ADSM-L

AW: Open File Support for Windows 2003 (Was Userprofile Backup wi t h Windows2003 and TSM 5.2)

2004-01-20 13:03:42
Subject: AW: Open File Support for Windows 2003 (Was Userprofile Backup wi t h Windows2003 and TSM 5.2)
From: Stefan Holzwarth <stefan.holzwarth AT ADAC DOT DE>
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 19:02:40 +0100
There is no APAR since there seems to be some misunderstanding.

After some more mailings I will conclude my understanding:
---------------------------------------------------------
At the moment there is no official way to do a full backup/restore of an
Windows2003 server if you want to include the user profiles. The TSM
recovery depends on the ASR recovery done by Microsoft with does not include
the online-user profiles (my experience until now from test-restores). There
is a way to backup that profiles using Openfilesupport - but the customer
does this on his own risk.


Here an excerpt of my information from IBM: (draw your own conclusion)
-------------------------------------------
provided by development:                              
For Windows 2000 in TSM client were implemented system objects that must
be backed up together in order to create a consistent system state.     
System objects which must be backed up together include the following:  
.                                                                       
Active Directory (domain controller only)                               
Certificate server database                                             
Cluster Database (cluster node only)                                    
COM+ database                                                           
Registry                                                                
System and boot files                                                   
System volume                                                           
.                                                                       
Other system objects can be backed up individually. These include the   
following:                                                              
.                                                                       
Event logs (system, security and application)                           
Removable Storage Management Database (RSM)                             
Replicated file systems (FRS)                                           
.                                                                       
Customer also have a possibility to backup system objects from the first
group individually although it could fail consistent system state and   
was not recommended procedure. Customer could do it on his own risk.    
This also related to customer's backing up user profiles for W2K and    
WinXP. It was not recommended procedure for W2K and WinXP also although 
customer could do it  because system objects were backed up on          
individual file basis.                                                  
.                                                                       
This approach to backup consistent system state is preserved also for   
Windows Server 2003. For Windows Server 2003 TSM uses Microsoft Volume  
Shadowcopy Service to back up all system state components as a single   
object(as distinct from individual file basis). So, customer have no    
possibility to extract user profiles from adsm.sys as he could on       
W2K/WinXP. For W2K3 customer could backup user profiles only as a part  
of consistent system state and not on individual file basis.            
.                                                                       
What is related to using OFS support for backing up user profiles. Here 
are the quote from document "TSM Client v5.2 Open File Support"         
http://www-1.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=203&q1=OFS&uid=             
swg21121552&loc=en_US&cs=:                                              
.                                                                       
"OFS should not be used for backing up locked Windows system files. The 
TSM Client has advanced features for backing up data contained within   
these files. The backup of the system data that is contained in these   
files requires additional processing and must be backed up in a group to
allow for a successful restore. The included TSM Client features "System
Objects" (Windows 2000 and Windows XP) and "System State" (Windows      
Server 2003) are used for the backup and restore of this data. These    
files are "excluded" from the TSM File level backup.                    
.                                                                       
.....                                                                   
.                                                                       
Currently OFS is only supported on Windows 2000 and Windows XP.         
The current version of OFS support in TSM v5.2.0 does not support       
Windows Server 2003. The TSM OFS feature uses its own TSM snapshot      
technology (TSM LVSA). Windows Server 2003 has native snapshot support  
via the Shadow Copy services, which may prevent the operation of, or    
negatively interact with the TSM LVSA. IBM is currently working on      
removing this restriction so that OFS will be supported on Windows      
Server 2003. "                                                          
.                                                                       
So, it is not recommended to use OFS for backing up locked Windows      
system files and the current version of OFS support in TSM v5.2.0 does  
not support Windows Server 2003. If customer desire, he could use it on 
his own risk.            

-------------------------------------------

If I'm the only one that does miss his userprofiles I'm probably wrong.
So I will do further testing and wait what the community's experiences.

Kind Regards 
Stefan Holzwarth


> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: Rushforth, Tim [mailto:TRushforth AT WINNIPEG DOT CA]
> Gesendet: Dienstag, 20. Januar 2004 16:47
> An: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> Betreff: Re: Open File Support for Windows 2003 (Was 
> Userprofile Backup
> wi t h Windows2003 and TSM 5.2)
> 
> 
> Stefan:
> 
> Do you have the APAR # for the documentation change for this?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Tim Rushforth
> City of Winnipeg
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rushforth, Tim [mailto:TRushforth AT WINNIPEG DOT CA] 
> Sent: January 13, 2004 2:39 PM
> To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> Subject: Re: Open File Support for Windows 2003 (Was 
> Userprofile Backup wit
> h Windows2003 and TSM 5.2)
> 
> OK, I'm confused.
> 
> The 5.2.2 readme indicates that Open File Support is not 
> supported for 2003.
> The manual seems to indicate this also.
> 
> But I am able to install OFS agent with 5.2.2 client on 2003 
> and it allows
> me to backup locked files (ntuser.dat of a logged in user).
> 
> Support has indicated below to use Open File Support on 2003.
> 
> So can someone (Andy?) please clarify this?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Tim Rushforth
> City of Winnipeg
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rushforth, Tim [mailto:TRushforth AT WINNIPEG DOT CA] 
> Sent: January 13, 2004 9:33 AM
> To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> Subject: Re: Userprofile Backup with Windows2003 and TSM 5.2
> 
> But Open File Support is not supported for Windows 2003 ...
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stefan Holzwarth [mailto:stefan.holzwarth AT ADAC DOT DE] 
> Sent: January 13, 2004 6:58 AM
> To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> Subject: Userprofile Backup with Windows2003 and TSM 5.2
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> during my recoverytests with Windows2003 and TSM 5.2 (client 
> and  server) i
> couldn't find a way to backup and restore NT userprofiles. 
> The content in
> adsm.sys didn't show the files as usual and the ASR feature 
> didn't restore
> the profiles. So i opened a PMR at IBM and got the follwing 
> information
> after some see-saw mailing:
> 
> The only way to save that information is to use the open file 
> support. 
> 
> Since that fact isn't documented i opend an doc-apar.
> Kind Regards
> 
> Stefan Holzwarth
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> --------------
> --
> Stefan Holzwarth
> ADAC e.V. (Informationsverarbeitung - Systemtechnik - Basisdienste)
> Am Westpark 8, 81373 München, Tel.: (089) 7676-5212, Fax: 
> (089) 76768924
> mailto:stefan.holzwarth AT adac DOT de
> 

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