Snap Clone
Enterprise Manager Database as a Service Snap Clone is a ‘self service’ solution for enabling rapid creation of space efficient clones for large, multi-terabyte databases including Oracle Multitenant databases. Snap Clone can improve the efficiency and agility of administrators and engineers while reducing storage-related CAPEX.
Solution Overview
Enterprise Manager Database as a Service Snap Clone allows administrators to create fully functional copies of databases using the copy-on-write (CoW) capabilities of the underlying storage layer. Users can request databases from the self-service console and have them provisioned within minutes instead of hours while keeping storage needs to a minimum.
What’s New
Data sheet: Snap Clone (PDF)
Video: Snap Clone on Exadata (8:56)
Product Features
Open all Close allSpace and Time Efficient
Since new storage blocks are allocated only when updates are made to the copy, users can realize storage savings of over 90% (typically a few hundred kilobytes for a 1 terabyte database). In addition, because you are not copying the original block out of the way, there is no significant performance impact. Since the snapshots are simply pointers, to restore data, the pointers to the original data are updated again. This is faster than copying all the data back from the snapshot area over the original data, as in copy-on-write snapshots. So taking a snapshot completes in seconds, even for very large volumes. A typical terabyte database takes just a few minutes to clone.
Powerful Storage Support
Snap Clone protects the storage investment by supporting multiple options for using and interacting with storage: Snap Clone functionality is built on top of the Enterprise Manager Storage Management Framework (SMF) plugin. The SMF plugin provides the required layer of abstraction to shield DBAs and users from the nuances of the different storage systems. At the storage level, Snap Clone accesses underlying storage technologies, such as copy-on-write or similar technologies, to perform the required tasks.
- NAS Storage: Currently certified for ZFS Storage Appliances and NetApp Storage Appliances, this method enables storage administrators to register storage appliances with Enterprise Manager and then connect directly to the storage appliance to perform all required snapshot and clone operations.
- SAN Storage: Snap Clone provides the ability to create ‘live’ thin clones of databases on ASM on EMC storage.
- Filesystem Support: Snap Clone supports multiple file system protocols—including Solaris File System (ZFS File System), ACFS, and DNFS. These methods provide storage vendor agnostic solutions and can be used by a variety of storage vendors. It is easy to setup and works on all platforms.
- Engineered Systems: Snap Clone on Exadata leverages “sparse diskgroups” and provides fast, space-efficient snapshot database creation. Integration with Oracle Database Multitenant enables creation of DB snapshots with a single click.
Flexible Implementation for Admins and Self Service Users
Snap Clone provides built-in administrative and manageability capabilities to simplify the management of storage and provide greater flexibility and control for DBAs Developers, and QA Engineers.
- Powerful Administrative Workflow for DBAs: Administrators can create clones from libraries of snapshots, backups and image copies, perform ‘one-click’ refresh of clones from the source, and have access to powerful data lifecycle workflow including integrated data masking, subsetting, patching and DB updates.
- Self Service Provisioning and Service Catalog for non-DBAs: An out-of-box self service portal can quickly enable non-DBA users (e.g. functional testers or developers) to easily provision database clones with just a few clicks.
- Best of Breed DB Manageability: Enterprise Manager delivers complete manageability of database clones including performance management, lifecycle management, and compliance.