Snapshot principles when NPIV is used

The IBM® Storage Support for Microsoft VSS and VDS automatically detects whether the NPIV is enabled. If the NPIV is enabled and functioning correctly, the IBM Storage Support for Microsoft VSS and VDS takes the appropriate actions during the various snapshot stages as described below.

Snapshot creation

During the snapshot-creation process, the IBM Storage Support for Microsoft VSS and VDS maps the snapshot target LUN to both the physical HBA WWPNs and virtual WWPNs. The LUN is then assigned to the virtual machine from the VMware ESX(i) Server as the pRDM disk.

Snapshot deletion

During the deletion, the IBM Storage Support for Microsoft VSS and VDS first unassign the pRDM disk from the virtual machine. The LUN is then masked from both physical HBA WWPNs and virtual WWPNs.

Snapshot import

The import operation also uses NPIV if it is enabled and functioning. The process is similar to the snapshot creation process.

The IBM Storage Support for Microsoft VSS and VDS first maps the snapshot target LUN to both the physical HBA WWPNs and virtual WWPNs of the destination server. The LUN is assigned to the VM from the VMware ESX(i) Server as the pRDM disk.

Snapshot mask operation

Similar to the deletion of the snapshot, the mask operation causes the pRDM disk to be removed from the VM. The LUN is then masked from both the physical HBA WWPNs and the virtual WWPNs.