C H A P T E R 6

Checkpoints/Snapshots

This chapter provides an insight on how checkpoints are created, maintained and deleted.

6.1Overview

The goal of the checkpoints is to minimize the number of copies when creating a checkpoint. This document discusses what happens to a checkpoint from the time it is created to when it is removed.

Checkpoint lifetime can be divided into three main stages: 1. Creation, 2. Active as a pseudo filesystem, and 3. Deletion. These stages are described in the following sections.

6.1.1Volumes

In the operating system, every mounted file system is represented by an in-memory data structures called fs_online. The fs_online of a volume is similar to a gate - all accesses to the volume are routed from there. fs_online keeps information about a volume, including the capacity, file-handle of the root directory and status flags. A file-handle is the virtual identifier required for accessing any file system object in system. A file-handle maintains information about the virtual volume, and the corresponding object in that volume. In the case of checkpoint volumes, file-handles also contain information about the checkpoint identifier (or cpid) that contains the actual checkpointed object.

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Sun Microsystems 5310 NAS manual Checkpoints/Snapshots, Volumes
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5310 NAS specifications

Sun Microsystems, known for its innovative computing solutions, launched the Sun 5310 Network Attached Storage (NAS) system, which marked a significant advancement in the realm of storage solutions in the early 2000s. The 5310 NAS was designed to provide high-performance, reliable, and scalable storage tailored for enterprise environments.

One of the standout features of the Sun 5310 NAS is its file-serving capabilities, which support multiple protocols, notably NFS (Network File System) and CIFS (Common Internet File System). This dual-protocol support allowed organizations to seamlessly integrate the NAS into diverse IT ecosystems, facilitating interoperability between UNIX, Linux, and Windows systems. The enhanced file-sharing capabilities made it an ideal solution for businesses with mixed operating environments.

The Sun 5310 NAS incorporates cutting-edge technologies to ensure high availability and data integrity. The system utilized a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) technology, providing various RAID levels to protect against data loss while optimizing performance. Additionally, the device featured hot-swappable drives, enabling maintenance and upgrades with minimal downtime, a crucial factor for business continuity.

Equipped with advanced management software, the Sun 5310 NAS offered users an intuitive interface for monitoring storage health and performance. This software included comprehensive reporting functionalities that allowed IT administrators to oversee usage patterns and capacity planning efficiently.

Scalability was another defining characteristic of the Sun 5310 NAS. The system could easily expand with additional storage modules, accommodating the growing needs of an organization without the necessity for complete system overhauls. This flexibility ensured that businesses could adapt their storage solutions to meet evolving data storage needs without incurring significant costs or disruptions.

In terms of performance, the Sun 5310 NAS featured high I/O throughput achieved through its robust hardware architecture and optimized file serving capabilities. This performance baseline was crucial for organizations that relied on heavy data workloads and required rapid access to information.

In summary, the Sun 5310 NAS from Sun Microsystems embodied a forward-thinking approach to network storage, blending reliability, scalability, and multi-protocol support. Its user-friendly management software, combined with the robustness of RAID technology and hot-swappable drives, made it a preferred choice for enterprises looking to streamline their storage infrastructure while safeguarding critical data.
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