Well, he's a little off, but there are replication techologies that work:
To "continue seamlessly on without a TSM server", you are talking about
replicating the client's LIVE data, not its backups. Check into the
replication capabilities of the DS8000; and you are correct you can also do
that with an SVC; the advantage of the SVC is that you can replicate between
unlike hardware.
There are other ways to do it as well. There is a software product called
Double-Take that is an excellent way of replicating data bases & major
applications; it gives you the ability to back out logical errors, as well
as recover from a disk failure or facility disaster.
If you want to replicate backups, that's a different issue, and you will
always need a TSM server. There are several virtual tape libraries on the
market that have replication capabilities. You have TSM write the
backups to a VTL, the VTL sends the data to a 2nd VTL via TCP/IP. In case
of a disaster, you bring up your TSM server at the alternate site, which is
connected to the 2nd VTL, and you can start restoring (to ....what? in a
facility disaster, if you lose the DS8000, you've lost the attached clients
as well... ) And do you really want to replicate ALL your backup versions,
or just the live data?
First make your boss clarify what problem he's trying to solve.
If he's just worried about losing the DS8000, there are plenty of mirroring
capabilities within the box.
If he's trying to create a DR strategy, and you need recovery in 4 hours or
less, you should be using replication.
And then there are issues of how long it takes to do the replication, which
involves how much bandwidth you have and how much you are willing to pay for
it.
Over short distances, (like to another building) you can replicate data in
real time if you have fibre connectivity. Over long distances, first look
at a product like Double-Take.
You can also replicate long distance with hardware, but it gets complicated
and expensive. (Because you have to insure that logical groups of data,
like a data base and its journal, are replicated together, in proper order,
and that the replication is complete before you need to use that logical
construct in a DR situation.)
OTOH, if what you are trying to do is just get out of the business of moving
tapes physically to your vault, then a replicating VTL is the way to go.
That's an oversimplified version, but it should get you pointed in the right
direction.
On 2/15/08, Nancy R. Brizuela <Brizuela AT uwyo DOT edu> wrote:
>
> All,
>
> Does TSM have the ability to make a mirror copy of a client's data in a
> SAN environment? For instance can it copy from, say a DS8000 to iSCSI
> storage (both on a SAN), such that we could just disconnect the client
> from the DS8000 and point it to the iSCSI storage. Then, upon reboot,
> the client would seamlessly continue on, without the need for a TSM
> server for the recovery?
>
> My boss seems to think this is possible, but I'm thinking we would need
> some other software besides TSM, such as SAN Volume Controller. Anyone
> doing something like this, if so, how?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Nancy Brizuela, CPA
> Systems Programmer, Senior
> University of Wyoming
> IBM/Unix Systems Group
> Ivinson Room 238
> (307)766-2958
>
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