Hidden Snapshots on CIF shares

[julie_hacking]

Hi,

Could anyone help with a question I have on hidden snapshots. We've always kept snapshots visible on CIF shares, this way it's quite simple for the restore of files within them. However recently we've had users running searches for files and mapping shortcuts to the snapshot file thinking that this is the original, hence why we have now decided to switch off visibility.

I'm now wondering if the only way for a file to be restored from the snapshot is to switch this back on and then off again for the whole volume each time a user needs a restore. Is there a way that our administrators can navigate to these shares through windows without having the visibility enabled each time. Basically we want our supportdesk to be able to restore users files from snapshots but for our users not to be able to see them. I've tried putting in the run command from windows 'netapp_path\cifshare\~snapshot' but I'm guessing this doesn't work because it's hidden?

Hope you help

[billshaffer]

In my environment, (7.3.2) I can get to \\filer\share\.snapshot and \\filer\share\~snapshot, on both unix and ntfs qtrees, and copy files as expected - even though both cifs and nfs snapshots are hidden.  In addition, windows has a hook into the filer that makes the snapshots visible under the file properties - right click on the file or the directory that contains the file, then properties, then the previous versions tab. 

But, as I said, I'm able to access the snapshots even though they are hidden.  I think the only options that govern here are cifs.show_snapshot and nfs.hide_snapshot, right? What is your ONTAP version?

Also check the volume options for nosnapdir - or is that how you shut off accessibility? Bill

[julie_hacking]

Hi, sorry I may not have explained that too well the first time, the snapshot folders are hidden (as long as these are set not to show in windows). So when it's like this they can see the previous versions on the directories etc, however when users do a search the search options come back with the snapshot files too (so not only takes ages to search but confuses our users as to which to use). It's due to them not being aware of what these are that they are setting shortcuts to them etc. At this point we looked at setting the directory so that this wasn't visible, unticking the box below in the filer view, but this also stopped our access through windows, plus the versions were no longer viewable either. I'm assuming this is doing the same as a nosnapdir command on the filer.

So we've set this back so that the folder is again visible yet hidden. I've asked our network guy to see if there is anything that can be set so that users can't search hidden folders through windows and on the citrix box's for our thin clients. I'm more inclined to think it's a network issue now.

We're running ONTAP 7.3.3

Thank you both for replying.

[shaunjurr · Accepted solution]

Hi,

There are only a few setting that should be affecting this. I'm going to go through the CLI options, because it just works faster than 100 screen shots and is often more accurate.  You can familiarize yourself with the CLI commands in the manpage documentation on the filer or on NOW.  'options' values are also documented there.

1. 'options cifs.ms_snapshot_mode        xp'    This basically should stay at "xp" unless you have win2000 clients and some other brokenness. Default is "xp"

2. 'options cifs.show_snapshot           off'    This is the one that is confusing your indexing service and making a big mess of things.  The default is off and generally because of the problems it creates (much like you have now) leaving it off is just a good thing.  Default is "off"

3. 'vol options <vol_name> nosnapdir off'   This works on a volume level to turn off displaying and access to the snapshot directory for clients.  Default is off.

Now things should work fine with "Previous Versions" if you just use the defaults.  It will also relieve you of your current headaches with luser (local user... not a typo) behaviour.  That which has already been indexed may cause a few headaches if users try to access files that are hidden from them now, but... even that should still work with the defaults. The paths are just not visible. Try checking these values through the CLI.

Good Luck.

[julie_hacking]

Hi,

This makes perfect sense now thank you, it looks like the cifs.show_snapshot is currently on for our filer. I will set this to off now that I understand what it will benefit. In what situation would an environment need this on? I'm trying to work out why this may have been configured as on if the default is off.

The rest seems fine, the mode is xp and when I did a vol options vol_name it tells me that the nosnapdir is already off, so it litterally is just this show_snapshot.

Thank you very much for your help so far, it's been very useful.

🙂

[shaunjurr]

Hi,

Your users can also use the "Previous Versions" tab from the right-click --> Properties on files (and directories?) to access versions of files in snapshots.

Good luck.