About configuring storage lifecycle policies for snapshots and snapshot replication
A storage lifecycle policy (SLP) contains instructions in the form of storage operations, to store data. Operations are added to the SLP that determine how the data is stored and copied or replicated. For example, the NetBackup administrator creates an operation that determines where the data exists as a snapshot, as a replication, or as a duplication. The administrator also determines the retention of the data at each storage unit or storage unit group.
An SLP that is configured for snapshots or snapshot replication must contain a specific, hierarchical combination of operations.
See Figure: Figure of four types of operations in this example replication scenario.It represents an SLP for a replication scenario. In the example, the following operations are used:
A Snapshot operation creates a snapshot.
A Replication operation replicates the snapshot to another volume.
A Backup From Snapshot operation creates a tar-formatted backup from the snapshot.
A Duplication operation copies the backup to tape.
Table: Example of a storage lifecycle policy configured for snapshots and snapshot replication describes the four types of operations that are required in this example replication scenario.
Table: Example of a storage lifecycle policy configured for snapshots and snapshot replication
Operation order in SLP | Operation | Description |
|---|---|---|
1 |
| Operation 1 creates a snapshot in the primary storage. The snapshot serves as the source for the other operations in the SLP.
|
2 (Child to operation 1) |
| Operation 2 replicates the snapshot that the first operation created.
Note: <Vendor>_<ReplicationType> is the replication type supported by the storage array vendor. |
3 (Child to operation 2) |
| Operation 3 creates a tar-formatted backup copy of the snapshot.
|
4 (Child to operation 3) | Duplication | Operation 4 makes a duplicate copy from the tar-formatted backup copy. In this example, the copy is duplicated to tape media.
|
After the SLP is configured for different operations, the NetBackup administrator configures a backup policy that points to the snapshot SLP.
The SLP Parameters host properties in the NetBackup Administration Console allow administrators to customize how SLPs are maintained and how SLP jobs run.