Configuring a Microsoft Azure external storage manager

Content Manager OnDemand supports data storage in a Microsoft Azure repository. Microsoft Azure is a highly available, distributed, eventually consistent object/blob store. You can use Microsoft Azure to store lots of data efficiently, safely, and inexpensively. More information on Microsoft Azure can be found at: https://azure.microsoft.com/

Updating the ARS.CFG file

Perform these steps to configure Microsoft Azure on a z/OS server.

  1. Two new entries must be added to the ARS.CFG file. 

    ARS_AZURE_CONFIG_FILE=/usr/lpp/ars/V10R5M0/config/ars.az
       ARS_AZURE_CONFIG_DIR=/usr/lpp/ars/V10R5M0/config

    The ARS_AZURE_CONFIG_FILE entry specifies an existing Azure configuration file which the server uses by default.

    The ARS_AZURE_CONFIG_DIR entry specifies the directory in which any alternate configuration files are kept. This directory is used if additional Azure configuration files are defined. The names of these additional configuration files can be specified when defining storage nodes in Content Manager OnDemand. If no configuration file is specified in the storage node, the default configuration file is used.

    The configuration file name and directory path shown in the examples are the recommended values for these entries.

  2. The ARS_STORAGE_MANAGER entry in the ARS.CFG file might also need to be changed. If you specify ARS_STORAGE_MANAGER=CACHE_ONLY, this disables all storage managers supported by Content Manager OnDemand.

    To configure the Content Manager OnDemand server to use Azure as a storage manager, the value must be set to the following:
    ARS_STORAGE_MANAGER=NO_TSM
    This setting will enable all external storage managers supported by Content Manager OnDemand except Tivoli® Storage Manager, which is not supported on z/OS. This setting is used when the additional software to support Tivoli Storage Manager is not installed and Tivoli Storage Manager is not required as an external storage manager.

Creating a Microsoft Azure configuration file

A Microsoft Azure configuration file for Content Manager OnDemand contains entries specific to your Azure implementation. You specify the location and name of the default configuration file in the ARS.CFG entry. Required entries must be specified. Optional entries are not required in the configuration file unless those values need to be changed.

The following list describes the entries that can be specified in an Azure configuration file.

ARS_AZURE_SERVER
Specifies the Microsoft Azure server name. Do not include http:// or https:// in the name. This entry is required.
ARS_AZURE_USE_SSL
Indicates whether or not to use SSL in server communications. The possible values are:
  • 0 - SSL will not be used
  • 1 - SSL will be used
The default value is 1. This entry is optional.
ARS_AZURE_CONNECT_ TIMEOUT
Specifies the maximum number of seconds that Content Manager OnDemand waits for a response from the storage manager. The default is 60. This entry is optional. Warning: Setting this value too low might cause connection failures.
ARS_AZURE_HLD
Specifies a high-level directory name. This attribute is available to group sets of Content Manager OnDemand data together which might be needed if sharing external storage among multiple Content Manager OnDemand servers. Warning: Once this value is set, it must not be changed. If it is changed, any data that is already stored will not be retrievable. There is no default value. This entry is optional.
As an example, the Azure configuration file might contain:
ARS_AZURE_SERVER=blob.core.windows.net

Defining a Microsoft Azure storage node with the Administrator client

You can define the settings for using the Microsoft Azure access method on the Add a Primary Node dialog of the OnDemand Administrator client.

The Storage Node field becomes Container Name when the Access Method is set to Azure. The Container Name field is used with the Microsoft Azure server and determines the storage hierarchy for objects stored to this node. Containers are not created. They must exist before you add the storage node.

The Logon field is the Microsoft Azure storage account name which is used to store and retrieve data from the Microsoft Azure system. The password is also required.

The Access Method radio button is set to Azure. The Configuration File Name defaults to the value specified by the ARS_AZURE_CONFIG_FILE parameter in the ARS.CFG file if no value is entered. Otherwise, Content Manager OnDemand looks for the configuration file in the directory defined by the ARS_AZURE_CONFIG_DIR parameter specified in the ARS.CFG file.