Benefits of independent disk pools

 

There are two environments in which the use of independent disk pools can be beneficial, a multiple-system clustered environment and a single-system environment.

 

Multiple-system clustered environment

In a multiple-system clustered environment, where the systems are members of a cluster and an independent disk pool is associated with a switchable device in that cluster, independent disk pools can be switched between systems without having to perform an initial program load (IPL). The independent disk pool can be switched because the independent disk pool is self-contained. This can be a significant advantage because it allows for continuous availability of data, the primary benefit of independent disk pools.

Switchable independent disk pools can help you do the following:

• Keep data available to an application even in the event of a single system outage, either scheduled or unscheduled.

• Eliminate the process of replicating data from one system to another.

• In some situations, isolate disk unit failures within the independent disk pool.

• Achieve high availability and scalability.

A multiple-system environment also gives you the opportunity to perform geographic mirroring. Geographic mirroring allows you to maintain two identical copies of an independent disk pool at two sites that are geographically separated. By having a second copy of critical data at a remote location, you ensure greater protection and availability; for example, in the case of a natural disaster. If you configure the independent disk pools to be switchable, you increase your options to have more backup nodes to allow for failover and switchover of independent disk pools between systems at the same site, in addition to switchover and failover to a system at another site.

 

Single-system environment

In a single-system environment, where an independent disk pool is privately connected to a single system, an independent disk pool or independent disk pool groups can be made unavailable, independent of other disk pools because the data in the independent disk pool or independent disk pool group is self-contained. The independent disk pool or independent disk pool group can also be made available, while the system is active, without having to perform an IPL. Using independent disk pools this way can be useful, for example, if you have large amounts of data that are not needed for normal day-to-day processing. The independent disk pool containing this data can be left offline until it is needed. When large amounts of storage are normally kept offline, you can shorten processing time for operations such as IPL and reclaim storage.

Single-system independent disk pools can help you do the following:

• Isolate low-use data with the ability to bring the independent disk pool online only when it is needed.

• Reduce system start time.

• Manage save and restore by independent disk pool.

• Reclaim storage by independent disk pool.

• Divide data between multiple databases.

• Isolate data associated with specific applications or associated with specific groups of users.

• Consolidate data on small systems to independent disk pools on a larger system. For example, in the case of multiple branch offices.

• Perform application maintenance that does not affect the entire system.

 

Parent topic:

Disk pool benefits

Related concepts
Disk pool benefits Geographic mirroring