Technical Blog Post
Abstract
What kind of storage do I use for CMOD?
Body
Jim Ilardi is a Consulting Client Solution Professional in Carmel, New York. Jim has over 30 years of experience in IT and over 18 years working with IBM Content Manager OnDemand. Jim started with IBM in Lab Services installing many CMOD systems around the world. Today, Jim works in Pre-Sales Technical Sales covering Enterprise Content Management in the New York Area.
Having worked on the new IBM Redbooks publication (IBM Content Manager OnDemand Guide) recently, I wanted to cover a subject that is asked of me at almost every call I make concerning IBM Content Manager OnDemand. What kind of storage do I need to use. Well there is no right or wrong answer. The answer to this question has many components and factors.
Factors include:
- What platform will the CMOD solution be running on?
- What tier of storage is needed?
- What kind of documents will be stored in the system?
- Does the CMOD solution needs to meet some regulatory concerns?
- And others.
Let’s examine some of these further.
Platform : zOS, Unix, Intel Windows or Linux ?
Each of these platforms will have different options associated with storage. Whether Fiber Channel, SAN, NAS or Local Storage, CMOD can support them all. But there are concerns related to speed, recoverability, disaster recovery (DR), etc that needs to be taken into account when deciding on the type of storage.
The best approach is to determine what standard is used within your company and then what are the uses of the system you are implementing. Will there be a large amount of online access? If so, then FASTER is better. Will you need to replicate to a DR Location or will you use a Backup / Restore option to create DR? Make sure to engage your storage team when planning and discussing the implementation of Content Manager OnDemand right at the start of the project.
Storage technology: disk , tape, WORM disk , CAS
Based on your regulatory needs and or the type of data being stored, the choices for Storage will vary. A number of customers use Content Manager OnDemand to meet regulatory needs from the SEC or other Government Agency’s. These customers sometimes choose to use either WORM Disk like Netapp Snaplock or CAS Devices like EMC Centera to support this need. Both of these meet that requirement by using software based WORM to prevent deletion and modification of data that CMOD will store on it.
Many other customers need short term retrieval followed by Long Term archive where the speed of recall can be slower. In those cases, a Tape option may fit the need perfectly and provide a great price point and help the return-on-investment (ROI) on the CMOD System.
Summary
In closing, the key point is no two customers nor two systems are the same and the beauty of a Content Manager OnDemand system is that it can be tailored to meet an individual customer’s need.
Additional references
For Content Manager OnDemand related blog posts, see:
- 5 Things To Know about IBM Content Manager OnDemand.
- The
Enh a nce d Re t ent i on M ana g eme n t f e atu r e i n IB M Co n ten t Ma n age r On D ema n d - How
to s ucc e ssf u lly ind e x y o ur d ocu m en t s - PDF
Floa ting Tri gger s – If y ou j ust have 5 m inut es t o le arn it – Her e it i s - How
inde xing is mis used and Ita lian win e - What kind of storage do I use for CMOD?
- A re
al w orld vie w of Con tent Man ager OnD eman d co ncep t s - Expo
rtin g in form atio n to a l ocal ser ver to s end to C onte nt M anag er O nDem and Supp or t - Need to do tracing? How to turn on the Content Manager OnDemand trace facility
- The CMOD adoption process and why people love it
For more information on Content Manager OnDemand, see IBM Redbooks publications:
- IBM Content Manager OnDemand Guide
- Implementing IBM Content Manager OnDemand Solutions with Case Studies
UID
ibm11281532