Storage pool types
To help you determine which storage pool type best meets your storage requirements, you should evaluate the characteristics of each storage pool type.
Use the following table to evaluate each type of storage pool.
| Storage pool type | Description | Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Directory-container storage pool | A primary storage pool that a server uses to store data. Data that is stored in directory-container storage pools uses either inline data deduplication or client-side data deduplication. You can use cloud tiering to move data from directory-container storage pools to cloud-container storage pools. | Use when you want to deduplicate data inline. By using directory-container storage pools, you
remove the need for volume reclamation, which improves server performance and reduces the cost of
storage hardware. You cannot use this type of storage pool for storage pool backup, migration, reclamation, import or export operations. |
| Cloud-container storage pool | A primary storage pool that a server uses to store data. Use cloud-container storage pools to store data to an object-store based cloud storage provider. Data that is stored in cloud-container storage pools uses either inline data deduplication or client-side data deduplication. | By storing data in cloud-container storage pools, you can exploit the cost per unit
advantages that clouds offer along with the scaling capabilities that cloud storage provides. You cannot use this type of storage pool for storage pool backup, migration, reclamation, import or export operations. |
| Random-access storage pool | A set of volumes that the server uses to store backup versions of files, files that are archive copies, and files that are migrated. Files are stored on DISK devices. | Use this type of storage pool to keep a copy of your data on DISK devices. You can migrate
data into this storage pool or out of this storage pool from the following types of storage pools:
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| Sequential-access storage pool | A set of volumes that the server uses to store backup versions of files, files that are
archive copies, and files that are migrated from client nodes. Files are stored on tape or FILE
devices. Data that is stored in sequential-access (FILE) storage pools uses both postprocess and
client-side data
deduplication. Tip: Although data deduplication is available for sequential-access (FILE)
storage pools, the use of directory-container and cloud-container storage pools is preferred because
those storage pool types offer newer technologies for data storage. Data that is stored in
cloud-container or directory-container storage pools uses either inline data deduplication or
client-side data deduplication.
|
Use this type of storage pool to keep a copy of your data on FILE and TAPE devices. You can
migrate data into this type of storage pool. You can also define this type of storage pool to servers that are enabled for IBM Spectrum® Protect for Data Retention by setting the RECLAMATIONTYPE parameter to SNAPLOCK. When a file class is defined and storage pools are created with the reclamation type SNAPLOCK, all volumes must be WORM volumes. This is valid for NetApp SnapLock volumes and IBM Spectrum Scale immutable filesets. |
| Copy storage pool | A named set of volumes that contain copies of files that reside in primary storage pools. Copy storage pools are used only to back up the data that is stored in primary storage pools. A copy storage pool cannot be a destination for a backup copy group, an archive copy group, or a management class (for space-managed files). | Use copy storage pools to have a copy of active and inactive data that you can restore to a
primary storage pool after a disaster or outage. You cannot use inline data deduplication, compression, replication, or data deduplication with this type of storage pool. |
| Container-copy storage pool | A set of tape volumes that contain a copy of deduplicated extents that reside in a directory-container storage pool. Container-copy storage pools are used only to protect the data that is stored in directory-container storage pools. Container-copy storage pools are used to repair damage in a directory-container storage pool or to restore a directory-container storage pool if a disaster occurs. Container-copy storage pools are stored on sequential media. | Use container-copy storage pools to store copies of directory-container storage pools onsite or offsite. Damaged data in directory-container storage pools can be repaired by using the deduplicated extents in a container-copy storage pool. |
| Active-data storage pool | A named set of storage pool volumes that contain only active versions of client backup data. | Use active-data storage pools to restore active only data to primary storage pools after a
disaster or outage. By restoring active only data you can restore client data quicker and you use
less bandwidth. You cannot use inline data deduplication, compression, replication, or data deduplication with this type of storage pool. |
| Cold-data-cache storage pool | A primary storage pool that is used as a staging area before data is written to tape and also when data is restored from tape. Only data from object clients can be stored on or restored to this storage pool type. | Use cold-data-cache storage pools in operations to copy data from IBM Spectrum Protect Plus to tape storage. The data is written to the cold-data-cache storage pool first and then moved to a physical tape device or virtual tape library (VTL). |
| Retention storage pool | A set of tape volumes that is used to store copies of retention set data on tape. | Use retention storage pools to copy retention set data to tape
storage. When you create a retention storage pool, a retention-copy storage rule with the same name is created at the same time. The retention-copy storage rule runs to copy retention set data from primary storage to the retention storage pool. |
Use the following table to compare storage pool capabilities and choose the storage pool that most suits your business needs based on your storage requirements.
| User goal | Directory-container storage pool | Cloud-container storage pool | Random-access storage pool | Sequential-access storage pool | Copy storage pool | Container-copy storage pool | Active-data storage pool | Cold-data-cache storage pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protect storage pool data through node replication. |  |
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| Reduce storage needs by using inline compression. | |
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| Reduce storage needs by using inline data deduplication. | |
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| Reduce storage needs by using client-side data deduplication. | |
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| Reduce storage needs by using postprocess data deduplication. | |
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| Protect storage pool data through storage pool protection. | |
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| Back up storage pool data by using copy storage pools on disk or tape. | |
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| Store data in a cloud. | |
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| Use cloud tiering to move data from a directory-container storage pool to a cloud-container storage pool. | |
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| Copy data from IBM Spectrum Protect Plus to tape storage. | |