Create a Volume Clone

An Exascale volume clone is a thinly-provisioned read-write point-in-time copy of a volume snapshot.

To create an Exascale volume clone, use the ESCLI mkvolume command and specify the attributes for a volume clone. The command syntax is:

@> mkvolume --attributes volumeSnapshot=parent_snapshot_id[,name=clone_name][,iopsProvisioned=integer_value][,iopsInherited={true|false}]

In the command:

volumeSnapshot=parent_snapshot_id: Identifies the volume snapshot that you want to clone. You can use the lsvolumesnapshot command to find the identifier for each volume snapshot.
name=clone_name: Optionally specifies the name of the volume clone, which makes it easier for you to identify later. If not specified, a system-generated name is assigned.
iopsProvisioned=integer_value: Optionally specifies the I/O bandwidth provisioned for the volume clone. The I/O bandwidth is expressed as the number of I/Os per second (IOPS).
iopsInherited={true|false}: Optionally specifies whether the volume clone inherits I/O bandwidth from the nearest ancestor in the volume hierarchy with provisioned I/O bandwidth (not inherited).

The following describes the relationship between the iopsProvisioned and iopsInherited attribute settings:

If iopsProvisioned is unspecified and iopsInherited is not set to false (iopsInherited is unspecified or iopsInherited=true), then:
- The volume clone inherits I/O bandwidth from its nearest ancestor.
- The volume clone has the setting: iopsInherited=true.
If iopsProvisioned is unspecified and iopsInherited=false, then:
- The volume clone is provisioned with unlimited iopsProvisioned.
- The volume clone has the setting: iopsInherited=false.
If you specify a value for iopsProvisioned and iopsInherited is not set to true (iopsInherited is unspecified or iopsInherited=false), then:
- The volume clone is governed by the specified iopsProvisioned value.
- The volume clone has the setting: iopsInherited=false.
An error occurs if you specify a value for iopsProvisioned and iopsInherited=true. This is an invalid combination.

After you create a volume clone, you must create an attachment to access the contents. By itself, an unattached volume clone is not available to any clients.