Two NetApp Related Questions

[jbarrow.viracoribt]

Question 1:

If using NetApp storage and utilizing storage snapshots, how does the timing of the storage snapshot effect the actual backup timestamp of the servers?

For instance, say you have a LUN of 50 VM's you are backing up. Let's say our job fires off at 9pm. When the job first fires off it seems to create a storage snapshot. Then it starts to process each VM, one by one (assuming parellel processing is off for simplicy sake here) until the job finishes. Let's say the job takes 2 hours to complete.

Now, if you need to restore all 50 of these VM's, would they all include data right at 9pm when the job fired off and the storage snapshot was taken or would they each vary since they are processed one by one and take a few hours to get through all 50 VM's? For instance, VM #1 in the job would be processed first and may be done by 9:10pm where VM 50 may not actually start until 1.5 hours into the job at 10:30pm. If I recovered both VM's from this job what recovery point should I expect for these two VM's? 9pm for both or 9pm for VM1 and 10:30pm for VM 50?

Question 2:

How does this relate to SQL? Since storage snapshots on a NetApp SAN don't have any application consistency (they aren't talking via VSS to SQL or anything) and the storage snapshot is taken at 9pm, then let's say VM #50 was a SQL server, and it was actually processed at 10:30pm, I would assume we would see the Veeam VSS calls into the VM at the time it was procssed (10:30pm) vs the time the storage snapshot was taken (9pm) how would this be handled if you recovered this SQL server?


I hope this wasn't too confusing of a question.

[PTide]

Hi,

When the job first fires off it seems to create a storage snapshot.

Nope. it first creates a VMware snapshot.

If I recovered both VM's from this job what recovery point should I expect for these two VM's? 9pm for both or 9pm for VM1 and 10:30pm for VM 50?

That depends on when a Vmware snapshot for that VM has been finished. If the snapshot was taken at, say, 9:15 for VM1, then the VM1 would be restored at 9:15.

How does this relate to SQL?

Please see my previous answer - SQL is handled during VMware snapshot so everything will be fine and transaction-consistent.

Thank you.