Windows Migration Tool for Hierarchical Storage Management?

A not-so Anonymous Coward would like to bring this query to your attention: "The company I work for is in the process of implementing an Hierarchical Storage Management (HSM) solution for our ever-growing Departmental and Users data. I'm looking for a tool that has the functionality to move data from our NAS to a WIN2000 Server while leaving a link in the original location pointing to the new location. The WIN2000 server is using an HSM product to move the files from that server to tape after a period of time, to be recalled at a later point when required. If possible the tool would have the ability to filter files based on an exclude and an include list, file size, and last access date. Does such a tool exists for a WIN2000 environment or is there a better way to accomplish this?"

Comments

Tivoli

[Anonymous Coward]

can do all that for you...

Re:Tivoli

[Anonymous Coward]

Right! Italian TiVo. Got it!

Re:Tivoli

[Anonymous Coward]

Tivoli can do anything!

what about

[JrTcoNrd]

who is your target audience?

Another situation

[pmz]

where Samba, NFS, and UNIX symbolic linking just might save the day.

If possible the tool would have the ability to filter files based on an exclude and an include list, file size, and last access date.

Awk! Awk! Awk! (clears throat) excuse me, uh, Perl or sh scripts might be useful, here.

a better way to accomplish this?

UNIX?

Re:Another situation

[borgboy]

NTFS supports reparse points. No UNIX required.

Re:Another situation

[pmz]

NTFS supports reparse points. No UNIX required.

Are "reparse points" equivalent to symbolic links in UNIX? Symbolic links link pathnames rather than inodes and can span filesystems.

Re:Another situation

[Anonymous Coward]

reparse points are where NTFS says "instead of returning the contents of some file, execute this function callback." They're quite flexible. They're used to create link-type references and to implement offline storage services. They are most often used to mount volumes.

USE TEH LUNIX!!!!!11

[gazbo]

You've asked for how to acomplish something specifically in a Windows 2000 environment, so I'll recommend a Linux environment - that should be really helpful and show the true community spirit of OSS!

As an addendum, I note that as I post this I've actually already been beaten to it, sadly by someone who was not being sarcastic. So, a message sent out to y'all:

Grow the fuck up. He asked how to do something in Windows, so for God's sake, either give him the assistance he wants, or shut the hell up. And remember that all the GNU utils (sed, awk, bash etc) are available for Windows under Cygwin or Services for Windows or whatever it's called.

Use NFS or DFS

[Dolemite_the_Wiz]

Either of these will do what you want to do. I have used both of these in past positions in Unix/NT/Mac environments.

Microsoft Services for Unix has a GREAT NFS Server/Client for Windows 2000.

DFS is pretty limited on how it can be implemented in your environment.

Dolemite
____________________

Re:Use NFS or DFS

[Anonymous Coward]

great? that nfs server/client has caused endless problems for me here

sounds like a job for...

[larry bagina]

Longhorn! The db-like WinFS used in longhorn is what you want. Of course, that doesn't help you out any since you're talking windows 2k.

NTFS does support streams (file.txt:source could be a link back to the
original source), but they're not queryable (in win2k).

Tivoli Storage Management

[SteveOU]

I concur with the poster above. Sounds like you want TSM for Space Management which supposedly works great in a multi-platform enviroment. Tivoli supports a number of NAS products, Win2k, and Linux. It needs a load of memory and CPU (IBM politely calls it a "CPU, memory, and I/O intensive application"). It is also a bitch to set up correctly, and will leave you crying in your beer for several weeks, unless you're a TSM wizard, in which case you are not getting paid enough. If you're working with a lot of critical data though, its the only way to fly.

Re:Tivoli Storage Management

[nbvb]

Tivoli Storage Manager kicks unholy ass!! It's *EXACTLY* the product you're looking for ...... does everything you could want, and then some.

www.adsm.org is a good place to start for resources about TSM ...

And I don't find it hard to set up at all --- it's a helluva lot easier than NetBackup, and a whole lot more functional, too!

Now, where can I get that job paying more, since I know TSM inside, out and backwards? :)

--DM

Two products...

[Bill the Cat]

QiNetix from CommVault, Storage Migrator from Veritas.

The commvault product is pretty flexible on the server end, being able to do most of what you described.

If you're going to migrate to tape, you'll probably be locked into using whatever works with your backup software/tape library.

HSM, Hierarchical Storage Management

[nemeosis]

Also sometimes called "nearline" storage. This kind of storage solution is usually implemented by large enterprises. There are a few that are available, but you gotta know where to look. Here are some links that you might want to check out (or Google).

www.optical.com
diskxtender
qstar

HSM is the process where files that have not been modified for a specific amount of time (say 3-6 months) have been migrated off to secondary storage, and usually, less volatile media like DVDs, CDROMs, Tape, etc. The point is to get that data off a spinning hard drive that can crash and burn at any time. But, this file is still available on the network. (There is much more that you can do of course, but that's the nutshell)

HSM is actually in my line of computer work. You can email me if you need more information. scottie512@yahoo.com

Virtual File Manager

[Grimoire]

NetApp sells a stand alone solution called Virtual File Manager that works on top of DFS, works with just about any SAN or NAS device, creates a global namespace, monitors data age and can move data to tiered storage (HSM, nearline, whatever), includes replication capabilities and best of all if you ever decide to stop using the product the DFS infrastructure it operates/manages will remain in place and remain functional.

We're pretty close to picking this software up ourselves, we may or may not pick up the associated NetApp Filers since we're also evaluating NAS/iSCSI solutions but this software will work with our existing Dell & EMC devices.

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