An Inline copy reduces the delay in the offsite storage of the data. The following figure illustrates the two methods of creating a secondary copy and the delay in offsite storage for each method.
Backup Operation and Auxiliary Copy Operation
In this method the auxiliary copy operation is performed after the operation window for the backup operation is over. This causes the delay in the offsite storage.
For example: The operation window for backup operations occurs between 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Auxiliary copy operations are then conducted between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. immediately following the backup operation window. Hence, data is available for offsite storage after 6 p.m.
Backup Operation with Inline Copy
In this method the secondary copy is created during the operation window for the backup operation. However, the backup operation takes longer time than the backup operation without an inline copy.
For example: The operation window for the backup operation that creates an inline copy is from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. Hence, data is available for offsite storage after 10:00 a.m. The additional drive time needed to create the inline copies is four hours.
