File system Grooming

File systems have a way of always being full. The two most common solutions to the problem are to add more space and eliminate data. Adding storage is a quick fix, but if data is not being managed properly, adding storage is just a temporary fix. Storage will eventually run short again, and there will be more and more data to contend with as time passes. Eliminating data is a good way to free up space, but doing so manually is fraught with problems. Manual space management is a time consuming, labor intensive process in which one runs the risk of inadvertently removing critical active data.

The Phoenix File system Space Manager (FSM) is safe, automated, and efficient. Using polices, it automatically copies data that meets user-defined criteria into the Phoenix Information Repository, where it is preserved and managed.

When the system verifies that a file in the Information Repository is safe and secure, the original instance of the data in the primary storage file system is collapsed into a small placeholder. The placeholder maintains the appearance and behaviors of a locally resident file. When queried, it responds with the proper size and date information. Should the data be required, the FSM retrieves it from the Information Repository. The process is completed seamlessly.

As data becomes eligible to be collapsed, it is again copied to the Information Repository. If, however, an instance of the data is already in the Information Repository, the file will be collapsed immediately without a duplicate file being sent to the Information Repository.

A "move" policy can be added to complement the FSM. After data has been safely stored in the Information Repository and is no longer accessed regularly, the original copy of the file (the "placeholder") can be removed from primary storage. This eliminates data that is seldom or never accessed while keeping it readily available in the Information Repository for as long as it may be required.