10.0 HP LeftHand Storage Application-Aware Snapshot Manager Deployment Guide (AX696-96215, November 2012)

1 The Application Aware Snapshot Manager
The HP LeftHand Application Aware Snapshot Manager can be used to create application-managed
snapshots in Windows and VMware environments. In Windows environments, the HP LeftHand
VSS provider is leveraged to quiesce VSS-aware applications before creating the snapshot. In
VMware environments, the HP LeftHand Application Aware Snapshot Manager communicates with
VMware Virtual Center Server to create VMware snapshots of virtual machines whose datastores
reside on SAN/iQ volumes. Both one-time and scheduled snapshots are supported.
NOTE: “Application-managed snapshots” is the term used in the HP LeftHand 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 LeftHand Storage. Detailed information about creating and using
application-managed snapshots is available in the HP LeftHand Storage User Guide or HP LeftHand
Storage Online Help. The HP LeftHand Storage 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 SAN/iQ 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
SAN/iQ 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