Glossary
This glossary provides terms and definitions for the IBM Tivoli Storage Productivity Center software and products.
The following cross-references are used in this glossary:
- See refers you from a nonpreferred term to the preferred term or from an abbreviation to the spelled-out form.
- See also refers you to a related or contrasting term.
For other terms and definitions, see the IBM Terminology website (opens in new window).
A
- active management server
- A management server from which the storage environment can be monitored and managed. The active management server replicates its database to the standby server.
B
- business continuity
- The capability of a business to withstand outages and to operate mission-critical services normally and without interruption in accordance with predefined service-level agreements.
C
- CIM
- See Common Information Model.
- CIM agent
- The code that consists of common building blocks that can be used instead of proprietary software or device-specific programming interfaces to manage devices that are compliant with the Common Information Model (CIM).
- CKD
- See count key data.
- cluster
- In IBM System Storage DS8000, a partition capable of performing all DS8000 series functions. With two clusters in the DS8000 storage unit, any operational cluster can take over the processing of a failing cluster.
- A collection of complete systems that work together to provide a single, unified computing capability.
- In Storwize® V7000, a pair of nodes that provides a single configuration and service interface.
- A loosely coupled collection of independent systems (or nodes) organized into a network for the purpose of sharing resources and communicating with each other.
- Common Information Model (CIM)
- An implementation-neutral, object-oriented schema for describing network management or systems management information. The Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) develops and maintains CIM specifications.
- community name
- The part of an SNMP message that represents a password-like name and that is used to authenticate the SNMP message.
- consistency group
- A group of copy relationships between virtual volumes or data sets that are maintained with the same time reference so that all copies are consistent in time.
- copy set
- The set of source volumes or target volumes involved in a FlashCopy operation.
- count key data (CKD)
- A data recording format that uses self-defining record formats in which each record on a volume is represented by up to three fields: a count field identifying the record and specifying its format, an optional key field that can be used to identify the data area contents, and an optional data field that typically contains the user data.
D
- data collection
- The process of obtaining performance and availability monitoring data and providing that data to a metric evaluator. Examples of data collectors include Domain Name System (DNS) probes, web page analyzers, or database analyzers. See also discovery.
- data source
- A storage resource or agent that provides data about a storage environment.
- discovery
- The process of finding resources within an enterprise, including finding the new location of monitored resources that were moved. See also data collection.
E
- ECKD
- See extended count key data.
- enterprise repository
- A component of the data server that records and stores all information about the monitored computers' storage assets and their usage over time. The repository is organized into relational database tables and is accessed by the data server using Java Database Connectivity (JDBC).
- event
- An occurrence of significance to a task or system. Events can include completion or failure of an operation, a user action, or the change in state of a process.
- extended count key data (ECKD)
- An extension of the count-key-data (CKD) architecture. It includes additional commands that can be used to improve performance.
F
- fileset
- file set
- A subset of a file system that provides granularity of functions such as snapshots or quotas within the file system.
- A hierarchical grouping of files managed as a unit for balancing workload across a cluster.
- FlashCopy
- Pertaining to a point-in-time copy where a virtual copy of a volume is created. The target volume maintains the contents of the volume at the point in time when the copy was established. Any subsequent write operations to the source volume are not reflected on the target volume.
- An optional feature of the Storage System DS family that can make an instant copy of data, that is, a point-in-time copy of a volume.
- freeze
- An operation in which a storage system blocks I/O from the host system to the affected volumes on the primary site. A freeze operation stops mirroring between the primary and secondary volumes to ensure data consistency at the secondary site. See also thaw.
G
- Global Copy
- A non-synchronous long-distance copy option for data migration and backup. See also Global Mirror, Metro Mirror, remote mirror and copy.
- Globally Unique Identifier (GUID)
- An algorithmically determined number that uniquely identifies an entity within a system.
- Global Mirror
- An optional capability of the remote mirror and copy feature that provides a two-site extended-distance remote copy. Data that is written by the host to the storage unit at the local site is automatically maintained at the remote site. See also Global Copy, Metro Mirror, remote mirror and copy.
- grain size
- The unit size for allocating space on thin-provisioned volumes, such as 32, 64, 128, and 256 kibibyte. The grain size is defined when a volume is created.
- GUID
- See Globally Unique Identifier.
H
- Hardware Management Console (HMC)
- In a system storage environment, a system that acts as the focal point for configuration, management of Copy Services functions, and maintenance.
- heat map
- A color-coded data chart in which colors are used to differentiate values in a data set.
- HMC
- See Hardware Management Console.
- host volume
- A volume that represents the volume functional role from an application point of view. The host volume can be connected to a host or server. It receives read, write, and update application I/O, depending on the site to which the application is writing.
- hypervisor
- Software or a physical device that enables multiple instances of operating systems to run simultaneously on the same hardware.
J
- journal volume
- A volume that holds a consistent copy of data until a new consistent copy is formed. The journal volume restores the last consistent point during a recovery.
L
- launch-in-context
- An operation in which a user starts a secondary application from a primary application to perform a specific task. Using the parameters, navigation instructions, and user credentials that are supplied by the primary application, the secondary application opens to the specific place in which to complete the task.
- logical unit number (LUN)
- In the Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) standard, a unique identifier used to differentiate devices, each of which is a logical unit (LU).
- LUN
- See logical unit number.
M
- Management Information Base (MIB)
- In the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), a database of objects that can be queried or set by a network management system.
- management server
- A system that provides a central point of control for managing data replication.
- management server relationship
- A connection between two replication servers, where one server acts as the active server and replicates the data that is necessary for the standby server to take control of the replication environment.
- Metro Global Mirror
- A three-site, high availability, disaster recovery solution. Metro Global Mirror uses synchronous replication to mirror data between a local site and an intermediate site, and asynchronous replication to mirror data from an intermediate site to a remote site.
- Metro Mirror
- A function of the remote mirror and copy feature that constantly updates a secondary copy of a volume to match changes made to a source volume. See also Global Copy, Global Mirror, remote mirror and copy.
- MIB
- See Management Information Base.
N
- namespace
- The scope within which a Common Information Model (CIM) schema applies.
- native interface
- An interface that is specific to a system or subsystem.
P
- ping
- The command that sends an Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) echo-request packet to a gateway, router, or host with the expectation of receiving a reply.
- A job that tracks the availability of assets and that is performed by an agent. Several ping jobs can be used to monitor the availability of any computer or subset of computers in the network.
- pool
- A grouping of storage space that consists of volumes, logical unit numbers (LUNs), or addresses that share a common set of administrative characteristics.
- practice volume
- A volume that can be used to test disaster-recovery actions while maintaining disaster-recovery capability.
- primary site
- A physical or virtual site that is made up of hardware, network, and storage resources. Typically, production operations run at the primary site. Data can be replicated to a secondary site for disaster recovery and failover operations. See also secondary site.
- primordial pool
- Storage capacity that is unallocated on a storage device. Storage pools are created by allocating storage capacity from primordial pools.
- probe
- A data collection job that itemizes and creates an inventory of assets, such as computers, controllers, disk drives, file systems, and logical units.
R
- recovery point objective
- The maximum amount of data loss that can be tolerated during a service interruption.
- remote mirror and copy
- A feature of a storage server that constantly updates a secondary copy of a logical volume to match changes made to a primary logical volume. The primary and secondary volumes can be on the same storage server or on separate storage servers. See also Global Copy, Global Mirror, Metro Mirror.
- resource
- In a storage environment, an entity that is monitored. Resources can include fabrics, switches, computers, and storage systems.
- role
- A job function that identifies the tasks that a user can perform and the resources to which a user has access. A user can be assigned one or more roles.
- role pair
- The association of two volume roles in a session that take part in a copy relationship. For example, in a Metro Mirror session, the role pair can be the association between host volumes at the primary site and host volumes at the secondary site (H1-H2).
S
- scan
- A data collection job that monitors storage usage and file statistics on the resources in an environment.
- secondary site
- A physical or virtual site that is made up of the hardware, network, and storage resources that support the recovery needs of the primary site. When a failure occurs at the primary site, operations can continue at the secondary site. See also primary site.
- session
- A collection of source and target volumes that are managed to create consistent copies of data. The type of data replication that is associated with the session determines the actions that can be conducted for the volumes.
- site awareness
- The association of a location with each storage system in a session. Site awareness ensures that a volume can only be selected for a session if it matches the location of the site. Site awareness helps to prevent both reversing a hardware relationship and selecting volumes at the wrong location.
- SMI-S
- See Storage Management Initiative Specification.
- standby management server
- A management server that is a backup for the active server. The replication environment cannot be monitored or managed from the standby server.
- Storage Management Initiative Specification (SMI-S)
- A design specification developed by the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) that specifies a secure and reliable interface with which storage management systems (SMSs) can identify, classify, monitor, and control physical and logical resources in a storage area network (SAN). The interface integrates the various devices to be managed in a SAN and the tools used to manage them.
- storage pod
- A logical entity of components of a system consisting of two storage nodes, and one or two storage subsystems directly connected with these storage nodes.
- storage resource group
- A named collection of logically related resources that are monitored by Tivoli Storage Productivity Center. Monitored resources can include fabrics, switches, computers, storage systems, and other storage resource groups.
T
- target volume
- A volume that receives data from a host volume or another intermediate volume.
- thaw
- An operation in which a storage system releases the block of the I/O from the host system to the affected volumes on the primary site. A thaw operation can occur after a freeze operation ends and consistency is formed on the secondary site. See also freeze.
- thin provisioning
- A mechanism that provides the ability to define logical volume sizes that are larger than the physical capacity installed on the system.
- track space-efficient volume (TSE volume)
- A volume in which storage space is allocated on an as-needed basis by using space on the target volume only when tracks are copied from the source volume to the target volume.
- TSE volume
- See track space-efficient volume.
V
- virtualization
- The substitution of virtual resources for actual resources, where the virtual resources have the same functions and external interfaces as their counterparts, but differ in attributes, such as size, performance, and cost. Virtualization is commonly applied to physical hardware resources by combining multiple physical resources into shared pools from which users receive virtual resources.
- virtual storage area network (VSAN)
- A fabric within the storage area network (SAN).
- VSAN
- See virtual storage area network.
Z
- zone
- A logical grouping of switches, switch ports, and their attached devices in a fabric.
- zone alias
- A name that is given to a collection of one or more zone members to be managed together.
- zone set
- A group of zones that function together on a fabric.