Adding a storage pool

You can add storage pools to contain primary and secondary backups of client data.

Before you begin

Determine what type of pool you want to create, and how it fits in with your overall storage pool configuration. You can create a various general-purpose pools to represent tape volumes, disk directories, or cloud storage. You can also create a storage pool to enable object clients to copy data to tape by using intermediate disk storage.

General

Select this option to create various general-purpose pools. This type of storage pool can represent tape volumes, disk directories, or cloud storage. The general-purpose storage pools use either container-based storage or traditional volume-based storage. Container-based storage provides optimized inline data deduplication and compression. Container storage pools create logical containers for storage pool data. The containers are stored in file system directories or in cloud storage. Traditional volume-based storage uses device classes to identify the storage devices that can be used to store data that is backed up to the pool.

If you select the General storage pool type, you are later prompted to select the specific type of container storage pool or traditional volume-based storage pool.

You can select the following types of container storage pools:

Directory: Select this option to configure a directory-container storage pool. In this type of storage pool, containers are created in one or more file system directories that you identify during configuration. The file system directories map to one or more disk devices.
On-premises cloud: A cloud-container storage pool represents object-based cloud storage. Select this option to configure a cloud-container storage pool when the physical location of the cloud is on premises. An on-premises cloud is managed by internal IT staff in your data center. You can configure a cloud-container storage pool to temporarily store data in one or more local storage pool directories during data ingestion. The data is then moved from local storage to the cloud.
Off-premises cloud: Select this option to configure a cloud-container storage pool when the physical location of the cloud is off premises in a vendor-supplied cloud. You can configure a cloud-container storage pool to temporarily store data in one or more local storage pool directories during data ingestion. The data is then moved from local storage to the cloud.

You can select the following types of traditional volume-based storage:

Disk (primary): Select this option to configure a primary storage pool for storage on disk. Depending on the device class that you select during configuration, data is stored in random access disk blocks (a random-access storage pool) or in sequential volumes (a sequential-access storage pool).
Tape (primary): Select this option to configure a primary sequential-access storage pool for storage on tape or in a virtual tape library (VTL). During configuration, select a device class that represents the tape storage device or VTL.
Tape (copy): Select this option to configure a copy storage pool for data that is backed up to tape from primary storage pools. During configuration, select a device class that represents the tape storage device or VTL. Copy storage pools are used only to back up the data that is stored in primary storage pools.

Retention

Select this option to configure a retention storage pool. A retention storage pool can be used only for storing retention set data on tape or object storage. A retention storage pool represents 3592 tape devices, LTO tape devices, StorageTek drives, or supported object storage (https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-spectrum-protect-cloud-object-storage-support). A retention storage pool has an associated retention-copy storage rule, which is automatically created when you define the pool. The retention-copy storage rule runs once each day to copy retention set data from primary storage to the retention storage pool. You specify the daily start time for the retention-copy storage rule when you configure the retention storage pool.

Object Client

Select this option to configure a cold-data-cache storage pool. A cold-data-cache storage pool consists of one or more file system directories on disk. It used only by object clients as a temporary staging area for sequential volumes during tape backup and restore operations. It is an intermediary storage pool between the object client and a tape device or VTL. It is linked to the primary sequential access storage pool that represents the tape device or VTL. During configuration, you identify one or more existing file system directories for temporary disk storage and you identify the primary sequential access storage pool that represents the tape device or VTL.

For more information about designing your overall storage pool configuration, see IBM Spectrum Protect documentation.

Before you create the storage pool, be aware that other storage objects might be required. For example, other storage pools, device classes, or file system directories might be required to create the storage pool. Review the following storage pool types that you can select in the wizard to determine the storage pool you want to define. Ensure that the prerequisites for creating the pool type are met.

Directory

Directory-container storage pools have the following prerequisites:

Create the file system directories to which the directory-container storage pool writes data. You must define at least one directory. The wizard prompts you for these directory names, but the directories must be created before you run the wizard. A directory-container storage pool distributes data across its available directories, so specifying directories that map to different physical disk drives can improve I/O.
Because storage pool directories can grow to use more space on the file system, do not specify a directory that is on the same physical file system as the server database and logs.
Determine how to protect the storage pool data, and whether you want the wizard to help you configure that protection. If certain prerequisites are met, the wizard can configure the following types of storage pool protection:
Copy to protection pool
If replication is enabled for the server, you can configure storage pool protection to copy data to another directory-container storage pool on the target replication server. The directory-container pool on the target server is called a protection pool. Copying data to a protection pool typically improves replication performance and enables the automatic repair of damaged files.
To use the Add Storage Pool wizard to enable storage pool protection to the target replication server, the following configuration is required:
- At least one container pool must exist on the target replication server.
- You must use a single replication schedule that is named REPLICATE, with a value specified for the MAXRUNTIME parameter.
Copy to tape
If one or more tape libraries are defined on the server, you can configure storage pool protection to copy data to tape. You can regularly create a tape copy to be taken to a disaster recovery site, and rotate older tapes back on site as needed.
For more information about using tape copies for disaster recovery protection, see Determining whether to use container-copy storage pools for disaster protection in the IBM Spectrum Protect documentation.
If you are not replicating server data to a target server, you can configure storage pool protection to create a secondary tape copy to keep on site. To use the Add Storage Pool wizard to enable storage pool protection to tape, the following configuration is required.
- At least one tape library must be defined on the server.
- To configure protection to a secondary tape copy to keep on site, replication cannot be enabled for the server.

On-premises cloud or Off-premises cloud

Cloud-container storage pools have the following prerequisites:

Ensure that you have the connection information that is required to access your cloud repository. This connection information typically includes a user name or access key ID, password, and URL. For the Microsoft Azure cloud type, you must specify a shared access signature (SAS) token. For the Amazon S3 or IBM Cloud Object Storage cloud types, you can use an existing bucket or allow the Operations Center to create a new bucket.
Create the file system directories for optimizing data transfer to the cloud. The wizard prompts you for these directory names, but the directories must be created before you run the wizard. When backup data is ingested, it is first cached in these local disk directories. Performance improvements are realized by accumulating larger payloads that are then moved to the cloud. After the data is transferred to the cloud, it is deleted from the directories.
You must define at least one directory. A container storage pool distributes data across its available directories, so specifying directories that map to different physical disk drives can improve I/O.

Because storage pool directories can grow to use more space on the file system, do not specify a directory that is on the same physical file system as the server database and logs.

For more information about estimating the amount of file system capacity that is required for the directories, see Planning for directory-container and cloud-container storage pools in the IBM Spectrum Protect documentation.

Disk (primary)

Primary random-access storage pools and sequential-access storage pools on disk have the following prerequisites:

Ensure that there is a suitable device class that is defined on the server where you are creating the pool. To create a random-access storage pool, a DISK device class must be defined on the server. To create a sequential-access storage pool, a FILE device class must be defined on the server. To create a device class on the server, use the DEFINE DEVCLASS command.
If you want to migrate files to another pool, ensure that a suitable next storage pool exists. If the storage pool does not exist, use this wizard to create it. The pool must be a primary random-access storage pool or a primary sequential-access storage pool. To create the pool, select the Disk (primary) or Tape (primary) option.
If you want to back up data to a copy storage pool, ensure that a suitable copy storage pool exists. If the storage pool does not exist, use this wizard to create it. To create a copy storage pool, select the Tape (copy) option.

Tape (primary)

Primary sequential-access storage pools for storage on tape or in a VTL have the following prerequisites:

Ensure that there is a suitable device class that is defined on the server where you are creating the pool. A device class that represents the tape storage device or VTL must be defined on the server.
If you want to migrate files to another pool, ensure that a suitable next storage pool exists. If the storage pool does not exist, use this wizard to create it. The pool must be a primary sequential-access storage pool. You cannot migrate data from a sequential access storage pool to a random access storage pool. To create the pool, select the Disk (primary) or Tape (primary) option. If you select the Disk (primary) option, you must select a FILE device class to create a sequential-access storage pool.
If you want to back up data to a copy storage pool, ensure that a suitable copy storage pool exists. If the storage pool does not exist, use this wizard to create it. To create a copy storage pool, select the Tape (copy) option.

Tape (copy)

Copy storage pools have the following prerequisite:

Ensure that there is a suitable device class that is defined on the server where you are creating the pool. A device class that represents the tape storage device or VTL must be defined on the server.

Object Client)

Cold-data-cache storage pools have the following prerequisites:

Create the file system directories that make up the cold data cache. The file system directories temporarily hold object data during tape backup and recovery operations. The object data is stored in sequential volumes in the file system directories. The wizard prompts you for these directory names, but the directories must be created before you run the wizard. To optimize performance, if you specify multiple directories, ensure that the directories correspond to separate physical volumes. Although the cold data cache is temporary storage, it must be large enough to hold the data that is copied from the object client before the data is migrated to tape. It must also be large enough to hold data during restore operations for the period that is specified by the object client.
The cold-data-cache storage pool must be linked to the primary sequential access storage pool that represents the tape device or VTL. The wizard prompts you for the name of the primary sequential access storage pool, but that storage pool must exist before you run the wizard. If the storage pool does not exist, use this wizard to create it. To create the primary sequential access storage pool, select the Tape (primary) option.

Procedure

On the Storage Pools page, click Storage Pool.
Complete the steps in the Add Storage Pool wizard.

What to do next

After the wizard creates the storage pool, update your management classes and policy sets to use the new pool.