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Configure custom Snapshot policies overview

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A Snapshot policy defines how the system creates Snapshot copies. The policy specifies when to create Snapshot copies, how many copies to retain, and how to name them. For example, a system might create one Snapshot copy every day at 12:10 a.m., retain the two most recent copies, and name the copies “daily.timestamp.”

The default policy for a volume automatically creates Snapshot copies on the following schedule, with the oldest Snapshot copies deleted to make room for newer copies:

  • A maximum of six hourly Snapshot copies taken five minutes past the hour.

  • A maximum of two daily Snapshot copies taken Monday through Saturday at 10 minutes after midnight.

  • A maximum of two weekly Snapshot copies taken every Sunday at 15 minutes after midnight.

Unless you specify a Snapshot policy when you create a volume, the volume inherits the Snapshot policy associated with its containing storage virtual machine (SVM).