Choosing the correct type of storage technology for Tivoli Storage Manager

Storage devices have different capacity and performance characteristics. These characteristics affect which devices are better for use with Tivoli® Storage Manager.

Procedure

Review the following table to help you to choose the correct type of storage technology for the storage resources that the server requires.
Table 1. Storage technology types for Tivoli Storage Manager storage requirements
Storage technology type Database Active log Archive log and archive failover log Storage pools
Solid-state disk (SSD) Place the database on SSD in the following circumstances:
  • You are using Tivoli Storage Manager data deduplication.
  • You are backing up more than 8 TB of new data daily.
 If you place the Tivoli Storage Manager database on an SSD, as a best practice, place the active log on an SSD. If space is not available, use high-performance disk instead. Save SSDs for use with the database and active log. The archive log and archive failover logs can be placed on slower storage technology types. Save SSDs for use with the database and active log. Storage pools can be placed on slower storage technology types.
High-performance disk with the following characteristics:
  • 15k rpm disk
  • Fibre Channel or serial-attached SCSI (SAS) interface
 Use high-performance disks in the following circumstances:
  • The server does not do data deduplication.
  • The server does not do node replication.

Isolate the server database from its logs and storage pools, and from data for other applications.

 Use high-performance disks in the following circumstances:
  • The server does not do data deduplication.
  • The server does not do node replication.

For performance and availability, isolate the active log from the server database, archive logs, and storage pools.

You can use high-performance disks for the archive log and archive failover logs. For availability, isolate these logs from the database and active log. Use high-performance disks for storage pools in the following circumstances:
  • Data is frequently read.
  • Data is frequently written.

For performance and availability, isolate storage pool data from the server database and logs, and from data for other applications.
Medium-performance or high-performance disk with the following characteristics:
  • 10k rpm disk
  • Fibre Channel or SAS interface
 If the disk system has a mix of disk technologies, use the faster disks for the database and active log. Isolate the server database from its logs and storage pools, and from data for other applications. If the disk system has a mix of disk technologies, use the faster disks for the database and active log. For performance and availability, isolate the active log from the server database, archive logs, and storage pools. You can use medium-performance or high-performance disk for the archive log and archive failover logs. For availability, isolate these logs from the database and active log. Use medium-performance or high-performance disk for storage pools in the following circumstances:
  • Data is frequently read.
  • Data is frequently written.

For performance and availability, isolate storage pool data from the server database and logs, and from data for other applications.
SATA, network-attached storage Do not use this storage for the database. Do not place the database on XIV storage systems. Do not use this storage for the active log. Use of this slower storage technology is acceptable because these logs are written once and infrequently read. Use this slower storage technology in the following circumstances:
  • Data is infrequently written, for example written once.
  • Data is infrequently read.
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Tape and virtual tape       Use for long-term retention or if data is infrequently used.