Name: Storage Analytics
Availability: InStock

Question 1

What is Storage Analytics used for?

Question 2

What are the primary benefits of using Storage Analytics?

Accepted Answer

Storage Analytics is a tool designed to analyze disk and tape storage usage on z/OS systems. It provides insights into storage consumption, helping administrators optimize storage allocation and identify potential bottlenecks. The tool generates reports and provides data visualization for effective storage management.

Question 3

How does Storage Analytics help in capacity planning?

Accepted Answer

The primary benefits include improved storage utilization, reduced storage costs, and enhanced performance. By identifying underutilized or over-allocated storage, administrators can reallocate resources more efficiently. The tool also helps in capacity planning and forecasting future storage needs.

Question 4

What types of reports does Storage Analytics generate?

Accepted Answer

Storage Analytics provides historical data and trend analysis to forecast future storage requirements. It generates reports that show storage growth patterns, allowing administrators to proactively plan for additional storage capacity. This helps prevent storage shortages and ensures optimal system performance.

Question 5

Is Storage Analytics easy to install and configure?

Accepted Answer

Storage Analytics generates various reports, including storage usage summaries, capacity utilization reports, and performance analysis reports. These reports can be customized to meet specific needs and can be exported in various formats for further analysis. The tool also provides graphical representations of the data.

Question 6

What are the system requirements for Storage Analytics?

Accepted Answer

The installation process involves deploying the necessary components on the z/OS system and configuring the tool to access storage data. Configuration typically involves specifying data sources, setting up report schedules, and defining user access. Detailed documentation is available to guide the installation and configuration steps.

Question 7

What are the main components of Storage Analytics?

Question 8

What is the role of the Data Collector?

Accepted Answer

The main components include the Data Collector, the Reporting Engine, and the User Interface. The Data Collector gathers storage usage data from various sources. The Reporting Engine processes the data and generates reports. The User Interface provides access to reports and configuration options.

Question 9

How does the Reporting Engine process the data?

Accepted Answer

The Data Collector is responsible for gathering storage usage data from different sources, such as disk volumes and tape libraries. It retrieves data through system APIs and stores it for processing by the Reporting Engine. The Data Collector ensures data integrity and accuracy.

Question 10

What types of APIs does Storage Analytics use?

Accepted Answer

The Reporting Engine processes the data collected by the Data Collector. It aggregates the data, performs calculations, and generates reports based on predefined templates or user-defined criteria. The engine supports various report formats and provides data visualization capabilities.

Question 11

What are the supported data storage mechanisms?

Accepted Answer

Storage Analytics uses system APIs to collect data from z/OS. These APIs provide access to storage-related information, such as volume usage, dataset statistics, and tape library details. The tool also exposes APIs for integration with other systems.

Question 12

What are the network requirements for Storage Analytics?

Accepted Answer

Storage Analytics uses a combination of flat files and a relational database for data storage. Flat files are used for storing raw data collected from the system, while the relational database stores processed data and report metadata. This architecture ensures efficient data management and reporting.

Question 13

How does Storage Analytics reduce storage costs?

Question 14

How does Storage Analytics improve storage performance?

Accepted Answer

By identifying underutilized storage resources, Storage Analytics enables administrators to reallocate storage more efficiently. This reduces the need to purchase additional storage capacity, leading to significant cost savings. The tool also helps in optimizing storage tiering.

Question 15

How does Storage Analytics support compliance requirements?

Accepted Answer

Storage Analytics helps identify performance bottlenecks by analyzing storage usage patterns. Administrators can then optimize storage allocation and tune system parameters to improve overall performance. The tool provides insights into I/O operations and response times.

Question 16

What is the ROI of using Storage Analytics?

Accepted Answer

Storage Analytics provides detailed audit trails and reporting capabilities that help organizations meet compliance requirements. The tool tracks storage usage, access patterns, and changes, providing the necessary data for audits and regulatory reporting. Data retention policies can be configured.

Question 17

How does Storage Analytics help in decision-making?

Accepted Answer

The ROI of Storage Analytics is realized through reduced storage costs, improved performance, and enhanced operational efficiency. By optimizing storage utilization and preventing performance issues, organizations can achieve significant cost savings and improve productivity. The tool also reduces the risk of data loss.

Question 18

How does Storage Analytics integrate with existing IT infrastructure?

Accepted Answer

Storage Analytics provides data-driven insights that enable informed decision-making. Administrators can use the reports and dashboards to understand storage trends, identify potential issues, and make proactive decisions about storage allocation and capacity planning. The tool supports data-driven strategies.

Question 19

What authentication methods are supported?

Question 20

What access control model is used?

Accepted Answer

Storage Analytics supports authentication via RACF and other security managers on z/OS. This ensures that only authorized users can access the tool and its data. The tool integrates with existing security infrastructure.

Question 21

What encryption is used?

Accepted Answer

Storage Analytics uses role-based access control (RBAC) to manage user permissions. Administrators can define roles and assign users to those roles, granting specific access rights to different features and data. This ensures that users only have access to the information they need.

Question 22

What audit/logging capabilities exist?

Accepted Answer

Storage Analytics uses encryption to protect sensitive data at rest and in transit. Data stored in the database and transmitted over the network is encrypted using industry-standard encryption algorithms. This ensures data confidentiality and integrity.

Question 23

How are user credentials managed?

Accepted Answer

Storage Analytics provides comprehensive audit logging capabilities. All user actions, configuration changes, and data access are logged, providing a detailed audit trail. These logs can be used for security monitoring, compliance reporting, and troubleshooting. Log data is securely stored.

Question 24

How is data integrity ensured?

Accepted Answer

User credentials are managed through the z/OS security manager, such as RACF. Storage Analytics leverages the existing security infrastructure for user authentication and authorization. This ensures consistent security policies and simplifies user management.

Question 25

What administrative interfaces are available?

Question 26

How is user management handled?

Accepted Answer

Storage Analytics provides a command-line interface (CLI) and a web-based graphical user interface (GUI) for administration. The CLI allows for scripting and automation, while the GUI offers an intuitive way to manage the tool. Both interfaces provide comprehensive administrative capabilities.

Question 27

What are the main configuration parameters?

Accepted Answer

User management is handled through the z/OS security manager, such as RACF. Administrators can define user roles and permissions within the security manager and assign them to users. This ensures centralized user management and consistent security policies.

Question 28

What monitoring/logging capabilities exist?

Accepted Answer

The main configuration parameters include data source definitions, report schedules, user access settings, and logging configurations. These parameters can be modified through the CLI or GUI. Detailed documentation is available for each configuration option.

Question 29

How are updates and patches applied?

Accepted Answer

Storage Analytics provides extensive monitoring and logging capabilities. The tool monitors its own performance and logs all events, including errors, warnings, and informational messages. These logs can be used for troubleshooting and performance analysis. Real-time monitoring dashboards are available.

Question 30

How is data backed up and restored?

Accepted Answer

Updates and patches are applied through standard z/OS software installation procedures. The vendor provides installation packages and instructions for applying updates. Regular updates ensure that the tool remains secure and performs optimally. Backup and recovery procedures are recommended.

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