Snapmirror - Flexclone question

[russ_brown]

We have snapmirror replication of a production SQL database to a remote destination. On the production side we have Snap Manager for SQL running both full and log backups on a fairly frequent basis. We just recently refreshed our QA environment (which is running at the remote site) by performing a destination-to-destination snapmirror replication on the local remote filer, then creating cloned volumes from one of the point-in-time snapshots that are available on the final destination snapmirror (the third in the chain).

My question is, now that the mounted snapshot is a parent, and in a busy vclone state, and the same snapshot copy now is identified as (snapmirror) on both the original snapmirror destination and source, will the older snapshot copy roll off on the original destination and source, or am I going to have to break the destination-to-destination association so that this snapshot copy can be manually released from the original destination and source? I want to avoid an older snapshot filling up our production volumes...at any cost.

I have a test volume that I'm going to use to simulate this issue, perhaps I'll have my answer shortly anyhow but any response is appreciated. Thanks

[chriskranz]

The snapshot will be locked by the clone, and until this clone is either deleted or split, it will keep this locked. Snapmirror isn't running any updates, so the primary volume won't remove the snapmirror snapshot. You can manually delete this snapshot from the primary as you won't be using snapmirror again (I image?).

If this is a one off operation (or maybe a monthly operation), would you not be better off by doing the snapmirror, then breaking it and bringing the mirrored volume online and available for use in your QA environment?

But short answer, no, the snapshots won't be deleted automatically, so you will need some form of manual intervention or your volumes will continue to grow.

[russ_brown]

Thanks for the response, you answered my question. It is a quarterly, maybe a monthly operation (client refresh of our SAP QA environment). Since it is SAP running on SQL Server 2005, we use SMSQL for generating the consistent snapshots. I'll go ahead and manually delete the snapshot copy on the destination side once SMSQL ages and rolls off that snapshot copy on the source volume(s). Then break the destination-to-destination relationship we established on the local DR filer.

Appreciate the input.