When you create an ILM rule, you specify whether StorageGRID should protect objects at ingest using the Dual commit, Balanced, or Strict options. Depending on your choice, StorageGRID makes interim copies and queues the objects for ILM evaluation later, or uses synchronous placement and makes copies to meet ILM requirements immediately.
Dual commit provides a quick response to clients so that StorageGRID is able to handle subsequent requests more promptly, and the redundant interim copies protect data against the loss of a Storage Node before ILM can be evaluated. However, if the interim copies do not meet the rule's placement instructions, Dual commit is less efficient as StorageGRID must create, track, and delete object copies that are ultimately not required.
The Strict option ensures that objects are always offered the protection against loss that is specified in the rule's placement instructions. For example, objects can be protected against the failure of more than one Storage Node or against the complete failure of an entire site, if those protections are present in the rule. However, when using the Strict option you must be prepared for a higher level of ingest failure, as transient issues can make creating all required copies temporarily impossible.
The Balanced option provides high levels of data security, grid performance, and ingest success. Ingest can take longer, because StorageGRID might need to create erasure coded objects or remote copies before it can return an "ingest successful" message to the client.
Using the Balanced option is recommended unless you have a specific operational reason to make a different selection.