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 LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

Creating LUN Snapshots - LUN Properties

For existing LUNs, snapshots are easily created from the LUN Properties page by
selecting the Snapshots tab. To create a snapshot of the LUN, select the + icon.
The snapshot must be configured with a name; by default the system provides a
name having a year, month, day, hour, minute, second format. Customized names
can also be configured. A Description field for the snapshot can be annotated as
an option. One of three Retention Policies must be configured. The default
retention configuration is the Pool Automatic Deletion Policy. It automatically
deletes the snapshot if pool space reaches a specified capacity threshold that is
defined on the pool. A customized retention time can alternately be selected and
configured for snapshot deletion on a specified calendar day and time. The other
alternative is to select the No Automatic Deletion option if the snapshot must be
kept for an undetermined amount of time.

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LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

LUN Snapshot Restore - Process

Initial State

LUN Snapshot Restore Process – 1 of 4

The Snapshot Restore operation rolls back the storage resource to the point-in-
time data state that the snapshot captures. In this restore example, a LUN is at a
five o’clock data state. It is restored from a snapshot with a four o’clock data state.

Attach

Attach

LUN

Detach Hosts Quiesce I/O Disconnect Hosts

LUN Snapshot Restore Process – 2 of 4

Before performing a restore operation, detach any host attached to the LUN
snapshot been restored. Also ensure that all hosts have completed all read and
write operations to the LUN you want to restore. Finally, disconnect any host
accessing the LUN. This action may require disabling the host connection on the
host-side.

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 LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

Before the restore:

1. Detach hosts from LUN
snapshots
2. Quiesce host I/O
to LUN
3. Disconnect host LUN
from the LUN

Start Restore

LUN Snapshot Restore Process – 3 of 4

Now the restore operation can be performed. From the four o’clock snapshot,
select the Restore operation. The system automatically creates a snapshot of the
current five o’clock data state of the LUN. This snapshot captures the current data
state of the LUN before the restoration operation begins.

Before the restore:

Perform Restore:
1. Detach hosts from LUN
1. Select snapshot
snapshots
Restore
2. Quiesce host I/O 2. System creates snap of
to LUN current LUN data state
3. Disconnect host LUN
from the LUN

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LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

Reconnect Hosts

LUN Snapshot Restore Process – 4 of 4

The LUN is restored to the four o’clock data state of the snapshot. The hosts can
now be reconnected to the resources they were connected to before the restore
operation and resume normal operations.

Attach

Attach
Before the restore:
1. Detach hosts from LUN Perform Restore:
snapshots
1. Select snapshot Restore
2. Quiesce host I/O to LUN

2. System creates snap of

3. Disconnect host from current LUN data state
the LUN 3. LUN is restored to snapshot
LUN data state

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 LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

LUN Snapshot Restore - Operation

To restore a LUN from a snapshot, access the Properties page for the LUN.

On the Properties page:

1. Go to the Snapshots tab.
2. Check the box for the snapshot you want to restore from.
3. On the More Actions dropdown menu, click Restore.
4. The Restore window opens. Click OK.
5. The restore completes. The restore point snapshot is listed on the Snapshots
tab.

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LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

Attach LUN Snapshot to Host - Process

Establish Host Connectivity to Unity

The Snapshot Attach to host operation attaches a connected host to a LUN

snapshot. In this attach example, a secondary host is going to attach to the three
o’clock snapshot of the LUN. Prior to performing an Attach to host operation, the
host being attached must have connectivity to the storage array and registered on
the storage system. Now the attach operation can be performed.

Attach

Before the attach:

1. Establish host connectivity

to Dell EMC Unity

LUN

Select Snapshot Select Access Type Select Hosts

The first step is to select a snapshot to attach to. The next step is to select an
Access Type, either read-only or read/write. Then the host or hosts are selected to
be attached.

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 LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

Attach

Perform Attach:
1. Select snapshot
2. Select Access Type Read-
only or Read/write

3. Select hosts
LUN

Data State of Snapshot Preserved Host attached

Next, the system optionally creates a copy of the snapshot if a read/write Access
Type was selected. The snapshot copy preserves the data state of the snapshot
before the attach. Finally, the selected host is attached to the snapshot with the
Access Type selected.

Attach

Attach

Perform Attach:
1. Select snapshot
2. Select Access Type Read-
only or Read/write
3. Select hosts
4. System optionally creates
copy of snapshot
LUN
5. Snapshot attached

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LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

Attach LUN Snapshot to Host - Operation

LUN Snapshot Attach to Host Operation

To attach a host to a snapshot of a LUN, access the Properties page for the LUN.

On the Properties page:

1. Go to the Snapshots tab.
2. Check the box for the snapshot that you want to attach to a host. In this
example, the Monday_AM_snap is selected.
3. On the More Actions dropdown menu, click Attach to host.
4. The Attach to Host window opens. Click the plus sign + icon to add hosts and
configure access to the snap.
5. Choose the Access Type which can be read-only or read/write. In this example
the access type is Read/Write.
6. Check the box next to the name of the host or hosts to be attached to the
snapshot. In this example WIN10B is selected for access.

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 LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

LUN Snapshot Attach to Host Operation Continued

The attach configuration is displayed.

7. In this example, the WIN10B host is attached to the Monday_AM_snap with
Read/Write access.
8. By default, the system optionally creates a copy of the snapshot being attached
with read/write access to preserve its original point-in-time data state.
9. The snapshot is attached to the host and its attach status is displayed.

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LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

Detach LUN Snapshot from Host - Process

LUN Snapshot - Detach from Host Process – 1

The Snapshot Detach operation detaches a connected host from a LUN snapshot.
In this detach example, a secondary host is going to detach from the three o’clock
snapshot of the LUN.

Attach

Attach

LUN

LUN Snapshot - Detach from Host Process – 2

Before performing a detach operation, allow any outstanding read/write operations

of the snapshot attached host to complete.

Attach

Attach

Before the detach:

1. Quiesce I/O of snapshot
attached host

LUN

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 LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

LUN Snapshot - Detach from Host Process – 3

Now the detach operation can be performed. From the three o’clock snapshot,
select the Detach from host operation.

Attach

Attach

Before the detach:

1. Quiesce I/O of snapshot
attached host

Perform the Detach:

1. Select snapshot to detach
LUN from

LUN Snapshot - Detach from Host Process – 4

The secondary host is detached from the three o’clock snapshot of the LUN.

Attach

Before the detach:

1. Quiesce I/O of snapshot
attached host
Perform the Detach:
1. Select snapshot to
detach from
LUN 2. Snapshot is detached

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LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

Detach LUN Snapshot from Host - Operation

To detach a host from a snapshot, first access the Properties page of the storage
resource.

From the Properties page:

1. Go to the Snapshots tab.
2. Check the box next to the snapshot to detach from.
3. The action for Attach to host and Detach from host are mutually exclusive
operations. The Detach from host operation is only available for snapshots
that are attached.
4. On the More Actions drop-down list, select Detach from host.
5. On the Detach Confirmation window, click Yes.

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 LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

LUN Snapshot Copy - Process

Copy of Snapshot Created

The Snapshot Copy operation makes a copy of an existing snapshot that is either
attached or detached from a host. In this example, a copy of an existing four
o’clock snapshot is being made.

Attach

Attach

Before the copy:

1. Can copy attached or

detached snapshot

LUN

Select Snapshot to Copy

Select the snapshot to copy.

Attach
Attach

Perform the Copy:

1. Select snapshot to copy

LUN

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LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

Snapshot Copied

A copy of the selected snapshot is made. The copy inherits the parent snapshot
data state of four o’clock and its retention policy.

Attach

Attach

Perform the Copy:

1. Select snapshot to copy

2. Snapshot copied
3. Copy inherits parent data
LUN
state and retention policy

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 LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

LUN Snapshot Copy - Operation

To copy a snapshot of a LUN, first access the Properties page of the LUN.

From the Properties page:

1. Go to the Snapshots tab.
2. Check the box next to the snapshot to copy.
3. On the More Actions drop-down list, select Copy.
4. On the Copy Snapshot window, the system provides a unique name for the
snapshot copy that is based on the time of creation, or a customized name can
be assigned. Click OK to create the copy.

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LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

Accessing a LUN Snapshot

Establish Host Connectivity to Unity

Register Host

The process of accessing a LUN snapshot requires performing tasks on the

storage system and on the host that accesses the snapshot. The host must have
connectivity to the storage, either using Fibre Channel or iSCSI, and be registered.
In this example, a secondary host accesses the three o’clock LUN snapshot.

Attach

Dell EMC Unity

Host

LUN

Select LUN Snapshot

Next, from the Snapshots tab, a snapshot is selected and the snapshot operation
Attach to host is performed.

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 LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

Attach

Attach
Dell EMC Unity tasks:

1. Perform snapshot Attach Host

to host operation

LUN

Discover Disk Device

Access Snapshot

Now tasks from the host must be completed. The host must discover the disk
device that the snapshot presents to it. After the discovery, the host can access the
snapshot as a disk device.

Attach

Attach
Dell EMC Unity tasks:

1. Perform snapshot Attach to Host tasks:

host operation
1. Discover snapshot disk
device
2. Access the disk device
LUN

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LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots

Activity: LUN Snapshots

Virtual lab for facilitated sessions:

• Create a snapshot of a LUN.
• Create a snapshot schedule.
• Attach a host to access the LUN
snapshot.
• Perform a snapshot restore operation.

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 File System Snapshots

File System Snapshots

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File System Snapshots

Multiple File System Snapshots

Multiple file system

Snapshots of a file system can
snapshots capture
be created either read-only or
different point-in-time data
read/write
states

Snapshot copies are

read/write. Read/write
Hierarchical RW
snapshots are
10 level snapshot copies can
shareable max be shared

File system

As with LUN snapshots, it is possible to create multiple snapshots of a file system

to capture multiple point-in-time data states. The three o’clock and the four o’clock
snapshots in this example are two different “child” snapshots of the same file
system parent. They capture two different point-in-time data states of the file
system. Snapshots of a file system can be created either as read-only or read/write
and are accessed in different manners which are covered in other topics. Copies of
snapshots are always created as read/write snapshots. The read/write snapshots
can be shared by creating an NFS or SMB share to them. When shared, they are
marked as modified to indicate that their data state is different from the parent
resource. It is also possible to nest copied and shared snapshots that form a
hierarchy of snapshots to a maximum of 10 levels deep.

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Creating File System Snapshots - Create File System Wizard

File system snapshots can easily be created in several ways. Within the wizard to
Create a File System, there is an option to automatically create snapshots for the
file system based on a schedule. File system snapshots that are created with a
schedule are read-only. The wizard contains a drop-down list selection that has
three different system defined schedules to select from to create the file system
snapshots. Each schedule includes a snapshot retention value. A customized
schedule can also be created for use. The scheduler includes the granularity to
configure a snapshot frequency by the hour, day, or week. A snapshot retention
policy can also be defined. Configuration fields that are annotated with a red
asterisk are required.

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File System Snapshots

Creating File System Snapshots - File System Properties

Snapshots of existing file systems are easily created from the file system
Properties page by selecting the Snapshots tab. A manually created file system
snapshot can be read-only or read/write. To create a snapshot of the file system,
select the + icon. The snapshot must be configured with a Name. By default the
system provides a name that is based on the creation time in a year, month, day,
hour, minute, second format. Customized names can also be configured. A
Description field for the snapshot can optionally be configured. One of three
Retention Policies must be configured. The default retention configuration is the
Pool Automatic Deletion Policy. That policy automatically deletes the snapshot if
pool space reaches a specified capacity threshold defined on the pool. A
customized Retention Time can alternately be selected and configured for
snapshot deletion on a specified calendar day and time within a year of creation.
The other alternative is to select the No Automatic Deletion option if the snapshot
must be kept for an undetermined amount of time. The Access Type section
requires configuration by selecting one of the two options for the snapshot; read-
only or read/write.

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File System Snapshot Restore - Process

Initial State

The Snapshot Restore operation for a file system is similar to the restore operation
of a LUN. It rolls back the file system to a point-in-time data state that a read-only
or read/write snapshot captures. This example restores a file system from a
snapshot. The file system is at a five o’clock data state and is restored from a read-
only snapshot with a four o’clock data state.

File system

Disconnect Clients
Quiesce I/O

Before performing a restore operation, disconnect the client connected to the File
system snapshot been restored. Also quiesce I/O to the file system being restored.
Clients can remain connected to the file system but should close any opened files.

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File System Snapshots

Before the restore:

1. Disconnect clients from file
system snapshots
2. Quiesce I/O to file
system

File system

Restore from Snap

Now the Restore operation can be performed. From the four o’clock snapshot,
select the Restore operation.

Before the restore:

1. Disconnect clients from file
system snapshots Perform Restore:
2. Quiesce I/O to file 1. Select snapshot
system Restore
File system

Current Data
State Snapped

The system automatically creates a snapshot of the current five o’clock data state
of the file system. It captures the current data state of the file system before the
restoration operation begins.

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 File System Snapshots

Before the restore:

1. Disconnect clients from file Perform Restore:
system snapshots
1. Select snapshot
2. Quiesce I/O to file Restore
system
2. System creates snap
File system of current file system
data state

Connections and
I/O Resumed

The file system is restored to the four o’clock data state of the snapshot. The
connections and I/O to the resources can now be resumed for normal operations.

Before the restore:

Perform Restore:
1. Disconnect clients from file
system snapshots 1. Select snapshot Restore

2. Quiesce I/O to file system 2. System creates snap of

current file system data state

File system 3. File system is restored to

snapshot data state

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File System Snapshots

File System Snapshot Restore - Operation

To restore a file system from a snapshot, access the Properties page for the
snapshot.

1. Go to the Snapshots tab.

2. Check the box for the snapshot you want to restore from.
3. On the More Actions dropdown menu, click Restore.
4. The Restore window opens. The system creates a restore point snapshot of the
current data state of the file system before the restoration operation. Click OK.
5. Once complete, the new restore point snapshot is listed.

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 File System Snapshots

File System Snapshot Copy - Process

Initial State

The Snapshot Copy operation makes a copy of an existing file system snapshot
that is either read-only or read/write shared or unshared. In this example, a copy of
an existing four o’clock read-only snapshot is being made.

Before the copy:

1. Can copy read-only
snapshot or read/write
shared or unshared
snapshost
File system

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File System Snapshots

Select Snapshot
to Copy

Select the snapshot to copy.

Before the copy:

1. Can copy read-only Before the copy:
snapshot or read/write 1. Select snapshot to
shared or unshared copy
snapshost
File system

Copy Created

The snapshot copy is created and is read/write. It also inherits the parent snapshot
data state of four o’clock and its retention policy.

Before the copy:

1. Can copy read-only Before the copy:
snapshot or read/write 1. Select snapshot
shared or unshared to copy
snapshost 2. Snapshot is copied
3. Copy is
File system
read/write, inherits
parent data state, and
retention policy

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 File System Snapshots

File System Snapshot Copy - Operation

To copy a snapshot of a file system, first access the Properties page of that file
system.

1. Go to the Snapshots tab.

2. Check the box next to the snapshot to copy.
3. On the More Actions drop-down list, select Copy.
4. On the Copy Snapshot window, the system provides a unique name for the
snapshot copy that is based on the time of creation, or a customized name can
be assigned. Click OK to create the copy.

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File System Snapshots

Accessing a File System Read/Write Snapshot

Initial State

The process of accessing a file system read/write snapshot requires performing

tasks on the storage system and on the client that accesses the snapshot. In this
example, a client accesses the three o’clock read/write file system snapshot.

Dell EMC Unity

Client

File system

Configure Share to Snapshot

On the storage system, an NFS and or SMB share must be configured on the
read/write snapshot of the file system. This task is completed from their respective
pages.

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Dell EMC Unity tasks:

Client
1. Configure NFS/SMB
share to the read/write file
system snapshot

File system

Connect and Access Share

Now tasks from the client must be completed. The client must be connected to the
NFS/SMB share of the snapshot. After connection to the share, the client can
access the snapshot resource.

Dell EMC Unity tasks:

Client tasks:
1. Configure NFS/SMB
share to the read/write file 1. Connect to the
system snapshot NFS/SMB share

2. Access the shared

File system
resource

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File System Snapshots

Accessing a File System Read-Only Snapshot

Initial State

The process of accessing a file system read-only snapshot is different than

accessing a read/write snapshot. The read-only file system snapshot is exposed to
the client through a checkpoint virtual file system (CVFS) mechanism that
Snapshots provide. The read-only snapshot access does not require performing
any tasks on the storage system. All the tasks are performed on the client through
its access directly to the file system. The tasks for NFS clients are slightly different
than the tasks for SMB clients. The example shows NFS and SMB access of a
read-only snapshot.

NFS client SMB client

File system

Connect NFS Client

to NFS Share

The first task for an NFS client is to connect to an NFS share on the file system.

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NFS client tasks:

SMB client
1. Connect to file system
NFS share

File system

Access Snapshot

Access to the read-only snapshot is established by accessing the snapshot’s

hidden .ckpt data path. This path will redirect the client to the point-in-time view that
the read-only snapshot captures.

.ckpt
path

NFS client tasks:

SMB client
1. Connect to file system
NFS share

2. Access the snapshot

hidden .ckpt data path
File system

Connect SMB Client

to SMB Share

Similarly, the first task for an SMB client is to connect to an SMB share on the file
system.

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File System Snapshots

.ckpt
path

NFS client tasks: SMB client tasks:

1. Connect to file system 1. Connect to file

NFS share system SMB share

2. Access the snapshot

hidden .ckpt data path File system

SMB Previous Versions Tab

Access to the read-only snapshot is established by the SMB client accessing the
Previous Versions tab of the SMB share. It redirects the client to the point-in-time
view that the read-only snapshot captures.

.ckpt Previous
path versions

NFS client tasks: SMB client tasks:

1. Connect to file system 1. Connect to file

NFS share system SMB share

2. Access the
2. Access the snapshot
File system snapshot previous
hidden .ckpt data path
versions tab

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 File System Snapshots

Through CVFS

The read-only snapshot is exposed to the clients through the CVFS mechanism.
Therefore the clients can directly recover data from the snapshot without any
administrator intervention. For example, if a user either corrupted or deleted a file
by mistake, that user could directly access the read-only snapshot. Then from the
snapshot the user can get an earlier version of the file and copy it to the file system
for recovery.

.ckpt Previous
path versions
NFS client tasks: SMB client tasks:
1. Connect to file system 1. Connect to file
NFS share system SMB share
2. Access the snapshot 2. Access the snapshot
hidden .ckpt data path previous versions tab

File system

Clients can recover data directly from the snapshot via CVFS

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File System Snapshots

Activity: File System Snapshots

Virtual lab for facilitated sessions:

• Enable a snapshot schedule during file
system creation
• Create snapshots of an existing file
system
• Configure access to a read/write
snapshot and perform write operations
to it
• Access read-only snapshots from an
SMB Windows client and from an NFS
Linux client

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 Native vVol Snapshots

Native vVol Snapshots

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Native vVol Snapshots

Native vVol Snapshots - Overview

Dell Unity XT storage systems support creating snapshots of “data” (.vmdk) vVols
in Unisphere, Unisphere CLI, or REST API.

• Snapshots that are created in Unisphere are not listed in vSphere.

• You cannot create snapshots for “Config” or “Swap” vVols.
• You can also create snapshots in vSphere, using the VMware VASA Provider.

vVol snapshot restoration is also supported using Unisphere, Unisphere CLI, and
REST API.

• Snapshots that are created in vSphere using the VASA Provider can be
restored using vSphere, Unisphere, Unisphere CLI, or REST API.
• Snapshots that are created using Unisphere, Unisphere CLI, or REST API
cannot be restored using vSphere.
• Virtual Machines should be powered off before issuing a restore operation.

Snapshot schedules are not supported on vVols.

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 Native vVol Snapshots

Creating a vVol Snapshot in Unisphere

Creating a vVol Snapshot in Unisphere

View Virtual Volumes

Click VMware, and choose the Virtual Volumes tab.

Open vVol Properties

From Unisphere, you can create snapshots only for "data" vVols. Check the box to
select a data vVol. Then click the pencil icon to edit the selected virtual volume.

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Native vVol Snapshots

Select Snapshots

Go to the Snapshots tab.

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Create Snapshot

Initially, no snapshots exist for the vVol. Click the plus sign + to create a snapshot.

Note: vVol snapshots cannot be scheduled.

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Native vVol Snapshots

Define Snapshot Name

The system automatically generates a name for the snapshot. You can accept the
name, or enter a different name for the snapshot. Click OK to create the snapshot.

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 Native vVol Snapshots

View Listed Snapshots

The new snapshot is shown on the Snapshots tab.

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Native vVol Snapshots

Restore a vVol from a Snapshot in Unisphere

Open vVol Properties

To restore a data vVol from a snapshot in Unisphere:

1. Click VMware, and choose the Virtual Volumes tab.
2. Check the box for the data vVol, then click the pencil icon to view Properties.

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Select Snapshots

3. Select the Snapshots tab to view available snapshots for the data vVol.

Restore Snapshot

4. Check the box to select the wanted snapshot. From the More Actions drop-
down menu, select Restore.

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Native vVol Snapshots

Confirm Operation

5. Verify that the virtual machine is powered off, and click Yes to restore the vVol
from the snapshot.

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 Native vVol Snapshots

Data Protection with Snapshots Key Points

1. Snapshots Overview
a. The Dell Unity XT Snapshots feature enables space efficient point-in-time
copies of storage resources for block, file, and VMware "data" vVols.
– The snap images can be read-only or read/write and used in various
ways.
– The production data can be restored from a snapshot to a known point-
in-time data state.
b. Snapshots of storage resources (LUNs, file systems, and VMware
datastores) are architected using Redirect on Write technology.
c. Snapshots can be scheduled at the time the storage resource is created, or
manually created from the resource properties page.
d. Snapshot operations include Restore, Attach to host, Detach from host,
and Copy, depending on the source storage resource.
2. LUNs and Consistency Groups Snapshots
a. Dell EMC XT Snapshots provide a mechanism for capturing a snapshot of
the multiple LUNs within a consistency group.
– The operation captures a write-order consistent image of the group of
LUNs.
– Multiple hosts can be attached to any specific LUN snapshot or multiple
snapshots within the tree.
b. Dell Unity XT system operations on LUN-based snapshots are Restore,
Attach to host, Detach from host, and Copy.

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Native vVol Snapshots

- The Restore operation rolls back the LUN or Consistency Group LUN
members to the point-in-time data state captured in the snapshot.
- The Snapshot Attach to host operation grants a host a defined access
level to a LUN snapshot.
- The Snapshot Dettach from host operation revokes the host access to
the LUN snapshot.
- The Copy operation makes a replica of an existing LUN snapshot which
inherits the parent snapshot data state and retention policy.
3. File System Snapshots
a. Dell Unity XT Snapshots provide a mechanism for capturing a snapshot of
file systems.
– Multiple snapshots of a file system capture different point-in-time data
states.
– Snapshots of file systems can be scheduled or manually created.
b. Snapshots of a file system can be created either as read-only or read/write,
and are accessed in different manners.
- Read/write snapshots of a file system can be shared by creating an NFS
or SMB share.
- The read-only file system snapshot is exposed to the client through a
checkpoint virtual file system (CVFS) mechanism that Snapshots
provides.
c. Dell Unity XT system operations on file system-based snapshots are
Restore and Copy.
- The Restore operation rolls back the file system to the point-in-time data
state captured in the read-only or read/write snapshot.
- The Copy operation makes a replica of an existing file system snapshot
that is either read-only or read/write shared or unshared.
4. Native vVol Snapshots

a. Dell Unity XT storage systems support creating snapshots of “data” (.vmdk)

vVols in Unisphere, Unisphere CLI, or REST API.
– Snapshots of "Config" and "Swap" vVols are not supported.
– Snapshot schedules are not supported on vVols.

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b. Dell EMC XT vVol snapshot restore operations are supported using

Unisphere, Unisphere CLI, and REST API, or the vCenter Server.
- vVol snapshots created in the vSphere environment can be restored
using either vCenter Server or the Dell Unity XT management interfaces.
- vVol snapshots created using the Dell EMC Unity XT management
interfaces cannot be restored using vCenter Server.

For more information, see the Dell EMC Unity Family Configuring
and managing LUNs, Dell EMC Unity: NAS Capabilities and Dell
EMC Unity Family Configuring vVols on the Dell EMC Unity
Family Technical Documentation portal at Dell Technologies site.

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