Host Types; Advanced Features; Snapshot Virtual Disks - Dell POWERVAULT MD3620I Owner's Manual

Host Types

A host server is a server that accesses a storage array. Host servers are mapped
to the virtual disks and use one or more iSCSI initiator ports. Host servers
have the following attributes:
• Host name—A name that uniquely identifies the host server.
• Host group (used in Cluster solutions only)—Two or more host servers
associated together to share access to the same virtual disks.
This host group is a logical entity you can create in MDSM. All host servers
in a host group must be running the same operating system.
• Host type—The operating system running on the host server.

Advanced Features

The RAID enclosure supports several advanced features:
• Virtual Disk Snapshots
• Virtual Disk Copy
• High Performance Tier
NOTE:
Virtual Disk Snapshot, Virtual Disk Copy, and High Performance Tier are
premium features that must be activated separately. If you have purchased these
features, an activation card is supplied that contains instructions for enabling this
functionality.

Snapshot Virtual Disks

A snapshot is a point-in-time image of a virtual disk. The snapshot provides
an image of the virtual disk at the time the snapshot was created. You create a
snapshot so that an application (for example, a backup application) can
access the snapshot and read the data while the source virtual disk remains
online and user-accessible. When the backup is completed, the snapshot
virtual disk is no longer needed. You can create up to four snapshots per
virtual disk.
Planning: MD3600i Series Storage Array Terms and Concepts
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