Better way for TSM backup schema

[ocarles]

Hi all!


In the process of implementing TSM 6.2 on Windows Server, I am trying to figure out what is the better way for my backup schema. I am reading a lot of material, including redbook TSM Concepts, TSM Administrator Guide 6.2, Administrator's Reference Guide 6.2 among threads on this forum and others docs. My backup and recovery knowledge comes from CA ARCServe from many years (I realize that TSM is completely diferent)
My environment consist:

* SAN Environment (all components are attached).
* TSM 6.2 Server Standard Edition on Windows 2008 64 bits box
* TS3100 LTO4 library with 23 slots and 1 drive
* 4, 5 TB disk pool available
* 1 Windows 2008 AD DC as a file system server to backup
* 4 Suse Linux server with SAP ECC 6.0 over oracle to backup
* 2 Suse Linux server with Oracle 10.1 to backup

Total data to backup (include all server above): about 850 GB

In a big picture my backup schema should fit to:

* Daily backup from Monday to Friday
* Weekly backup on saturday, retaining for one month
* Monthly backup at the end of month, retaining for one year

- Keep in mind this, I need onsite tape volumes and offsite ones
- I also plan to backup TSM database with two tape volumes (day through)
- I plan full/incremental for all backup types

For this schema to work, I have a lot of doubts about TSM paradigm (incremental forever, versioning, retain, reclamation, etc). It seems that TSM doesn't work in a per day or period backup type.

Questions
* In my daily schema. How to manage onsite and offsite media? I mean, suppose that my schema begins on monday (first monday) with a full/incremental backup (its takes a full backup because it is the first one) and the next monday (second one) I have to reuse the first full bakup media, but because this is not the first bacukp it takes incremental. What happen with my first full data? It is overwrite it with just only changed data? What if after the first full backup of a file taken on first monday, not changed after second monday (incremental backup) and this overwrite the media?

* If I not have Extended Edition License. How Can I manage Disaster Recovery Plan? (in case that TSM Server goes away)

* What is the best approach to fit my schema?

* I have to think diferent about backup daily (monday-to-friday), weekly (saturday) and monthly? (say that my global RPO is about recovery data to one week back, up to for weeks bak, and 12 month back).

I appreciate very much yout comments and tips about those things


Regards

Oscar

 

[Raakin]

Forget everything you knew about Son Father Grandfather schema. Why, because there is a 'Better way for TSM backup' data.

http://adsm.org/forum/showthread.php?22959-multiple-backup-expiration

In short, rethink the business requirements in this schema - VERE=__ RETE=__ VERD=__ RETO=__

 

[ocarles]

Thanks for your reply.

After all readings I imagine that TSM was very diferent from common backup model, but I was not sure of that.
I will rethink my schema using those parameters.

Appreciate your help.

 

[ocarles]

Just to be sure:

VERE=VEREXIST?
RETE=RETEXTRA?
VERD=VERDELETE?
RETO=RETONLY?

Regards

Oscar

 

[Raakin]

Just to be sure:

VERE=VEREXIST?
RETE=RETEXTRA?
VERD=VERDELETE?
RETO=RETONLY?

Regards

Oscar

That is correct.

 

[domino]

Yes, you are right. TSM is completely different ;-)
TSM works in "incremental backup forever" mode

...
Define (for daily, weekly, and monthly ...)
...
- Storage pools (e.g. SPD_NOC for primary disk pool without copy, SPT_COP for primara tape pool with copy, SCT_COP for copy tape pool ... )
- policy domains (e.g. PD_0007)
- policy sets
- define managementclasses ((e.g. MC_0007)
- define copygroups ((e.g. CG_0007_NOC) ....for example vere=nol verd=nol rete=7 reto=7
...

Define 3 nodes for each server ... (for example daily (no copy), weekly (with copy) and monthly (with copy))

> Daily backup from Monday to Friday
register a node (e.g. WIN_server01_0007) in a policy domain (e.g. PD_0007_NOC) with related MC and STGpool
define a schedule for weekday and assoc this node to them

> Weekly backup on saturday, retaining for one month
register a node (e.g. WIN_server01_0031) in a policy domain (e.g. PD_0031_COP) with related MC and STGpool
define a schedule for saturday and assoc this node to them

> Monthly backup at the end of month, retaining for one year
register a node (e.g. WIN_server01_0365) in a policy domain (e.g. PD_0365_COP) with related MC and STGpool
define a schedule for last day of month and assoc this node to them
...

> TS3100 LTO4 library with 23 slots and 1 drive

Only 1 drive?
- define a Storage pool for reclamation (e.g. SRD_200) ...
... UPDate STG STG_COP RECLAIMSTG =SRD_200

 

[Tiger22]

With only 1 tape drive you are going to struggle with TSM if you require tapes to go offsite. Offsite media in TSM is mostly from copy storage pools and not primary storage pools. You will be unable to backup a primary tape storage pool unless you have a second drive.

I don't know how much data you will have in total in a primary pool but one possibility would be to have a primary pool exclusively as a disk based storage pool, its copy pool going to to tape and weekly/monthly backupsets generated to tape to be taken offsite.

When it comes down to it though you really need another tape drive for TSM to do its stuff the way it was designed.

 

[ocarles]

Suppose that I want to configure my backup policy as the way TSM works (forget daily/weekly/monthy schema):
VERE=3, RETE=15, VERD=3, RETO=365, on the next environment:

- Full data backup = 0,830 TB (almost 1 TB). Say 10% modify average daily
- TS3100 with one LTO4 drive and 23 slots
- 1 primary tape pool, 10 slots assign it
- 1 copy tape, 10 slots assign it, for off-site purpose
- 1 tape class for dbbackup with 2 volumes assign it
- 1 primary disk pool, 3,3 TB
- 1 file pool, 1,2 TB for reclaim purpose

Supposing that doing backup everyday starting at 8:30 pm and my MCs point to disk storage pool, at the same time, write copy data to copy pool and at the end of backup execute a migration to primary tape pool.
Here my idea is take off-site the copy pool everyday, but I really don't know how to manage this, cause in some how and after pass some time, I want to reuse the copy pool tapes. I suppose that this issue is managing using reclaim, cause I think in a file pool in order to get reclaim works (I just have one drive).
Full db backup is made everyday, rotating 2 tapes.

I really don't know if this schema is the best for my backup policy and I get confuse about managing off-site tapes.

I will appreciate very much if some of you can give me a bit of light on this stuff.

Regards

Oscar

 

[ocarles]

Hi:
I appreciate very much your comments about this

Thanks in advanced

Regards

Oscar

 

[Raakin]

If you are using TSM extended edition, TSM manages the offsite media for you. If you are not, well, I don't have any experience with that environment.

10 slots for onsite primary tape and 10 slots for offsite primary tapes - should work since you aren't moving a lot of data, but my onsite tape slots are significantly more than offsite; just keep an eye on them as you may need to adjust it.

Also, one drive... ouch. To run reclamation you need two drives. Since you plan to use a file diskpool, you will need to manually move the data and keep an eye on it. Just pick how empty you want a tape to get before moving the data. A lot of documentation recommends running it around 40%. You can start there and tune it to your environment. If your dive is not able to keep up then let the tape get a little emptier; conversely if you drive is sitting with huge idle times then you can reclaim a higher utilized tape.

I would use compression, device class set to DRIVE; you might have been planning on it but just to make sure. That could give you more space on your tapes.

 

[jorgeaaq]

Restore data from multiple node names

Hi:

I just start with TSM and following your posts, I am creating several nodenames to backup infomation

Now my question is , how restore the information?, if I use the Windows GUI only one dsm.opt can be used

I need to reconfigure the Windows GUI everytime to change the source nodename to restore information?

Is this the better option?

I start with this because I need to backup a SQL database at the end of every month and keep it for 12 months for auditing purposes, this independent of my regular daily backup for security purposes.

any Ideas?

Thanks indvance
(sorry for my English but is not my native language)

Jorge Arenas

 

[ocarles]

Hi jorgeaaq:
You can start baclient gui from command line, indicating your desired dsm.opt file: dsm -optfile=<archivo .opt>

Regards

Oscar

 

[domino]

You can use a script with settings for environment

for node_a
set DSM_DIR=C:\program files\Tivoli\TSM\baclient
set DSM_CONFIG=C:\Program Files\Tivoli\TSM\baclient\nodes\node_a.opt
set DSM_LOG=C:\Program Files\Tivoli\TSM\baclient\nodes\node_a_error.opt
dsm
...

for node_b
set DSM_DIR=C:\program files\Tivoli\TSM\baclient
set DSM_CONFIG=C:\Program Files\Tivoli\TSM\baclient\nodes\node_b.opt
set DSM_LOG=C:\Program Files\Tivoli\TSM\baclient\nodes\node_b_error.opt
dsm
...