Differences between snapshots and Storage Checkpoints

While snapshots and Storage Checkpoints both create a point-in-time image of a file system and only the changed data blocks are updated, there are significant differences between the two technologies:

Table: Differences between snapshots and Storage Checkpoints

Snapshots

Storage Checkpoints

Require a separate device for storage

Reside on the same device as the original file system

Are read-only

Can be read-only or read-write

Are transient

Are persistent

Cease to exist after being unmounted

Can exist and be mounted on their own

Track changed blocks on the file system level

Track changed blocks on each file in the file system

Storage Checkpoints also serve as the enabling technology for two other Veritas features: Block-Level Incremental Backups and Storage Rollback, which are used extensively for backing up databases.

See About Storage Checkpoints.