In this article we’ll go through an overview of the HPE StoreOnce Catalyst Stores. The HPE StoreOnce Catalyst Stores offer very nice features like the ability for Backup applications to backup data to target directly StoreOnce appliances with the option to decide where the de-duplication should occur. Either on the Media Server or directly on the HPE StoreOnce Backup system. If de-duplication occurs on the media server, only unique data is sent to the HPE StoreOnce. Backup system and a low bandwidth network link is adequate. If the media server sends all the data and de-duplication is carried out on the HP StoreOnce Backup system, a high bandwidth network link is required. It is often faster to de-duplicate on the media server due to the combined CPU power of multiple media servers and reduced network traffic. However,
actual performance varies depending upon the data and disk I/O speeds.
In addition it is also possible for Backup Applications to copy Backup jobs between HPE StoreOnce Catalyst Stores on different appliances. all configurations are controlled by the Backup application itself making this an attractive alternative option to using the Replication function between HPE StoreOnce appliances themselves.
The other major benefit is that Backup Copy jobs are completely independent from the original Backup Job chain and can have different restore points according to different needs and requirements.
Other benefits include:
- the Backup application is in full control of the Backup Data and its Full life-cycle
- the Backup application has full visibility of all items and jobs on the HPE StoreOnce appliances
- de-duplication can occur either on Source or Target components
- there is no enforced limit on the number of items for Catalyst Store
- easier space reclamation when using Catalyst Stores device types
Catalyst Stores require a separate license. Good news is this license is included in the free 1TB trial. StoreOnce Catalyst object types include different targets like: VTL, NAS Shares, Replication and Stores.
So let’s take a look at the steps on how to create our first Catalyst Store to use for example as target for Veeam Backup Copy Jobs.
HPE StoreOnce Catalyst configuration
From the left panel in the StoreOnce section we’ll find the StoreOnce Catalyst menu. As a first thing we need to take a look at main setting from where we can monitor the overall status. This includes the the stats about the network throughput and bandwidth for Backup Jobs and Backup Copy Jobs sessions.
In the settings tab we have the option to enable the Client Access Permission Checking. By default it is not in use. This means all Backup Clients connecting to HPE StoreOnce have full visibility of all active Stores. Of course we can also dictate which Clients are allowed to connect to which Catalyst Stores.
If we want to enable this feature than we need to enable this option now.
From the Clients tab we can specify the Backup applications Clients names along with the desired permissions. In order for this feature to work the Backup application needs to support this feature. The Backup Client should also report the Client ID to use with HPE StoreOnce.
The Blackout Windows refers to the option of overriding Backup and Backup Copy Jobs during specific times. This is very helpful when saving resources and avoiding outbound copy jobs to happen at some intervals.
In the Bandwidth Limiting Windows tab we can configure the amount of bandwidth that should be used on specific days.
From the screenshot below we can set the thresholds as well for the WAN Speed should we want to replicate Data to HPE StoreOnce appliances geographically distant.
Create HPE StoreOnce Catalyst Store
At this point we are ready to create our first HPE StoreOnce Catalyst Store using the Create button on the top right corner of the screen. In this case we can only see the first tab about the basic Catalyst Store settings as in the screenshot below.
Let’s provide a name and a description. We can also set the number of days for data and job retention. Very interestingly from this page we can set the Transfer Policy. Depending on the environment we can choose between Low and High Bandwidth according to the current deployment and if traversing the Public Network to reach a secondary StoreOne appliance with Replication jobs.
For each Catalyst Store we can define the Physical and Logical Data Size quota. Let’s assume we want to create multiple Store we can define these thresholds accordingly.
In particular with Physical Data Size we determine the maximum amount of data that can be written to the Store after de-Duplication. When the quota reaches the threshold the Backup Jobs will fail to write new data.
With Logical Data Size we determine the maximum amount of data that can be written to the Store before de-Duplication occurs.
In both cases when capacity management is required it is possible to reroute the Backup data to another StoreOnce appliance or postpone the Backup Job before failing.
To complete this step let’s hit on Create to proceed to the next steps.
Now that the Catalyst Store has been created we can now take a look at the Store details. In the Permission tab we can control which Client has access. The type of access is defined in the general section of the StoreOnce catalyst as shown before.
The remaining tabs provide an overview of searchable objects divided by category: Data Jobs, Outbound Copy Jobs and Inbound Copy Jobs.
This concludes a quick overview on how to create an HPE StoreOnce Catalyst Store. We can create multiple Stores for different needs. I will share more information on this and best practices in a separate article. As next steps we’ll review the configuration on how to create Virtual Tape Libraries (VTL) as StoreOnce Catalyst targets we can use to store our Backups. Also an article covering the steps to integrate Veeam Backup & Replication with HPE StoreOnce appliance.
This will give us the opportunity to test in our home lab Backup Jobs and Backup Copy Jobs with the benefit of de-duplication feature and a lot more. In addition the option to leverage the built-in Tape emulation inside HPE StoreOnce configure our Backups retention using the Grandfather-Father-Son scheme (GFS).
Looking forward to comments and feedback!