Welcome to our HSM Software web site. Data Archiving, ILM (Information Lifecycle Management) and (Hierarchical Storage Management) HSM Software all do a similar thing, they provides the user with scalable and flexible storage that can encompass RAID arrays, optical jukeboxes and tape storage. The basic principal of the software is the data is automatically migrated from RAID to optical or tape storage or all storage technologies. The user is unaware of this process and can still access information from secondary storage, albeit with a slight delay depending on the storage medium the data resides.
With Information Lifecycle Management, the software tracks the life cycle of all files from creation to destruction and manages the history of where the file has been sent, copied or changed. This provides a complete audit path for data that needs to meet compliance legislation.
Traditionally information has been stored on magnetic media, typically in a RAID system. This provides a level of redundancy and fast access to information. On most RAID systems only about 20% of this information is active, the remaining 80% infrequently accessed. When the RAID system becomes full the IT manager has some options to choose:
Install new hard disks - This creates a problem the server needs to be taken off-line whilst the new disks are added formatted and partitioned.
Archive the information - The problem when Archiving information is what are you actually going to archive? Do you send round a memo asking people to let you know what files they frequently use or access? The answer is NO! So this is an ineffective way of moving files.
Just delete or copy files to tape and keep a copy - This is great if no one wanted to access old information, but in the real world, people will always want to refer to an aged document.
By having RAID systems with data that is infrequently accessed, makes them inefficient and causes tape backup systems to use more tape than necessary which might cause problems in a disaster or file recovery problems. In addition to this unnecessary wear and tear on the tape drives by backing up the same old files every night.
File Explosion
With the Data Storage explosion happening file archiving is becoming a major problem for many IT departments. When infrequently accessed files are stored, they consume ever increasing amounts of storage space and cause daily backups to increase.
We all know disk is cheap but management costs 5-10 times that of the storage. Over 80% of this information has not been accessed for over 90 days and 60% of that data will never be accessed again. The environmental costs associated with storing data on RAID arrays is huge as spinning disks need to keep running 7x24.
Therefore a more reliable and efficient way to store archive data needs to be considered.
Data Archiving Considerations
Data Archiving moves the files from expensive disk storage to less a expensive media, but allows information to be always available. In effect, the system makes all secondary storage devices available as an extension of the primary storage infrastructure. Even though the files are removed from primary storage, navigation and recovery of the archived data is transparent to the user, who uses the same tools to access the archived data as they would for their normal online files.
For business, legal, and regulatory requirements, the data must be available for many years or even decades. Thus, longevity of the media, drive technology, and data file systems must be weighed when designing the archiving system.
Data Compliance and Regulations
Data can be both an asset and a liability. Depending on external or internal compliance regulations, files such as e-mails, .doc, .xls, .ppt, . jpg etc, might need to be archived for a specified period, other data might need to be deleted. Clearly a Data Archiving system needs to flexible to allow for both compliance regulations and individual requirements of the organisation. The data retention rules for the files must be flexible enough to allow for the files to be migrated to key storage media and deleted, when they are no longer required.
Compliance is not just a function of data retention. It is also a function of data privacy and data audibility. A compliant archive protects files from unauthorised access and at the same time, monitors and records in an audit trail all authorised access and movement of files in the archive.
Time Management
Data Archiving rules and retention periods must be clearly defined. Otherwise the administrators of the system will forever be defining file policies, data retention periods and file migration rules to secondary storage. The system needs to be fully automated in design, once the departmental heads have defined which servers, drives, and directories the policies will be applied to, these schedules are set, the policies should run unattended… literally “set and forget”.
Should there be a need for intervention, the administrator is automatically notified.
Secondary Storage Support
A fully integrated HSM solution makes use of any device and media type across the network for data storage. These include disks, tape libraries, optical jukeboxes, or any combinations thereof. The HSM software maintains a full catalogue of available devices and media, while also keeping track of media already in use.
Given this “map” of the infrastructure and the availability of media, HSM software uses its built in intelligence to determine which media/device to use. If ever a device is not available, file archiving system will use an alternative. The HSM software also provides complete robot management facilities for automated use of most standard storage devices. The facility to move archived files from the primary site to a secondary DR site should also be a consideration when looking at a suitable HSM solution.
Data Access and Security
The HSM software system must provide a comprehensive database that stores META data related to all archived files. The HSM database must provide an audit trail of activity for security and management purposes, as well as an index of files for easy data navigation, access, and recovery.
The HSM database must manages file access privileges, ensuring that data is protected according to
the security and access rights of the original file, so that only authorised users can access and recover copies of the archived file. These security facilities ensure that users can only access data that they were originally authorised to view within the online file system. Administrators with appropriate privileges can manage and navigate files across the entire archive, recovering data as required.
Transparent Access to the Archive
With file an effective file archiving system, administrators and users can view and/or retrieve archived files using the standard Windows Explorer interface. This means that they can navigate the archive as easily as their normal online files. The archive file structure is an exact mirror of the original file system directories.
QStar software - The Secure Archival Specialists
QStar Provides Solutions to the Most Challenging Network Storage Needs
QStar Technologies is a leading storage management software company that provides sophisticated, large-scale archive and data protection solutions for UNIX, Linux, and Windows operating systems. QStar provides solutions that allow businesses at every level to organise information within heterogeneous networks.
The world's leading companies increasingly rely on QStar for the secure, cost effective and reliable storage of their critical data.
