Information Lifecycle Management

Transcription

1 Information Lifecycle Management Using StoneFly Backup Advantage All trademark names are the property of their respective companies. This publication contains opinions of StoneFly, Inc. which are subject to change from time to time. This publication is Copyright of StoneFly, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. This document is intended for use only by recipients authorized by StoneFly, Inc. Any reproduction or redistribution of this publication, in whole or in part, whether in hard-copy format, electronically, or otherwise to persons not authorized to receive it, without the express consent of StoneFly, Inc., is in violation of U.S. copyright law.

2 Introduction StoneFly Backup Advantage (SBA) is a complete disk-to-disk backup solution based on the advanced features of the award-winning SBA software. This integrated solution provides a cost-effective way of offloading backup and restore operations from the company LAN onto a dedicated StoneFly IP SAN. Disk-to-disk backup using an IP SAN allows users to backup data from multiple servers simultaneously onto a central disk storage repository, slashing backup times. In addition, split mirror backups allow users to automate backup operations while leaving production servers on-line. Remote data replication provides multiple disaster recovery options. The turnkey SBA system, with its built in IP SAN, D2D2T support, and data replication features, provides tools required for building a platform for Information Lifecycle Management (ILM). SBA manages the backup process and sends client data from DAS or internal disk on host servers to the IP SAN during the normal backup window. Likewise, network logical volumes are also backed up to backup volumes. As the data ages, volumes can be copied to tape or optical drives as a background activity for archival purposes. Defining Information Lifecycle Management ILM is about applying policies to the management of the data as it pertains to storage. It s a new approach to managing information that uses policies, processes, practices, and data management software to align the business value of information with the most appropriate and cost-effective infrastructure. In short, ILM is a strategy by which storage resources are allocated depending on the business value of the data stored on them. This value changes throughout the life cycle of the data, thereby affecting the way in which resources get allocated. In theory, ILM states that you should have storage policies that relate to the life cycle and value of your information. would be classified differently than payroll records and would be treated differently than database records. In short, as your information ages, it has different storage requirements. Like most businesses, you have very little data that is not considered critical by someone in your company. However, it is important to understand that each piece of information has a StoneFly, Inc. Page 2 of 10

3 useful life and a value at any point in its lifecycle. At the end of that useful life, one of two things should occur: 1. The data should be deleted once it has no further purpose or value to the company. 2. The data should be archived as economically as possible to meet regulatory compliance requirements for the required period of time, after which it too should be deleted. In each case, having these processes automated is a big factor in controlling costs and increasing company efficiencies. Protecting critical information assets is more complex than backing up data to disk or tape. It s about understanding the information, having an idea of the data value and the decrease or increase in the value of information to the user over time. For instance, having access to a critical the day prior to a meeting is imperative. The day after the meeting the value of that is less. Thirty days after the meeting the may have no tangible value to the company but may become a liability if retention does not comply with regulations and if the data is not adequately protected and available for the next seven years. Two Key Storage Concepts 1. The New Storage Continuum The introduction of disk-based backup now gives IT management another choice in meeting their business data protection goals. The key ingredient to truly meet these goals is the ability to take advantage of disk as a backup medium in addition to tape or WORM technology. It is also necessary to capitalize on mirroring, remote data replication, point-intime copies, and other data protection methods. The addition of iscsi has made the concept of a SAN based on Ethernet technology a cost-effective topology choice. The variety of available storage types has driven a new idea, aptly named the Storage Continuum. The Storage Continuum concept states that storage is no longer made up of disparate entities, but rather is one continuous pool with varied access patterns and response times. Data is stored in the continuum and automatically moves from place to place based on the need to access, the level of response required, the regulation compliance, and the associated cost of retention. 2. The Infusion Paradox IT managers today are faced with a situation where storage costs and network bandwidth costs are plummeting while data growth, data management complexity, and storage management costs are rising even faster. This situation is called the Infusion Paradox. Without the creation of unifying software platforms like StoneFly Backup Advantage, IT staff cannot succeed in managing this paradox for much longer using today s conventional and hopelessly overmatched point solutions. StoneFly, Inc. Page 3 of 10

4 The Information Paradox The challenge for IT managers is to not get caught up in the technology itself. Instead, focus on the reason for utilizing the technology to better protect the data and make it readily accessible. Ultimately, the idea is to turn information assets into a competitive advantage for the company. Utilizing the Storage Continuum effectively is the key to reducing the total cost of ownership and in maximizing a customer s return on investment in storage and ILM software. The Role of D2D in ILM Information technologists are now starting to look at disk as both a local and remote layer in their storage hierarchy. Disk is being used for point-in-time copies of data, mirroring, and remote replication for fast application recovery. Companies faced with SEC and HIPPA compliance are also using disk for both primary and secondary data repositories. Effective use of multiple levels of disk types, locations and judicious use of tape and WORM storage can positively impact your corporate bottom line. This paper first discusses disk-to-disk in general. It will also describe the StoneFly Backup Advantage data protection and data management solution and its role in enabling the most effective use of disk for backup, mirroring and disaster recovery. The cost of disk is diminishing quickly, especially with relation to the cost of tape. However, implementing a D2D backup system does not eliminate tape. It does offer a more efficient method for data management. D2D is more than just faster throughput versus current tape solutions. It s still about managing the data. It s not about the mechanical aspects of backup to disk or backup to tape, it s really about maximizing effective use of all storage types in all locations. Each storage solution is meant for a particular phase in the lifecycle of a piece of critical information. Before crafting an ILM strategy that includes disk-to-disk, take a broader view of your entire data/information landscape. You need answers for many of the following questions to properly assess the value of D2D for your company: What are my perceived data storage or access problems? Why do I think D2D will help me? Do I need local mirroring? Offsite replication? StoneFly, Inc. Page 4 of 10

5 What about my previous storage investment? How will I convert my previously stored data? How about the effect of new regulations for distance between copies of data? What about regulation compliance for information retention? Does my data consist mainly of files and static data or is it dynamic like transactional databases? Do I have enough personnel to do integration and testing for each best of breed solution? By understanding the different aspects of your information storage requirements, you can make informed decisions on how best to store and retrieve that information throughout its useful life. Managing data in this fashion translates data and storage management into a competitive advantage for your company. The following list shows several key factors for designing, implementing and managing ILM solutions: Identify and assess the value of data Safeguard local and remote data Identify data that must be archived for compliance Assure proper and timely access to different types of data throughout the entire life cycle Manage costs Utilize personnel effectively Maximize ROI and streamline infrastructure to improve company bottom line Data protection continues to be a key element of ILM. Gartner Group has said the most costly storage administration task is backup/data protection. Tape expenses have not reduced in cost on par with the reduction in disk prices. In addition, backing up to tape has become more, not less, complex as data volumes continue to grow exponentially. Backup windows have ceased to exist because critical applications must run near continuously. More importantly, downtime is not an option, whether planned or unplanned. Numerous studies have placed down time costs anywhere from $80,000 to $2 million dollars an hour, depending on the industry. Add to this the scarcity of skilled IT personnel, the shrinking capital budgets, the economic uncertainties, the need for each department in every company to reduce costs AND add to the company revenue, it is clear the average IT manager is in quite a dilemma. The following storage layers all play key parts in an ILM strategy: Primary disk (DAS or SAN RAID) Secondary disk (D2D) Tape drives and libraries Archival method that achieves compliance objectives Local and remote versions of each listed above for backup, disaster recovery, remote replication, mirroring, and compliance archives Disk-to-Disk Options Traditional Backup Traditionally data has been stored on disk and backed up to removable media, most commonly magnetic tape cartridges. This has become a tried and true method, perfected by independent software vendors over the last 15 years. Copies of data are backed up to tape for both local and remote storage. StoneFly, Inc. Page 5 of 10

6 Implementing a simple backup and restore software solution without changing the hardware environment doesn t solve the root infrastructure problem. Since most backup software applications require client servers to be backed up one at a time, scheduling backups during non-peak hours (typically between 8:00 pm to 6:00 am) may not provide sufficient time to back up all data on all servers. Moreover, this scenario is not viable for businesses that operate across multiple or international time zones. D2D Backup Solutions So what to do? Backup as much as you can in your backup window? Don t backup? These are not viable options, especially considering the ever-increasing government regulations regarding maintaining copies of data for future compliance needs. To meet the need for faster and higher capacity backup, low cost ATA and Serial-ATA disk devices have surged to the forefront. These D2D disk arrays provide fast access and faster throughput than tape. Some of the benefits of D2D include: Faster restore of data Disks are much faster than tapes, especially when mount and seek times for tape are factored in Disks are random access devices and are optimized for rapid access tapes are sequential and are much slower for random file recalls Disks have multiple read/write heads allowing multiple hosts to access the disk simultaneously Using Serial ATA disk for fast, near-term backup and restore can lower cost of ownership, improve ease of use, and achieve higher performance Maximizes your investment in people, equipment, and infrastructure while minimizing costs and simplifying operations Offloads LAN-attached backups to the IP SAN creating a LAN-free backup environment Replicate backup data to a remote IP SAN to provide effective disaster recovery and rapid business resumption at a minimal cost Solves longstanding problems with tape-based backup, such as performance, recoverability, and manageability, at a price point well within budget Achieves the benefits of disk-to-disk backup, including faster restores, lower labor costs (50% lower according to the Metagroup), lower operating costs, and increased management efficiency Reduces the impact of tape-related failures and human error in handling tapes When looking at a total D2D solution, ask yourself the following questions: 1. Does the solution have the ability to make copies of data from the D2D device to local or remote tape? 2. Does your backup and recovery software support disk-to-disk (some only support tape)? 3. Does the solution provide media management, retention and tracking? 4. Is the data indexed so that single files can be recalled quickly from the tape copies? 5. Does you data management software write to disk as a random access device or does it write to disk as if it were a tape; in a single threaded sequential data stream? Unlike tape, disk has many read/write heads, allowing multiple jobs and multiple read and write commands to be executed simultaneously. StoneFly Backup Advantage provides all these benefits allowing you to effectively maximize your investment. StoneFly, Inc. Page 6 of 10

7 The IP SAN Solution Information Lifecycle Management Using SBA Three trends are making IP SAN-based D2D2T solutions, such as StoneFly Backup Advantage, not only feasible, but also viable for mid-size enterprises and departments of larger corporations. The first is the availability of inexpensive Serial ATA drive, providing low cost disks that can be employed specifically for backup and restore. Second, the iscsi standard (Internet SCSI) allows companies to deploy low-cost IP SANs (Internet Protocol Storage Area Networks) for disk-to-disk backup. Finally, a new generation of backup and restore software that directly supports disk-to-disk backup and restore methods. Additionally, optical storage technologies can be employed instead of tape to meet the new archiving and compliance regulations. Key advantages of IP-based storage include: Its ability to universalize storage networking by putting both message/file and SCSI packet I/O onto the same Ethernet/IP infrastructure (although LAN and SAN generally reside on different networks that are interconnected) Its natural fit within the prevalent IP/Ethernet infrastructures deployed in today s business environments Its support for block storage (opposed to file storage) over widely deployed IP-based networks, allowing easy access to storage over long distances Its use of a familiar networking technology and management, with virtually no additional training and support required Policy-based automatic data migration frees up the D2D storage to hold more short-term copies of data. This automatic migration of data from storage layer to storage layer truly empowers you to micro manage you data storage and maximize the investment in storage devices to help the business bottom line. StoneFly Backup Advantage This section describes the SBA approach and some of its core benefits by providing superior ease of use, management and technical superiority to assist customers in managing their data protection requirements. The SBA platform consists of a set of configurable software modules that let organizations implement true data-centric strategies to manage information across their business. The separation of functions into discreet software modules permits extremely flexible deployment of data movement operations (backup and restore, mirroring, data replication, and disaster recovery) as well as data management functions (Virtualization and SAN management) to match your business needs. SBA consists of the following main components: One Primary Backup Server, providing central management intelligence Two types of server agents that perform the backup and restore operations: o File data agents backup the file systems and are typically linked to an operating system such as Windows 2000 or Windows Server o Application data agents are specific to an application such as MS Exchange or SQL. StoneFly Reflection and StoneFly Replicator mirroring and data replication software A StoneFly Storage Concentrator running StoneFusion, an intelligent networking platform that effectively standardizes message/file and SCSI packet I/O onto an Ethernet/IP network, providing storage management features such as volume management, provisioning, and access control StoneFly, Inc. Page 7 of 10

8 In a StoneFly Backup Advantage IP SAN, the backup server instructs client servers to send backup data to logical volumes presented by the IP SAN over a dedicated Gigabit Ethernet SAN. The IP SAN makes these logical volumes appear as a local disk to each client server. The backup operation is a simple disk copy operation that is performed at disk-todisk speeds. The entire operation is as fast and seamless as writing backup data to a local drive. SBA offers an integrated, modular approach allowing customers to run a full-featured solution or to add components to an installed SBA solution when they need them, at a fraction of the time, effort, training and cost required by separate products. SBA allows IT administrators to create the policies to protect and store data based on access patterns, restore and retention priorities. SBA ILM advantages include: Policy driven data management allows users to automate key functions and provides true interaction between movement and management of data. The SBA solution dramatically reduces administration and provides flexibility for driving site-specific needs and unique data requirements A logical view versus a physical view of all storage resources administered by SBA, which allows fast, easy data access without having to know where the data resides Built in support for local and remote data replication Application client modules, providing unmatched data management capabilities for mission-critical file systems and application data like Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server Management of a virtual storage pool consisting of disk, tape and optical, including management of IP SAN volumes, robotic libraries, and tape media lifecycles Configurable point and click software modules that ensure the product can meet the changing needs of the enterprise as it grows and adapts A key feature of StoneFly Backup Advantage is its ability to make copies of data from any media type to any other media type in any location. Additionally SBA policy based StoneFly, Inc. Page 8 of 10

9 management provides the ability to automatically make these copies. Many solutions do not support copies of data from one media type to an entirely different type, such as from disk to tape. With this support, SBA customers can implement a D2D layer for fast backup and restore and then automatically migrate copies of that data to tape after a specified time period, say 14 days. SBA can also restore from any media, no matter what the original media type. Setting Up Storage Policies for ILM Storage Policies are a fundamental element of the SBA software s logical view of storage resources. Through Storage Policies, all key parameters are defined. Such guidelines include where the data is stored, how long it is retained, the number of copies to create, the location of the copies, the retention of the copies and when to make the additional copies. Once Storage Policies are defined, data is assigned to a Storage Policy for management according to those guidelines. It is easy (point and click) to assign data to a different Storage Policy, changing the way the data is managed. Policies can protect data based on access patterns, restore policies, and retention policies. There is no reconfiguration of hardware, no re-cabling or re-networking to accomplish these changes. It is all handled within the backup software and is derived from the Storage Policy definitions. This feature reduces the cost and complexity faced by many IT shops when setting up and maintaining the infrastructure and management schema for safeguarding the data. Key Automation Features of StoneFly Backup Advantage: Automated movement of data from disk to tape, no manual intervention required Data path traceability enables administrators to more easily discovery and remedy configuration issues for backup, restore, archiving and migration operations Auto Discovery of storage devices by software - removes human intervention o Less chance of incorrect configuration Automatic Default storage policy includes all data - no unprotected data The data aging operation, known as pruning, is a clean-up routine that deletes data after it exceeds its data retention period. This frees up valuable media for reuse and removes unnecessary data that impacts performance or takes up valuable space Seamless policy-based movement to secondary media for long-term retention Individual File Restore With indexed backup software, SBA clients can, for certain applications, restore individual objects instead of being forced to restore entire systems. For Exchange and Lotus Notes, this means the ability to restore that single piece of mail, directly back into the mailbox of the user without causing an inconvenience or data loss to the rest of the users. It is important to note that the restore comes directly from the backup media to the user. With built-in granularity for applications, SBA reduces the downtime and potential cost of not having the data available to the user when it is needed. The simplicity with which these restores occur also significantly reduces the personnel time and cost of doing multi-stage restores with search and discovery of data. Offsite Replication Asynchronous mirroring software supports storage-independent, local or remote, data replication over unlimited distances using iscsi on an Ethernet network. Asynchronous mirroring software used in conjunction with a local and remote IP SAN provides an affordable solution keeping critical data protected and highly available while leveraging existing investments in hardware and personnel. SBA ensures seamless integration between backup and recovery and data replication for disaster recovery. StoneFly, Inc. Page 9 of 10

10 A key component of SBA, StoneFly Replicator includes the following features: Continuously replicates data to a local or remote site to preserve data integrity Synchronization between remote sites for enhanced disaster recovery planning If a failure occurs on the primary system, the software must provide immediate access to business-critical data at a remote site Recovers automatically from network outages Scales to multiple replication sites over any distance Enables data migration to an IP SAN Supports business continuity planning, protecting against site disaster or loss Supports Microsoft Exchange, SQL, and other transactional applications, maintaining coherency on primary and secondary data sets Maximizes data availability to the source files during replication Accelerates data replication to save time and shorten backup windows Allows a Quick Sync between mirrors to minimize replication overhead Supports application scripts and APIs for automatic operation Backup volumes are replicated to a remote site where they can be accessed in the event of a disaster. Additional ILM Features Additional capabilities provided by SBA for ILM, include complete media management, tracking and allocation of all the backup media, management of all the backup devices, including tape drives and automated tape libraries, and extensive reporting features. StoneFly Backup Advantage helps companies not only enhance data backup operations, but it also helps businesses reduce costs significantly by consolidating existing and new disk storage. The SBA IP SAN simply plugs into a business existing Ethernet infrastructure, without requiring proprietary network equipment or specialized personnel training, providing the optimal solution for improving reliability, management and performance. StoneFly, Inc. Page 10 of 10