Administrator's Guide

Chapter 1. Introducing ADSTAR Distributed Storage Manager

ADSTAR Distributed Storage Manager (ADSM) is an enterprise-wide storage management application for the network. It provides automated storage management services to multivendor workstations, personal computers, and local area network (LAN) file servers. ADSM includes the following components:

Server

Allows a server system to provide backup, archive, and space management services to workstations. The server maintains a database and recovery log for ADSM resources, users, and user data.

The server controls the ADSM server storage, or storage pools. These are groups of random and sequential access media that store backed up, archived, and space-managed files.

The ADSM server comes with an interface to server utilities for tasks such as configuring devices.

Administrative client

Allows administrators to control and monitor server activities, define management policies for client files, and set up schedules to provide services at regular intervals. Administrative client functions are available from a command line, a graphical user interface, and a web browser interface.

Backup-archive client

Allows users to maintain backup versions of their files, which they can restore if the original files are lost or damaged. Users can also archive files for long-term storage and retrieve the archived files when necessary. Users themselves or administrators can register workstations and file servers as client nodes with an ADSM server.

Hierarchical storage management (HSM) client

Provides space management services for workstations on some platforms. ADSM users can free workstation storage by migrating less frequently used files to server storage. These migrated files are also called space-managed files. Users can recall space-managed files automatically simply by accessing them as they would normally.

Application program interface (API)

Allows users to enhance existing applications with back up, archive, restore, and retrieve services. When users install the ADSM API client on their workstations, they can register as client nodes with an ADSM server.

Figure 1 shows an example of an ADSM client/server environment. In this example, an administrator monitors the system from a workstation on which the administrative client program has been installed. With ADSM Version 3, an administrator can also monitor a server from any workstation that has a web browser installed.

The backup-archive client program and HSM client program have been installed on workstations connected through a LAN and registered as client nodes. From these client nodes, users can back up, archive, or migrate files to the server.

Based on ADSM policies assigned to files, the server stores client files on disk, optical, or tape volumes in server storage, which are grouped into storage pools.

Figure 1. Sample Client/Server Environment

The following sections present key ADSM concepts and information about ADSM. The sections describe how ADSM manages client files based on information provided in administrator-defined policies, and manages devices and media based on information provided in administrator-defined ADSM storage objects.

Concepts:

"How ADSM Stores Client Data"

"How ADSM Represents Storage Devices"

"How ADSM Represents Storage Media"

"What Are the ADSM Storage Objects?"

"Putting It All Together"

"Planning for ADSM Storage"

"Configuring Devices"

"Automating Client Operations"