Describe SnapMirror and its common DR use case.

• A. Backups to tape devices.
• B. Asynchronous replication from a source to a destination, used for disaster recovery and DR testing.
• C. Synchronous copy within the same volume.
• D. Mirroring only for performance optimization.

Answer: (B)

SnapMirror is NetApp's asynchronous replication from a source to a destination, typically over a remote site. It creates a near-real-time copy of data that can be kept up to date according to a schedule or bandwidth, which makes it ideal for disaster recovery. Because the replication is asynchronous, the destination can lag behind the source, allowing production systems to run without extra I/O pressure while still providing a ready-to-use failover copy for DR and for non-disruptive DR testing. This setup supports planning for recovery objectives and validating DR processes without impacting production.

It isn’t about backing up to tape, nor is it a synchronous copy within the same volume, and it isn’t primarily a feature for performance enhancement. SnapMirror focuses on maintaining a DR-ready replica at a separate site to protect data and enable quick recovery.