Overview

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With IBM Storage Protect Snapshot, you can back up and restore Exchange Server data, SQL Server data, file system volumes, and custom application data on volumes. You can back up and restore the data to IBM Storage Protect server or local shadow volumes.

A local shadow volume contains data that is stored on shadow volumes, which are local to a disk storage system.

You can install, configure, and use IBM Storage Protect Snapshot with different operating systems, databases, and applications or file systems. The software is compatible with most hardware that uses FlashCopy® technology.

The following table lists IBM Storage Protect Snapshot components that operate in Microsoft Exchange Server Microsoft SQL Server and file system and custom application environments:
Table 1. Table 1. IBM Storage Protect Snapshot components in Windows environment
ComponentDescription
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Snap-in and Base System ServicesUses MMC and a generic backup agent to create snapshots of file systems, applications, or databases.
VSS RequestorUses the VSS backup-archive client as a VSS interface to communicate with Microsoft VSS services, access data, and create volume shadow copies.
IBM Storage Protect Snapshot for Exchange ServerUses Microsoft Exchange Server capabilities to complete the following tasks:
  • Store VSS backup copies locally as persistent snapshots, or store VSS backup copies as snapshots on the IBM Storage Protect server. You can also offload backups to IBM Storage Protect.
  • Centralize policy management and scheduling.
  • Complete VSS, and volume-level instant restore operations.
  • Complete individual mailbox restore operations.
IBM Storage Protect Snapshot for SQL ServerUses Microsoft SQL Server capabilities to complete the following tasks:
  • Complete legacy-style and VSS backups.
  • Store VSS backup copies locally as persistent snapshots, or store VSS backup copies as snapshots on the IBM Storage Protect server. You can also offload backups to IBM Storage Protect.
  • Centralize policy management and scheduling.
  • Complete VSS, and volume-level instant restores.

You can use IBM Storage Protect Snapshot with IBM Storage Protect. When the two products are used together, they provide advanced data protection and centrally managed, policy-based administration capabilities for IBM Storage Protect Snapshot backup images.

  • Volume Shadow Copy Service framework Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) provides a common interface model to generate and manage online snapshots of Exchange Server, SQL Server, file system, or custom application data.

  • Data backup overview

    IBM Storage Protect Snapshot can use the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) framework to produce a point-in-time, consistent, online copy of Exchange Server, SQL Server, file system, or custom application data.

  • Data restore overview

    IBM Storage Protect Snapshot can use the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) framework to complete fast and instant restores of database backups. You also restore VSS backups to an alternate database and complete Exchange mailbox restore operations. For SQL Server, you can run legacy restore operations from the IBM Storage Protect server.

  • IBM System Storage requirements

    If you use IBM® System Storage® DS8000® series, SAN Volume Controller, or Storwize® family storage systems, be aware of database, log, file, and LUN settings.

  • Failover clustering and AlwaysOn Availability

    In an SQL Server cluster environment, two different kinds of clustering are supported; AlwaysOn Failover Cluster Instances (FCI) and AlwaysOn Availability Groups (AAGs). An SQL AlwaysOn failover cluster instance provides high availability and disaster recovery at the SQL Server level. AlwaysOn Availability Groups (AAG) provide high availability and disaster recovery at SQL database level. IBM Storage Protect Snapshot for SQL Server protects availability databases in both AlwaysOn failover cluster instances and in an AAG.

  • Automated IBM Storage Protect server failover for data recovery

    If you use IBM Storage Protect Snapshot with the IBM Storage Protect configuration, IBM Storage Protect Snapshot can automatically fail over to a secondary server for data recovery when there is an outage on the IBM Storage Protect server.

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