White Papers

BP1014 Enhancing SQL Server Protection using Dell EqualLogic Snapshot Smart Copies
30
Auto-Snapshot Manager manages the interaction with SQL Server® to prepare the database for the
Smart Copy operation. When you create an ASM Smart Copy, SQL Server® first places the database in
a consistent state, and then Auto-Snapshot Manager creates the Smart Copy. The result is a data-
consistent point-in-time copy (snapshot, clone, or replica) of the SQL Server® database. Auto-
Snapshot Manager also manages recovery of SQL Server® databases. Since ASM is application aware,
it automatically recognizes all EqualLogic volumes that are used by one or more SQL Server®
instances. When you create a smart copy using ASM/ME, all volumes that are part of a SQL Server®
instance are included in the smart copy operation.
Important: You can also create snapshots, clones, or replicas of volumes using EqualLogic
group management functions directly. If you create a snapshot of a volume hosting an active
SQL Server database instance using this method, then the resulting snapshot will not provide
the same level of data consistency that an ASM/ME Smart Copy snapshot does. Group level
snapshots can still be considered “crash consistent”. But, database activity is not quiesced
before the snapshot is created, thus they cannot provide the clean recovery capability that
ASM/ME Smart Copy snapshots can.