Referring to:
https://www.ixsystems.com/documenta...ml?highlight=snapshot#periodic-snapshot-tasks
I have set up snapshots of a certain pool (containing backup data from other systems), first hourly, and now 6 times a day (that seems enough to me), with a retention period of 2 weeks. Replication from system Alpha to Beta is also in place, and functioning. I can see that some snapshots take quite some time to replicate. (Bandwidth is 50 Mbit max, and backup data is being written to the Alpha system almost continually.)
"Replicated data is not visible on the receiving system until the replication task completes."
I have noticed that a task has been completed because I can browse files using Midnight Commander on the Beta system.
But... I see only one version. I see many snapshots under Storage - Snapshots, which I think (almost sure) are the ones from the Alpha system.
"The target dataset on the receiving system is automatically created in read-only mode to protect the data. To mount or browse the data on the receiving system, create a clone of the snapshot and use the clone. Clones are created in read/write mode, making it possible to browse or mount them. See Snapshots for more information on creating clones."
"Snapshots record incremental changes in data. If the receiving system does not have at least one snapshot that can be used as a basis for the incremental changes in the snapshots from the sending system, there is no way to identify only the data that has changed. In this situation, the snapshots in the receiving system target dataset are removed so a complete initial copy of the new replicated data can be created."
Questions:
1. I have been taking snapshots for a while, with a retention period of 2 weeks. (BTW The backup software stores several versions / moments in time already.)
How do I know that "one snapshot (...) can be used as a basis for the incremental changes..."? Does the first snapshot contain the most data? What if it has been deleted because of the retention period? Should I stop snapshotting and start it again to start with a full, complete snapshot?
2. Is it wise to set up snapshots on the receiving (Beta) system too? It seems like overkill. Not much changes there apart from the snapshots it receives.
3. As you can see in the attachment, sorting the snapshots "by date, latest first" does not work correctly (11.2 U2). I wil search the forum and bug tracker if that issue has been reported yet. Has anyone else seen this too?
4. I cloned one of the snapshots as a test. It worked; it contains browsable files. Can I delete that clone without further consequences? (I think so, just to be sure.)
https://www.ixsystems.com/documenta...ml?highlight=snapshot#periodic-snapshot-tasks
I have set up snapshots of a certain pool (containing backup data from other systems), first hourly, and now 6 times a day (that seems enough to me), with a retention period of 2 weeks. Replication from system Alpha to Beta is also in place, and functioning. I can see that some snapshots take quite some time to replicate. (Bandwidth is 50 Mbit max, and backup data is being written to the Alpha system almost continually.)
"Replicated data is not visible on the receiving system until the replication task completes."
I have noticed that a task has been completed because I can browse files using Midnight Commander on the Beta system.
But... I see only one version. I see many snapshots under Storage - Snapshots, which I think (almost sure) are the ones from the Alpha system.
"The target dataset on the receiving system is automatically created in read-only mode to protect the data. To mount or browse the data on the receiving system, create a clone of the snapshot and use the clone. Clones are created in read/write mode, making it possible to browse or mount them. See Snapshots for more information on creating clones."
"Snapshots record incremental changes in data. If the receiving system does not have at least one snapshot that can be used as a basis for the incremental changes in the snapshots from the sending system, there is no way to identify only the data that has changed. In this situation, the snapshots in the receiving system target dataset are removed so a complete initial copy of the new replicated data can be created."
Questions:
1. I have been taking snapshots for a while, with a retention period of 2 weeks. (BTW The backup software stores several versions / moments in time already.)
How do I know that "one snapshot (...) can be used as a basis for the incremental changes..."? Does the first snapshot contain the most data? What if it has been deleted because of the retention period? Should I stop snapshotting and start it again to start with a full, complete snapshot?
2. Is it wise to set up snapshots on the receiving (Beta) system too? It seems like overkill. Not much changes there apart from the snapshots it receives.
3. As you can see in the attachment, sorting the snapshots "by date, latest first" does not work correctly (11.2 U2). I wil search the forum and bug tracker if that issue has been reported yet. Has anyone else seen this too?
4. I cloned one of the snapshots as a test. It worked; it contains browsable files. Can I delete that clone without further consequences? (I think so, just to be sure.)