Setting the Backup Type to Dump or SMTape

Before setting up your backup scheme for tape, consult with the system administrator or backup administrator to understand the purpose of the Tape backups, and configure the NetApp storage system accordingly.

The following two backup type options are available:

• Dump

• SnapMirror-to-Tape (SMTape)

The following table shows the uses and limitations of each option. By default, the option is set to Dump.

	Dump	SMTape
Usage	Dump is normally used for archiving data to tape for long term storage, so that the storage system remains available for newer backups.	SMTape is normally used to protect entire volumes from a disaster.
Backup	The contents of an individual Snapshot on a volume, or a subset thereof, can be selected for backup.	The entire volume is backed up.
Restore	The contents of an individual Snapshot, or a subset thereof, can be selected for restore.	The entire volume is restored.
Restore Limitations	Dump cannot be used to recover all the data that was local to a volume at backup time; only the data and metadata that was selected for backup.	Granular restores are not available.
Format	Dump uses file-level backup to tape.	SMTape uses block-level backup to tape.

Set the backup type option to either Dump or SMTape by using the procedure described in Setting the Backup Type Option. The recommended best practice is to leave this setting alone once it is set. Frequent switching between Dump and SMTape can adversely impact your data protection plan.