Home > Storage > PowerMax and VMAX > Storage Admin > Implementing Dell SRDF SRA with VMware SRM > Testing recovery plans using TimeFinder/Clone
TimeFinder/Clone, like SnapVX, creates a usable copy of the data for testing. Unlike SnapVX, there are no snapshots taken of the R2 during a failover test. Instead, the user must first create a device(s) of the same size (or larger) as the R2 device(s) and modify the EmcSrdfSraTestFailoverConfig.xml file with the pairings. There is no automation available. When a test is run, the symclone command is executed which immediately creates a relationship between the R2 and the target device from the XML. Note the setting <copy mode> is irrelevant when cloning. All clones made by the SRA are consistent. An example of successful test is shown in Figure 74.
The use case for TimeFinder/Clone over SnapVX is not straightforward. While they both provide a testing environment, SnapVX, with its automation, is clearly easier for most customers as no XML files require manipulation. If, however, there is a desire to keep the testing environment around for an extended period of time, it may be worthwhile to use Clone. The reason for this is that some amount of internal storage is required to keep track of source changes when a snapshot exists. The longer the snapshot exists, the more resources that would be needed. It should be noted, however, it is not clear those savings outweigh the ease of use of SnapVX.