HP StorageWorks SAN Virtualization Services Platform (SVSP) Business Copy provides local replication capabilities for local point-in-time (PiT) copies of data using snapshots of data based on changes to virtual disks. Users create PiT copies of their environment for potential future use. When they need it, they create a snapshot of that PiT which can be presented to a server for backup or data mining operations. Both are virtual copies of the data. PiTs are only viewable in the storage management interface, while snapshots are viewable by the hosts and the management interface. Snapclones are asynchronous PiT clones (copies) of an existing virtual disk. Snapclones might be used by customers who want to carve off a database for testing purposes. Snapshot and snapclone consistency groups are available to preserve write-order consistency across multiple virtual disks.