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SnapCenter Software 6.0

SnapCenter Plug-in for Windows features

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The Plug-in for Windows integrates with NetApp Snapshot technology on the storage system. To work with the Plug-in for Windows, you use the SnapCenter interface.

The Plug-in for Windows includes these major features:

  • Unified graphical user interface powered by SnapCenter

    The SnapCenter interface provides you with standardization and consistency across plug-ins and environments. The SnapCenter interface enables you to complete consistent backup and restore processes 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. SnapCenter also offers centralized scheduling and policy management to support backup and clone operations.

  • Automated central administration

    You can schedule routine file system backups, configure policy-based backup retention, and set up restore operations. You can also proactively monitor your file system environment by configuring SnapCenter to send email alerts.

  • Nondisruptive NetApp Snapshot technology

    The Plug-in for Windows uses NetApp Snapshot technology. This enables you to back up file systems in seconds and restore them quickly without taking host offline. Snapshots consume minimal storage space.

In addition to these major features, the Plug-in for Windows offers the following benefits:

  • Backup, restore, and clone workflow support

  • RBAC-supported security and centralized role delegation

  • Creation of space-efficient copies of production file systems for testing or data extraction by using NetApp FlexClone technology

    For FlexClone licensing information, see SnapCenter licenses.

  • Ability to run multiple backups at the same time across multiple servers

  • PowerShell cmdlets for scripting of backup, restore, and clone operations

  • Support for backup of file systems and virtual machine disks (VMDKs)

  • Support for physical and virtualized infrastructures

  • Support for iSCSI, Fibre Channel, FCoE, raw device mapping (RDM), Asymmetric LUN Mapping (ALM), VMDK over NFS and VMFS, and virtual FC

  • Support for non-volatile memory express (NVMe) on Windows Server 2022

    • Backup, restore, clone, and verification workflows on VMDK layout created on NVMe over TCP/IP.

    • Supports NVMe firmware version 1.3 starting from ESX 8.0 update 2 and requires Virtual hardware version 21.

    • Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC) is not supported for applications over VMDK on NVMe over TCP/IP.

  • Supports SnapMirror active sync (initially released as SnapMirror Business Continuity [SM-BC]) that enables business services to continue operating even through a complete site failure, supporting applications to fail over transparently using a secondary copy. Neither manual intervention nor additional scripting is required to trigger a failover with SnapMirror active sync.