Data ONTAP provides two LUN cloning capabilities—LUN clone with the support of a Snapshot copy and FlexClone LUN. However, there are a few differences between these two LUN cloning techniques.
The following table lists the key differences between the two LUN cloning techniques:
FlexClone LUN | LUN clone |
---|---|
To create a FlexClone LUN, you should use the clone start command. | To create a LUN clone, you should use the lun clone create command. |
You do not need to create a Snapshot copy manually. | You must create a Snapshot copy manually before creating a LUN clone, because a LUN clone uses a backing Snapshot copy |
A temporary Snapshot copy is created during the cloning operation. The Snapshot copy is deleted immediately after the cloning operation. However, you can prevent the Snapshot copy creation by using the -n option of the clone start command. | A LUN clone is coupled with a Snapshot copy. |
A FlexClone LUN is independent of Snapshot copies. Therefore, no splitting is required. | When a LUN clone is split from the backing Snapshot copy, it uses extra storage space. The amount of extra space used depends on the type of clone split. |
You can clone a complete LUN or a sub-LUN. To clone a sub-LUN, you should know the block range of the parent entity and clone entity. |
You can only clone a complete LUN. |
FlexClone LUNs are best for situations where you need to keep the clone for a long time. | LUN clones are best when you need a clone only for a short time. |
No Snapshot copy management is required. | You need to manage Snapshot copies if you keep the LUN clones for a long time. |
For more information about FlexClone LUNs, see the Data ONTAP Storage Management Guide for 7-Mode.