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Copy file name to clipboardExpand all lines: articles/azure-netapp-files/snapshots-introduction.md
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@@ -32,19 +32,19 @@ The following diagrams illustrate the concepts:
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1. Files consist of metadata and data blocks written to a volume. In this illustration, there are three files, each consisting of three blocks: file 1, file 2, and file 3.
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[](../media/azure-netapp-files/single-file-snapshot-restore-one.png#lightbox)
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2. A snapshot `Snapshot1` is taken, which copies the metadata and only the pointers to the blocks that represent the files:
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[](../media/azure-netapp-files/single-file-snapshot-restore-two.png#lightbox)
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3. Files on the volume continue to change, and new files are added. Modified data blocks are written as new data blocks on the volume. The blocks that were previously captured in `Snapshot1` remain unchanged:
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[](../media/azure-netapp-files/single-file-snapshot-restore-three.png#lightbox)
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4. A new snapshot `Snapshot2` is taken to capture the changes and additions:
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[](../media/azure-netapp-files/single-file-snapshot-restore-four.png#lightbox)
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When a snapshot is taken, the pointers to the data blocks are copied, and modifications are written to new data locations. The snapshot pointers continue to point to the original data blocks that the file occupied when the snapshot was taken, giving you a live and a historical view of the data. If you were to create a new snapshot, the current pointers (i.e. the ones created after the most recent additions and modifications) are copied to a new snapshot `Snapshot2`. This creates access to three generations of data (the live data, `Snapshot2`, and `Snapshot1`, in order of age) without taking up the volume space that three full copies would require.
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The following diagram shows a volume’s snapshots and used space over time:
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[](../media/azure-netapp-files/snapshots-used-space-over-time.png#lightbox)
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Because a volume snapshot records only the block changes since the latest snapshot, it provides the following key benefits:
The following diagram shows snapshot traffic in cross-region replication scenarios:
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[](../media/azure-netapp-files/snapshot-traffic-cross-region-replication.png#lightbox)
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## How snapshots can be vaulted for long-term retention and cost savings
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The following diagram shows how snapshot data is transferred from the Azure NetApp Files volume to Azure NetApp Files backup storage, hosted on Azure storage.
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[](../media/azure-netapp-files/snapshot-data-transfer-backup-storage.png#lightbox)
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The Azure NetApp Files backup functionality is designed to keep a longer history of backups as indicated in this simplified example. Notice how the backup repository on the right contains more and older snapshots than the protected volume and snapshots on the left.
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The following diagram shows a new volume created by restoring (cloning) a snapshot:
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[
The same operation can be performed on replicated snapshots to a disaster-recovery (DR) volume. Any snapshot can be restored to a new volume, even when cross-region replication remains active or in progress. This capability enables non-disruptive creation of test and development environments in a DR region, putting the data to use, whereas the replicated volumes would otherwise be used only for DR purposes. This use case enables test and development to be isolated from production, eliminating potential impact on production environments.
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The following diagram shows volume restoration (cloning) by using DR target volume snapshot while cross-region replication is taking place:
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[](../media/azure-netapp-files/snapshot-restore-clone-target-volume.png#lightbox)
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See [Restore a snapshot to a new volume](snapshots-restore-new-volume.md) about volume restore operations.
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The following diagram shows a volume reverting to an earlier snapshot:
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> Active filesystem data that was written and snapshots that were taken after the selected snapshot will be lost. The snapshot revert operation will replace all data in the targeted volume with the data in the selected snapshot. You should pay attention to the snapshot contents and creation date when you select a snapshot. You cannot undo the snapshot revert operation.
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The following diagram shows file or directory access to a snapshot using a client:
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[](../media/azure-netapp-files/snapshot-file-directory-access.png#)
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In the diagram, Snapshot 1 consumes only the delta blocks between the active volume and the moment of snapshot creation. But when you access the snapshot via the volume snapshot path, the data will *appear* as if it’s the full volume capacity at the time of the snapshot creation. By accessing the snapshot folders, you can restore data by copying files and directories out of a snapshot of choice.
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Similarly, snapshots in target cross-region replication volumes can be accessed read-only for data recovery in the DR region.
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The following diagram shows snapshot access in cross-region replication scenarios:
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[](../media/azure-netapp-files/snapshot-access-cross-region-replication.png#lightbox)
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See [Restore a file from a snapshot using a client](snapshots-restore-file-client.md) about restoring individual files or directories from snapshots.
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When a single file is restored in-place (`file2`) or to a new file in the volume (`file2’`), only the *pointers* to existing blocks previously captured in a snapshot are reverted. This operation eliminates the copying of any data blocks and is near-instantaneous, irrespective of the size of the file (the number of blocks in the file).
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[](../media/azure-netapp-files/single-file-snapshot-restore-five.png#lightbox)
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### Restoring volume backups from vaulted snapshots
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You can [search for backups](backup-search.md) at the volume level or the NetApp account level. Names used for snapshots are preserved when the snapshots are backed up, and include the prefix “daily”, “weekly” or “monthly”. They also include the timestamp of the snapshot creation time and date. The first snapshot taken when the backup feature is enabled is called a baseline snapshot. The baseline snapshot includes all data on the protected volume and the snapshots. Consecutive vaulted snapshots are block-incremental updates, while snapshots are always a complete representation of the volume at the time the vaulted snapshot was taken and can be directly restored *without* the need to stack the baseline with incremental updates.
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The following diagram illustrates the operation of restoring a selected vaulted snapshot to a new volume:
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[](../media/azure-netapp-files/snapshot-restore-vaulted-new-volume.png#lightbox)
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### Restoring individual files or directories from vaulted snapshots
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The following diagram shows the effect on storage consumption of Snapshot 3 deletion from a volume:
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[](../media/azure-netapp-files/snapshot-delete-storage-consumption.png#lightbox)
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Be sure to [monitor volume and snapshot consumption](azure-netapp-files-metrics.md#volumes) and understand how the application, active volume, and snapshot consumption interact.
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