Library Sharing for TSM DR Server

[nabildz]

Hi

We are looking at preparing a DR TSM sever for our production TSM server as a cold/hot standby server by sharing the library between production and standby server and run the DR files on standby to test the DR plan

is this the correct approach

please advice

Many Thanks

[Eldoraan]

Doesn't sound viable. If you're going to bring the production TSM instance up on the DR host, then that recovered instance on DR host will need to control a library. You can't bring the same TSM instance up on both hosts and share a single library between them. It's a one or the other scenario with DR plan. Do you have a DR site seperate from production, or are you just running through exercise to do dry run of plan?

[nabildz]

Hi Eldoraan

Many Thanks for your reply

I dont tend to run both the instances at the same time, just doing DR test, so while doing it I will stop production for the time of testing

Regards

Nabil

[MAG]

If your library is big enough and supports it then you could partition it into two logical libraries and use them concurrently.

If that's not an option then for it to be a good test you'll need to unload all of your primary storage pool tapes from the library and replace with all of the copy pool tapes. Be caureful afterwards to audit the library and fix any tapes that might have gone missing from libvolumes.

[nabildz]

Ok thanks, but if I intend to move the TSM instance to the second library, do I still need to unload the Primary STG pool tapes??

[MAG]

No, if you have two virtual libraries set up within the same physical library then you should have a separate range of tape slots for each. You wouldn't then need to remove the primary tapes from the logical side that's the primary - but this set up is very wastefull for library utilisation.

In your situation I'd do the tape removal and re-loading for a one-off DR test at your main site (assuming the library is free for long enough) but for a good DR strategy you should have a separate library on a DR site somewhere.