Enterprise Vault 10 Feature Briefing

Transcription

1 Enterprise Vault 10 Feature Briefing Nirvanix Cloud Storage This document is one of a set of Feature Briefings which detail major new or changed features in Enterprise Vault 10. This document covers the introduction of the option to migrate archived data to the Nirvanix Storage Delivery Network. If you have any feedback or questions about this document please them to EV-TFE-Feedback@symantec.com stating the document title. This document is provided for informational purposes only. All warranties relating to the information in this document, either express or implied, are disclaimed to the maximum extent allowed by law. The information in this document is subject to change without notice. Copyright 2011 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved. Symantec, the Symantec logo and Enterprise Vault are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

2 Feature Description The Enterprise Vault Cloud Storage for Nirvanix allows users of Enterprise Vault version 10 to migrate information to the Nirvanix Storage Delivery Network (SDN). The solution is designed to allow the administrator to configure cloud storage as a secondary tier in their archiving platform for Vault Store information. This allows the administrator to configure migration of archived information based on age to cloud storage and set a time period after which archived information is removed from the primary storage location. Note: The solution provides the capability to migrate Vault Store data to the cloud and is not designed for storage of the database or index information. Business Value An administrator may wish to leverage cloud storage as a secondary tier in their archiving platform as a means to leverage low cost storage for infrequently accessed information. There are times in the archiving lifecycle where some information may be kept for purposes of retention, but not accessed all that often in day-to-day use. This may include information that has been archived from File Servers, SharePoint, Public Folders and other data sources. Some of this information may have been archived to address storage growth in the environment, and is currently stored on NAS or SAN. The archived information may be from closed projects, employees that are no longer with the company or from data sources that are not frequently accessed. Often times this information is in cold storage and therefore taking up space on primary storage. In order to free up space for more frequently accessed information to be archived, the customer may wish to move older archived data to less costly storage thus freeing up space on primary storage without to avoid adding hardware in the data center. Table 1 shows which Enterprise Vault 10 functions are supported using Cloud Storage from Nirvanix. Enterprise Vault 10 Feature Supported Notes Exchange Public Folder Archiving Yes (Note 1) PST Migration Yes (Note 1) File Server Archiving Yes (Note 1) SharePoint Archiving Yes (Note 1) Note 1 - The administrator must consider the impact associated to the user as Cloud Storage will be slower by nature depending on the network latency of the connection. Understanding the nature of the information being sent to Cloud Storage will dictate the type of information which would be best suited for Cloud as a target. Exchange Server Journaling Lotus Domino Server Journaling (Note 2) (Note 2) Note 2 - The current configuration allows the administrator to configure Cloud Storage as a target, however Journaling information is leveraged in ediscovery and therefore it is not recommended to leverage Cloud Storage as a location for Journal information Exchange Mailbox Archiving Lotus Domino Mailbox Archiving (Note 3) (Note 3) Note 3 -The current configuration allows the administrator to migrate information to cloud based storage, however it is not recommended to migrate frequently accessed information to Cloud Based storage as the user may be negatively impacted due to latency Table 1 - Supported Features Page 1

3 Underlying Principles: How It Works Symantec Enterprise Vault leverages the streamer API to access a plug-in which leverage the Open Storage Technology (OST) layer that is also used in NetBackup as well as Backup Exec. The common layer allows these data protection product offerings to speak with various storage technologies and manage the target as though it were part of Enterprise Vault. In this particular case, the API has been utilized to create a plug-in that is designed to migrate information to the Nirvanix Cloud Storage API. Figure 1 Enterprise Vault 10.0 Cloud Storage for Nirvanix architecture Test Drive Nirvanix Cloud Storage can now be configured directly though the Vault Administration Console (VAC) by selecting properties on the Vault Store Partition from which the administrator would like to migrate information. The customer is required to configure an account with Nirvanix prior to configuring migration of Enterprise Vault information. The customer can contact Nirvanix through the following link: Once storage is provisioned through Nirvanix, the Enterprise Vault Administrator is then able to select and configure the location to which they would like to migrate data. Upon selecting the Nirvanix Storage Delivery Network option the administrator is prompted to configure the target as well as the interval at which to migrate information. The administrator is also to configure when to remove information from the primary storage location, allowing them to use Cloud Storage as a tier in their archiving platform. The administrator can also select various configuration parameters such as whether to leverage SSL to communicate to the Nirvanix SDN, as shown in Figure 2. Page 2

4 Figure 2 - Vault Store Partition Properties Licensing and support considerations Cloud Storage Limitations The customer needs to understand that information stored in the Cloud Storage will have latency in various different ways: Network Latency Information stored to cloud storage will be effected by latency in the network layer. This will be impacted by the location of the storage, latency of the associated network connected to the storage as well as contention with other data going over the network to the storage. Note: Data transfer rates will be impacted in the event Enterprise Vault is attempting to connect to the Nirvanix SDN via a node that is not in the local region. For best performance it is recommended to configure Enterprise Vault to connect to the SDN via the node closest to the Enterprise Vault Server. The default container size for the CAB Files created by Enterprise Vault archive is set to 10MB by default. It has been determined based on testing that this is the most effective size for data transfer and should not be modified without consulting Enterprise Vault Support. ediscovery While cloud storage supports bulk transfer of information, associated latency and retransmits may impact large data transfers, the customer needs to understand large ediscovery requests may be impacted in the event a large data set is being retrieved from cloud based storage. Page 3

5 SEC 17-a4 Compliant Storage Nirvanix Cloud Storage is not currently a WORM (Write Once Read Many) device, therefore those looking to cloud storage to comply with SEC 17a-4 regulations should not leverage the solution for information which is required to meet this requirement. Mailbox Archiving The cloud storage solution allows the customer to store any information to the Nirvanix SDN. The customer should consider whether mailbox archive information should be transferred to the cloud, as the user impact may be noticeable in the event a user is recalling information from the cloud or synchronizing information via Virtual Vault, depending on the network latency associated with the connection to the Nirvanix data center. Page 4

6 About Symantec: Symantec is a global leader in providing storage, security and systems management solutions to help consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world. Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. For specific country offices and contact numbers, please visit our Web site: Symantec Corporation World Headquarters 350 Ellis Street Mountain View, CA USA +1 (650) (800) Copyright 2011 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved. Symantec and the Symantec logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.