SnapManager and SnapDrive

How SnapManager and SnapDrive work together

SnapManager is an Exchange-aware application that uses the Exchange backup APIs (for Exchange servers running Windows 2000 Server) or VSS (for Exchange servers running Windows Server 2003) to provide backup and restore functionality in an Exchange environment.

SnapDrive integrates with the NTFS Windows file system, Windows Volume Manager, and LUNs to enable the management of storage resources on the filer in the Windows environment. SnapDrive provides the underlying layer of support for SnapManager.

When to use SnapManager and when to use SnapDrive

You use SnapManager for all backups and related operations. For example, you use SnapManager to establish your Exchange databases on LUNs on a filer and to back up and restore LUNs on the filer.

You use SnapDrive only to create and manage the LUNs and filer volumes that contain your Exchange data and to perform supplemental mirror updates of the transaction log volume when SnapMirror is used.