Veritas Volume Manager 5.0 Administrator's Guide (September 2006)

Chapter
11
Configuring off-host
processing
Off-host processing allows you to implement the following activities:
Off-host processing is made simpler by using linked break-off snapshots, which are
described in “Linked break-off snapshot volumes” on page 303.
Data backup As the requirement for 24 x 7 availability becomes essential for
many businesses, organizations cannot afford the downtime
involved in backing up critical data offline. By taking a snapshot
of the data, and backing up from this snapshot, business-critical
applications can continue to run without extended down time or
impacted performance.
Decision support analysis and
reporting
Because snapshots hold a point-in-time copy of a production
database, a replica of the database can be set up using the
snapshots. Operations such as decision support analysis and
business reporting do not require access to up-to-the-minute
information. This means that they can use a database copy that is
running on a host other than the primary. When required, the
database copy can quickly be synchronized with the data in the
primary database.
Testing and training Development or service groups can use snapshots as test data for
new applications. Snapshot data provides developers, system
testers and QA groups with a realistic basis for testing the
robustness, integrity and performance of new applications.
Database error recovery Logic errors caused by an administrator or an application program
can compromise the integrity of a database. By restoring the
database table files from a snapshot copy, the database can be
recovered more quickly than by full restoration from tape or other
backup media.