Manage snapshots using the CLI
This page describes how to manage snapshots using the CLI.
Using the CLI, you can:
Consider the following when working with snapshots:
When moving a file in or out of a snapshot directory, or between snapshots, the kernel implements the move operation as a copy operation, similar to moving a file between two different filesystems. Such operations for directories fail.
If symbolic links are accessed via the
.snapshotsdirectory, the symlinks with absolute paths can lead to the current filesystem. Consequently, depending on the usage, it may be preferable not to follow symlinks or to use relative paths.
The .snapshots directory is not listed. Running ls on the root of the filesystem does not show the .snapshots directory. However, it can be explicitly accessed, e.g. using the cd .snapshots command.
Create a snapshot
Command: weka fs snapshot create
Use the following command line to add a snapshot:
weka fs snapshot create <file-system> <name> [--access-point access-point] [--source-snap=<source-snap>] [--is-writable]
Parameters
Name
Type
Value
Limitations
Mandatory
Default
file-system
String
A valid filesystem identifier
Must be a valid name
Yes
name
String
Unique name for filesystem snapshot
Must be a valid name
Yes
access-point
String
Name of the newly-created directory for filesystem-level snapshots, which serves as the access point for the snapshots
Must be a valid name
No
Controlled by weka fs snapshot access-point-naming-convention update <date/name>. By default it is <date> format: @GMT_%Y.%m.%d-%H.%M.%S which is compatible with windows previous versions format for SMB.
source-snap
String
Must be an existing snapshot
Must be a valid name
No
The snapshot name of the specified filesystem.
is-writable
Boolean
Sets the created snapshot to be writable
No
False
Delete a snapshot
Command: weka fs snapshot delete
Use the following command line to delete a snapshot:
weka fs snapshot delete <file-system> <name>
Parameters
Name
Type
Value
Limitations
Mandatory
Default
file-system
String
A valid filesystem identifier
Must be a valid name
Yes
name
String
Unique name for filesystem snapshot
Must be a valid name
Yes
Note: A snapshot deletion cannot happen in parallel to a snapshot upload to the same filesystem. Since uploading a snapshot to a remote object store might take a while, it is advisable to delete the desired snapshots before uploading to the remote object store.
Also, note that this becomes more important when uploading snapshots to both local and remote object stores. While local and remote uploads can progress in parallel, consider the case of a remote upload in progress, then a snapshot is deleted, and later a snapshot is uploaded to the local object store. In this scenario, the local snapshot upload waits for the pending deletion of the snapshot (which happens only once the remote snapshot upload is done).
Restore a snapshot to a filesystem or another snapshot
Commands: weka fs restore or weka fs snapshot copy
Use the following command line to restore a filesystem from a snapshot:
weka fs restore <file-system> <source-name>
Use the following command line to restore a snapshot to another snapshot:
weka fs snapshot copy <file-system> <source-name> <destination-name>
Parameters
Name
Type
Value
Limitations
Mandatory
Default
file-system
String
A valid filesystem identifier
Must be a valid name
Yes
source-name
String
Unique name for the source of the snapshot
Must be a valid name
Yes
destination-name
String
Name of the destination to which the snapshot should be copied
Must be an existing snapshot
Yes
Note: When restoring a filesystem from a snapshot (or copying over an existing snapshot), the filesystem data and metadata are changed. Make sure IOs to the filesystem are stopped during this time.
Update a snapshot
Command: weka fs snapshot update
This command changes the snapshot attributes. Use the following command line to update an existing snapshot:
weka fs snapshot update <file-system> <name> [--new-name=<new-name>] [--access-point=<access-point>]
Parameters
Name
Type
Value
Limitations
Mandatory
Default
file-system
String
A valid filesystem identifier
Must be a valid name
Yes
name
String
Unique name for the updated snapshot
Must be a valid name
Yes
new-name
String
New name for the updated snapshot
Must be a valid name
No
access-point
String
Name of a directory for the snapshot that serves as the access point for the snapshot
Must be a valid name
No
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