Split-mirror snapshots should be created on a regular schedule, following the backup of the database from tape. You can snapshot a database volume by itself or you can use the SFW GUI Snap Shot command or the vxsnap utility to snapshot one or more database volumes and any database log volumes simultaneously. If you have an application that is VSS-aware, such as Microsoft SQL Server, you have the advantage of creating VSS snapshots. By taking VSS-enabled snapshots, you can create snapshot images without needing to take the database offline.

Creating a snapshot is a two-step process. The first step, Prepare, creates the snapshot mirror attached to the original volume. The second step, Snap Shot, detaches the snapshot mirror from the original volume and creates a separate on-host split-mirror snapshot volume.

Once a snapshot has been created, it can be refreshed quickly without repeating the time-consuming Prepare step.