How do I perform NDMP backups using Tivoli Storage Manager?

Issue

Solution

NOTE

Before reading this article, Mirapoint highly recommends reading the latest version of the Mirapoint Backup and Restore Guide.

NOTE

Mirapoint only supports Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) versions 5.4 and 5.5 (see Approved NDMP DMAs for Mirapoint Appliances. Refer to your IBM documentation in order to obtain current information on the TSM command line interface or Web administrative interface for versions 5.4 and later.

You can perform manual backups and schedule automatic backups using the TSM command line interface or Web administrative interface.

Performing a Manual Backup

When you initiate a TSM backup, you need to specify:

The name of the TSM NAS node that represents your Mirapoint appliance. This name is set when TSM is configured for Mirapoint backups. (The appliance's system name is typically used as the NAS node name.)

The name of the file system that contains the data you want to back up. For Mirapoint backups, this is always /usr/store.

The backup mode, full or diff. A full backup backs up the entire file system. A differential backup backs up only those files that have changed since the last full backup. If no mode is specified, TSM performs a differential backup. If no previous full backup is found when the mode is set to diff, a full backup is performed.

The TOC mode. To enable selective restores, TSM must save a table of contents (TOC) when the backup is performed. By default, the TOC mode is set to preferred-TSM attempts to generate a TOC, but the back up does not fail if the TOC cannot be created. To guarantee that a TOC is always generated, set the TOC mode to yes. In this mode, the backup fails if an error occurs during creation of the table of contents. (This can happen if there is insufficient space in the backup TOC volume to store the table of contents.)

To initiate a backup from the TSM command line interface, you use the backup node command. You can also initiate a backup through the Operation view of the Web administrative interface.

Performing a Full Backup

When you initiate a TSM backup, you need to set the backup mode to full to perform a full backup of the Mirapoint /usr/store.

To perform a full backup of a Mirapoint /usr/store using the TSM command line interface:

Run the dsmadmc command from the /tsm/client/ba/bin/dsmservdirectory on your TSM system to start the TSM admin client. (The TSM server must be running before you can access the admin client.)
From the TSM command line, run the backup node command and specify:

The name of the TSM NAS node defined for your Mirapoint appliance
The file system /usr/store
The backup mode full
The TOC mode yes

For example, the following command performs a full backup of the Mirapoint
/usr/store on the appliance defined to TSM as the NAS node Mirapoint1:

backup node Mirapoint1 /usr/store mode=full toc=yes

The TOC mode is set to yes to ensure that a TOC is generated if the backup is successful. A TOC must be generated to enable selective restores.

You can also initiate backups through the Operation->Manage Server Storage->Work with Sequential Access Storage Pools section of the TSM Web administrative interface.

Performing a Differential Backup

When you initiate a TSM backup, TSM performs a differential backup by default. You do not need to explicitly set the backup mode if you just want to back up the files that have changed since the last full backup.

To perform a differential backup of a Mirapoint /usr/store using the TSM command line interface:

Run the dsmadmc command from the /tsm/client/ba/bin/dsmservdirectory on your TSM system to start the TSM admin client. (The TSM server must be running before you can access the admin client.)
From the TSM command line, run the backup node command and specify:

The name of the TSM NAS node defined for your Mirapoint appliance
The file system /usr/store
The TOC mode yes

For example, the following command performs a differential backup of the Mirapoint /usr/store on the appliance defined to TSM as the NAS node Mirapoint1:

backup node Mirapoint1 /usr/store toc=yes

The TOC mode is set to yes to ensure that a TOC is generated if the backup is successful. A TOC must be generated to enable selective restores.

You can also initiate backups through the Operation view->Manage Server Storage->Work with Sequential Access Storage Pools section of the TSM Web administrative interface.

Scheduling Backups with Tivoli Storage Manager

You can schedule backups by creating a TSM administrative schedule that runs the backup node command.

When you define a backup schedule, you need to:

Set the schedule type to administrative.
Specify the backup node command you want to schedule. (See "Performing a Manual Backup" in this article for more information about the backup node command.)
Set the time when the backup should be performed.
Set the frequency with which the backup should run.
Activate the schedule so that TSM automatically processes the schedule when TSM is started. If you do not define the schedule to be active on startup, you need to use the update schedule command to activate it when you want TSM to process the schedule.

To create a TSM administrative schedule to back up a Mirapoint /usr/store using the TSM command line interface:

Run the dsmadmc command from the /tsm/client/ba/bin/dsmservdirectory on your TSM system to start the TSM admin client. (The TSM server must be running before you can access the admin client.)
From the TSM command line, run the define schedule command and specify:

A name for the new schedule
The schedule type administrative
The backup node command you want to run with this schedule
The active status of the new schedule
The start time that defines when the backup should run
The period that defines how often to run the backup
The period unit that indicates whether the period is defined in hours, days, weeks, months, or years

For example, the following TSM command creates a TSM administrative schedule called backupsched to back up the Mirapoint /usr/store on the appliance defined to TSM as the NAS node Mirapoint1:

define schedule backupsched type=administrative cmd='backup node Mirapoint1
/usr/store toc=yes' active=yes starttime=20:00 period=1 perunits=days

This creates an active administrative schedule that is set to run a differential backup at 8:00 p.m. daily. For more information about scheduling backups, see "Automating Server Operations" in your TSM Administrator's Guide.

You can also schedule backups through the Operation view > Automate Operations section of the TSM Web administrative interface.

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