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Connecting Archiware P5 to Impossible Cloud Storage via Generic S3

This article explains how to configure Archiware P5 to use Impossible Cloud Storage as a target for Archive, Backup, and Synchronize plans, using the Generic S3 connector.

Prerequisites

  • Archiware P5 version 8.0.4 or later, installed and licensed for the module you plan to use (Archive, Backup, or Synchronize).
  • An Impossible Cloud Storage account.

Step 1: Create a bucket

Create a bucket in the Impossible Cloud Storage Console, in the region you plan to use. See Creating a bucket for the full procedure. In this guide, we use the eu-north-1 region as an example.

Step 2: Create a dedicated IAM user and access key

Create a dedicated IAM user and access key for Archiware P5, rather than reusing your account's root credentials. See How to set up secure programmatic access for backup software for the full procedure. Keep the Access Key ID and Secret Access Key ready for the next step.

Step 3: Use the Setup Assistant (recommended)

Archive, Backup, and Synchronize each have their own Setup Assistant, and using it is the recommended way to configure the integration. Go to the corresponding module (Archive, Backup, or Synchronize) > Getting Started, then launch the Setup Assistant from there. It walks through creating the cloud service, container storage, and plan in a single flow.

The steps below show what the Setup Assistant configures, in detail, using Archive as the example.

Step 3.1: Create a Cloud Service

Use the Setup Assistant or go to Archive > Target > Storage Manager > Cloud Service tab, then click New Service.

Under Object Storage:

  • Cloud Service Provider: Generic S3
  • Description: a name to identify this service (for example, Impossible-Cloud-eu-north-1)

Under Account Credentials:

  • Check Virtual Host Addressing. This disables the separate Bucket Name field, since the bucket name is folded into the Service URL instead (Impossible Cloud supports both virtual-hosted-style and path-style addressing; this example uses virtual-hosted style).
  • Service URL: https://<bucket-name>.eu-north-1.storage.impossibleapi.net, for example https://my-archive-bucket.eu-north-1.storage.impossibleapi.net
  • Access Key ID and Secret Access Key: from Step 1
  • Storage Class and Retrieval Option: leave at their defaults (Standard / Expedited) unless your workflow needs a different tier
  • Check Signature Version 4 and enter the region, eu-north-1, in the adjacent field
  • Upload-part size and Parallel operations: adjust to match your bandwidth and file sizes, or leave at the defaults

Click Apply to save the service. Test Connection and Compatibility are both disabled until the service has been applied at least once - save first, then use Test Connection to check connectivity.

Step 3.2: Create a Container Storage

Use the Setup Assistant or go to Storage Manager > Container Storage tab, then click Add Cloud Storage.

  • Under Select a cloud service, choose the service created in Step 2 from the dropdown.
  • Under Local storage, set a Directory to use for caching containers before upload, and for downloading during restores.
  • Decide whether to keep a local copy of your data. If left unchecked, the directory is only used for staging, not as a permanent local copy.
  • Give the storage a Storage name.

Click Apply.

Step 3.3: Create an Archive Plan

Use the Setup Assistant or go to Job Schedule > Archive Plan, then click New.

  • Description: a name for the plan
  • Status: Enabled
  • Target storage: the Container Storage created in Step 3
  • Target index: the database used to index archived data
  • P5 offers further optional settings on this screen, such as File filter, Access group restrictions, previews, and metadata - configure these as needed

Click Apply. Once enabled, the plan archives data to Impossible Cloud Storage according to its schedule.

Backup and Synchronize plans

Impossible Cloud Storage can be used as a target for Backup and Synchronize plans as well as Archive.

A Cloud Service can only be attached to one Container Storage at a time - when creating a new Container Storage, P5 only offers unused cloud services in the dropdown. To use Impossible Cloud Storage for Backup as well as Archive, repeat Steps 2 and 3 under the corresponding top-level module (Backup or Synchronize), creating a separate Cloud Service and Container Storage.

References