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NetApp SnapMirror Makes Creating Backups a Snap
Updated February 25, 2020

NetApp SnapMirror Makes Creating Backups a Snap

Brandon Burch | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with NetApp SnapMirror

NetApp SnapMirror is being used in our environment as a disaster recovery tool. We use it to mirror NetApp volumes from one filer to another one in a remote location. This ensures that we have a relatively current (depending on SnapMirror schedules) backup of the volume in another location in the event that our main NetApp filer is unavailable.
  • Setting up SnapMirror and SnapMirror partners is extremely easy.
  • Monitoring the SnapMirror volumes is extremely easy in the System Manager GUI.
  • The volume size on the destination partner always has to be bigger than the source. This can get annoying. Not sure if they have made this automatic in future releases.
  • When you break a SnapMirror to use the destination volume you have to redirect all requests to the new volume. This isn't really a con but it is something you need to think about.
  • The biggest impact SnapMirror has had in our environment is a change in our backup procedures. We still have individual backups within software/systems but the addition of the SnapMirror volumes to another location is an amazing layer of protection.
  • The biggest negative impact of the NetApp Snapshots/SnapMirror system is that you are putting a lot of your eggs in one basket. No one should rely on one device alone for all your backup solutions. Diversity is still key.
We originally had an EMC storage device. We had quickly outgrown the device and looked for alternatives. We were drawn to NetApp because of the great software solution surrounding it. We had been using a combination of backup solutions previously combining the Dell EMC box with Backup Exec and a tape library. NetApp replaced all of that nicely. No more tapes. Seamless replication no only locally but also to a remote location.
NetApp support has always been great. With the NetApp Auto-support system/web portal, the visibility into your NetApp storage is incredible. There have been times when I've been contacted by them for an issue that I haven't even discovered yet. For example, I received a call 20 minutes after a drive failed in our filer. I hadn't checked my email at that time and therefore didn't see the alert.

Do you think NetApp SnapMirror delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with NetApp SnapMirror's feature set?

Yes

Did NetApp SnapMirror live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of NetApp SnapMirror go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy NetApp SnapMirror again?

Yes

NetApp SnapMirror is a no-brainer when it comes to retaining an offsite backup for disaster recovery purposes. The backbone of the product is the Snapshot technology built into NetApp technology. In my experience, the Snapshot/SnapMirror software has been flawless and very dependable. The only piece that I can see adding in the future is potentially connecting SnapMirror to the cloud as an additional backup destination.