What is a Consistency Group in NetApp terminology?

• A. A grouping that coordinates snapshots across a single volume.
• B. A LIF failover policy set.
• C. A feature that streams data to tape.
• D. A grouping that coordinates snapshots across multiple volumes for application-consistent backups.

Answer: (D)

A Consistency Group is a mechanism that lets you coordinate snapshots across multiple volumes so you get an application-consistent backup. When an application spans more than one volume, taking individual, separate snapshots can leave data in an inconsistent state across Volumes—for example, data files on one volume and logs on another might not align in time. By grouping those volumes, NetApp can quiesce the application (often via integration with application-aware backup tools or VSS) and take a single, synchronized set of snapshots across all involved volumes. This ensures the entire application data set reflects a single moment in time, making restores reliable and cohesive.

The other ideas miss the key point: coordinating across a single volume doesn’t cover multi-volume consistency; streaming to tape is about the backup destination, not cross-volume coordination; and a LIF failover policy is about network interface behavior, not snapshot coordination.