Coppying only active backups to copypool

[avinim8]

Hi guys,
As far as I know, when backing up stg pools to copy pool, all data is being copied (active + inactive files). from now on, every time the "backup stg" command is being issued to this stgpool, only the deltas are being copied from the primary to copypool.

1. Am I right? will it always copy all versions of backup?
2. Is it possible to copy only active versions of data to copy pools and not the whole data (I want to copy data without copying all versions, but only the active version).
3. Is data that has been expired from the primary pool also expires on the copy pool?
4. How many copy pools can be configured to one primary pool?

My management wants to have a copy pool once a month to a specific pool and send it offsite, but we don't want to copy all data each time, we only want to copy the active versions of backups (kind of point in time copy pool).

anyone?

Thank you,
Avi

 

[BBB]

1. Yes. Only deltas will be copied
2. Not for a copypool. But there is a new type of pool called an active data pool. Its a lot like a copypool, except it only contains active data. This is probably what you want.
3. Yes anything that is expired from primary is simultaneously deleted from all copypools.
4. As many as you want, within reason I guess. There is an overhead associated with each copy you have in a copypool.

 

[JohanW]

My management wants to have a copy pool once a month to a specific pool and send it offsite, but we don't want to copy all data each time, we only want to copy the active versions of backups (kind of point in time copy pool).

DRM, monthly, over an active data pool. Easy.

The hard part will be convincing them they are responsible for losing up to a month worth of work after a disaster, because of the choice they made. TSM makes it easy to lose no more than up to a day, and I think you should point that out to management.

 

[avinim8]

Thank you guys for the quick answers
One more question please...
If I start using active data pool, it means that every day, my backups will be stored on this pool (probably disk pool, right?).
1. So once data had been stored on this pool, what happens on the next backup?
2. The new version of files is being stored on the active pool? What happens to the inactive version? 3. Does TSM moves it to another pool?
4. Actually, an active pool can contain files from both last backup (recently changed) and first backup (never changed)?

Thanks

 

[BBB]

No, your backups have to go to a normal primary storage pool first.

Think of an active data pool as being like a copypool, only with no inactive files in it.

So as well as using "backup stgpool" to copy data from your primary pools to your copypool, you will also use "copy activedata" command to copy data from your primary pool to your active data pool. At this point new active files are copied.

Re question 4, yes an active data pool can have files from last night and also many nights ago - as long as the files are still active.

 

[avinim8]

What happens on the second day when I issue the "copy activedaata" command?
Will the new active data reside together with yesterdays data? or will the inactive versions deleted from this pool?

 

[BBB]

I'm not really sure when inactive files are deleted from the active data pool. I suspect its when they are deactivated during a backup client session. After that you have to run reclamation to actually get the space back though.

Also, note you can have data simultaneously stored into the active data pool during client backups by updating the primary storage pool's activedatapool parameter. This means when you run "copy activedata", it will have little to do as most of the data should already be in the active data pool.

 

[avinim8]

OK, thanks BBB