ADSM-L

Re: [ADSM-L] Database move

2007-11-08 19:57:54
Subject: Re: [ADSM-L] Database move
From: Paul Zarnowski <psz1 AT CORNELL DOT EDU>
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2007 19:58:40 -0500
At 01:39 PM 11/8/2007, Dwight Cook wrote:
if your media is portable to your new platform, you should be able to just
export/import your data base...
then modify your library definition to point to the new device
definition...
put in new drive definitions...
and you are back in business...

It would be great if you could do this with TSM, but you can't.  This is
what I am asking for.  I have done this when migrating from one pSeries
server to another, but you cannot do this when switching server platforms.

At 01:11 PM 11/8/2007, Nicholas Cassimatis wrote:
You've got to ask if it's reasonable to expect to be able to be running the
same system in 25 years as you are now.  Consider this - many people aren't
using the same tape technology they were 5 years ago!  And there's more
layers after that - should you be able to provide the data, will there be
an application available to use it?  And an OS that will run the
application?  And a machine that will run the OS?

Nicholas - I think you're missing the point.  TSM has already solved most
of the issues that you've identified.  It can already easily migrate data
from one tape technology to another.  No need to worry about keeping old
media reading devices around for years.  It's easy to migrate your server
from one generation to the next, without moving all of your data, so long
as the OS doesn't change.  The only missing links are:

1. Changing OS platforms
2. TSM end-of-life as a product

It's the first of those that I am addressing.  It would be very valuable
(IMHO) if I could export my database from one OS, import it onto a new OS,
and have it point to all the same tape media.  All that would be needed to
do this would be some sort of shim (translator) that would allow TSM to
read tapes created on another platform.  It would be sufficient if it could
just provide readonly access.  readwrite isn't that important.  The
challenge here is to accomplish this transition in a short time period, so
that you don't disrupt your normal daily operational environment.

As for the second item (TSM end-of-life), this is a larger problem that
archivists continually struggle with.  There are many proposed solutions to
this, but the most viable long-term media continues to be archival quality
paper.  All I can say to this concern is, when and if this happens, you
will have to move all of your data out of TSM and into the next
solution.  This doesn't mean that solving the "OS transition" problem is
any less valuable.

TSM can easily move data from one storage medium to another.  What I'm
looking for is a way to move the meta-data and data from one OS platform to
another.

..Paul


--
Paul Zarnowski                            Ph: 607-255-4757
Manager, Storage Services                 Fx: 607-255-8521
719 Rhodes Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-3801    Em: psz1 AT cornell DOT edu

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