To create the snapshot set from the VEA console

1. From the VEA console, navigate to the system where the production volumes and snapshots mirrors are located.
2. Expand the system node, the Storage Agent node, and the Applications node.
3. Choose one of the following:

   • Right-click Exchange and click VSS Exchange Snapshot.

   • (Exchange 2007 only) Optionally, if replication is enabled and you want to create a snapshot of the replica, right-click Exchange Replica and click VSS Exchange Snapshot.

   • Optionally, if replication is enabled in an Exchange 2010 DAG and you want to create a snapshot on the replication node, right-click Exchange Replica and click VSS Exchange Snapshot.

4. In the wizard, review the Welcome page and click Next.
5. Specify the snapshot set parameters as follows and then click Next:
   

   Select Component for snapshot operation	Select the component for the snapshot set. For Exchange 2007, the component is a storage group.
   Directory	Enter a directory location for the XML file or accept the default. The XML file is stored by default in the directory shown on the screen. Note: The XML file for the snapshot must be stored separately from the volumes that are included in the snapshots, otherwise a restore will fail. In a clustered server environment, the XML file must be saved on shared storage to be available from all nodes in the cluster. To accomplish this, either edit the directory path in the Directory field for this wizard screen or use a text editor to create a text file named "redirect.txt." This text file should contain a single text line specifying the full path to the location of the metadata file, for example, G:\BackupSets. Save the redirect.txt file in the default directory C:\Program Files\Veritas\Veritas Volume Manager\VSSXML on each node of the cluster. Note: You must not use the volume name or volume path in the redirect.txt file that is involved in the snapshot. If the volume name or path for the snapshot is used, then a restore will fail.
   Snapshot set	Enter a name for the snapshot set. The snapshot set metadata XML file is stored under this name.
   Select snapshot type	Select the snapshot type. Full Backup is typically used for backup to tape or other storage media. It does the following: Creates a copy of the selected component Runs Eseutil to check for consistency before truncating the logs Truncates the transaction logs Copy is typically used for Quick Recovery. It creates a copy of the storage group, but does not truncate the transaction logs. Optionally check Run Eseutil with the Copy option to check the snapshot for consistency.

6. In the Change Attributes panel, optionally change the attributes for the snapshot volumes as follows and click Next:

   Snapshot Volume Label	Displays the read-only label for the snapshot volume.
   Drive Letter	Optionally, click a drive letter and select a new choice from the drop-down menu.
   Plex	Optionally, click a plex and select a new choice from the drop-down menu.

7. Optionally, in the Synchronized Snapshot panel, select the secondary hosts for which you want to create synchronized snapshots. Either double-click on the host name or click the Add option to move the host into the Selected Secondary Hosts pane. To select all the available hosts, click the Add All option. The VSS wizard creates synchronized snapshots on all the selected secondary hosts.

   This panel is displayed only in an environment using Volume Replicator. Otherwise, you will be directly taken to the Schedule Information panel.

8. Review the specifications of the snapshot set and click Finish.

To create the new snapshot set from the command line

• Type the vxsnap create command. The exact command will vary depending on your environment. For example:

  > vxsnap -x TestDB.xml create source=G:/Newvol=SG2-DB1snap2
  source=H:/Newvol=SG2-DB2snap2 source=I:/Newvol=SG2-tlogssnap2
  writer="Microsoft Exchange Writer" component=SG2
  backuptype=copy
  

  The complete syntax of the vxsnap create command is:

  vxsnap [-x <filename>] create [source=<volume>]
  [/DriveLetter=<driveLetter>][/DrivePath=<drivePath>]
  [/Newvol=<newVolName>][/Plex=<plexName>]...writer=
  <writerName>component=<componentName>[backuptype=
  <backuptype>][-E][-O]
  [-C][secHosts=<secondary hosts>]

  The WriterName and ComponentName must be included in the command. The option to assign drive letters or mount points is useful for tracking volumes and for scripting purposes. Any text string that contains spaces must be enclosed in quotation marks.

  Note:

  If you have scripted the refresh process, you will need to change the snapshot volume names assigned by your script using the option Newvol=NewVolName. For instance, if SG2-DB1 volume was missing, and the volume SG2-DB1snap was used in the restore process, it will retain the volume name SG2-DB1snap. Your script will not be able to assign SG2-DB1snap as the new snapshot volume name in step 4 when using the vxsnap create command.

  See vxsnap create.