MSA1000 Flash Copy

[Ron Armbruster_1]

I am looking for a solution that allows me to copy volumes on the SAN and then backup to tape. Someone used the term "Flash Copy" and asked me to investigate it. Can't seem to find info about Flash Copy but maybe there is another term he was actually referring to. Help anyone?

[Uwe Zessin]

FlashCopy is a product name used on IBM's storage arrays - I don't recall how it is technically implemented. In the DEC/Compaq world we used either 'cloning' or 'snapshots'.

The MSA1000 is a low-level workgroup storage array that does not implement either. If you can accept a Windows host-based solution you can take a look at HP OpenView Storage Virtual Replicator'.

http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/sanworks/vr/index.html

It uses snapshot technology to make point-in-time copies that can be used for backup. You can have up to 12 concurrent snapshots of a virtual disk - that can sometimes help recover files that have been deleted by a user.