Setting Up Tiered Cloud Storage at the File Level

You can configure a reference copy subclient to move backed up files from a primary storage library to cloud storage. This tiered approach is useful if you want to move deleted or archived files to more cost efficient cloud storage for extended retention and keep more recent and active data on higher-performing primary storage. Unlike setting up tiered storage at the dataset level, the setting up tiered storage at the file level moves individual files from the source subclient to the cloud, offering more granular control of your data.

Tiered Cloud Storage Retention Setting Scenarios

With the tiered cloud storage using the reference copy subclient, you create a separate storage policy for the reference copy subclient. With the separate storage policies for the source and reference copy subclients, you can configure different retention settings so that either data copied to cloud storage is immediately deleted from primary storage, or data copied to cloud storage remains on primary storage for a certain amount of time before it is deleted from primary storage. For example:

To delete data copied to the cloud from primary storage, set retention settings on the source subclient storage policy to immediately age data from primary storage after the data has been archived or deleted from the source.
To delete data copied to the cloud after a certain amount of time from primary storage, set retention settings on the source subclient storage policy to age data a few days or cycles after it has been archived or deleted.

For more information about retention settings and data aging, see Data Aging - Overview.

Before You Begin

This procedure assumes that you have already configured a subclient with a primary storage library, such as a disk library, and have performed backups. For more information, see the topics under Quick Start Guide.
You must have created a storage policy that uses a cloud library in your CommCell environment. For instructions, see the following topics:
- Creating a Cloud Storage Library
- Creating a Storage Policy for a Disk Library or Cloud Library
Only subclients that are using Indexing V2 can be configured for tiered cloud storage at the file level. For more information, see Indexing Version 2: Overview.

Procedure

Create a reference copy subclient for tiered cloud storage as follows:

From the CommCell Browser, expand Client Computers > client > File System.
Right-click the appropriate backup set, point to All Tasks, and then click New Advanced Subclient > New Reference Copy Subclient.
In the Subclient Properties dialog box, specify the basic settings for the Reference Copy subclient:
1. In the Subclient Name box, type a name.
Click the Reference Copy Contents tab and specify the content for the Reference Copy subclient.
1. On the Content tab, select an appropriate Backup Start Time.
  
  Data backed up starting at this time that satisfies the applied filters becomes the subclient content.
  
  Note: Once you run a backup on the Reference Copy subclient, you cannot modify the Backup Start Time.
2. Conditional: If you want to copy deleted files from the source subclient, at Content Criteria, click Add > Deleted Object.
  
  Deleted files are copied to the reference subclient as soon as a file is deleted on the source subclient. Deleted files are copied based on the file deletion time; not on the backup time of the deleted file.
3. Conditional: If you want to copy the archived files from the source subclient, at Content Criteria, click Add > Stubbed Object.
  
  Archived files are copied to the reference subclient as soon as a file is stubbed on the source client. Note that both data and stub versions of files are backed up.
  
  Important: For UNIX file systems, the Reference Copy job might fail if the source subclient contains hard links or long paths.
4. Conditional: If you want to copy the files or stubs that have been modified within a specific date range on the source subclient, from the Modified Time list, select the date range.
5. Click the Associations tab and select the subclients you want to associate with the Reference Copy subclient.
  
  The filters specified in the Content tab are applied to the subclients selected here.
6. Click the Preview tab, then View Items to see the data that will be backed up using the associated subclients in the next reference copy job.
Click the Storage Device tab.
1. From the Storage Policy list, select the storage policy configured for cloud storage.
Click OK.

Configure retention settings on the source subclient storage policy and the reference copy subclient storage policy to meet your requirements. For more information, see n, see Tiered Cloud Storage Retention Setting Scenarios.

What to Do Next

After you have configured tiered cloud storage at the file level, run a backup job on the reference copy subclient. For instructions, see Performing a Backup Job on the Reference Copy Subclient.