Media Refresh operation enables you to consolidate data on media. Media refresh
might be necessary in the following scenarios:
You wish to consolidate data that is spread across several tapes.
Media
attached to storage policy copies with extended retention rules often result
in partially-used tapes. For example, consider database backups where the data
gets pruned and the transaction logs are retained.
Consolidating the data on these tapes increases the tape utilization as well.
You wish to move the backup contents from an old library to a newer model.
For example, replace a DLT library with an ULTRIUM library.
You wish to replace an old media with a new media, within the same library.
This may be required if you want to copy the data to a new media due to expiration
of media shelf life for compliance purposes.
what Can Be Refreshed
what Cannot Be Refreshed
Tape Media
Disk Media
Active Media
Deduplication-enabled copies configured for silo storage, where
the media refresh settings are applicable to the silo tape storage.
Media Refresh works in conjunction with the Auxiliary Copy feature, as well as
your storage policy copies.
When a media is refreshed, the data on the media is consolidated and copied onto
a fresh media from the scratch pool. The old media is then refreshed and recycled.
You might use this setting if you wish to refresh some media based on specific
requirements while leaving other media undisturbed. You can pick the desired media
for refresh and run/schedule a media refresh job at the copy level. Media selected
for refresh would be picked up by the media refresh job.
Before performing the media refresh operation, you can view the media required
for the refresh job. If the media required for the job is outside the CommCell,
you can recall the media.
Use the following steps to view media qualified for refresh in a Storage Policy/Storage
Policy Copy.
From the CommCell Console, navigate to Policies | Storage
Policies.
Right-click the desired <Storage_Policy> or
<Storage_Policy_Copy>, point to View and then click
Media for Refresh.
The Media for Refresh dialog displays the media qualified
for refresh for the Storage Policy/Storage Policy Copy.
Use the following steps to schedule the media refresh job.
From the CommCell Console, navigate to Policies | Storage
Policies.
Right-click the desired <Storage_Policy>, point to
All Tasks and then click Run Media Refresh.
From the Copy Selection area, select All Copies option
to run the job on all copies or select Select A Copy option and
then select storage policy copy from the list.
Select the Start New Media check box, to use a new media
for the job.
Select the Mark Media Full On Success check box, to seal
the media after the refresh job.
Click the Job Initiation tab.
Click Schedule option.
Click the Configure button.
Select the appropriate scheduling options.
For example, use the
following steps to create a weekly schedule:
Type a name for the schedule in the Schedule Name box.
Click Weekly.
In the Start Time box type or select the schedule start
time.
Use the following steps to refresh media based on the media capacity used.
When the media refresh job is run, media that meets the refresh criteria is picked
up for refresh and the data is consolidated and moved to fresh media available in
the scratch pool. Note that though the data is moved to new media, the copy configuration
remains the same.
From the CommCell Console, navigate to Policies | Storage
Policies | <Storage_Policy>.
Right-click the Primary copy and
then click Properties.
Click the Media tab.
Select Enable Media Refresh check box.
By default, the Media gets refreshed with the below two criteria:
Months after the media were written - Media that were not written
to in the specified number of months will be picked up for refresh.
Months before the media is aged - Media with specified number
of months or more before aging will be picked up for refresh.
Select % or less of media capacity is used check box and
type the percentage of media capacity that needs to be used before
it is picked up for refresh.
Use the following steps to refresh media based on the media expiration threshold
parameters.
From the CommCell Console, navigate to Policies | Storage
Policies | <Storage_Policy>.
Right-click the Primary copy and
then click Properties.
Click the Media tab.
Select Enable Media Refresh check box.
By default, the Media gets refreshed with the below two criteria:
Months after the media were written - Media that were not written
to in the specified number of months will be picked up for refresh.
Months before the media is aged - Media with specified number
of months or more before aging will be picked up for refresh.
Select media retirement threshold is exceeded check box to
refresh media that exceeds the retirement threshold.
Click OK.
The media will be refresh based on the threshold
parameters. See
Media Expiration Threshold Parameters for various types of media
events for each media.
If you wish to recall media from exported location which is outside the library
and bring it back to the library for required operation like restore.
Use the following steps to recall the media for refresh.
From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Storage Resources |
<Tape Library> | Media By Location | Media In Library.
In the Media In Library window displayed in the right-pane,
select and right-click the media and then click Recall Media.
In the Recall Media dialog box, select one of the following
options:
Infinite: Select this option if you cannot anticipate
the length of time the recalled media will need to remain in the
source location.
Select a Date: Select this option if you are certain
of the amount of time the recalled media will need to remain in
the source location.
Click the Destination tab.
Select Track Transit check box and then select transit location
from the list to track the transit information.
From the Destination area, select Library option and then
select library from the list.
Select Acknowledge the action as Reached Destination automatically
check box if you wish to acknowledge the recalled media's action as
reached destination.
In a shared library configuration, you can select the source MediaAgent to perform
the read operation for the refresh job. All configured MediaAgents are displayed
as options for the source MediaAgent. Select a MediaAgent that is configured with
the storage policy copies. If an invalid MediaAgent is selected, the job might fail.
Use the following steps to refresh media with a specified source mediaagent.
From the CommCell Console, navigate to Policies | Storage
Policies.
Right-click the desired <Storage_Policy>, point to
All Tasks and then click Run Media Refresh.
From the Copy Selection areas, select All Copies option
to run the job on all copies or select Select A Copy option and
then select storage policy copy from the list.
If you wish to use a specific MediaAgent for the job, select the
Select Source MediaAgent check box, and then select a MediaAgent
from the list.
Note that the storage policy copy must be configured
with a shared library and accessible by the selected MediaAgent.
Select the Start New Media check box, to use a new media
for the job.
Select the Mark Media Full On Success check box, to seal
the media after the refresh job.
If you wish to refresh the media, and create an additional copy of the data at
the same time, then you can use deferred auxiliary copy. The deferred auxiliary
copy creates an auxiliary copy at future date (as set), which consolidates the data
and creates an additional copy of the backup. This helps to ensure proper maintenance
of media, providing extra protection in the event of data loss.
This procedure requires the storage policy's primary and secondary copies to
be already created. Refer to the following for additional details regarding the
possible Media Refresh scenarios.
To replace media based on its shelf life
Create another secondary copy with the auxiliary copy source pointing
to the original storage policy copy, and specify the number of days to defer
the auxiliary copy (on the secondary copy). The number of days to
defer the copy is equivalent to the time remaining until the media exceeds
its shelf life.
To change the media type
Create another secondary copy with the auxiliary copy source pointing
to the original storage policy copy.
To consolidate the media
Specify the number of days to defer the Auxiliary Copy (on the secondary
copy).
When refreshing media, if the source of the auxiliary copy is a synchronous copy,
the new
copy can be a selective or synchronous copy. However, if the source
of the auxiliary
copy is a selective copy, the new copy must be a selective copy also.
From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Policies | Storage Policies
| <Storage_Policy>.
Right-click <storage_policy> for which you want to
refresh the media, point to All Tasks and then click Create
New Copy.
Specify name in Copy Name.
Select Defer Auxiliary Copy for n day(s) box and then
type or select the number of days to defer the Auxiliary Copy.
It is not necessary to complete this task
if you are changing the media type.
Click the Copy Policy tab.
In the Specify Source for Auxiliary Copy list box.
Select
the source, which must be the original secondary storage policy copy,
It is not necessary to complete this task
if you are consolidating the media.
Complete configuring the New Copy as you would any other
secondary storage policy copy.
The Media Prediction Report specifies whether a media is marked for refresh.
The report can also be generated for media that are to be refreshed in a certain
number of days.
The following procedure provides the steps necessary to run a Media Prediction
Report:
From the CommCell Browser, click Tools -> Reports...
From the Reports pane, select Media Prediction and then click
Run.
