Configuring an IBM Cloud Object Storage external storage manager

Content Manager OnDemand supports data storage in an IBM Cloud Object Storage repository. More information on IBM Cloud Object Storage can be found at: https://www.ibm.com/cloud-computing/infrastructure/object-storage/

Updating the ARS.CFG file on AIX, Linux, or Linux on System z servers

Perform these steps to configure IBM Cloud Object Storage on an AIX, Linux, or Linux on System z server.

1. Two new entries must be added to the ARS.CFG file.

   For AIX servers:

   ARS_ICOS_CONFIG_FILE=/opt/IBM/ondemand/V10.1/config/ars.icos
   ARS_ICOS_CONFIG_DIR=/opt/IBM/ondemand/V10.1/config
   

   For Linux and Linux on System z servers:

   ARS_ICOS_CONFIG_FILE=/opt/ibm/ondemand/V10.1/config/ars.icos
   ARS_ICOS_CONFIG_DIR=/opt/ibm/ondemand/V10.1/config
   

   The ARS_ICOS_CONFIG_FILE entry specifies an existing IBM Cloud Object Storage configuration file which the server uses by default.

   The ARS_ICOS_CONFIG_DIR entry specifies the directory in which any alternate configuration files are kept. This directory is used if additional IBM Cloud Object Storage configuration files are defined. The names of these additional configuration files can be specified when defining storage nodes in Content Manager OnDemand. If no configuration file is specified in the storage node, the default configuration file is used.

   The configuration file name and directory path shown in the examples are the recommended values for these entries.

2. The ARS_STORAGE_MANAGER entry in the ARS.CFG file might also need to be changed. If you specify ARS_STORAGE_MANAGER=CACHE_ONLY, this disables all storage managers supported by Content Manager OnDemand.

   To configure the Content Manager OnDemand server to use IBM Cloud Object Storage as a storage manager, the value must be set to one of the following:

   ARS_STORAGE_MANAGER=TSM

   This setting will enable all external storage managers supported by Content Manager OnDemand. The Content Manager OnDemand server requires additional software to utilize Tivoli® Storage Manager (TSM) as a storage manager. If that additional software is not installed, the server will not start when the ARS_STORAGE_MANAGER value is set to TSM.

   ARS_STORAGE_MANAGER=NO_TSM

   This setting will enable all external storage managers supported by Content Manager OnDemand except Tivoli Storage Manager. This setting is used when the additional software to support Tivoli Storage Manager is not installed and Tivoli Storage Manager is not required as an external storage manager.

Updating an instance configuration on Windows servers

Creating an IBM Cloud Object Storage configuration file

An IBM Cloud Object Storage configuration file for Content Manager OnDemand contains entries specific to your IBM Cloud Object Storage implementation. You specify the location and name of the default configuration file in the ARS.CFG entry or via the OnDemand Configurator. Required entries must be specified. Optional entries are not required in the configuration file unless those values need to be changed.

The following list describes the entries that can be specified in an IBM Cloud Object Storage configuration file.

ARS_ICOS_SERVER

Specifies the IBM Cloud Object Storage server name. Do not include http:// or https:// in the name. This entry is required.

ARS_ICOS_USE_SSL

Indicates whether or not to use SSL in server communications. The possible values are:

• 0 - SSL will not be used
• 1 - SSL will be used

The default value is 0. This entry is optional.

ARS_ICOS_CONNECT_ TIMEOUT

Specifies the maximum number of seconds that Content Manager OnDemand waits for a response from the storage manager. The default is 60. This entry is optional. Warning: Setting this value too low might cause connection failures.

ARS_ICOS_HLD

Specifies the high-level directory name. This attribute is available to group sets of Content Manager OnDemand data together which might be needed if sharing external storage among multiple Content Manager OnDemand servers. Warning: Once this value is set, it must not be changed. If it is changed, any data that is already stored will not be retrievable. There is no default value. This entry is optional.

ARS_ICOS_SERVER=sample.cleversafe.com

Defining an IBM Cloud Object Storage storage node with the Administrator client

You can define the settings for using the IBM Cloud Object Storage access method on the Add a Primary Node dialog of the OnDemand Administrator client.

The Storage Node field becomes Vault Name when the Access Method is set to IBM Cloud Object Storage. The vault name must exist in your repository or access to IBM Cloud Object Storage will fail.

The Logon and Password fields contain the IBM Cloud Object Storage logon and password that Content Manager OnDemand needs to access your IBM Cloud Object Storage repository.

The Access Method radio button is set to IBM Cloud Object Storage. For Content Manager OnDemand servers running on all platforms except Windows, the Configuration File Name defaults to the value specified by the ARS_ICOS_CONFIG_FILE parameter in the ARS.CFG file if no value is entered. Otherwise, Content Manager OnDemand looks for the configuration file in the directory defined by the ARS_ICOS_CONFIG_DIR parameter specified in the ARS.CFG file. For Content Manager OnDemand servers running on Windows, the server uses the Configuration File Name field and the Configuration Directory field that are specified in the OnDemand Configurator instead of using the ARS.CFG file parameters.