11.0 HP StoreVirtual Storage Application-Aware Snapshot Manager Deployment Guide (AX696-96318, September 2013)

1 Using the Application Aware Snapshot Manager
Use HP StoreVirtual Application Aware Snapshot Manager 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.
Application Aware Snapshot Manager must be installed on each server running a backup
application to create application-managed snapshots of a direct attached volume.
This guide 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 volume snapshots that contain quiesced virtual machines. The resulting volume
snapshots contain the virtual machine and its applications and its 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 vSphere
servers must be managed by VMware Virtual Center. The Application Aware Snapshot
Manager must be installed on the vSphere Server that manages the vSphere servers which
are connected to the LeftHand OS volumes. The IP address of the vSphere Server must be
configured as the controlling server in the CMC for all vSphere 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 is supported with VMware vSphere versions 4.1,
5.0, and 5.1.
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.
4 Using the Application Aware Snapshot Manager