Snapshot Replication and Volume Collections

Volumes are replicated by associating them with volume collections that have at least one replication schedule. You can associate a new protected standalone volume with a volume collection when you create it rather than creating a volume first and then associating it with a volume collection in a separate process.

NOTE: If you create protection templates for volume collections that use replication, you must configure the arrays as replication partners before you begin. If you are using HPE CV, you must create a replication store on HPE CV before you create a replication partner on the on-premises array.

A volume collection can have up to ten protection schedules. One or more of these protection schedules can be replication schedules. If you have set up two replication partners, the schedules for a volume collection can be replicated to one of these two replication partners when you specify the type as Periodic Snapshot. Each schedule can have only one replication partner, but you can vary which of the two available partners is used with which schedule.

If a volume uses a custom performance policy for snapshot replication, you must duplicate that policy on the replication partner.

Setting up a replication for a volume collection requires that you perform the following tasks:

  • Assign volumes to the volume collections
  • Define the replication partners
  • Indicate at what times volumes should be replicated
  • Specify how many snapshots should be retained

At the scheduled time, the array from which the volume is being replicated sends the data to the downstream (receiving) replication partner.

NOTE: The first time that you create a replica of a volume, the entire volume is copied to the replication partner. Subsequent updates are replications of snapshots on the upstream partner.