ADSM-L

Re: Plea for ammo-

1999-10-07 16:12:09
Subject: Re: Plea for ammo-
From: "Prather, Wanda" <PrathW1 AT CENTRAL.SSD.JHUAPL DOT EDU>
Date: Thu, 7 Oct 1999 16:12:09 -0400
Works the same way here.

I'm responsible for the ADSM server.  With 450 clients, I CAN"T be
responsible for all of them, even if I wanted to.  And with that many
critters on the network, there is no way I can keep up with which file
systems/applications are important, who has files that are in use and
applications that should shut down during backup, etc.

I sit down with the different NT administrators and the different AIX
administrators and TEACH them how to install the client, how to set up the
scheduler, etc.  (And I tell them NOT to do a bare-metal restore or
otherwise hurt themselves without calling me first...)

We agree that getting the client installs done and making sure individual
files get backed up is THEIR responsibility; running the server, getting
their data sent offsite to the vault and notifying them if their schedules
miss or fail is MY responsibility.

************************************************************************
Wanda Prather
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
443-778-8769
wanda_prather AT jhuapl DOT edu

"Intelligence has much less practical application than you'd think" -
Scott Adams/Dilbert
************************************************************************






> -----Original Message-----
> From: Allen S. Rout [SMTP:asr AT NERSP.NERDC.UFL DOT EDU]
> Sent: Thursday, October 07, 1999 2:28 PM
> To:   ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> Subject:      Re: Plea for ammo-
>
> => On Thu, 7 Oct 1999 08:43:29 -0500, Lisa Cabanas
> <CABANL AT MAIL.MODOT.STATE.MO DOT US> said:
>
> > I have just entered the world of ADSM (been in this position six weeks),
> and
> > I am now embroiled in a holy war with my current supervisor over NT
> admin
> > rights.  I have access to all of the data that we back up-- I am the
> ADSM
> > admin- I hold the key to the BIG DOOR, so you wouldn't think that this
> would
> > be an issue (but it is).  My supervisor thinks that I can do my job
> > efficiently without having admin rights on the NT server clients.
>
> [ ... ]
>
> Woo, clearly a hot-button topic.
>
> At the University of Florida, we're nibbling on this issue too; I manage
> an
> ADSM <smack>TSM server in a data center on campus, and we're trying to
> figure
> out how to extend service to our fractious University constituency.
>
> We do have a difference between us and your (apparent) situation.  When a
> new
> unit expresses a desire to do some backups, I want there to be an
> admin-type
> _local to the unit_ who has first responsibility for their backups.  This
> person should have the rights to install the client, and the domain
> knowledge
> to make good decisions about the unit's backup needs.  She/He gets an ADSM
> admin ID, with authority over her policy domain, and we interact on the
> level
> of "about how much space do you need", "about what time of day should I do
> backups".
>
> Of course, I'm still doing global monitoring, and poking local admins when
> it
> appears something is going wrong.  But _my_ responsibility really only
> extends
> to poking.
>
> If you can establish that policy, then it's only one step further to tell
> them:
>
> "Ok, we won't run the scheduler, it's your responsiblity to configure the
> client, and you can use whatever scheduling facilities your OS offers to
> generate the incrementals at the right time.  You _could_ manage this all
> centrally with this nice piece of enterprise-buzzword-management software
> we
> bought, but if you feel your time is better spent duplicating schedule
> setups
> on N machines, I respect that judgement".
>
> And make sure they get a missive _every day_ detailing the nodes (and
> filespaces!) that haven't backed up "recently enough", whatever that means
> in
> your organization.
>
>
> - Allen S. Rout
> - I've got some PERL that can do that last bit if you like. :)
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