Hitting the 255 snapshot limit on the snapinfo LUN

[sojdehei]

Hello

This is very urgent!   IHAC that is hitting the 255 snapshot limit on the SnapInfo LUN.  This is happening when we already set to delete snapinfo snapshots in excess of 8.  Is there another place else in SMSQL to set number of snapshots retained for snapinfo?  filerview scheduler is already turned off for snapshots on snapinfo volume.  It looks like SMSQL is ignoring "in access of 8" completely?  Thank you for your help!

- Mitchell

[sourav]

Hi Mitchell,

Can you check if there are any “Busy” snapshots in the list. If yes then you’ll have to take care of that by deleting that snapshot first and then all the snapshots thereof.

Regards,
Sourav Chakraborty

[sojdehei]

Hi Sourav

Customer just replied: The statuses of the snapshots are all in a "consistent snapshot copy" state. Is there something else we should try? There are no busy snapshots. Could this be a bug?

Mitchell

http://www.netapp.com

[marcconeley]

Was this problem ever fixed?

I have my SQL2005 configured with:

- 1 LUN for databases.

- 1 LUN for logs.

- 1 LUN for system dbs.

- 1 LUN for SnapInfo.

(this is a supported configuration).

Using SMSQL v5 I have hourly transaction logs backups, and daily full backups running. I keep all snaps for 7 days.

This works fine for all drives other than the SnapInfo drive - despite me setting "RetainSnapInfoDays 7" it never deletes any snapshots - in my case my volume then fills before I hit the 255 snapshot limit.

But I think its the same issue. I just had my NetApp consultants check the configuration last week but still the problem persists. Old SnapInfo snapshots just don't get deleted.

It would be great to know if/how you solved this.

Marc

[sourav]

Hi Marc,

This is more of a design limitation wherein the Snapshots of the SnapInfo volume are not deleted automatically.

Let me delve more into this issue and I will get back to you by tommorrow.

Regards,

Sourav.

[marcconeley]

Hi Sourav,

That would be great.

But then why is this a setting within SMSQL if it can't actually do this?

"RetainSnapofSnapInfoDays" is not only a parameter within the SQL jobs, but is also a configuration option which you get asked when you run the SMSQL Backup Wizzard.

I look forward to the results of your "delving"!

Cheers,

Marc

[marcconeley]

Any further news on this?

Marc

[sourav]

Hi Carl,

Can you check the value for the RetainSnapofSnapInfodays parameter? If this is 0 then please change it to some value and then check.

Alternately can you try using the RetainSnapofSnapInfo parameter with a non-zero value.

Are you running SMSQL 5.0 or SMSQL 5.0 R1?

Regards,

Sourav.

[marcconeley]

Hi Sourav,

Sorry for hijacking this thread - but if it helps I am running SMSQL Version: 5.0.0.385.

And -RetainSnapofSnapInfoDays 7.

And I still have the problem (Snaps of the snapinfo drive are never deleted).

Any other suggestions?

[marcconeley]

(Bump )

Is anyone else experiencing this issue?

Next step will be to set snapshot policy on the filer and let it handle the deletes of snapshots and not SMSQL because this is making me crazy.

And then I'll report it to NetApp as a potential bug & see what they say.

Doh.

[rvhoutem]

Hi,

We had the same problem. The solution is to install the latest version of the snapmanager for SQL (SMSQL5.0R1P2_x86.exe).

[marcconeley]

Great!

I will install the newest version tonight and post the results!

(I cant believe no-one else was experiencing these issues!).

[sojdehei]

Hello

I just checked the NOW site and I don't see (SMSQL5.0R1P2_x86.exe) available for download? I do see (SMSQL5.0R1_x86.exe), is this correct?

- Mitchell

http://www.netapp.com

[marcconeley]

Correct - I only see the SMSQL5.0R1_x86 download (I assumed it was the same one you were talking about as there was no mention of any others).

So if SMSQL5.0R1P2_x86.exe is a different update, then how did you get it & how do you know it fixes my issue?

[rvhoutem]

Hi,

I know it will solve your problem because I had the same problem. I submitted a case and netapp support told me I was hitting bug 352690.

You can download the P2 version at http://now.netapp.com/NOW/download/software/snapmanager_sql2k/5.0R1P2/

Strange that netapp still has the wrong version on the now site

[marcconeley]

Hi Ralph,

I wasn't the author of this thread so I can't flag it as "answered" - but I can confirm that this latest P2 version solved my problems!!

Why this version is not available on the NOW download site I have no idea.

I also find it amazing that so few people seem to have encountered this issue?!

Thank you for finally solving this for me Ralph!

Marc