Dell EMC TimeFinder software delivers point-in-time copies of volumes that can be used for backups, decision support, data warehouse refreshes, recovery from logical corruption, or any other process that requires parallel access to production data.

Previous TimeFinder offerings each had their own characteristics and ideal use cases. These offerings also have several similarities, the main one being that each requires a target volume to retain snapshot or clone data.

TimeFinder in HYPERMAX OS 5977 introduced TimeFinder SnapVX which combines the best aspects of the previous TimeFinder offerings, adds some ease-of-use features, and increases scalability.

SnapVX provides very low impact snapshots and clones. SnapVX supports up to 1024 snapshots per source volume, which are tracked as versions with less overhead and simple relationship tracking. Users can assign names to identify their snapshots and can set automatic expiration dates on each snapshot.

SnapVX provides the ability to manage consistent point-in-time copies for Storage Groups (SG) with a single operation. Up to 1024 target volumes can be linked per source volume, providing read/write access as pointers or full-copy clones.

Solutions Enabler also provides compatibility modes for users who rely on their TimeFinder/Mirror, Clone, or VP Snap command scripts. This allows users to leverage their existing scripts while learning how to take advantage of the features of SnapVX.

This document describes TimeFinder features for business continuity and implementation guidelines, including restrictions and limitations for this product. The features discussed are valid for PowerMaxOS 5978 and HYPERMAX OS 5977.