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FlexClone volumes and associated FlexClone files and FlexClone LUNs

Contributors netapp-dbagwell netapp-aherbin
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You can create a FlexClone volume of a FlexVol volume that has both a FlexClone file and FlexClone LUN and its parent file or LUN in it.

FlexClone files or FlexClone LUNs and their parent files or LUNs that are present in the FlexClone volume continue to share blocks the same way they do in the parent FlexVol volume. In fact, all the FlexClone entities and their parents share the same underlying physical data blocks, minimizing physical disk space usage.

If the FlexClone volume is split from its parent volume, then the FlexClone files or FlexClone LUNs and their parent files or LUNs stop sharing the blocks in the clone of the FlexClone volume. Thereafter they exist as independent files or LUNs. This means that the clone of the volume uses more space than before the splitting operation.