ADSM-L

Re: Tivoli storage manager migration/backup

2006-10-19 15:31:26
Subject: Re: Tivoli storage manager migration/backup
From: Skylar Thompson <skylar2 AT U.WASHINGTON DOT EDU>
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2006 12:29:47 -0700
Kelly Lipp wrote:
> Skylar,
>
> In our systems, we backup stg first and then migrate so we know we have
> one done before the other.  In your case, you synchronize theses
> processes (our STORServer Manager product does this for you) by creating
> scripts.
>
> I guess I don't really worry too much about a tape failure before the
> backup stg/migration processing completes.  Worst case, you might have a
> problem and lose client data.  That's only a problem if you need the
> data on the client at the same time that happens.  Unlikely.  In the
> case where you lose client data on the TSM server (a very rare event),
> the client will send it again (to the extent possible) the next time a
> backup runs.  So in most cases the problem is self healing.
>
> Now, if I were using poor tape technology I would be really worried.
> But if I'm using something modern, like LTO3, then I worry less.
>

Our backup environment unfortunately tends towards the 24/7, because we
have some client-initiated backups, and some systems that just have so
many files (some with over 50 million in a directory) that it takes ages
to just index. We can't really guarantee a quiet that we can safely
backup and migrate files without having some fall through the cracks. I
made the case to my boss that delaying clients due to a full disk cache
is much more dangerous than doing tape-to-tape backups, and we're now
going with the stock disk-disk-tape-tape solution, which gives us a lot
more scheduling flexibility to boot. Yay!


--
-- Skylar Thompson (skylar2 AT u.washington DOT edu)
-- Genome Sciences Department, System Administrator
-- K324, (206)-685-7354
-- University of Washington Medical Center