Step 1: Creating a tape storage pool and a cold-data-cache storage pool for copying data to tape

Before you can copy data from IBM Spectrum® Protect Plus to the IBM Spectrum Protect server for archiving purposes, you must configure an object agent service. For long-term archiving of data, you must configure a cold data storage pool. If you are not planning to archive data to tape on the IBM Spectrum Protect server, you can skip this step.

About this task

Before you start, ensure that you have sized your cold cache storage needs by using the sizing tool and the Blueprints. For information about how to do this, see the Blueprints. For more useful links and videos, see Deployment storyboard for IBM Spectrum Protect Plus.

Object client data that is specified with an S3 Glacier storage class is not frequently accessed. To enable the copying of this data, which is often called cold data, to tape storage, the data is written temporarily to a storage pool that meets the requirements for handling object data. The data is then moved to the tape device or VTL. This storage pool, called a cold-data-cache storage pool, is assigned to a policy domain for object clients. Only data from object clients can be written to or restored from a cold-data-cache storage pool.

Procedure

If you are not using the Operations Center, you can use the define stgpool command. The command can be defined as follows: 
define stgpool NAME 
stgtype=colddatacache
Note: To configure standard pools for object storage, follow these steps but when you define the type of storage pool, select Standard.
To configure the IBM Spectrum Protect server to copy data from an object client to physical tape media or a VTL, complete the following configuration steps:

  1. On the IBM Spectrum Protect server, configure a primary storage pool that represents a tape device or VTL. This primary storage pool is the destination for the object data that you want to copy.
    Later, when you define the cold-data-cache storage pool, you must specify this tape pool as the next storage pool for the cold-data-cache pool.
    Restrictions: The following restrictions apply to the tape storage pool:
    • You cannot replicate object client data to or from the tape storage pool.
    • The tape storage pool cannot be deduplicated.
    • A next storage pool cannot be specified for the tape storage pool.
    1. On the Operations Center menu bar, click Storage > Storage Pools.

      Operations Center storage pools

    2. On the Storage Pools page, click Storage Pool Add storage pool.
    3. In the Add Storage Pool wizard, select Object Client to enable object clients to copy data to tape.
  2. Step through the wizard steps 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 is an intermediary storage pool between the object client and a tape device or VTL and is linked to the primary sequential access storage pool that represents the tape device or VTL. Identify one or more existing file system directories for temporary disk storage and the primary sequential access storage pool that represents the tape device or VTL.
  3. On the Cold Data Cache page, specify one or more existing file system directories for disk storage. Enter a fully qualified path name that conforms to the syntax that is used by the server operating system.

    For example, enter c:\temp\dir1\ for Microsoft Windows, or /tmp/dir1/ for UNIX.

    The object data is stored in sequential volumes in the file system directories. An object client can copy infrequently accessed data, or cold data, to physical tape media or to a VTL. When an object client copies cold data, the data is first stored in the cold data cache. The data is then migrated, without a migration delay, to the primary tape storage pool that represents the physical tape media or VTL. After the data is migrated to tape, it is deleted from the cold data cache. The cold data cache is used as a staging area for restoring cold data to the object client. During restore operations, the data is copied to the cold data cache. The data remains in the cold data cache for a period that is specified by the object client. Data is restored to the object client from the cold data cache, and not directly from the tape or VTL.

    If you specify multiple directories for performance enhancement, ensure that the directories correspond to separate physical volumes. Although the cold data cache is used for 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.

What to do next

When you complete the configuration of the cold data cache storage pool, create the object domain. For instructions about how to do that, see Step 2: Configuring an object policy domain.