BRMS with Cloud Storage Solutions for i considerations and requirements
Review important considerations and requirements for using BRMS and IBM® Cloud Storage Solutions for i for cloud-based backup and restore functions
Before deploying a cloud storage strategy with BRMS consider the following points:
- Hardware considerations
- BRMS is compatible with all IBM i system models. Additional media or tape library devices are not required if using cloud storage as your sole storage repository because only virtual save media is used with cloud storage. However, your hardware considerations must address physical storage capacity, as the virtual media is saved locally before transfer to the cloud location. If considering a solution using FTP cloud storage, a second IBM i system or physical storage resource will be necessary.
- Software considerations
- Make sure that the latest PTF groups are installed on your system. It is important to install the Media and Storage Extensions (MSE) feature, option 18, on your IBM i platform before you install BRMS. If MSE is not installed, BRMS cannot register the exit points and your saves will not complete. The product IBM Cloud Storage Solutions for i (5733-ICC) is required for BRMS to access the cloud resources. Make sure that you meet the requirements for these products.
- Cloud storage
- To use BRMS with IBM Cloud Storage Solutions for i , you must obtain cloud storage space. There are a variety of solution providers offering object storage accounts or you can use a secondary computer as a cloud server by configuring it for File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
- Disk storage space
- As a general rule, you will require the same amount of free storage on your system as the amount of data you are saving. This is because BRMS writes the backup to virtual media on physical disk space stored in the system before the backup transfers its data to the cloud.
- Network connectivity
- Implementing BRMS cloud functionality may have network performance implications. Cloud backups require disk space on the system to save selected data and running large backups may affect system performance. Network speeds and cloud connectivity have varying overhead depending on your specific topology and connection methods.
- Product Licenses
- BRMS functionality with IBM Cloud Storage Solutions for i and the cloud is available in the Base BRMS product. A license for BRMS allows you to install BRMS on one IBM i machine where it may be available to all partitions. With an IBM Cloud Storage Solutions for i license, you can install one instance of the program on one partition. Both BRMS and IBM Cloud Storage Solutions for i are available for a 70-day trial period. After this period, both software packages require license keys. When you purchase these products, IBM sends licensing information, including keys. For more information about IBM i license keys, consult the topic Software license keys.