A snapshot is an operation in which we "freeze" the data on a logical volume, while still enabling writing new data.
This, of-course, is an oxymoron.
It is solved by splitting the data to old (written before taking the snapshot) and new (written after taking the snapshot).
The old data resides on the original logical volume.
The new data is written to a different disk.
When an application reads from the device, the underlying kernel code finds where lies the fresh copy of the data, and returns that to the application.
Meanwhile, we may mount the original (frozen) content on a different directory, and access it in read-only mode.
E.g. to backup the data.
This, of-course, is an oxymoron.
It is solved by splitting the data to old (written before taking the snapshot) and new (written after taking the snapshot).
The old data resides on the original logical volume.
The new data is written to a different disk.
When an application reads from the device, the underlying kernel code finds where lies the fresh copy of the data, and returns that to the application.
Meanwhile, we may mount the original (frozen) content on a different directory, and access it in read-only mode.
E.g. to backup the data.
