An administrator needs to ensure that Snapshot copies of database files across multiple FCP LUNs are taken at the same point in time. Which two…

To ensure that Snapshot copies of database files across multiple LUNs are taken at the same point in time (crash-consistent), ONTAP provides two primary architectural solutions.

1. Consistency Groups (CGs): A consistency group is a feature specifically designed to manage multiple, independent FlexVol volumes as a single unit for Snapshot operations. When a Snapshot is triggered for the CG, ONTAP creates a simultaneous, point-in-time copy of every volume in the group, guaranteeing consistency for applications like databases whose data spans those volumes.

2. FlexGroup Volumes: A FlexGroup volume acts as a single, large-scale namespace distributed across multiple internal constituent volumes. A Snapshot copy of a FlexGroup is inherently consistent across the entire volume. By placing all related LUNs within one FlexGroup, a single Snapshot operation captures a consistent point-in-time image of all the LUNs.

A. Create each LUN within the same FlexVol volume.

While this method does produce a consistent Snapshot, it is a less scalable and flexible solution compared to FlexGroups or Consistency Groups for large, multi-LUN database environments.

B. Create a consistency group that uses FlexGroup volumes.

This is architecturally incorrect. ONTAP consistency groups are collections of FlexVol volumes. A FlexGroup volume is managed as a single entity and does not get placed into a consistency group.

1. NetApp Technical Report 4571: NetApp ONTAP SnapMirror Configuration and Best Practices Guide

Section 3.1

"Consistency Groups": "A consistency group (CG) is a group of volumes that are treated as a single unit for the purpose of creating a consistent point-in-time Snapshot copy... This is useful for applications that write to multiple volumes and require write-order consistency to be maintained across all volumes." (Supports option C)

2. NetApp ONTAP Documentation

"Consistency group overview": "A consistency group ensures that a set of volumes is backed up at the same point in time... When a Snapshot copy is triggered for a consistency group

ONTAP takes a Snapshot copy of each volume in the group." (Supports option C)

3. NetApp Technical Report 4557: FlexGroup Volumes Best Practices and Implementation Guide

Section 1.1

"What Is a FlexGroup Volume?": "A Snapshot copy of a FlexGroup volume is a single point-in-time copy of the entire FlexGroup volume... The Snapshot copy is crash-consistent across all the constituents of the FlexGroup volume." (Supports option D)

4. NetApp ONTAP Documentation

"How FlexGroup volumes work": "A Snapshot copy of a FlexGroup volume is a point-in-time

read-only image of the entire FlexGroup volume." (Supports option D)