7.1 TSM Policy Management Overview

A TSM policy management address the following business (SLA) requirements

• Data to back up: Specify the items to store as back up objects.

• Data to archive: Specify the items to store as archive objects.

• Location to store the data: Specify the storage pools to use.

• Number of versions to retain: Specify the number of inactive versions, in addition to the active version, to keep when the data still exists on the client node.

• The retention period: Specify the duration to store the data associated with the policy.

Policy Management Hierarchy Introduction

Policies, which the administrator creates and stores in the database on the server, can be updated and the updates applied retroactively to already managed data. You might have one policy or many depending on your business needs. Policies include the following elements.

Policy Domain: A set of rules that are applied to a group of nodes that the same set of policy constraints manage, as defined by the policy sets. A node can be defined to only one policy domain per server. A node can be defined to more than one Tivoli Storage Manager server.

Policy Set: A collection of management class (MC) definitions. A policy domain can contain a number of policy sets. However, only one policy set in a domain is active at a time.

Management Class: A collection of management attributes that describe backup and archive characteristics. There are two sets of MC attributes, one for backup and one for archive. A set of attributes is a copy group. There is a backup copy group and an archive copy group. For Tivoli Space Manager clients only, there are parameters that affect space management.

Default Policy during installation

After you set up the policy objects provided in Tivoli Storage Manager, you can begin using Tivoli Storage Manager immediately. Tivoli Storage Manager provides a predefined policy domain, policy set, management class, backup copy group, and archive copy group. Each policy is stored on the server and named STANDARD. 

Backup Retention Grace Period: Specifies the number of days to retain a backup version when the server cannot rebind the file to an appropriate management class. The default is 30 days (BACKRETention=30).

Archive Retention Grace Period: Specifies the number of days to retain an archive copy when the server cannot rebind the file to an appropriate management class. The default is 365 days (ARCHRETention=365).

The following values come with Tivoli Storage Manager in the STANDARD domain:

Type = Backup 

DESTination = Backuppool 

VERExists = 2 

VERDeleted = 1

RETExtra = 30

RETOnly = 60 

SERialization = SHRSTatic

Type = Archive 

DESTination = Archivepool 

FREQuency = Cmd 

RETver = 365

MODE = ABSolute 

SERialization = SHRSTatic

Copying and updating a domain

You can update a domain with new values or you can also copy the existing domain and create a domain with the same values if required. 

To copy a domain into new domain, use copy domain command. To update a domain with new parameter values, use update domain command. After updating any copy group values, you must activate and validate policy-set to make them active. For example

copy domain olddomain newdomain

update domain domainname backretention=60

The EXPORT POLICY command

The export policy command moves policy information from one or more policy domains. Policy information includes policy domain and set definitions, management class definitions, backup, copy group and archive group definitions, schedule definitions for each policy domain, and client node associations.

For example, use the following export policy command to export definitions for policy domains, policy sets, management classes, backup and archive copy groups, and schedules to another server

   export policy toserver=server2 replacedefs=yes

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7.2 Configuring Policy Domain for client data protection (Part 1)

Defining Policy Domain for client backup and archives

Before you start taking backup of any clients, client should be registered to  default Policy Domain  (STANDARD) settings or you can define your own policy domain settings according to your business requirements. You first have to define a policy domain, policy set, management class and then backup/archive copy group. In this post we will see the purpose of these parameters and how to define them. You have to configure according to the policy domain hierarchy as shown in the below image.

Policy Domain

A policy domain provides a logical way of managing backup and archive policies for a group of nodes with common needs. It is a collection of one or more nodes and one or more policies. Each domain is an object that the Tivoli Storage Manager database stores, with a name that contains from 1 to 30 characters. The number of policy domains that you can define on a Tivoli Storage Manager server is limitless. 

A client node is associated with only one policy domain on a specific Tivoli Storage Manager server. However, a client or node might be registered (defined) to more than one server. Each domain can have one or more clients or nodes associated with it. The clients or nodes can run on the same or different platforms. Some installations can require only a single policy domain.

A policy domain also contains a grace period backup and an archive retention period. This grace period acts as a safety net to ensure that data that is backed up or archived in a storage pool is not inadvertently deleted. Use the following define domain command to

define a policy domain for clients

  define domain LINUX description=“Policy domain or LINUXclients”

Each policy domain contains a backup grace retention period and an archive grace retention period. The grace retention period protects backup versions and archive copies from immediate deletion when the default management class has no backup or archive copy group. The client node uses the grace retention period only if there is no other defined retention period. The policy domain grace retention period is specified in the define domain command.

• Backup retention grace period defaults to 30 (BACKRETention=30).

• Archive retention grace period defaults to 365 (ARCHRETention=365).

Use the policy domain grace retention period when default MGMTCLASS has no copy group for backup and archive. One of the following situations must also apply:

• MGMTCLASS for backup no longer contains backup copy group.

• MGMTCLASS for an archive no longer contains archive copy group.

• MGMTCLASS no longer exists.

Policy Set

A policy set is a group of rules in a policy domain. These rules specify how data is automatically managed for client nodes in the policy domain. The ACTIVE policy set is the set that contains the policy rules currently in use by all client nodes assigned to the policy domain.

define policyset domainname policyname

Management classes

A management class associates backup and archive groups with files and specifies if and how client node files are migrated to storage pools. Users can bind, which means associate, their files with a management class by using the include-exclude list. 

 define mgmtclass LINUX lab LINUXMC

• A management class (MC) represents a business requirements policy or service level agreement.

• A management class is associated with a backup copy group and archive copy group.

• The default management class does not require a backup copy group or an archive copy group, but such a group might be useful.

• Clients can explicitly select a management class.

• The server database stores management class information.

• A management class can contain a backup copy group, an archive copy group, both copy groups, or no copy groups.

The management class that is specified in the policy domain defines the backup and archive criteria for client nodes in the policy domain. If you do not specify the Management Class, the default Management Class is used.

Client users have the option of creating an include-exclude list to identify the files that are eligible for backup services and specifying how Tivoli Storage Manager manages backed up or archived files. The INCLUDE and EXCLUDE options are specified in the client option file.

Copy Groups

A copy group contains the specific storage management attributes that describe how the server manages backed up or archived files. Copy groups contain the parameters that control the generation and expiration of backup and archive data. There are two types of copy groups Backup and Archive Each management class contains up to two copy groups. If it has two copy groups, one is for backups, and one is for archives. All copy groups are named STANDARD. The attributes in any copy group define the following information

• The storage pool destination where the backed up or archived data is stored

• The minimal interval, in days, between backup and archive operations

• Whether the file is backed up regardless of whether it has been modified since the last backup

• Whether the file can be in use when a user attempts to back up or archive the file

• The maximum number of different backup versions that are retained for files that are no longer on the file system of the client

• The retention period, in days, for all but the most recent backup version, and for the last remaining backup version that is no longer on the file system of the client

• The number of days that an archive copy is retained

The set of backup parameters defines the following attributes:

• Frequency

• Mode (modified or absolute)

• Destination

• Copy serialization

• Number of versions

• Number of versions when the file is deleted

• Retention days for all but the last version

• Retention days for the last version when the file is deleted

The set of archive parameters defines the following attributes:

• Frequency (always CMD)

• Mode (always ABSOLUTE)

• Destination

• Copy serialization

• Retention days for archive copies

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7.3 Configuring backup and archive copy groups for client data protection (Part 2)

How to define Backup and Archive Copy Groups

After defining management class, you have to define backup and archive copy groups which contains the parameters that control the generation and expiration of backup and archive data.

Defining BACKUP Copy Group

Use the following command syntax to define a backup copy group

DOMAIN_NAME (Required): Specifies the name of the policy domain that you are defining the copy group for.

POLICY_SET_NAME (Required): Specifies the name of the policy set that you are defining the copy group for.

CLASS_NAME (Required): Specifies the name of the management class that you are defining the copy group for.

STANDARD (Optional): Specifies the name of the copy group as STANDARD. The name of the copy group must be STANDARD, which is the default value.

TYPE=Backup (Optional): Specifies that you want to define a backup copy group. The default parameter is BACKUP.

VEREXISTS (Optional): Specifies the maximum number of backup versions to retain for files that are currently on the client file system. The default value is 2. The other option is NOLIMIT.

VERDELETE (Optional): Specifies the maximum number of backup versions to retain for files that are deleted from the client file system after using Tivoli Storage Manager to back them up. The default value is 1. The other option is NOLIMIT.

RETEXTRA (Optional): Specifies the number of days to retain a backup version after that version becomes inactive. A version of a file becomes inactive when the client stores a more recent backup version, or when the client deletes the file from the workstation and then runs a full incremental backup. The server deletes inactive versions that are based on retention time even if the number of inactive versions does not exceed the number allowed by the VEREXISTS or VERDELETED parameters. The default value is 30 days. The other option is NOLIMIT.

RETONLY (Optional): Specifies the number of days to retain the last backup version of a file that is deleted from the client file system. The default value is 60. The other option is NOLIMIT.

DESTINATION (Required): Specifies the name of a storage pool that is defined. BACKUPPOOL is the default for the backup copy group, and ARCHIVEPOOL is the default for the archive copy group.

FREQUENCY=freqvalue (Optional): Specifies the minimum interval, in days, between successive backups.

MODE=mode (Optional): Specifies whether a file is backed up based on changes made to the file since the last time that it is backed up. Use the MODE value only for incremental backup. This value is bypassed during selective backup. The default value is MODIFIED. The other option is ABSOLUTE, which is bypassed if the file is modified.

SERIALIZATION=serialvalue (Optional): Specifies handling of files or directories if they are modified during backup processing and also actions for Tivoli Storage Manager to take if a modification occurs. The default value is SHRSTATIC.

The SHRSTATIC parameter specifies that Tivoli Storage Manager backs up a file or directory only if it is not modified during the backup or archive operation. Tivoli Storage Manager attempts to perform a backup or archive operation as many as four times, depending on the value specified for the CHANGINGRETRIES client option. If the file or directory is modified during each backup or archive attempt, Tivoli Storage Manager does not process it. Other options are STATIC, SHRDYNAMIC, and DYNAMIC.

Defining Archive Copy Group

Use the following command syntax to define a archive copy group

For archive copy group, we have different retention parameters as shown above and remaining parameters are same

TYPE=Archive (Required): Specifies that you want to define an archive copy group. The

default parameter is BACKUP.

RETVER (Optional): Specifies the number of days to keep an archive copy. The default value is 365. The other option is NOLIMIT.

RETINIT (Optional): Specifies the trigger to initiate the retention time that the RETVER attribute specifies. The default value is CREATION. The other option is EVENT.

RETMIN (Optional): Specifies the minimum number of days to keep an archive copy after it is archived. The default value is 365.

Assigning Default Management Class

Each policy set contains a default management class and can contain any number of additional management classes. Use policy sets to implement different policies, based on user and business requirements.

You must assign a default management class for a policy set before you can activate that policy set. Use the assign defmgmtclass command to specify an existing management class as the default management class for a particular policy set.  Ensure that the default management class contains both an archive copy group and a backup copy group.

ASsign DEFMGmtclass domainname setname classname

Validating and activating Policy Sets

The validate command examines the management class and copy group definitions in a specified policy set. It reports on conditions that need consideration if the policy set is activated. After a change is made to a policy set and the policy set is validated, you must activate the policy set to make it the ACTIVE policy set. The validate policy set command fails if any of the following conditions exist

• A default management class is not defined for the policy set.

• A copy group within the policy set specifies a copy storage pool as a destination.

• A management class specifies a copy pool as the destination for space-managed files.

When a policy set is activated, the contents of the policy set are copied to a policy set that has the reserved name ACTIVE. When activated, the policy set that is activated, copied to ACTIVE, and the contents of the ACTIVE policy set have no relationship. You can still modify the original policy set, but the copied definitions in the ACTIVE policy set can be modified only by activating another policy set.

Use the validate policyset command to verify that a policy set is complete and valid before you activate it

VALidate POlicyset domainname policysetname

Then, use the activate policyset command to specify a policy set as the active policy set for a policy domain

ACTivate POlicyset domainname policysetname

When a policy set is activated, its contents are copied to a policy set with the reserved name, ACTIVE.

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7.4 TSM Management Class Binding and Rebinding Overview

Management Class Binding

Management class Binding is the process of associating a file name with a management class name. Binding associates a file with a management class. When you back up a file for the first time, Tivoli Storage Manager binds it to either the default management class or the management class specified in your include-exclude list. In later full incremental backups of the same file, if you change the management class, both active and inactive versions are bound again to the new management class. However, with selective backup and incremental-by-date backups, the new backups are bound to the new management class, but previous backup versions remain bound to the original management class.

Files are bound to a management class name in the following circumstances

• A user can bind a file to a specific management class name by using the INCLUDE option on an include-exclude list.

• A user can bind a file to a management class name by using the ARCHMC option when archiving a file.

• A user can bind a directory to a management class name by using the DIRMC option when backing up a file. If not specified, by default, the management class in the active policy set of the policy domain that has the longest retention period is used for directories.

• The client node can bind a file to the default management class in the active policy set when a user does not bind the file to a specific management class name.

Management Class Rebinding

Management class rebinding is the process of associating a file with a new management class name. Backup versions are rebound to a different management class name in the following cases

• Users change the management class assigned to a file by specifying a different management class in an include-exclude list and performing an incremental or selective backup.

• An administrator activates a policy that does not contain the management class.

• An administrator assigns a client node to a different policy domain and the active policy set in the policy domain that does not have a management class with the same name.

Backup versions of a directory can be rebound when the user specifies a different management class using the DIRMC option in the client option file, and when the directory gets backed up.

If a file is bound to a management class that no longer exists, the server uses the default management class to manage the backup versions. When the user does another backup, the server rebinds the file and any backup versions to the default management class. If the default management class does not have a backup copy group, the server uses the backup retention grace period specified for the policy domain.

All backup versions are re-bound to the new MGMTCLASS. If the management class that files are bound to is deleted, Tivoli Storage Manager uses the attributes of the default management class to manage the backup versions.

Archive copies are never rebound because each archive operation creates a different archive copy. Archive copies remain bound to the management class name specified when the user archived them.

If the management class to which an archive copy is bound no longer exists or no longer contains an archive copy group, the server uses the default management class. If you later change or replace the default management class, the server uses the updated default management class to manage the archive copy.

If the default management class does not contain an archive copy group, the server uses the archive retention grace period specified for the policy domain.

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7.5 TSM EXPIRE INVENTORY Process Overview

How TSM deletes old or expired backup and archive files from TSM Server storage ?

To delete the old or expired backup and archive files from the server storage, you have to run the expire inventory command. By default this process automatically runs every day, you can customize it however. Copies of files that have expired are not deleted from server storage until expiration processing occurs. Expiration is the process of identifying files for deletion because their expiration date or retention period is passed. Files that are backed up or archived are marked expired by Tivoli Storage Manager, based on the criteria that are defined in the backup or archive copy group. Expire inventory process is resource intensive and can sometimes TSM server get hangs, so you need to properly monitor and manage this expire inventory process.

The expire inventory command starts the inventory expiration process. The inventory expiration process removes client backup and archive file copies from server storage. The process is based on the policy that is specified in the backup and archive copy groups of the management classes that the files are bound to. This command can be scheduled. You can enhance the expire inventory command by using the following additional parameters: 

• NODE

• DOMAIN

• TYPE

• DURATION

• RESOURCE

Expiration processing then deletes eligible backup versions and archive file copies. Backup versions are eligible based on policy in the backup copy group, how long and how many inactive versions are kept. Archive file copies are eligible based on policy in the archive copy group, how long archived copies are kept. For example, to run manual expiration run the following command

expire inventory type=backup resource=3 duration=60

When you have the disaster recovery manager function for your Tivoli Storage Manager server, the inventory expiration process also removes eligible virtual volumes that are used by the following processes

• Database backups of type BACKUPFULL, BACKUPINCR, and DBSNAPSHOT. The SET DRMDBBACKUPEXPIREDAYS command controls when these volumes are eligible for expiration.

• Recovery plan files of type RPFILE and RPFSNAPSHOT. The SET DRMRPFEXPIREDAYS command controls when these volumes are eligible for expiration.

The inventory expiration process that runs during server initialization does not remove these virtual volumes. 

EXPINTERVAL Server option

You can run expiration processing either automatically or by command. You control automatic expiration processing by using the expiration interval option (EXPINTERVAL) in the Tivoli Storage Manager options file (dsmserv.opt).

EXPINTERVAL option specifies the number of hours between automatic inventory expiration runs. Inventory expiration is resource intensive. You can set the EXPINterval to 0 and schedule expiration during slower periods.

Has a minimum value of 0, where automatic expiration does not occur and must be started with the expire inventory command. Has a maximum value of 336 hours (14 days) and has a default value of 24 hours.

Cancelling Expire Inventory process

Expiration is restartable if you cancel the process. It always starts from the beginning, based on the node name registration date if you simply cancel the process. However, if you cancel it by using the cancel expiration command, it continues from the point where it stopped. If you need to cancel inventory expiration, use the following command

cancel expiration

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8.1 Different ways to open TSM BA Client Interface

Tivoli Storage Manager Client Interfaces

TSM provides 3 different types of BA Client interfaces to access or connect to the TSM server. You can either use the graphical user interface (GUI), the command line, or the web client to do tasks, such as backups, restores, archives, and retrieves.

BA Client Graphical User Interface (GUI)

You can use the START>ALL PROGRAMS menu to open the TSM client GUI on Windows. Otherwise you can also go to the BAclient installation path and run the following commands.

• Use the dsm command to start the GUI from the Windows command line.

• Use the dsmj command to start the Java GUI from a UNIX command line.

BA Web Client Interface

To configure the webclient, you have to run the dsmcad service and mention HTTP port value in the client option files. Check the below on how to configure webclient on windows machine.

After configuring the web client on your workstation, you can use the web client to perform backup, restore, archive, and retrieve operations from any browser that uses Oracle JavaTM technology. If your browser does not have the correct Oracle Java level, the web client notifies you, and if possible, tries to install the required Oracle Java automatically.

To use the web client, specify the web address of the client machine that runs the web client in your browser and the client port 1581. For example

http://x.x.x.x:1581

You can also open the web client from the Tivoli Storage Manager Operations Center interface. To enable this feature, you must specify the web client address in the URL parameter of the register or update node command. The web address must include the DNS name or IP address of the node, and the port number for the web client, for example, 

http://node.example.com:1581

Backup-archive command line

You can start the client command line by using dsmc command at the operating system prompt. Your path might vary, but the default paths are as follows:

• On Windows:

C:\Program Files\Tivoli\TSM\baclient

• AIX:

/usr/tivoli/tsm/client/ba/bin

/usr/tivoli/tsm/client/ba/bin64

• Linux and other UNIX:

/opt/tivoli/tsm/client/ba/bin

/opt/tivoli/tsm/client/ba/bin64

You can invoke the client by using the command line and typing dsmc at the system command prompt in the directory path where the client is installed. For example:

c:\Program Files\Tivoli\tsm\baclient> dsmc

When authentication is on, you must enter a password on the command line. Otherwise, you are prompted to enter a password. The password is encrypted and does not show when prompted. For Solaris, HP-UX and Linux, start the backup-archive client command line from the following directory

/opt/tivoli/tsm/client/ba/bin> dsmc

The dsmc loop

The dsmc loop command is another command-line interface option to use to enter a series of Tivoli Storage Manager commands. The loop invokes a server session until the quit command causes the session to end. While in the loop, you can enter commands without preceding the command with the dsmc command-line interface prefix. Entering dsmc without a parameter invokes the command-line interface loop. For example

C:\Program Files\Tivoli|TSM\baclient> dsmc incremental d:\accounts\*.*

The client opens a session with the server until the command finishes. 

Command line syntax rules

When using the command line, adhere to the command syntax rules.

• All commands begin with dsmc.

• Always precede options with a dash (-), and usually followed by an equal sign (=) with a value assigned to the option.

• The file specification follows the rules of the platform. For example, a DOS file specification might read C:\myfile.DAT.

• Wildcard metacharacters are also allowed.

• HELP is available for all commands by using the help command or by entering a question mark (?) following the dsmc prefix.

TSM BA Client Utilities Menu

The Utilities Menu of the backup-archive GUI provides the following functions:

• Change Password: A password is required when authorization is on. With the change password function, you can change your password at any time.

• Node Access List: Use this option in conjunction with the Access Another Node command. In this window, you can create or modify rules that enables another node to access your file spaces that are backed up on a Tivoli Storage Manager server.

• Access Another Node: One user can give another user access to their files on the Tivoli Storage Manager server by using the Node Access List window. This window is in the Tivoli Storage Manager client GUI. You can also grant node access with the set access command on the command line. The second user can use the Access Another Node window in the Tivoli Storage Manager client GUI.

• The FROMNODE option, when used with the restore or retrieve command, can return node objects from one client to another. The Access Another Node function is supported in the Tivoli Storage Manager web client. This allows one node to restore objects backed up or archived from one node to another node with a Tivoli Storage Manager web client agent.

• View Policy Information: The View Policy Information window shows the management classes that are available to you. This information includes the copy group information for both the backup and archive copy groups.

• Delete Archived Data: You can delete the entire archive package or individual files that you no longer need that are stored on the Tivoli Storage Manager server. The administrator can override this option. This option applies only if the object is not protected by data retention protection policies.

• Delete Backup Data: You can delete individual backup copies from the Tivoli Storage Manager server without deleting the entire file space if your administrator gives you the authority. An example is deleting files that are backed up, but are later found to contain viruses.

• Delete Filespace: You can use this utility if you do not need a file space. When you select the delete filespace command from the menu, a delete confirmation request prompt opens. You can also remove a file space by using the delete filespace command at the command line.

• Preview Include-Exclude: Before you send any data to the server, you can use the preview command to view the objects to be backed up or archived according to the include-exclude list.

• Setup Wizard: The setup wizard guides you through the necessary steps to configure the Tivoli Storage Manager client and web client.

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8.2 Monitoring and Managing TSM client access to the TSM server

TSM Client Node Registration

Before a user can request Tivoli Storage Manager services, the node must be registered with the server. There are 2 types of client node registration, you can set registration to open or closed.

• Open: The client node is automatically registered when a session starts. The administrator does not have to register this node. Any client that knows the server address can connect and back up files to the server. Open registration specifies that users can register their workstations as client nodes with the server.

• Closed: The administrator must register the client node. Closed registration provides better security in a production environment. Closed registration permits each user to register his own workstation as a client node with the server. This is the default.

Each node must be registered with the server, and it requires an option file with a pointer to the server. You can register a node at the administrative command line with the following command

register node nodename password

Members of the backup operators group can override security restrictions for the sole purpose of backing up or restoring files.  Backup operators are users or groups that have the security settings for backup and restoration of files and directories. Members of the backup operators group can back up and restore an entire machine, including system state and system services data. Storage administrators do not need to use an administrator ID for backup and recovery.

You can run Query Session command on TSM server to know the client session.

Managing TSM Client Passwords

TSM administrators can use the following options to limit and control access to the system

• Set Password Expiration: The default value for password expiration is 90 days. The expiration period begins when an administrator or client node is first registered to the server. If the password does not change within this period, the server prompts the user to change the password the next time the user tries to access the server.

set passexp days node=nodename

• Set Invalid Sign-on Limit: By default, Tivoli Storage Manager does not check the number of times a user attempts to log in with an invalid password. On all client nodes, you can set a limit on consecutive invalid password attempts. When the limit is exceeded, the server locks the node.

set invalidpwlimit number_of_attempts

• Set Minimum Password Length: By default, Tivoli Storage Manager does not check the length of a password. The administrator can specify a minimum password length that is required for Tivoli Storage Manager passwords.

set minpwlength number_of_characters

Lock and Unlock client nodes from accessing the TSM server

You can prevent a client node from accessing the TSM server by using the lock node command. When you lock a node that already has a session, the lock does not take effect until the session restarts. You can reverse this action by using the unlock node command. Two reasons why a node might be locked.

• Too many invalid password attempts

• An administrator action to prevent the node inclusion in an upcoming scheduled event

lock node nodename 

unlock node nodename

The below video will demonstrate the installation and configuration of TSM BA client on HPUX server.

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8.3 TSM BA Client Configuration files on Windows and UNIX

Configuring TSM Client option and Client system files (dsm.opt) & (dsm.sys) files

TSM BA client on any operating system needs configuration files to connect to the TSM server. Without these files you cannot use BA client features. These files consists of communication, performance and security settings. On Windows, we have only one configuration file which is dsm.opt and on UNIX platforms, we have two configuration files (dsm.opt & dsm.sys) files. 

On windows, the client options are in dsm.opt. This is a file that a client can edit. The file contains a default set of processing options that identify the server, communication method, backup and archive options, and scheduling options. If you want to use multiple nodenames for taking backup (application & filelevel), you have to use multiple dsm.opt files.

On multi-user systems, like UNIX and Linux, the client options are in both files, dsm.opt and dsm.sys. The dsm.sys file contains the system-wide options, and dsm.opt is specific to the client.

If you want to use multiple nodenames for taking backups (application & filelevel), you have to use multiple dsm.opt files and only one dsm.sys file. The client system configuration file (dsm.sys) can contain multiple stanzas where each stanza consists of communication and performance parameters. each stanza should have a servername which should match by the servername option in one of the dsm.opt files. If there is no servername parameter in the dsm.sys file, TSM picks-up the first stanza settings by default.

Managing TSM client options

You must set the following communication parameters in the client options file to communicate with the TSM server.

• TCPServeraddress

• COMMMethod

• TCPPORT

• NODename

One way of building an options file, is to copy the dsm.smp file in the c:\Program Files\Tivoli\TSM\config directory, and uncomment and/or edit commmethod, TCPServeraddress, and add the nodename. Then save the file as dsm.opt in c:\Program Files\Tivoli\TSM\balient.

For Linux and UNIX, copy, edit, and rename dsm.sys.smp to dsm.sys in the baclient directory.

You can also manage client options using one of the following methods

• Edit the dsm.opt or dsm.sys files.

• Define client preferences in the backup-archive GUI.

• Create server generated option sets.

When entering options in your client options file (dsm.opt), use these guidelines

• Each comment must have an asterisk (*) as the first character in a line.

• Do not enter comments and options on the same line.

• Enter each option on a separate line and enter all parameters for an option on the same line.

• Enter one or more blank spaces between parameters.

Below video will show how to configure dsm.opt and dsm.sys files in UNIX systems

Editing the client options file

You can build an options file with the backup-archive GUI Preference Editor’s Setup Wizard.

Using the backup-archive GUI, more options available to you

• Open the Utilities menu, and select Client Preferences.

• Make necessary changes, and click OK to save those changes.

Using the Setup Wizard, basic options only:

• Open the Utilities menu, and select Setup Wizard.

• Select the Help me configure the TSM Backup Archive Client option.

• Click Next.

• Select the Update my options file option.

Each time that you make changes to the dsm.opt file, you must stop and restart the client so that the changes take effect.

Tivoli Storage Manager uses the following communications parameters that you must set

General Options

TCPPORT: Use this option to specify a TCP/IP port address of the server. The TCP/IP port address is used to communicate with a Tivoli Storage Manager server. The range of values is 1000 to 32767. The default is 1500. For example:

TCPPORT port_address

TCPSERVERADDRESS: Use this option to specify the TCP/IP address for a Tivoli Storage Manager server. To use the TCP/IP communication protocol, you must include the TCPSERVERADDRESS option in your client option file. The other TCP/IP options have default values that you can modify only if you want to change the default value. Provide a 1-character to 64-character TCP/IP address for a Tivoli Storage Manager server. The value you specify for this parameter can be a TCP/IP Internet domain name or an IP address.

COMMMETHOD: Use this option to specify the communication method that you use to provide connectivity for client-server communication. Options are described below.

NODENAME: Use this option to identify your workstation to the server. The node name is a 1-character to 64-character name that identifies the node that you want to request Tivoli Storage Manager services for. For Windows systems, the default is the name of the machine if you do not use this option. For UNIX, the default is the same name that the hostname command returns. The NODENAME option goes in your client system options file named dsm.sys. UNIX environments use the dsm.opt file.

Client server communication options

COMMMETHOD Options to establish communication between the client and server now include the use of Active Directory to locate the Tivoli Storage Manager server. The COMMMETHOD option includes the following values:

TCPIP: The Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) version 4, communication method.

V6TCPIP: The Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) version 6 communication method. This method is not supported for all functions, including NDMP. Refer to the documentation for a complete list of functions that are not supported. TCP/IP (version 4) and V6TCP/IP (version 6) are used in dedicated or intermixed environments.

NAMEDPIPE: The Named Pipe option that specifies the name of the pipe for communication use between a Tivoli Storage Manager server and Tivoli Storage Manager client that are on the same Windows workstation.

SHAREDMEM: The Shared Memory communication method. This communication method option is possible when the Tivoli Storage Manager Server and Tivoli Storage Manager Client are on the same machine.

Use Active Directory to Locate the TSM Server

For this value, select the Use Active Directory Lookup communication method to use Windows Active Directory communication information automatically during client initialization. This communication method bypasses communication method parameters that are stored locally in your options file. It directly queries the directory for the communication method and server to connect with.

You can also specify Use Active Directory from the Tivoli Storage Manager Client/Server Communications page of the Client Configuration Wizard. Additionally, you can specify the USEDIRECTORY option in the Tivoli Storage Manager options file or from the command line.

Ensure that the administrator enables only one server and one specific communication protocol for a client node. If a node is registered to more than one server that information is published in Active Directory, the first server that is returned in the directory query is used. If the server cannot be contacted, the client session fails.

The PASSWORDACCESS GENERATE option

The password of the Tivoli Storage Manager backup-archive client is encrypted and stored in a file on the client system. If a client receives a return code from the Tivoli Storage Manager server indicating that the password is expired, the client generates a new random password.

The PASSWORDACCESS GENERATE option You can specify the PASSWORDACCESS GENERATE option in a client option file to allow the use of the web client.

The PASSWORDDIR backup-archive client option specifies the location of the encrypted password file. The Win32 backup-archive client is an exception to this rule because it stores the encrypted Tivoli Storage Manager client password in the registry.

The DOMAIN option

Use the DOMAIN option to specify the drives to include in your client domain for incremental backup. When you use this option in your client option file, it defines your default client domain. The DOMAIN option is an additive option, so it does not override other options. Tivoli Storage Manager uses your default client domain to determine the local drives to process during an incremental backup in the following situations

• You run an incremental backup using the incremental command without specifying which local drives to process.

• Your Tivoli Storage Manager administrator defines a schedule to run an incremental backup for you, but does not specify which local drives to process.

The domain option applies to all platforms. Consider the term local drives to mean volumes or file systems if one of those terms applies to your platform. For UNIX clients, this option goes in the client user options file.

Use the DOMAIN option to specify the items that you want to include for an incremental backup. You can issue this option in a client options file or from a command line

• In the client options file: DOMAIN C: D: E:

• From the command line: dsmc incremental –domain=“G: H:”

The ALL-LOCAL parameter backs up all local hard drives, the systemobject domain (Windows 2000, XP), the systemstate domain (Windows Server 2003), and the system services domain (Windows Server 2003). This is the default. To include all the local drives except for the e: drive, enter the following command

 dsmc incremental -domain=“ALL-LOCAL -e:”

System Services

All system services components are backed up as part of system state. You cannot back up individual system services components, however, individual components can be restored.

You can exclude individual system services components. Place the exclude.systemservice or exclude.systemobject for Windows XP options in the client options file (dsm.opt). You can also set these options on the Include-Exclude tab, in the Define Include-Exclude Options section of the Preferences editor.

Additional Client Options

Below are some of the additional options by which you can manage client-server connections

• Communication
• Node
• Backup and archive processing
• Restore and retrieve processing
• Scheduling
• Format and language
• Command processing
• Authorization options
• Error processing
• Transaction processing
• Web client
• Diagnostics

Some options are not available in the graphical options editor.

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