3PAR InForm® OS 2.3.1 CLI Administrator's Manual (320-200180 Rev B, February 2010)

8.3
Virtual Copies
InForm OS Version 2.3.1 3PAR InForm CLI Administrator’s Manual
8.2.1 Creating a Virtual Copy
Virtual copies can be read-only or read/write. Read-only and read/write copies must alternate.
You can only make a read-only copy of a read/write volume and a read/write copy of a
read-only volume. Expiration dates can be set for virtual copies to save space. The system
allows you to make a maximum of 500 virtual copies of a base volume. Up to 256 virtual copies
can be read/write copies. System-level maximums of total virtual copies that can be created on
a system also apply. Refer to the 3PAR InForm OS Configuration Matrix for system-level
maximum limits on virtual copies. For detailed information about the rules governing virtual
copies, see the 3PAR InForm OS Concepts Guide.
 To create a virtual copy, or snapshot, of a virtual volume or a virtual volume set, issue the
createsv -ro <snapshot_name> <source_VV> | set:<set_name> command,
where:
◆ -ro specifies that the snapshot being created is read-only.
◆ <snapshot_name> is the name of the snapshot being created.
◆ <source_VV> is the name of the virtual volume being copied.
◆ <set_name> is the name of the virtual volume set being copied.
For a complete list of options available for the
createsv command, see the InForm OS
Command Line Interface Reference and InForm OS Command Line Interface Help.
8.2.2 Promoting a Virtual Copy
If you have created multiple copies of a base volume, the data on a virtual copy can be rolled
back to the base volume or to any of the virtual copy’s RW parents in the same tree by
promoting a virtual copy. This copies the changes from the virtual copy back onto the base
volume, overwriting the base volume with the copy. The virtual copy still remains on the
system.
◆ The virtual copy and the target of the promote must not be exported.
◆ Only one promote operation is allowed at a time within a virtual volume family tree.
 To promote a virtual copy to back to a base volume or back to any of the virtual copy’s RW
parents in the same virtual volume family tree, issue the
promotesv <VC_name> | set:<set_name> command, where:
◆ <VC_name> is the name of the virtual copy being promoted.
◆ <set_name> is the name of the virtual copy set being promoted.