Data Domain: Long Term Retention (LTR) configuration through the CLI

Data Domain Operating System (DDOS) 6.0 introduces a new feature known as cloud retention or Long Term Retention (LTR). This feature allows a second tier of object-based storage provisioned by a cloud provider to be added to certain models of Data Domain Restorer (DDR) or Data Domain Virtual Edition (DDVE) with an associated CLOUD_CAPACITY license.

On systems using LTR files ingested by the DDR are initially written to the active tier (locally attached storage). Data movement policies and age thresholds are then configured on a per MTree basis. This is for files requiring long term retention for migration from the active to the cloud tier by the data movement process (a regularly scheduled task).

To set up LTR:

• Configure storage for both active and cloud tier. As a prerequisite, the appropriate capacity licenses for both the active and cloud tiers must be installed.

• Ensure licenses for the CLOUDTIER-CAPACITY and CAPACITY-ACTIVE features are installed. To check ELMs license:

# elicense show

• If the license is not installed, copy the license to /ddr/var:

# elicense update <lic_file>

• Display the available storage:

# storage show all

# disk show state

• Add storage to the active tier:

# storage add enclosures <enclosure no> tier active

• Add storage to the cloud tier:

# storage add enclosures <enclosure no> tier cloud

• Install Certificates

• Before you can create a Cloud profile, you must install the associated certificates. Certificates are downloaded from https://www.digicert.com/digicert-root-certificates.htmand must be converted to Privacy Enhanced Mail (PEM) format. Download these two certificates, BaltimoreCyberTrustRoot and DigiCertHighAssuranceEVRootCA. 

• Then use the following command to install the certificate following the instructions:

# adminaccess certificate import ca application cloud

• To configure the DDR for data-movement to cloud, enable the DDR cloud feature: 

# cloud enable

• Set the system passphrase. This step is a prerequisite for later encrypting the cloud provider configuration in the registry. You must run this command before configuring the cloud profile:

# system passphrase set

• Configure the cloud profile (you must have your AWS/ECS/Virtustream information):

# cloud profile add <profilename>

 
For security reasons this command does not display the access/secret keys you enter.
 

• Verify the cloud profile configuration:

# cloud profile show

• Create the filesystem:

# filesys create

• Enable the filesystem:

# filesys enable

• Configure the cloud unit:

# cloud unit add <unitname> profile <profilename>

• Confirm that cloud units are present:

# cloud unit list

• Create one or more MTree:

# Mtree create /data/col1/mt11

• Configure the file migration policy for this MTree. You can specify multiple MTrees in this command. The policy can be based on the age threshold or the range.

• To configure the age-threshold (migrating files older than the specified age to cloud):

# data-movement policy set age-threshold <age_in_days> to-tier cloud cloud-unit <unitname> mtrees <mtreename>

• To configure the age-range (migrating only those files that are in the specified age-range):

# data-movement policy set age-range min-age <age_in_days> max-age <age_in_days> to-tier cloud cloud-unit <unitname> mtrees <mtreename> 

• Initiate file migration of the aged files. You can specify multiple MTrees with this command:

# data-movement start mtrees <mtreename>

• To check the data-movement status:

# data-movement status

• You can also watch the data-movement progress:

# data-movement watch

• To check if file migration really worked and the files are now in the cloud tier:

# filesys report generate file-location path all

• Once a file has been migrated to the cloud tier, you cannot directly read from the file (attempts to read result in an error). It can only be recalled back to the active tier. To recall a file back to the active tier:

# data-movement recall path <pathname>                                      

• To start garbage collection cycle for a cloud unit:

# cloud clean start <unitname>

Review the Data Domain Operating System Guide for version 6.0 for more information: 
https://support.emc.com/docu78746_Data_Domain_Operating_System_6.0_Administration_Guide.pdf?language=en_US