SnapManager Backup overview

SnapManager creates backups of your databases that are used to further restore and recover your databases. Your database is stored as a backup set that also contains transaction logs and metadata for your database. SnapManager also performs integrity verification of your database.

You can create or schedule a SnapManager backup by using the SnapManager Backup wizard or the Backup and Verify window. You can also manage the transaction logs and the number of backups you need to retain for your database.

• How SnapManager Backup works
  SnapManager Backup uses the Snapshot technology to create online, read-only copies of databases. After you back up the selected Storage Groups, SnapManager deletes the transaction logs that are committed to the databases.
• SnapManager Snapshot copy naming conventions
  Data ONTAP automatically names SnapManager Snapshot copies. The name of each Snapshot copy created during a SnapManager backup operation includes information like the server name, the backup management group, and whether the backup is the most recent backup.
• When to run a SnapManager backup
  You need to balance the frequency of backups against any overhead incurred by the database verification process. In addition, you must ensure that no SnapManager operations overlap with each other.
• How SnapManager checks database integrity in backup sets
  SnapManager uses ChkSgFiles.dll, an integrity verification library, to verify the Exchange Server 2007 databases and transaction logs. SnapManager uses Eseutil, a Microsoft Exchange utility, to verify the Exchange Server 2003 database files. SnapManager uses either ChkSgFiles or Eseutil to verify the page-level integrity of the databases.
• Backup set retention
  When you plan your SnapManager backup schedules, you also need to manage the number of Snapshot copy-based backup sets that are retained online.
• Transaction log management
  SnapManager provides advanced options to manage the transaction logs that belong to a backup management group.
• Exchange System Manager in a SnapManager environment
  Exchange System Manager (ESM) is an Exchange Server 2003 component that includes a timestamp that tells you the last time that a full backup of a database took place.