Multiple snapshot problem.

[Stuart Remphrey - Sun Computer Systems SE - QLD Australia]

` That sounds remarkably like the VxFS snapshot capability. Does it work
` with VxFS filesystems? Is it a filesystem type snapshot or a volume
` type snapshot?

It's at the (block/raw) (virtual) device level, effectively a volume
type snapshot. I think it allegedly works with VxFS, as well as VxVM,
DiskSuite and plain raw disk partitions, but haven't tried it myself,
nor rechecked the documentation (saw an early draft a while ago).

Yep, found a reference that says it's compatible with VxFS 3.2.1, 3.3.2.

` Of course, we have yet to have the VxFS snapshot capability completely
` work for us... (in all versions since 3.2.1)
` 
` It sounds good. I wouldn't be adverse to a 1-2 screen blurb detailing
` the features of this product and a URL on where to get more info.
` I'm sure many list readers would be interested.

I'll see what I can find in the next day or so.  I'd guess Sun would
be intending to post something somewhere on www.sun.com or whatever,
also other (local to you) SEs might have something.

Regards,

Stuart.



ps.  Here's some bits I found.  Doesn't specifically talk about moving
     a shadow between systems, but I think you should be able to copy
     to a different volume group, and deport/import it (even if for some
     reason you had to take a "normal" copy of a frozen shadow, and move
     that).  Currently only a command line interface (better for scripting
     anyway :-)   Announcement 20 July, volume availability 6 August.
     I've also interspersed a few comments into the original.


  Sun StorEdge Instant Image enables point-in-time copies, or shadow
  volumes, to be created on Sun storage.  A shadow volume is a replicated
  view of data which has been frozen at a specific point in time and
  is used to enable a secondary application to non-disruptively access
  a primary application's data for read or write.

  Sun StorEdge Instant Image Release 1.0 is server-based software,
  which provides a point-in-time copy solution to low-end through
  high-end Solaris environments.

  The following applications benefit from Sun StorEdge Instant Image:

  - Backups

    Enable on-line processing to continue while backup processes
    backup a point-in-time snapshot image of on-line data.

  - Data Warehouse Loading

    Populate a data warehouse from a snapshot image of on-line data.

  - Application Development and Testing

    Make a snapshot image of production data available
    as test data for new applications.

  - Data Migration

    Use Sun StorEdge Instant Image to help migrate
    from one storage platform to another.

  Sun StorEdge Instant Image provides:

  - Point-in-Time Copies which can be independently accessed
    for business continuance

  - Scoreboarding with a bitmap volume for fast resynchronization,
    which can be in either direction (master->shadow, shadow->master).
    Uses may include testing and before/after images of batch runs.

  - Master and Shadow volumes can span storage subsystems.

  Supports E250 through E10000, but initially only A5x00 arrays, on
  Solaris 2.6 or Solaris 7, licensed per server, by class of server.