PowerScale OneFS API Reference

Snapshots overview

A OneFS snapshot is a logical pointer to data that is stored on a cluster at a specific point in time.

A snapshot references a directory on a cluster, including all data stored in the directory and its subdirectories. If the data referenced by a snapshot is modified, the snapshot stores a physical copy of the data that was modified. Snapshots are created according to user specifications or by OneFS, which generates them automatically to facilitate system operations. You can also create writable copies of snapshots, useful for testing data recovery scenarios.

To create and manage snapshots, you must activate a SnapshotIQ license on the cluster. Some applications must generate snapshots to function but do not require you to activate a SnapshotIQ license. By default, these snapshots are automatically deleted when OneFS no longer needs them. However, if you activate a SnapshotIQ license, you can retain these snapshots. You can view snapshots that other modules generate without activating a SnapshotIQ license.

You can identify and locate snapshots by name or ID. Users specify snapshot names, then the snapshot is assigned to the virtual directory that contains the snapshot. A snapshot ID is a numerical identifier that OneFS automatically assigns to a snapshot.