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What is a Cloud Storage Pool?

Contributors netapp-lhalbert netapp-madkat
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A Cloud Storage Pool lets you use ILM to move object data outside of your StorageGRID system. For example, you might want to move infrequently accessed objects to lower-cost cloud storage, such as Amazon S3 Glacier, S3 Glacier Deep Archive, Google Cloud, or the Archive access tier in Microsoft Azure Blob storage. Or, you might want to maintain a cloud backup of StorageGRID objects to enhance disaster recovery.

From an ILM perspective, a Cloud Storage Pool is similar to a storage pool. To store objects in either location, you select the pool when creating the placement instructions for an ILM rule. However, while storage pools consist of Storage Nodes or Archive Nodes within the StorageGRID system, a Cloud Storage Pool consists of an external bucket (S3) or container (Azure Blob storage).

Caution

Moving objects from an Archive Node to an external archival storage system through the S3 API is deprecated and has been replaced by ILM Cloud Storage Pools, which offer more functionality. If you are currently using an Archive Node with the Cloud Tiering - Simple Storage Service (S3) option, migrate your objects to a Cloud Storage Pool instead.

The table compares storage pools to Cloud Storage Pools and shows the high-level similarities and differences.

Storage pool Cloud Storage Pool

How is it created?

Using the ILM > Storage pools option in Grid Manager.

Using the ILM > Storage pools > Cloud Storage Pools option in Grid Manager.

You must set up the external bucket or container before you can create the Cloud Storage Pool.

How many pools can you create?

Unlimited.

Up to 10.

Where are objects stored?

On one or more Storage Nodes or Archive Nodes within StorageGRID.

In an Amazon S3 bucket, Azure Blob storage container, or Google Cloud that is external to the StorageGRID system.

If the Cloud Storage Pool is an Amazon S3 bucket:

  • You can optionally configure a bucket lifecycle to transition objects to low-cost, long-term storage, such as Amazon S3 Glacier or S3 Glacier Deep Archive. The external storage system must support the Glacier storage class and the S3 RestoreObject API.

  • You can create Cloud Storage Pools for use with AWS Commercial Cloud Services (C2S), which supports the AWS Secret Region.

If the Cloud Storage Pool is an Azure Blob storage container, StorageGRID transitions the object to the Archive tier.

Note: In general, don't configure Azure Blob storage lifecycle management for the container used for a Cloud Storage Pool. RestoreObject operations on objects in the Cloud Storage Pool can be affected by the configured lifecycle.

What controls object placement?

An ILM rule in the active ILM policies.

An ILM rule in the active ILM policies.

Which data protection method is used?

Replication or erasure coding.

Replication.

How many copies of each object are allowed?

Multiple.

One copy in the Cloud Storage Pool and, optionally, one or more copies in StorageGRID.

Note: You can't store an object in more than one Cloud Storage Pool at any given time.

What are the advantages?

Objects are quickly accessible at any time.

Low-cost storage.

Note: FabricPool data can't be tiered to Cloud Storage Pools. Objects with S3 Object Lock enabled can't be placed in Cloud Storage Pools.