Managing copy storage rules

Copy storage rules are designed to improve recoverability of data in container storage pools. Copy storage rules specify one or more source container storage pools and a target copy storage pool. The copy storage pool represents a tape storage device or virtual tape library (VTL). When the copy storage rule runs, it copies data from the source container storage pools to the target copy storage pool. During the copy operation, data is returned to its original state. Data deduplication is reversed and any compressed data is decompressed. The tape copy can be taken offsite for disaster recovery (DR) preparedness, or kept onsite as a redundant copy that is secured offline. You can maintain both offsite and onsite tape backups of the same data. Because a tape copy of the container storage pool contains hydrated copies of the original client files, files can be restored directly to clients without having to first restore the container storage pools.

Copy subrules give you granular control over which clients are backed up and the backup destination for each client. For example, if you don't want the storage rule to back up all client data from the source storage pools, you can create a subrule that excludes certain clients. If you don't want the storage rule to copy data for all clients to the same copy storage pool, you can create a subrule that specifies a different destination for some clients.

When a storage rule is active, it runs daily at its scheduled time to copy eligible data to the target pool. If the storage rule is not active, it does not run automatically. Regardless of whether the storage rule is active, it can be explicitly started by using the Run Now action on the Storage Rules page. When a copy storage rule runs, the data that is eligible to be copied is the client data that is identified by the storage rule and its subrules, and that was not previously copied by the storage rule. If you specify a maximum duration for the storage rule, the storage rule either runs until all eligible data is copied or the duration limit is reached. If you do not specify a maximum duration, the storage rule runs until all eligible data is copied.

To view the copy storage rules that are defined to hub or spoke servers, open the Storage Rules page. From the Storage Rules page, you can also create copy storage rules.