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12 TR1081 | Microsoft SQL Server Database Protection Using EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager / Microsoft Edition
operation. Clone Smart Copies can be brought online through ASM/ME by using the Restore as New
option.
Best Practice: Clone Smart Copies are complete copies of database objects and should be cleaned up
after use to avoid storage resource consumption.
Replica Smart Copies are created if replication is configured for a volume or volumes that make up SQL
Server databases. Replication requires a replication partner PS Series Group to store the replica set, and
must be set up on both PS Series groups prior to creating a replica Smart Copy. The first replication
operation always replicates the total volume data for a SQL Server database volume(s) or NTFS volume.
Each subsequent replication operation only replicates the data that changed for the volume or volumes
since the last replication operation. You can monitor and increase the replica reserve through the PS
Group Manager GUI at any time.
Additionally, the Mount as Read-only Smart Copy option halts all replication activity on that Smart Copy
replica set until the replica is un-mounted and demoted. Refer to the Restoring SQL Server Databases
with Smart Copies section in this document for more information.
The time it takes to replicate data can vary due to the amount of data being replicated and the bandwidth
of the network between the partner groups. For more information on replication see the PS Series
Technical Documents at: http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/storage/w/wiki/2660.equallogic-
technical-content.aspx
Best Practices: Size replication space and network bandwidth according to your network needs. Only use
the Mount as Read-only option for temporary use and be sure to un-mount and demote the replica when
finished to continue replication on that Smart Copy Set.
4.3 ASM/ME backup documents
Backup documents are the link to recovery operations using ASM/ME and are vital to the Smart Copy
restore process. They are XML documents that contain the metadata for the Smart Copy set and are by
default stored in a local directory. For ASM/ME to perform a volume or database recovery operation, it
needs the backup document associated for that Smart Copy set. Without the backup document there can
be no recovery operation with ASM/ME. The location of the backup document folder can be modified
within ASM/ME. Figure 4 shows how to modify the backup document folder using the ASM/ME user
interface.