Interoperability of Transparent cloud tiering with other IBM Spectrum Scale features

This topic describes the interoperability of Transparent cloud tiering with other IBM Spectrum Scale™ features.

IBM Spectrum Archive™ (LTFS) and HSM: Running IBM Spectrum Archive and Transparent cloud tiering on the same file system is not supported.; However, both HSM and Transparent cloud tiering can co-exist on the same systems if they are configured with different file systems.; It is advised not to enable the Data Management API (DMAPI) on the file system that is managed by the Transparent cloud tiering.

AFM: Running Transparent cloud tiering service on AFM Gateway nodes is not supported.; Data from AFM or AFM DR filesets cannot be accessed by Transparent cloud tiering.; Using Transparent cloud tiering on AFM home is not supported.

Multi-clusters: Multi-cluster support is limited to remotely mounted clients.

File Placement Optimizer (FPO): Transparent cloud tiering is supported on FPO cluster. Recalled files might not have optimal placement.

IBM Spectrum Scale Object: Transparent cloud tiering can be configured on Object file sets.

Snapshots: Transparent cloud tiering should not be used to migrate/recall snapshots. Space that is contained in snapshots is not freed if a file is migrated to cloud object storage.

Sparse files: Transparent cloud tiering can be used to migrate/recall sparse files. However, sparseness is not maintained and on recall, full blocks are allocated.

Encryption: Transparent cloud tiering can be used with Scale file system level encryption feature (available in the Advanced and Data Management Editions). However, all the data that is migrated to the cloud object storage is migrated with the key that is configured for Transparent cloud tiering. Essentially, when data is read from file system, the files get decrypted, and encrypted again at user space by Transparent cloud tiering and pushed into the cloud storage.

Compression: Transparent cloud tiering can be used along with Scale file system level compression capability. Essentially, when data is read from the file system, the files are uncompressed, Transparent cloud tiering push uncompressed, but by default encrypted, files onto the cloud storage.

CES (protocol services): Transparent cloud tiering can co-exist with active or inactive NFS, SMB, or Object services on the CES nodes.

Spectrum Protect (TSM): Beginning with IBM Spectrum Scale V4.2, for the file systems that are managed by an HSM system, ensure that hot data is backed up to TSM by using the mmbackup command, and as the data gets cooler, migrate them to the cloud storage tier. This ensures that the mmbackup command has already backed up the cooler files that are migrated to the cloud.

Elastic Storage Server (ESS): Transparent cloud tiering cannot be deployed directly on ESS nodes. However, it can be deployed on X86 protocol nodes that can be attached to ESS. On a Power® Linux cluster, a few X86 protocol nodes can be added and Transparent cloud tiering can be configured on those nodes.

Mixed-node cluster configuration: Transparent cloud tiering service runs on x86 and Power LE Linux nodes. Transparent cloud tiering does not run on Windows, IBM Z, or Power BE Linux node. No mixed-node cluster support with Windows or IBM Z. Both x86 Linux and Power Linux nodes can initiate migrations/recalls of data, and these nodes can initiate a transparent recall on file access.; Transparent cloud tiering is supported for use only in IBM Spectrum Scale clusters and on any associated remotely mounted clients, with Intel x86 Linux and Power LE Linux nodes. Use of Windows, PowerPC® Big Endian, Linux on Z or AIX® nodes that access file systems, where Transparent cloud tiering is used (either within the cluster or via a remotely mounted client), is untested and unsupported. Inclusion of such nodes is allowed only if there is no possibility that they will ever access Transparent cloud tiering; for example, such nodes are tested and supported for PowerPC Big Endian nodes in Elastic Storage Server (ESS) BE & LE servers, where no user applications are supported on Elastic Storage Server (ESS).

SOBAR: Running SOBAR and Transparent cloud tiering on the same file system is not supported.

Linux GNOME and Windows Explorer: Supported. GNOME/Windows Explorer opens all files and reads the first few Kilobytes to obtain data for displaying the icon view of the file. There is an option available to cache the start of every file to prevent a recall storm in this case.

IBM Spectrum Scale Stretch Clusters: This service can be used in conjunction with stretch clusters. Cloud services node classes can be set up all on one site or, most usually, can be split across sites to allow for continued access to cloud data even through failure of an entire site.

Note: For information on known limitations, see Known limitations of Cloud services.