Reference
Do I need snagent?
No - snagent is an efficiency improvement for supported CloudStack KVM storage, not a dependency.
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The Short Answer
No. Backups work without snagent: Sendense still uses the SNA, EBA Smart Transport, Sendense CBT, and EBA deduplication.
snagent improves read efficiency on supported CloudStack KVM storage by supplying an extent map, so the SNA reads and sends only the identified extents.
When It Is Used
- Used by default when the storage backend configured in SHA for the site or VM is QCOW NFS, ZFS, or LINSTOR DRBD and the agent path is available.
- Not used for RAW Block - that backend uses Sendense CBT instead.
- If snagent is absent or unavailable, backups continue on the Sendense CBT path.
Related Docs
snagent Hypervisor Host AgentThe CloudStack KVM hypervisor host agent used for efficient host-assisted changed-block tracking.EBA Smart TransportThe SNA-side smart transport role that sends protected data to SHA and uses extent maps from snagent when available.CloudStack KVM OverviewHow Sendense protects CloudStack KVM environments with SNA, EBA-ST, and the optional snagent host agent.