Object names and IDs

The IBM Spectrum Protect server is an object storage server whose primary function is to efficiently store and retrieve named objects. The object ID is unique for each object and remains with the object for the life of the object except when you use export or import.

To meet this requirement IBM Spectrum Protect has two main storage areas, database and data storage.

• The database contains all metadata, such as the name or attributes associated with objects.
• The data storage contains the object data. The data storage is actually a storage hierarchy that the system administrator defines. Data are efficiently stored and managed on either online or offline media, depending on cost and access needs.

Each object that is stored on the server has a name associated with it. The client controls the following key components of that name:

• File space name
• High-level name
• Low-level name
• Object type

When making decisions about naming objects for an application, you might need to use an external name for the full object names to the end user. Specifically, the end user might need to specify the object in an Include or Exclude statement when the application is run. The exact syntax of the object name in these statements is platform-dependent. On the Windows operating system, the drive letter associated with the file space rather than the file space name itself is used in the Include or Exclude statement.

The object ID value that was assigned when you created the object might not be the same as when you perform a restore process. Applications should save the object name and then query to obtain the current object ID before doing a restore.