Key concepts

To help you understand and use Copy Services Manager effectively, an overview of key concepts is provided.

Management server
The management server is a server that has Copy Services Manager installed. The management server provides a central point of control for managing data replication.
Storage systems
A storage system is a hardware device on which data is stored. Copy Services Manager can control data replication within and between various storage systems.
Host systems
A host system for Copy Services Manager is an IBM® z/OS® or AIX system that connects to storage systems to enable certain replication features for those systems.
Ports
The ports that are used by Copy Services Manager are used for the graphical user interface (GUI), the command-line interface (CLI), connecting to storage systems, and for connecting between an active and a standby Copy Services Manager server.
Sessions
A session represents a specific set of volumes that is managed by the same copy services solution. The type of copy services solution that is associated with the session determines the replication actions that are available for the session. For example, the options for FlashCopy sessions are different from the options for Metro Mirror sessions.
Session types
Copy Services Manager provides several methods to replicate data. The type of data replication that is associated with a session is known as the session type.
Metro Mirror heartbeat
The Metro Mirror heartbeat guarantees data consistency across multiple storage systems when the Copy Services Manager management server cannot communicate with one or more storage systems.
Site awareness
You can associate a location with each storage system and each site in a session. This site awareness ensures that only the volumes whose location matches the location of the site are allowed for selection when you add copy sets to the session. Site awareness prevents a session relationship from being established in the wrong direction.
User and group authentication
To log on to Copy Services Manager, a user ID and password are required.
User roles
A user role is a set of privileges that is assigned to a user or user group to allow the user or user group to perform certain tasks and manage certain sessions.