You can use Commvault's iSCSI server with IntelliSnap backups and backup copies to create instant database clones for recovery scenarios. The iSCSI server is a proxy MediaAgent that interfaces between the hardware array/MediaAgent and the database servers to provide instant access to the backups.
Instant clone provisioning is used for generating reports or for troubleshooting purposes and requires only a fraction of the disk space than the original database size. You can create the instant database clones from the hardware snapshots or from backup copies.
Using the iSCSI Server with IntelliSnap Backups
If the hardware array does not support native clone functionality, you can use the iSCSI server to create an instant clone of the database. For more information about the supported hardware engines that have native clone functionality, see Instant Clones for Applications.
The iSCSI server provides the instant clone functionality for hardware engines that do not have the native clone capability.
Using the iSCSI Server with Backup Copies
If you plan to create instant database clones from backup copies, use volume copy interface for the backup copy method, to move the snapshots to the MediaAgent in extent format. Extent format backups are capable of instant mount operation. The iSCSI server can export the backup copies to the database servers as read-write LUNs. Then, the instant database clone operation mounts the LUNs from the iSCSI server to the target database servers and starts the database.