FlexClone volumes can be managed similarly to regular FlexVol volumes, with a few key differences.
The following list outlines some key facts about FlexClone volumes:
FlexClone volumes are a point-in-time, writable copy of the parent volume. Changes made to the parent volume after the FlexClone volume is created are not reflected in the FlexClone volume.
You must install the license for the FlexClone feature before you can create FlexClone volumes.
FlexClone volumes are fully functional volumes; you manage them using the vol command, just as you do the parent volume.
FlexClone volumes always exist in the same aggregate as their parent volumes.
Only FlexVol volumes can be cloned. To create a copy of a traditional volume, you must use the vol copy command, which creates a distinct copy with its own storage.
FlexClone volumes can themselves be cloned.
FlexClone volumes and their parent volumes share the same disk space for any common data. This means that creating a FlexClone volume is instantaneous and requires no additional disk space (until changes are made to the clone or parent).
A FlexClone volume is created with the same space guarantee as its parent.
A FlexClone volume is created with the same space reservation and fractional reserve settings as its parent.
Space guarantee, space reservation, and fractional reserve settings are enforced for the new FlexClone volume only if there is enough space in the containing aggregate.
While a FlexClone volume exists, some operations on its parent are not allowed.
You can sever the connection between the parent and the clone. This is called splitting the FlexClone volume. Splitting removes all restrictions on the parent volume and causes the FlexClone to use its own storage.
Attention: Splitting a FlexClone volume from its parent volume deletes all existing Snapshot copies of the FlexClone volume, and disables the creation of new Snapshot copies while the splitting operation is in progress.
Quotas applied to the parent volume are not automatically applied to the FlexClone volume.
When a FlexClone volume is created, any LUNs present in the parent volume are present in the FlexClone volume but are unmapped and offline.
