Help with snapshot scheduling

[Dan_265]

Looking for some clarification/advice on protection schedules.  Assume we have a volume with the following protection schedule defined...

Hourly snapshots every 2 hours, starting at 1:00 AM repeating until 11:59 PM, replicating at each snapshot. (so this will run at 1AM, 3AM, 5AM, 7AM, 9AM, 11AM, 1PM, 3PM, 5PM, etc...)

     Local snapshot retention is 2, replica snap retention is 2.

Daily snapshots every night at 5PM, with replication.

     Local snapshot retention is 30, replica snap retention is 2.

So we will have both an hourly and daily snap taking place at the same time at 5PM, both replicating as well.

Is this OK?  Or should my hourly schedule repeat until 4:59 PM, then kick off my daily 5PM, then add a second hourly schedule starting at 7:00 PM repeating to 11:59?  My hang up is not so much with the overlapping snapshot process but the replication aspect and the fact that I'll have two replications kicking off at the same time on the same volume.

[pflammer23 · Accepted solution]

Hello Dan,

it is best practice NOT to have two snapshots schedules initiating a snapshot at the same time. Especially if they are VSS for VMware synchronized.

The workaround you described would work.

IMHO there are two alternatives:

     1. Change the daily snapshot schedule and let it run between 3pm and 5pm.

     2. Change the hourly schedule and let it run from 7pm to 3pm.

Kind Regards,

Pierre