TSM Training

[chad_small]

If you were to take TSM training which OS would you prefer was used when performing the lab portion of the class?

[dms19]

AIX. IMO anything can be taken from there and applied to Windoze.

[mccleld]

Although I'm an IBM-er by heritage, and a lot of my client work these days seems to be upon Solaris, for a TSM Server course now I'd probably go for Linux being most useful as being broadly representative of the *nix platforms upon which TSM runs. As for Windows? Hmn. Separate course? Separate module? Separate room?

_______________
David Mc
London, UK

[crazytsm]

Chad,

Most of the TSM servers will be either on Windows or AIX.It is better you learn one unix based OS and windows OS.Moreover,TSM is
compatible with all the Major Operating Systems.

[chad_small]

Crazy,

I'm aware TSM is compatible with all the major OS's but the problem is that IBM only offers the course based around Windows, which makes it more frustrating for the UNIX based shops. I had a thought of a lab utilizing one of each TSM servers (Windows and AIX/Linux) and the students access it remotely. They could do the work by setting up their own domain and stg pools since the install process is now mostly automated with the bin install file.

[fpoe]

AIX. Just because it's what I'm used to.

And running a TSM server on Windows? You would need to halt the server 4 times per month due to stability/patching.

[cjhood]

Chad - As someone who comes from a Windows background I like the idea of working through a training course with both. The difficulty would be to give both a decent amount of time...

fpoe - Maybe in the bad old days you'd need to restart that often with windows, but not now. I'm running 2k8 in prod and have been more than happy with the stability of the OS. To be honest we had more issues with 6.1 crashing than with 2k8. Sure, patching is another matter but hey - that's what maintenance times are for

[TonyB]

Now you're making me vaguely nostalgic for the days when I did course instruction

As to what I'd prefer to teach/be taught... a unix preference would be a good one - I'd be tempted to look at Linux rather than AIX since the big-blue approach seems a little more turnkey (might be more scope for config understanding on Linux).

It seems likely that a Windows option would be valuable - seems like a fair few people are using this platform (although I've never had the ... pleasure).

Perhaps a commodity hardware platform with a wintel+linux image that you can deploy at need?

[mikeatkc]

AIX. I had a choice for TSM training between AIX and Windows. There were no other options to select from IBM website. This was a couple of years ago, not certain what's available now.

[Harry_Redl]

Hi,

I think it is good to have the course based on the system one is going to use. Seen people from AIX world completely wasting their time on TSM/Windows course as they were battling with the OS instead of understanding the TSM (can imagine vice versa situation).

But does the OS selection really matter?
If you look at the differences - device drivers, path definitions, starting/stopping the service(s) - that is all! Once TSM is installed and running, you can learn it without knowing the underlying OS. Stgpools, policies, way how it works ....
Differences can be covered at the end of the course.

There is one reason against Windows - wizards. Too many people rely on them without understanding what they really do.
So my selection is Linux.

Harry

[umur]

If one is using both AIX and Windows servers, I'd say that a course in Windows 2008 would me more helpful since it was always easier for me to run and maintain TSM on AIX

[chad_small]

I think Linux would be good for any UNIX shop whether you use AIX, HP/UX, Solaris, or Linux. As for Windows, my issue as stated earlier, is that it's to Wizard driven.

[fuzzballer]

I agree windows has way too many wizards to suit me but that is all I support. i would love to take a linux course on TSM because I am certain things would run much better but my management will only grant me training on the type of system they run. I woudl suppose this is true across the board. As for Windows being too wizard driven -- that choice is up to you the individual. If you would rather install and configure manually you can do that. The issue isn't the wizards but the end user that chooses to use them. I am in agreement that the OS platform doesn't matter if you are there to learn TSM then TSM is the focus and wizard driven can be taken out of the picture by the instructor. Can it not?

[erwanns]

Hi,

I'm teaching TSM for IBM France since 2004. Beginning with TSM 5.4 (3 years ago !), we decided to use Linux VMs instead of AIX images as an Unix platform for labs. It's really appreciated by students because they can choose between Linux and Windows, use one for the server and the other as the client.
AIX is not a better platform than Linux for learning TSM (and vice-versa) as it does not change much. But it's a need to have Unix AND Windows so people can chosse a platform they're comfortable with and concentrate on TSM and not on vi editor or windows system tools... (no troll !)

[martinmuroria]

AIX. Just because it's what I'm used to.

And running a TSM server on Windows? You would need to halt the server 4 times per month due to stability/patching.

True! Windows is the most unstable OS in the entire world!I would never imagine hosting my TSM server in a windows box! AIX is definitely my preferred choice!

[tanvisharma]

Linux is my preferred choice. I used Linux & I love to work on Linux.

[JensD]

My 2 cents:

Linux.

As for choosing between different flavours of *nix, AIX, Solaris and HP-UX have radically different ways of doing things than all Linux variants and *BSD style operations systems.

As most people who are familiar with *nix must have (or as I belive) started with something that's freely available they must have started with some Linux variant or *BSD, and not AIX, Solaris or HP-UX. Therefore most people can relate to Linux more easily than to AIX..

[rallingham]

Some of us have been doing this before Linux was a twinkle in some one's eye. Starting with AIX was a come-down from MVS.

[Mita201]

About windows:
I have found that all the newest IBM TSM courses (for TSM 6.2) when they run on windows, they are on win2k3!
This is errr.... I do not know why is this?

[foobar2devnull]

Just attended a course and sadly, the only VM available was Windows 2003. No Unix at all.

[Graeme]

I'd prefer Windows as that is what we run it on .. currently Server 2003 R2 x64, but the training should probably use Server 2008 R2 (x64) as 2003 is heading for EOL/EOS and 2008 has been around for at least 3 years now.

I would personally prefer to be running it on Linux, but that is out of my control.

[thiagodasilveira]

I agree with Harry_Redl.

The easiest OS to use in a course I think is Windows (for the most administrators).
I've delivered some TSM courses (Implementation and Administration and Advanced) and the material are really extensive. So the focus is always in the TSM and not in OS.

But I prefer Linux in the most cases because is the OS that I have more experience.
I know AIX is the best one for TSM, but for administrators who doesn't have experience on it, I think they will be in trouble when the course is delivered using this OS.

[capslock]

Windows because that is what I am using......I am not biased either way though, that is what I inherited when I took the job.