Data protection options

About data protection

Data protection means backing up data and being able to recover it. You protect the data by making copies of it so that it is available for restoration even if the original is no longer available.

Why data needs protection

Reasons that businesses need data backup and protection systems include the following:

To protect data from accidentally deleted files, application crashes, data corruption, and viruses
To archive data for future use
To recover from a disaster

Methods of protecting data

Depending on your data protection and backup needs, Data ONTAP offers a variety of features and methods to ensure against accidental, malicious, or disaster-induced loss of data. This guide describes how to use Data ONTAP online features like SnapMirror® technology to protect data. See the Tape Backup and Recovery Guide for information about using tape to protect data.

Data protection feature	Description
`aggr copy`	This is fast block copy of data stored in aggregates; it enables you to quickly copy blocks of stored system data from one aggregate to another. For information about aggregates and `aggr copy` see the Storage Management Guide.
Snapshot^TM	Backup within a volume. This feature allows you to manually or automatically create, schedule, and maintain multiple backups (also called Snapshot copies) of data on a volume. Snapshot copies use only a minimal amount of additional volume space, and do not have a performance cost. Snapshot copies are also used to create clones of FlexVol^TM volumes and Data ONTAP LUNs. If a user accidentally modifies or deletes crucial data on a volume with Snapshot enabled, that data can be easily and quickly restored from one of the last several Snapshot copies taken. See Chapter 2, Snapshot Management. You can also create clones of FlexVol volumes and Data ONTAP LUNs using Snapshot copies. See the Storage Management Guide for more details.
SnapRestore® (license required)	Fast, space efficient restoration of large volumes of data backed up to Snapshot copies. The SnapRestore feature performs on-request Snapshot recovery from Snapshot copies on an entire volume. See Chapter 3, Data Recovery Using SnapRestore.
SnapMirror® (license required)	Volume-to-volume and qtree-to-qtree replication. This feature enables you to periodically make Snapshot copies of data on one volume or qtree, replicate that data to a partner volume or qtree, usually on another storage system, and archive one or more iterations of that data as Snapshot copies. Replication on the partner volume or qtree ensures quick availability and restoration of data, from the point of the last Snapshot copy, should the storage system containing the original volume or qtree be disabled. If you conduct tape backup and archival operations, you can carry them out on the data already backed to the SnapMirror partner, thus freeing the original storage system of this time-consuming, performance-degrading chore. See Chapter 4, Data Protection Using SnapMirror.
SnapVault® (license required)	Centralized backup of multiple qtrees on multiple storage systems using Snapshot technology. This feature enables you to back up qtrees on multiple volumes and storage systems to a single SnapVault secondary storage system specialized for quick backup and restore of its sources. You can also install the Open Systems SnapVault agent on Windows NT, Windows 2000, Solaris, Linux, AIX, or HP-UX systems. This agent allows SnapVault to back up and restore data to these systems also. If you conduct tape backup and archival operations, you can carry them out on the data already backed up to the SnapVault secondary storage system, thus freeing your storage system of this time-consuming, performance-degrading chore. See Chapter 5, Data Protection Using SnapVault.
Tape backup `dump` and `restore` commands	Tape backup and restore. The `dump` and `restore` commands allow you to back up Snapshot copies to tape. The `dump` command takes a Snapshot copy of the volume and then copies that data to tape. Because the Snapshot copy, not the active file system, is backed up to tape, Data ONTAP can continue its normal functions while the tape backup takes place. See the Tape Backup and Recovery Guide for more information.
`vol copy`	Fast block-copy of data from one volume to another. The `vol copy` command enables you to quickly block-copy stored data from one volume to another. See Chapter 7, Volume Copy.
SyncMirror® (cluster configuration required)	Continuous mirroring of data to two separate volumes. This feature allows you to mirror data real-time to matching volumes physically connected to the same storage system head. In case of unrecoverable disk error on one volume, the storage system automatically switches access to the mirrored volume. Cluster configuration is required for this feature. See Chapter 8, SyncMirror Management.
nvfail option to the `vol options` command	Protection against data corruption by failures of non-volatile RAM (NVRAM). See Chapter 9, Database Protection Using NVFAIL.
virus scan support	Support for third-party virus-scanning software for files accessed by CIFS clients. See Chapter 10, Virus Protection for CIFS.
MetroCluster	SyncMirror functionality enhanced to provide continuous volume mirroring over 500-meter to 30-kilometer distances.

Data protection feature

Description

aggr copy

This is fast block copy of data stored in aggregates; it enables you to quickly copy blocks of stored system data from one aggregate to another. For information about aggregates and aggr copy see the Storage Management Guide.

Snapshot^TM

Backup within a volume.

This feature allows you to manually or automatically create, schedule, and maintain multiple backups (also called Snapshot copies) of data on a volume. Snapshot copies use only a minimal amount of additional volume space, and do not have a performance cost.

Snapshot copies are also used to create clones of FlexVol^TM volumes and Data ONTAP LUNs.

If a user accidentally modifies or deletes crucial data on a volume with Snapshot enabled, that data can be easily and quickly restored from one of the last several Snapshot copies taken. See Chapter 2, Snapshot Management.

You can also create clones of FlexVol volumes and Data ONTAP LUNs using Snapshot copies. See the Storage Management Guide for more details.

SnapRestore®

(license required)

Fast, space efficient restoration of large volumes of data backed up to Snapshot copies.

The SnapRestore feature performs on-request Snapshot recovery from Snapshot copies on an entire volume.

See Chapter 3, Data Recovery Using SnapRestore.

SnapMirror®

(license required)

Volume-to-volume and qtree-to-qtree replication.

This feature enables you to periodically make Snapshot copies of data on one volume or qtree, replicate that data to a partner volume or qtree, usually on another storage system, and archive one or more iterations of that data as Snapshot copies. Replication on the partner volume or qtree ensures quick availability and restoration of data, from the point of the last Snapshot copy, should the storage system containing the original volume or qtree be disabled.

If you conduct tape backup and archival operations, you can carry them out on the data already backed to the SnapMirror partner, thus freeing the original storage system of this time-consuming, performance-degrading chore.

See Chapter 4, Data Protection Using SnapMirror.

SnapVault®

(license required)

Centralized backup of multiple qtrees on multiple storage systems using Snapshot technology.

This feature enables you to back up qtrees on multiple volumes and storage systems to a single SnapVault secondary storage system specialized for quick backup and restore of its sources.

You can also install the Open Systems SnapVault agent on Windows NT, Windows 2000, Solaris, Linux, AIX, or HP-UX systems. This agent allows SnapVault to back up and restore data to these systems also.

If you conduct tape backup and archival operations, you can carry them out on the data already backed up to the SnapVault secondary storage system, thus freeing your storage system of this time-consuming, performance-degrading chore.

See Chapter 5, Data Protection Using SnapVault.

Tape backup dump and restore commands

Tape backup and restore.

The dump and restore commands allow you to back up Snapshot copies to tape. The dump command takes a Snapshot copy of the volume and then copies that data to tape. Because the Snapshot copy, not the active file system, is backed up to tape, Data ONTAP can continue its normal functions while the tape backup takes place.

See the Tape Backup and Recovery Guide for more information.

vol copy

Fast block-copy of data from one volume to another.

The vol copy command enables you to quickly block-copy stored data from one volume to another.

See Chapter 7, Volume Copy.

SyncMirror®

(cluster configuration required)

Continuous mirroring of data to two separate volumes.

This feature allows you to mirror data real-time to matching volumes physically connected to the same storage system head. In case of unrecoverable disk error on one volume, the storage system automatically switches access to the mirrored volume.

Cluster configuration is required for this feature.

See Chapter 8, SyncMirror Management.

nvfail option to the vol options command

Protection against data corruption by failures of non-volatile RAM (NVRAM).

See Chapter 9, Database Protection Using NVFAIL.

virus scan support

Support for third-party virus-scanning software for files accessed by CIFS clients.

See Chapter 10, Virus Protection for CIFS.

MetroCluster

SyncMirror functionality enhanced to provide continuous volume mirroring over 500-meter to 30-kilometer distances.