SnapCenter integrates with the plug-in application and with NetApp technologies on the storage system. To work with Custom Plug-ins, you use the SnapCenter graphical user interface.
- Unified graphical user interface
- The SnapCenter interface provides standardization and consistency across plug-ins and environments. The SnapCenter interface enables you to complete consistent backup, restore, recovery, and clone operations across plug-ins, use centralized reporting, use at-a-glance dashboard views, set up role-based access control (RBAC), and monitor jobs across all plug-ins.
- Automated central administration
- You can schedule backup operations, configure policy-based backup retention, and perform restore operations. You can also proactively monitor your environment by configuring SnapCenter to send email alerts.
- Nondisruptive NetApp Snapshot copy technology
- SnapCenter uses NetApp Snapshot copy technology with the SnapCenter Custom Plug-ins to back up resources. Snapshot copies consume minimal storage space.
Using the Custom Plug-ins feature also offers the following benefits:
- Support for backup, restore, and clone workflows
- RBAC-supported security and centralized role delegation
You can also set the credentials so that the authorized
SnapCenter users have application-level permissions.
- Creation of space-efficient and point-in-time copies of resources for testing or data extraction by using NetApp FlexClone technology
A FlexClone license is required on the storage system where you want create the clone.
- Support for the consistency group (CG) Snapshot copy feature of ONTAP as part of creating backups.
- Capability to run multiple backups simultaneously across multiple resource hosts
In a single operation, Snapshot copies are consolidated when resources in a single host share the same volume.
- Capability to create Snapshot copy using external commands.
- Capability to create file system consistent Snapshot copies in Windows environments.