Create a Protection Template

You can create as many protection templates as needed. You can use the ones provided with the array, or customize your own.

NOTE: If you create protection templates that uses replication, configure the replication partners before you create the protection template.
  1. Choose Manage → Data Protection → Protection Templates.
  2. Click New Protection Template to start the Create a protection template wizard.
  3. Provide a name for the new template.
    Template names should indicate the general use that the set is designed for, are case sensitive, can contain between one and 64 alphanumeric characters, dashes (-), and dots (.), but cannot start with a dot or dash, or contain underscores, spaces, or any other punctuation.
  4. For Synchronization Service, choose one of the following options for synchronizing volume collection snapshots with application or hypervisor (VM) components running on the volume through Microsoft Volume Shadow Service (VSS) or VMware API and supply the required information for your choice::
    • None (no synchronizing)
    • Generic
    • Microsoft VSS
    • VMware vCenter
  5. (Optional) To enable the replication schedule for snapshots triggered by an external application, expand Third-Party (Advanced), then check Snapshot triggered by third-party application.
  6. Create or modify the schedule to use as the template. You can create up to ten schedules.
    To help eliminate possible performance issues for snapshot schedules that synchronize with Microsoft Exchange, do not run the snapshot verification more than once daily.
    1. Schedule name: Provide a name for the schedule.
      Schedule names are case sensitive, can contain between one and 64 alphanumeric characters, dashes (-), and dots (.), but cannot start with a dot or dash or contain underscores, spaces, or any other punctuation.
    2. Take Recovery Point: Specify how often the snapshot is taken. For example, you could specify that a snapshot be taken every 45 minutes.
    3. Time Interval: Enter the time range during which the system will take the snapshots. For example, you might enter 2:00 to 8:00. The system would only take snapshots from 2 a.m. until 8 a.m.
    4. Days: Specify which days the system takes snapshots. If you deselect a day, the system does not take snapshots on that day.
    5. Retain: Each schedule will store the specified number of snapshots.
    6. Application Synchronization: If you chose a synchronization service, select Enabled. If you selected Microsoft VSS as the service, you have the choice of verifying backups.
    7. Replication Type: Select Periodic Snapshot to replicate snapshots for volume collections.
    8. Replication Partner: Select the downstream replication partner to which the schedule will replicate the volumes in the volume collection. You must have already configured the downstream replication partner.
      Volume collections support up to two downstream replication partners; however, you can only specify one partner for one schedule. When you create another schedule, you can either specify that partner again or specify the other replication partner.
  7. (Optional) Repeat these steps to create additional protection schedules for the protection template.
    NOTE: You can create up to ten protection schedules for one protection template. The schedules can address different replication needs. For example, you might create one schedule for working hours, one for peak hours, and one for weekends. Schedules can overlap, but they cannot span midnight.
  8. Click Finish.
    The new protection template is created and can be selected when you create volume collections.