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IBM Storage Ceph Object Storage integration with IBM Storage Protect

By Daniel Alexander Parkes posted Wed August 28, 2024 06:52 AM

  

IBM Storage Ceph Object Storage integration with IBM Storage Protect   

Introduction.  

 

IBM Storage Ceph Object Storage. A scalable, software-defined storage solution that provides enterprise-grade object storage with limitless scalability. It allows you to efficiently manage large volumes of unstructured data, making it ideal for backup storage in various environments.  

  

IBM Storage Protect. A proven enterprise data protection solution that provides flexible and reliable backup and recovery capabilities. It integrates seamlessly with Ceph, enabling efficient storage utilization and management.  

  

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IBM Storage Ceph Object is now certified with IBM Storage Protect.  

 

With the successful completion of integration tests, IBM Storage Ceph 7.1 Object Storage now seamlessly works with IBM Storage Protect version 8.1.18 (formerly IBM Spectrum Protect in levels earlier than 8.1.19) to offer robust and scalable data protection. This integration includes object storage and object lock validation, ensuring your enterprise data is efficiently stored and safeguarded against unauthorized changes and enhancing your data resilience strategy.  

 

 

This integration is now fully supported and listed in Both IBM product support matrixes:  

IBM Storage Protect Immutable backups with IBM Storage Ceph Object Lock feature.  

Integrating IBM Storage Ceph Object Lock allows organizations to implement WORM (Write Once, Read Many) protection on critical data, preventing tampering or deletion. This is crucial for compliance with regulations like GDPR, SEC Rule 17a-4(f), and CFTC Rule 1.31(c)-(d).   

IBM Storage Ceph 7.1 has been certified for Object lock, enabling WORM compliance for object storage. Cohasset Inc. recently assessed and validated the S3 object lock WORM features of IBM Storage Ceph.  

The S3 Object Lock feature in IBM Storage Protect creates immutable backups. Once a backup is created with S3 Object Lock, it cannot be modified or deleted until the specified retention period has expired, ensuring that the data remains unchanged and protected against accidental or malicious tampering.  

By leveraging the immutability provided by the Object Lock feature, IBM Storage Protect can offer enhanced protection against ransomware and other cyber threats. This integration strengthens data protection and simplifies compliance management.  

IBM Storage Ceph Cost-Effective Storage Management    

IBM Storage Protect integrates seamlessly with IBM Storage Ceph, optimizing storage use by reducing data redundancy and improving overall storage efficiency through features like deduplication and compression.  

  

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IBM Storage Ceph’s software-defined architecture allows organizations to deploy cost-effective storage solutions using x86 commodity hardware. Combined with IBM Storage Protect’s efficient data management capabilities, this integration offers a scalable and economical solution for enterprise backup and recovery needs.  

Conclusion   

Integrating IBM Storage Ceph Object Storage with IBM Storage Protect represents a powerful alliance that enhances data protection, compliance, and storage efficiency. With features like S3 Object Lock and WORM compliance, organizations can confidently manage their backup data, ensuring it is secure and compliant with industry regulations.  

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Tue September 03, 2024 08:39 AM

Hi, Nils. Thanks for the feedback! To answer your question, the S3 Cloud Object Lock feature for Storage Protect cloud storage pools has been supported since release 8.1.15. However, there are a few limitations, as mentioned in the IBM documentation. One of those, which I feel is relevant to your query is: Database backup to cloud and retention to cloud storage pools are not allowed in S3 Object Lock storage pools. Also, you may need to note that Cloud reclamation is not permitted for cloud-container storage pools using Object Lock. Due to this, the customer would likely see an increase in their storage space consumption on the S3 cloud compared to normal (non-locked) S3 buckets for configuring a Storage Protect cloud storage pool.

Mon September 02, 2024 03:05 PM

Hi Daniel, great article. Can you elaborate on the integration points of Ceph with Storage Protect. Is it used as Cloud container pool? If so, what functions are supported. I see object lock mentioned above, what would be the use case?

Thanks.