Storage optimization rule prerequisites and logic

Simply enabling a rule does not guarantee that relevant data will be collected. The following table lists prerequisites and dependencies for successful reporting. For an overview of each rule, refer to the following.

See Configure Storage Optimization rules.

Table: Storage optimization rule prerequisites and logic

Storage Optimization Rule	Prerequisites	Rule Processing Logic
Cloud Rules and Logic
AWS Orphan Snapshots	AWS EC2 snapshot data must be collected Collected snapshots do not have EC2 instances	Checks if a corresponding EC2 instance is found Rule parameters are used to exclude small volumes, new snapshots, and snapshots with specific states
AWS Orphan Volumes	AWS EC2 volumes without snapshots must be collected Collected volumes do not have EC2 instances	Checks if a corresponding EC2 instance is found Checks if a corresponding EC2 Snapshot is found Rule parameters are used to exclude small volumes and new volumes so that it can ignore volumes that have been orphaned for only a few days
Data Protection Rules and Logic
Data Domain Compression	NetBackup data must be collected Data Domain Inventory and file-level compression data must be collected within the last 30 days	Rule parameters are used to exclude new clients, small capacity, and high compression ratios because low compression ratios can be used to identify optimization opportunities Note: Initial backups may have only a small system effective compression ratio
High Backup Retention Jobs	Backup jobs must be collected. Collected jobs must be backup events with a status of success or warning, and cannot be expired.	Rule parameters are used to exclude small jobs, and jobs with low backup retention
Sources Backed Up by Multiple Servers	Backup jobs must be collected.	Rule parameter is used to include jobs that finish within last few days.
File Analytics Rules and Logic
Inactive Large Files	File Analytics data must be collected	Rule parameters are used to include/exclude host and file types; specify size of small files to exclude and the number of days for active files User must determine if an old large file can offer reclaimable space, based on the last access date
File Type Usage	File Analytics data must be collected	Rule parameters are used to include/exclude host and file types; exclude file types with small number of files and consumed storage
Storage Rules and Logic
Inactive LUNs	LUN data must be collected LUN performance data must be collected to determine if I/O activity occurred within the days specified in the rule parameters File systems discovered: mount points and file system names collected	Excludes internal LUNs, such as RDFs (EMC Symmetrix remote data facility) Checks if the LUN has a storage path Checks the LUN creation date in order to exclude new LUNs Rule parameters are used to include/exclude new LUNs, thin-provisioned LUNs, small LUNs, and specified RAID types
Overprovisioned Hosts	Array LUN data must be collected Host Inventory or VMware data must be collected. Host and file systems discovered and in use: mount points and file system names collected Only SAN storage is supported	Checks if the LUN has a storage path Checks file system activity for no used capacity growth in the last 90 days Excludes internal LUNs, such as RDFs (EMC Symmetrix remote data facility) Rule parameters are used to include/exclude thin-provisioned LUNs, small file systems, and low available space Greater precision can be achieved if LUN performance data is collected to determine if there was any read I/O, even when usage has not grown Best Practice: Use a small growth rate percentage to isolate overprovisioned hosts
Unallocated LUNs	Array LUN data must be collected	Excludes internal LUNs, such as RDFs (EMC Symmetrix remote data facility) Checks that no storage path exists for the LUN Rule parameters are used to include/exclude new LUNs, thin-provisioned LUNs, small LUNs, and specified RAID types
Undiscovered LUNs	Array LUN data must be collected	Excludes internal LUNs, such as RDFs (EMC Symmetrix remote data facility) Checks if the LUN has a storage path Rule parameters are used to include/exclude new LUNs, thin-provisioned LUNs, small LUNs, and specified RAID types Greater precision can be achieved if VMware or Host Inventory data is collected (to verify that no hosts have been discovered) and if LUN performance data is collected
Unused LUNs	Array LUN data must be collected Host Inventory or VMware data must be collected	Excludes internal LUNs, such as RDFs (EMC Symmetrix remote data facility) Checks if the LUN has a storage path Checks that no file systems have been discovered Rule parameters are used to include/exclude new LUNs, thin-provisioned LUNs, small LUNs, and specified RAID types Greater precision can be achieved if LUN I/O performance data is collected
Virtualization Rules and Logic
Non-VM Files	VMware Inventory data must be collected Datastore Scan data must be collected	Rule parameters are used to exclude small and/or recently modified files and specific file types
VM Aged Snapshots	VMware Inventory data must be collected Datastore Scan data must be collected	Rule parameters are used to exclude small files and new snapshots (based on creation date)
VM Low CPU	VMware Inventory data must be collected	Examines CPU performance statistics for the last 24 hours 0% CPU usage treated as an idle machine Rule parameters are used to exclude small VM guests and include low CPU usage
VM Not in VM Inventory	VMware Inventory data must be collected Datastore Scan data must be collected	Checks if VM files have been discovered Rule parameters are used to exclude small and/or recently modified files and specific file types
VM Powered Off	VMware Inventory data must be collected	Checks if VM guest is off Rule parameters are used to exclude small VM guests and VM guest recently powered off
VM Undiscovered Disks	VMware Inventory data must be collected	Checks if VM guest is on and state is running Rule parameters are used to exclude small VM guests and include low virtual disk usage Greater precision can be achieved if VM performance data is collected Best Practice: To identify unused, wasted disk space, enter a high value for the Include Low Virtual Disk % parameter

Storage optimization rule prerequisites and logic

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