Storage hierarchy

You can use several different storage management strategies with Content Manager OnDemand and most archive storage managers.

Content Manager OnDemand maintains a cache storage system independently of the archive storage manager. The cache storage system should contain the fastest storage devices for high-speed access to reports. When you load a report on the system, Content Manager OnDemand can automatically store one copy of the report in cache storage and another copy of the report in archive storage. Content Manager OnDemand also supports the option of storing reports in cache storage and then later migrating them to archive storage.

However, it is recommended that you always plan to copy reports to cache storage and archive media at the same time (when you load the report). Doing so usually eliminates the need for you to periodically backup cache storage because a backup copy of your reports already exists on archive media. Copying reports to cache storage and archive storage at the same time also eliminates the need for you to migrate reports to archive media.

Reports expire (are eligible to be removed) from cache storage when they reach their cache storage expiration date. You specify the cache storage expiration date for a report when you create an application group. For example, you can specify that a report should expire from cache storage after it is stored there for 90 days. Content Manager OnDemand provides a utility that you can use to automatically remove expired reports from cache storage on a regular schedule. After you run expiration processing, Content Manager OnDemand reclaims the space taken by expired documents. If any reports have holds on them when you run expiration processing, Content Manager OnDemand does not remove any of those reports. The Enhanced Retention Management feature, which provides the holds functionality, requires you to disable the archive storage manager; therefore, the archive storage manager will not be able to delete these reports.

Content Manager OnDemand and the archive storage manager maintain documents independently of each other. For example, each uses its own criteria to determine when data expires and should be removed from the system. Each uses its own utilities to remove documents. However, for removal of documents from the system, you should specify the same criteria to Content Manager OnDemand and the archive storage manager. For example, the Life of Data and Indexes, which is used by Content Manager OnDemand, should specify the same length of time as the retention period for the VSAM or OAM archive file definitions.