Administrator's Guide

Using Copy Storage Pools to Improve Data Availability

Copy storage pools enable multiple copies of files to be maintained, thus reducing the potential for data loss due to media failure. If the primary file is not available or becomes corrupted, ADSM accesses and uses the duplicate file from a copy storage pool.

Example: Simple Hierarchy with One Copy Storage Pool

A company has a storage hierarchy consisting of two primary storage pools: one random access storage pool (DISK-POOL) and one tape storage pool (TAPEPOOL, with device class TAPECLASS). The files stored in the random access storage pool are migrated to the tape storage pool. Because the files are important to the function of the company, the company wants to back up the files in both primary storage pools to a copy storage pool.

The administrator decides to schedule daily incremental backups of the files in the primary storage pools. The administrator performs the following steps:

1. Create a copy storage pool called COPYPOOL, with the same device class as the TAPEPOOL primary storage pool, by issuing the following command:

   define stgpool copypool tapeclass pooltype=copy
   maxscratch=50
   

   Notes:

   1. Because scratch volumes are allowed in this copy storage pool, you do not need to define volumes for the pool.

   2. All of the storage volumes in the copy storage pool COPYPOOL are located onsite.

2. Perform the initial backup of the primary storage pools to the new copy storage pool. Copy the files in the primary storage pools to the copy storage pool COPYPOOL by issuing the following commands:

   backup stgpool disk-pool copypool
   

   backup stgpool tapepool copypool
   

3. Define schedules to automatically run the commands for backing up the primary storage pools to the copy storage pool. The commands to schedule are those that you issued in step 2.

   To minimize tape mounts, back up the disk storage pool first, then the tape storage pool.

   For more information about scheduling, see Chapter 15. "Automating Server Operations".