Which of the following is NOT a valid data protection solution?

• A. SnapVault to Volume SnapMirror
• B. SnapVault to Volume SnapMirror to SnapVault
• C. SnapVault to Volume SnapMirror to Volume SnapMirror
• D. Volume SnapMirror to SnapVault

Answer: (B)

Data protection relationships in NetApp ONTAP mix SnapVault backups and SnapMirror replication in specific, supported ways. SnapVault copies Snapshot data to a Vault destination, providing backup retentions, while SnapMirror replicates an entire volume to a destination for disaster recovery. Some sequences are valid because they align with how sources and destinations are defined, but others aren’t because a backup destination isn’t meant to be used as a source for another backup in a chained path.

The pattern in question—building a path from a SnapVault backup to a Volume SnapMirror and then to another SnapVault—is not supported. In this flow, you would be taking a backup destination that itself participates in a SnapMirror relationship and trying to use it as the source for an additional SnapVault backup. NetApp ONTAP does not allow a SnapVault backup to be layered in this way through a SnapMirror link, so this chain cannot constitute a valid data protection solution.

Other patterns, such as SnapVault backing up to a Volume SnapMirror destination or a Volume SnapMirror-to-SnapVault arrangement, follow supported workflows where the backup source remains a primary or a SnapMirror partner, and the Vault destination remains a distinct backup endpoint.