Flash - TSM server Upgrade (2nd notice)

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Problem:  When upgrading to TSM V5.1, an upgrade conversion is done to the
TSM database for information used to track grouped files.  This TSM
database table conversion may result in the TSM server not being available
for production use for an extended amount of time as documented in APAR
IC34931.


Who is Affected:  TSM servers on any server platform that have grouped
files stored in the server storage hierarchy and tracked in the TSM server
database.  Grouped files are used to store Windows System Objects from a
TSM Windows Client.  Any filespace reported on a "QUERY FILESPACE"
administrative command with the filespace name "SYSTEM OBJECT" will have
grouped file information recorded in the TSM server database that will be
converted to a new table schema when upgrading to TSM V5.1.



Recommendation:  In order to reduce the time needed for the TSM database
table conversion during the upgrade to TSM V5.1, the following should be
done:



1)  For TSM V4.1.x server users, upgrade to TSM V4.2 and ptf level 4.2.4.



2) Apar IC33977 introduced a diagnostic utility that would remove
extraneous grouped file entries as a result of APAR IC32994.  This CLEANUP
BACKUPGROUP utility should be run to insure that all possible extraneous
grouped file entries are removed.



3) The TSM server expiration process should be run to completion to make
sure that all expiration eligible grouped files are deleted from the server
prior to performing the upgrade to V5.1.



4) Estimate how long the upgrade may take.

A loose rule of thumb to follow is 5 minutes for every 1/2 million system
objects assuming you upgrade using TSM server level 5.1.7 or beyond. This
calculation was derived on a TSM AIX server on an RS/6000 H50 (4-way), 1GB
memory, with one SSA database disk using write cache enabled.  Results
obtained in other operating environments may vary significantly and
therefore this rule of thumb does not constitute a performance guarantee or
warranty (see the next step for some factors that will affect the accuracy
of the rule of thumb). Some customers have experienced upgrades that have
taken more than a day based on their hardware configuration, number of
system objects, and level of TSM server that they upgraded to.

To determine how many system objects you have, issue the following select
statement on your TSM server.

SELECT SUM(NUM_FILES) FROM OCCUPANCY WHERE FILESPACE_NAME='SYSTEM OBJECT'


Factors such as whether you are using multiple TSM database volumes, using
separate disks/arrays for each database volume, and using disk with
subsystem/adapter write cache will also impact the performance of the
upgrade and your unique configuration will ultimately be a key factor in
the final performance of the upgrade.

5)  Consider changing server options for the duration of the upgrade to
optimize TSM Database performance:

      - Set MIRRORWRITE DB PARALLEL and DBPAGESHADOW YES in the server
options file

      - Use optimal database  buffer pool size

 6) Do Not upgrade to V5.1 using the Base Product CDs



7) Perform the upgrade to TSM V5.1 using TSM server ptf level V5.1.7 which
contains the fix for APAR IC34931.  Then do a selective install of the
license module from the V5.1 Base Product CD.

      When available PTF V5.1.7 can be downloaded from
ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/storage/tivoli-storage-management/maintenance/server/v5r1/





Conclusion:  The TSM database table conversion done in TSM V5.1 is
necessary to improve the production capability and support for grouped
files.  It is necessary to plan for this conversion as the time needed for
this may make the server unavailable for an extended period of time.  To
reduce the time needed for the conversion to the greatest degree possible,
the recommendations listed above should be followed to eliminate any
extraneous grouped file entries.


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Cordially,

Sam J. Giallanza,Tivoli Certified Consultant

Tools for TSM:

Support site and KB is at :

http://www-3.ibm.com/software/sysmgmt/products/support/IBMTivoliStorageManager.html