Oracle's StorageTek Enterprise Library Software (ELS) is a solution consisting of the following base software:
StorageTek Storage Management Component (SMC)
StorageTek Host Software Component (HSC)StorageTek Virtual Tape Control Software (VTCS)
StorageTek Concurrent Disaster Recovery Test (CDRT)
This guide is for StorageTek or customer personnel who are responsible for planning and implementing Disaster Recovery (DR) and offsite data management solutions.
To perform the tasks described in this guide, you should already understand the following:
MSP/EX operating system
JES
Enterprise Library Software (ELS)
ELS Disaster Recovery and Offsite Data Management Guide contains the following:
"Introduction to Disaster Recovery" which is an introduction to and overview of Disaster Recovery solutions.
For offsite data management, see:
"Doing Physical Exports and Imports" is all about using the EXPORT and IMPORT facilities. EXPORT creates portable MVCs at the source site, which you then eject from the source ACS, physically transport them to another site, and use IMPORT to bring them into the target site.
"Configuring a Remote Library" shows a sample configuration with a remote library and information about how to configure it.
"Using Clustered VTSS Configurations" provides everything you wanted to know (and then some) about implementing Clustered VTSSs, including Extended Clustering (3 plus VTSSs per cluster) that is new for ELS 7.0 and above. By itself, Clustered VTSS is not, strictly speaking, a DR solution. Because of the redundancy/backup/distributed capabilities of Clustered VTSS, however, it easily lends itself to DR solutions. For example, I set up Management and Storage Classes so that I make two MVC copies, one at a local site, the other at a remote site. For more information, also see "Clustered VTSS Examples"
For specific DR solutions, see:
"Using Cross-TapePlex Replication in a DR Solution" which describes how to use the Cross-Tapeplex Replication Feature to set up a complete disaster recovery solution for tape data.
"Using the Concurrent Disaster Recovery Test Software" which tells how to use this feature to validate your site's DR solutions. Note that for ELS 7.2, CDRT supports Virtual Library Extension (VLE) 1.0 and above.
"Creating System Recovery Points in VSM Environments" which tells how to implement DR recovery points in a VSM environment.
"Using VLE for Disaster Recovery" which describes using VLE (Virtual Library Extension) as a disaster recovery solution that provides a simplified and non-disruptive method of performing DR testing.
Collectively, all of these chapters discuss methods of moving data from one location to another and managing the data. These processes can be used with other processes for DR/business continuance/business resumption. The ELS Vault feature lets you manage offsite DR and Long Term Retention (LTR) volumes and also manual rack (”floor”) volumes.
So you have a full range of DR and offsite data management solutions. How do you select the best option for your site from these offerings?
The solutions described in ELS Disaster Recovery and Offsite Data Management Guide vary in cost and accompanying benefits, where the general rule of thumb is that higher cost solutions allow faster recovery times or shorter data management cycles. For example, the export/import of MVCs (optionally, using the ELS External Vault Feature) is relatively low cost, but recovery takes time simply because of the need to move MVCs from one site to another.
Cross-TapePlex Replication (CTR), however, is relatively expensive. You need two sites, multiple VTSSs, RTDs and MVCs at both sites, and so forth. CTR uses VTSS Clustering to copy data over FICON or ESCON cluster links directly from a VTSS in one TapePlex to a VTSS in another TapePlex. The data movement (and the metadata movement) is electronic between sites, so backup and recovery potentially occurs much faster than with External Vault.
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