Hierarchical view of storage destinations

The storage destination list contains all the destinations (storage units and storage unit groups) that the storage lifecycle can use. The list includes the storage that is used for the original backups as well as storage that is used for duplication at a later time.

Figure: Hierarchical destinations shows how after the first copy is created, all subsequent copies can be made locally from that source, without tying up network resources.

Figure: Hierarchical destinations

Figure: Hierarchical storage destinations in a lifecycle policy shows how the hierarchy of destinations is represented graphically in the Storage Lifecycle Policy dialog box. The indentation (or hierarchy) indicates the backup source for each copy. One copy can be the source for many other copies.

Figure: Hierarchical storage destinations in a lifecycle policy

Changing the location of a destination in the hierarchy changes the storage unit that serves as the source for the subsequent copies. Changing the location cannot change the destination type. (For example, make a backup destination into a duplication destination.)

The Maximum backup copies host property setting in the Global Attributes properties limits the number of destinations that can be added to a lifecycle.

See Maximum backup copies.

The destination list in the Storage Lifecycle Policy dialog box can contain the following destinations at various hierarchical levels:

Backup	A backup destination is never indented in the list or is never a child of another destination. The first backup destination in the list is generally the primary copy, from which duplication copies are created if the destination is non-hierarchical.
Snapshot	A snapshot destination is never indented and is never a child of another destination.
Duplication (hierarchical)	A hierarchical duplication destination is a duplication destination that uses a specific source for duplication. It is always indented under a backup destination or another duplication destination. A hierarchical duplication destination can have siblings. The source (or parent) for a hierarchical destination is the destination that appears above the destination in the hierarchy. The source can be a backup or a duplication destination. If a hierarchical duplication destination has children, it serves as the source for the children.
Duplication (non-hierarchical)	A non-hierarchical duplication destination is a duplication destination that does not use a specific source for duplication. It is never indented or is never a child of another destination. It can serve as the source for hierarchical duplication destinations. Any backup that is marked as the primary copy can provide the source for a non-hierarchical duplication destination.