NetApp
7-mode/HA pair/V-Series : Volumes : Snapshot management : Understanding FlexClone volumes : How FlexClone volumes work
How FlexClone volumes work
FlexClone volumes can be managed similarly to regular FlexVol volumes, with a few key differences.
The following list outlines some key facts about FlexClone volumes:
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A FlexClone volume is a point-in-time, writable copy of the parent volume. Changes made to the parent volume after the FlexClone volume is created are not reflected in the FlexClone volume.
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You must install the license for the FlexClone feature before you can create FlexClone volumes.
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FlexClone volumes are fully functional volumes; you manage them just as you do the parent volume.
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FlexClone volumes always exist in the same aggregate as their parent volumes.
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Traditional volumes cannot be used as parent volumes for FlexClone volumes.
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FlexClone volumes can themselves be cloned to create another FlexClone volume.
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FlexClone volumes and their parent volumes share the same disk space for any common data. This means that creating a FlexClone volume is instantaneous and requires no additional disk space (until changes are made to the FlexClone volume or its parent).
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A FlexClone volume is created with the same space guarantee as its parent. The space guarantee setting is enforced for the new FlexClone volume only if there is enough space in the containing aggregate.
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A FlexClone volume is created with the same space reservation and fractional reserve settings as its parent.
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While a FlexClone volume exists, some operations on its parent are not allowed.
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You can sever the connection between the parent volume and the FlexClone volume. This is called splitting the FlexClone volume. Splitting removes all restrictions on the parent volume and causes the FlexClone to use its own additional disk space rather than sharing space with its parent.
Splitting a FlexClone volume from its parent volume deletes all existing Snapshot copies of the FlexClone volume, and disables the creation of new Snapshot copies while the splitting operation is in progress.
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Quotas applied to the parent volume are not automatically applied to the FlexClone volume.
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When a FlexClone volume is created, any LUNs present in the parent volume are present in the FlexClone volume but are unmapped and offline.
Parent Topic: Storage node