You can automatically manage archive files using a storage profile to create duplicate copies, save secondary copies to a backup device, and provide a date when the primary archive file is automatically deleted. Generally, an archive process generates a single file that is saved to fixed media (for example, a local hard drive or network drive) where it resides indefinitely. Absent a storage profile, you must manually perform all management of the file (for example, copying, deleting, saving to a backup device).
Fixed media might be the best choice for archive file storage if files must be accessed online or if quick response time is the primary consideration. As files accumulate, it might become important to move older files (for which browsing or restoration is less likely) to cheaper, perhaps less accessible, media. In addition to minimizing disk storage, a need for off-site storage or portability may make secondary media a logical choice. In this discussion, secondary media includes any type of storage media other than fixed (for example, a zip disk or backup device).
By default, archive files exist until manually deleted. Using a retention policy, you can automate the life span of archive files by scheduling them for automatic deletion. You must determine the number of days for which the data in an archive file remains active, and configure the Optim™ server to scan Optim directories for files with a retention policy. Only files that reside on a server when the retention policy expires are deleted automatically. Alternatively, you can set a Delete Hold on a file to protect it from deletion.
Although the Optim solution can create archive files on fixed media, you can also direct files to secondary media, for example, a drive for removable media — simply by providing the path to the appropriate device with the file name.
You cannot directly specify a tape drive as the path in order to place a file on tape. However, if processing on a server, you can copy the file from disk to a NetWorker or Tivoli® Storage Manager backup device, when it completes the archive process. You can also direct processing to remove the file from disk immediately after it is copied to the selected backup device or after a specified period of time has elapsed. The archive index file remains on disk so that you can efficiently search for a file that has been removed from disk and, if necessary, return it to disk for browsing or restoration.
To use a tape backup device other than NetWorker or Tivoli, you can copy Archive Files from disk to tape or other secondary media using the appropriate vendor software, and remove the files from disk. (Note that if you copy Archive Files to a backup device that is not supported by Archive, you must arrange to return a file for restoration or browsing.)
At the end of archive processing, the archive file can be copied to a Centera networked storage system, if directed to do so. Analogous to copying files to NetWorker or Tivoli, processing must take place on the server, and the copied file is removed from disk immediately after copying or after a specified period of time has elapsed.
Archive files stored on secondary media must be copied to a predefined disk location before they can be restored or browsed (including point and shoot).
When managed by the Optim solution, this process is generally transparent to the user and does not require user knowledge of the type of media or the precise location of the file, although the delay from copying the file to disk may be apparent to the user.
You can establish a retention policy for primary copies of archive files residing on a server. After the retention period has expired, the files are automatically deleted, at the time of day indicated in the server options.
Additionally, you can set a minimum retention period to protect archive files on Centera (if your installation includes retention management features) or a WORM device. The Centera retention period applies only to backup copies of archive files, while you can use a WORM device to set a retention period for primary and duplicate files. After the Centera or WORM device retention period has expired, you can use the archive directory maintenance utility to delete the file from storage unless litigation hold or delete hold is set for the file.
You can also protect files residing on a server from deletion. When Delete Hold is set for an Archive File, the file cannot be deleted. Delete hold is available from the archive directory maintenance utility.
A storage profile is an object in the Optim directory that provides rules for managing your archive media according to the needs of your site.
During an archive process, the parameters in a storage profile provide rules for:
A storage profile is not required to simply archive data to disk or to certain secondary media devices. However, when referenced by the archive request, a storage profile governs the storage of files on secondary media by providing overrides for default segment size values.
In addition to device-specific parameters for archive media, the storage profile can provide instructions to automatically create two files, a primary and a duplicate, during the archive process. You might want to create a duplicate file on the same or a different type of media, for off-site storage or to serve as backup for the primary file. Alternatively, when archive files are stored on a file server, you might want to place duplicate files on a redundant file server.
The capacity of the archive media must be considered. If a file is larger than the space on the target media (for example, diskette), the file must be divided into segments, with each segment no larger than one volume. (The segment names are recorded in the archive directory with other information about the file.)
You can use the Removable Media tab on the Personal Options dialog to establish default segment sizes for fixed media and removable media. Use storage profiles to override these default values and provide additional parameters for secondary media.
Use the Archive tab on the Product Options dialog to make a backup system available, provide Tivoli options, and set a default minimum retention period for Centera and WORM devices. Use storage profiles to override default minimum retention values.