Backing up vFilers

Considerations

You can back up vFiler data from the hosting filer or from a vFiler's client. Keep the following points in mind when planning vFiler backups.

From the hosting filer, you can back up the storage units owned by vFilers just as you would if the vFilers did not exist---using the dump command, for example.
You can back up all vFilers at once. This method does not separate the data by vFiler, so it is not suitable if each vFiler's data must be archived separately.
From a client of a vFiler, you can back up all of that vFiler's data, but no other vFiler's data.
- A CIFS client can mount "/" from a vFiler and see a virtual tree comprising all of that vFiler's storage units. (See The pseudo-root directory for more information.)
- A CIFS client can capture all of a vFiler's data, both CIFs and NFS.
- An NFS client cannot see a virtual tree for the vFiler.
- An NFS client can back up all of the vFiler's NFS data, but not its CIFS data.
Backing up from a client (particularly a CIFS client) is a good way to back up an individual vFiler and keep the vFiler's data separate. It does not allow you to back up all vFilers at once.