10.5 HP StoreVirtual Storage Application-Aware Snapshot Manager Deployment Guide (AX696-96253, March 2013)

1 The Application Aware Snapshot Manager
The HP StoreVirtual Application Aware Snapshot Manager can be used to create
application-managed snapshots in Windows and VMware environments. In Windows environments,
the HP StoreVirtual VSS provider is leveraged to quiesce VSS-aware applications before creating
the snapshot. In VMware environments, the HP StoreVirtual Application Aware Snapshot Manager
communicates with VMware Virtual Center Server to create VMware snapshots of virtual machines
whose datastores reside on LeftHand OS volumes. Both one-time and scheduled snapshots are
supported.
NOTE: “Application-managed snapshots” is the term used in the HP StoreVirtual Centralized
Management Console to designate snapshots that are taken using the Application Aware Snapshot
Manager.
This chapter provides general information about installing and running the Application Aware
Snapshot Manager with HP StoreVirtual Storage. Detailed information about creating and using
application-managed snapshots is available in the HP StoreVirtual Storage User Guide or HP
StoreVirtual Storage Online Help. The HP StoreVirtual LeftHand OS Command Line Interface User
Guide contains commands for scripting the application-managed snapshots. You can find detailed
information on the Microsoft web site about using the Volume Shadow Copy Service.
Application Aware Snapshot Manager and VMware
When hosting VMware virtual machines on LeftHand OS volumes, the Application Aware Snapshot
Manager creates snapshots that contain quiesced virtual machines. The resulting snapshots contain
the virtual machine and its applications in a VMware snapshot. Mounting the application-managed
snapshot allows the VMware snapshot manager to see the VMware snapshot in its history. Rolling
back to the application-managed snapshot restores the virtual machine and its applications to a
known and viable state.
Requirements
• To use the Application Aware Snapshot Manager in VMware environments, the ESX servers
must be managed by VMware Virtual Center. The Application Aware Snapshot Manager must
be installed on the vCenter Server that manages the ESX servers which are connected to the
LeftHand OS volumes. The IP address of the vCenter Server must be configured as the controlling
server in the CMC for all ESX servers for which application-managed snapshots are to be
taken.
• The Application Aware Snapshot Manager only supports single-volume datastores. That is,
application-managed snapshots cannot be taken of volumes that are part of a datastore that
spans multiple volumes.
The Application Aware Snapshot Manager only supports single-volume datastores. That is,
application-managed snapshots cannot be taken of volumes that are part of a datastore that spans
multiple volumes.
Application Aware Snapshot Manager and Windows
The Application Aware Snapshot Manager quiesces applications and takes snapshots of single
volumes and Microsoft Windows Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV), or snapshot sets.
Application Aware Snapshot Manager and VMware 3