Data protection services

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IBM Storage Protect provides data protection services to store and recover data from various types of clients. The data protection services are implemented through policies that are defined on the server. You can use client scheduling to automate the data protection services.

Types of data protection services

IBM Storage Protect provides services to store and recover client data as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Data protection services
Illustration shows data protection services
IBM Storage Protect provides the following types of data protection services:
Back up and restore services

You run a backup process to create a copy of a data object that can be used for recovery if the original data object is lost. A data object can be a file, a directory, or a user-defined data object, such as a database.

To minimize the use of system resources during the backup operation, IBM Storage Protect uses the progressive incremental backup method. For this backup method, a first full backup of all data objects is created and in subsequent backup operations only changed data is moved to storage. Compared to incremental and differential backup methods that require taking periodic full backups, the progressive incremental backup method provides the following benefits:
  • Reduces data redundancy
  • Uses less network bandwidth
  • Requires less storage pool space
To further reduce storage capacity requirements and network bandwidth usage, IBM Storage Protect includes data deduplication for data backups. The data deduplication technique removes duplicate data extents from backups.

You run a restore process to copy an object from a storage pool to the client. You can restore a single file, all files in a directory, or all of the data on a computer.

Archive and retrieve services

You use the archive service to preserve data that must be stored for a long time, such as for regulatory compliance. The archive service provides the following features:

  • When you archive data, you specify how long the data must be stored.
  • You can request that files and directories are copied to long-term storage on media. For example, you might choose to store this data on a tape device, which can reduce the cost of storage.
  • You can specify that the original files are erased from the client after the files are archived.
The retrieve service provides the following features:
  • When you retrieve data, the data is copied from a storage pool to a client node.
  • The retrieve operation does not affect the archive copy in the storage pool.
Migrate and recall services
You use migrate and recall services to manage space on client systems. The goal of space management is to maximize available media capacity for new data and to minimize access time to data. You can migrate data to server storage to maintain sufficient free storage space on a local file system. You can store migrated data in the following ways:
  • On disk storage for long-term storage
  • In a virtual tape library (VTL) for fast recall of files
You can recall files to the client node on demand, either automatically or selectively.

Types of client data that can be protected

You can protect data for the following types of clients with IBM Storage Protect:
Application clients
IBM Storage Protect can protect data for specific products or applications. These clients are called application clients. To protect the structured data for these clients, in other words the data in database fields, you must back up components that are specific to the application. IBM Storage Protect can protect the following applications:
  • IBM Storage Protect for Enterprise Resource Planning clients:
    • Data Protection for SAP HANA
    • Data Protection for SAP for Db2
    • Data Protection for SAP for Oracle
  • IBM Storage Protect for Databases clients:
    • Data Protection for Microsoft SQL server
    • Data Protection for Oracle
  • IBM Storage Protect for Mail clients:
    • Data Protection for HCL Domino
    • Data Protection for Microsoft Exchange Server
Virtual machines
Virtual machines that are backed up by using application client software that is installed on the virtual machine. In the IBM Storage Protect environment, a virtual machine can be protected by the IBM Storage Protect for Virtual Environments.
System clients
The following IBM Storage Protect clients are called system clients:
  • All clients that back up data in files and directories, in other words unstructured data, such as backup-archive clients and API clients that are installed on workstations.
  • A server that is included in a server-to-server virtual volume configuration.
  • A virtual machine that is backed up by using backup-archive client software that is installed on the virtual machine.