Quick Data Recovery using Snapshots - Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP

#aws #fsxontap #dataprotection

Let's look at what are Snapshots before we delve into the topic of data recovery.

An ONTAP Snapshot is a read-only, point-in-time image of a volume in a NetApp storage system. This snapshot captures the state of the file system at a specific moment without duplicating the actual data blocks. Instead, it uses pointers to reference the original data blocks, which means it consumes minimal additional storage space and has negligible performance overhead.

In simple words, a snapshot is like taking a quick photo of your data at a specific moment in time. This "snapshot" captures the state of your files and folders without using much extra storage space or affecting performance. If you ever need to recover or view your data as it was at that moment, you can easily do so using the snapshot. It's a fast and efficient way to protect your data and ensure you can always go back to a previous version if needed.

When a snapshot is created, it essentially "freezes" the data, allowing you to access and restore files as they were at the time of the snapshot. Any changes made to the data after the snapshot are written to new blocks, while the snapshot continues to point to the original blocks. This method ensures that the snapshot remains stable and unaltered, providing a reliable way to recover data or revert to a previous state if needed.

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