You can automatically manage Archive Files using a Storage Profile. It allows you to create a duplicate copy of an Archive File, save a secondary copy of the Archive File to a backup device, and provide a date when the primary Archive File is automatically deleted.
Generally, an Archive Process generates a single Archive File that is saved to fixed media (for example, a local hard drive or network drive) where it resides indefinitely. Without a Storage Profile, you must manually perform all management of the Archive File (for example, copying, deleting, saving to a backup device).
Fixed media might be the best choice for Archive File storage if Archive Files must be accessed online or if quick response time is the primary consideration. As Archive 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 for an indefinite period of time until manually deleted. A retention policy allows you to manage 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 Archive Files with a retention policy.
Although Archive can create Archive Files on fixed media, you can also direct Archive 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 can also use Archive with a hierarchical storage management (HSM) system.
You cannot directly specify a tape drive as the path in order to place an Archive File on tape. However, if processing on an Optim Server, you can direct Archive to copy the Archive File from disk to a NetWorker or Tivoli® Storage Manager backup device, when it completes the Archive Process. You can also direct Archive to remove the Archive 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 an Archive 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 to disk for restoration or browsing.)
At the end of Archive Processing, Archive can also copy the Archive File 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 Optim Server, and Archive can remove the copied Archive File from disk immediately after copying or after a specified period of time has elapsed.
If your facility uses an HSM system, Archive Files can be migrated to tape or other secondary media and removed from disk in the normal course of HSM processing. In either case, the Archive Index Files must remain on disk, and can be used as described previously.
The Archive Directory Maintenance Utility indicates an Archive File is in Offline status when it is replaced by a stub file using an HSM system (for example, VERITAS Enterprise Vault). If Archive must read the Archive File (for example, during a process or when you define a Table Map), the Archive File is recalled to its original location, replacing the stub file.
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 Archive, 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 Archive File, although the delay from copying an Archive File to disk may be apparent to the user.
You can establish a retention policy for primary copies of Archive Files residing on an Optim Server. After the retention period has expired, the Archive Files are automatically deleted, at the time of day indicated in the Optim Server options.
For more information about configuring the Optim Server, refer to the Installation and Configuration Guide .
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 to backup copies of Archive Files only, while you can use a WORM device to set a retention period for primary and duplicate Archive Files. After the Centera or WORM device retention period has expired, you can use the Archive Directory Maintenance Utility to delete the Archive File from storage.
You can also protect Archive Files residing on an Optim 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. (See Delete Hold for information on this feature.)
A Storage Profile is an object in the Optim Directory that lets you provide rules for managing your archive media according to the needs of your site.
During an Archive Process, Archive references the parameters in a Storage Profile to obtain 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 Archive Files on secondary media by providing overrides for default segment size values (to see the discussion of media capacity considerations read Media Capacity).
In addition to device-specific parameters for archive media, the Storage Profile can provide instructions to automatically create two Archive Files, a primary and a duplicate, during the Archive Process. You might want to create a duplicate Archive File on the same or a different type of media, for off-site storage or to serve as backup for the primary Archive File. Alternatively, when Archive Files are stored on a file server, you might want to place duplicate Archive Files on a redundant file server.
The capacity of the archive media must be considered. If an Archive 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 Archive File.)
You can use the Removable Media tab on the Personal Options dialog to establish default segment sizes for fixed media and removable media.
Storage Profiles allow you to override these default values and provide additional parameters for secondary media. For more information about Personal Options, refer to the Common Elements Manual .
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.
Storage Profiles allow you to override the default minimum retention values. For more information about Product Options, refer to the Installation and Configuration Guide .