I've only got one TSM server, so most of your options aren't available to me. 
We run our off-site storage pool backups with a script. At the end of the 
script we run two database backups to tape, one right after the other, and then 
run the automated checkout script which checks out BOTH backups as the first 
two tapes (3584/LTO2) followed by all the other tapes.

The two database tapes get banded together and tagged with the date and 
everything goes off-site in one box.

I'd REALLY like to see "copies=n" as a supported option on all the backup 
commands that reference a tape device class.

Tom Kauffman
NIBCO, Inc

-----Original Message-----
From: ADSM: Dist Stor Manager [mailto:ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU] On Behalf Of 
Richard Rhodes
Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 12:53 PM
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Subject: TSM DB backup - dr, issues and concerns

We have been having some discussions about our TSM db backups,
and, db backups for DR.

Environment:
  - dual datacenters
  - connected by high speed DWDM network
  - tape drive san connected between datacenters
  - libraries and TSM servers at both sites
  - TSM db backups go directly to tape in the offsite library
  - we ONLY use full backups (no incremental or roll-forward mode)

Paranoid QUESTION came up:  In a DR (or any TSM db restore,
for that matter) what do we do IF we have a problem reading
the db backup tape . . .
Answer:  use the previous backup.  (resulting in bigger data loss window)

I was asked to brain-storm if/how this can be mitigated.  I've come
up with the following list of thoughts . .

0)  Don't worry about it . . . It's too paranoid.

1)  perform db backup to offsite Virtual Volumes, which can have a
copy pool for protection.  We used to do this, but dropped it when
we got direct san connections between datacenters.

2)  remotely mirror the db/log (sync SRDF - we're an EMC shop)

3)  perform db backup to local disk (file device), and push a backup of the
files to a remote TSM server with primary and copypool copies.

4) implement incremental backup????????
   ( can you apply incremental across a lost db backup?
     ie - given:   full-1, inc-1a, inc-1b, full-2, inc-2a, inc-2b
     If full-2 is bad, can you restore full-1 and post all inc's in order
     to get to the most current db state?)

5)  If (4) doesn't work (and I don't think it does), does anyone know
if v6.x with DB2 will support log backups to allow this kind of
restore?  (what we do for Oracle all the time)

6)  Other???  What do YOU do, or is this something you just don't worry
about?


Thanks!

Rick



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