Various Questions concerning TSM and Tape Library

[egtegt]

The "problem" is that the customer is thinking in Backup Exec terms and is thinking that there must be a monthly or annual backup of his data that he can take offsite.

That is not the way TSM works.

If you really need a good reliability, you can have two copy pools so that you keep two copies of everything which is on your DR550.

Is it possible that TSM continues to write on one tape until it is full and then takes a new scratch tape?

That is exactly what TSM does, if you run a backup stg every night, it will add the data to the tapes still in the library. If you create less than the content of one tape every month, you will have only one tape to send offsite (plus the DBBACKUPS)

That would make it easier for me to take a complete backup offsite.

I'm going to say it again the principle is that you send a complete backup offsite and then you just add incremental tapes to that backup. There is no use to send data again once it is up there. If you don't think it is reliable enough, you can send as much copies as you want, but only once.

If I understand that correctly, reclamation works in that way, that data, that has expired, is deleted from tape. But in the archive I don't have files that expire, i.e. files that are deleted.

In that case, reclamation will only be usefull for tapes sent offsite which were not full. For example if you send a tape only 30% full offsite and you decide that you want tapes at least 50 % full offsite, then you set reclamation to 50 % and it will copy the 30% to a new tape and then add the next month data on it. If you generate 30% of the tape again, then it will be 60% full and will remain offsite and you can get back the previous tape which will be considered empty.
To make it more clear :

Month 1 : tape1 30% full sent offsite

Month 2 : copy the content of tape1 to tape2 and add month 2 data to tape2. (this can seem magic but TSM can copy the content of a tape in a vault... as long as this tape is a copy of tapes in the library )

End of month 2 : send send tape2 offsite (around 60 % full) and get back tape1 to library as a scratch.

What I planned to do was to execute a "del volhist type=stgnew tod=today-14" to make old tapes scratch again.
Regards Mana

this won't work, this will only erase the information that the tapes were added to the pool but not their content. Del volhist works only for deleting dbbackups. For copy pools volumes, you will have to use either Move data, reclaim stgpool or del volume discard=yes.

If you really want to get back a tape from the vault and replace it by a new one, you could just type : move data <TAPENAME> It will copy it's content to a new tape and then you can even add data to this tape. But where is the point if the tape is full, just leave it in the vault

 

[Manaburner]

Hi,

That is exactly what TSM does, if you run a backup stg every night, it will add the data to the tapes still in the library. If you create less than the content of one tape every month, you will have only one tape to send offsite (plus the DBBACKUPS)

That is great news. It means for us, that we can manager to get a complete month on one tape, as we only backup 55 GB of data at the moment and we use LTO4 Tapes.

Month 1 : tape1 30% full sent offsite

Month 2 : copy the content of tape1 to tape2 and add month 2 data to tape2. (this can seem magic but TSM can copy the content of a tape in a vault... as long as this tape is a copy of tapes in the library )

End of month 2 : send send tape2 offsite (around 60 % full) and get back tape1 to library as a scratch.

Sounds like extreme TSM-ing for me

I think when the library only has one tape drive, reclamation can be a real pain in the a**. So I think we won't use that in the first step. Maybe we'll add another drive in the future.

this won't work, this will only erase the information that the tapes were added to the pool but not their content. Del volhist works only for deleting dbbackups. For copy pools volumes, you will have to use either Move data, reclaim stgpool or del volume discard=yes.

Ok got it. But then I have to figure out, which tape was used and can be deleted. Is there an easy way for that?

If you really want to get back a tape from the vault and replace it by a new one, you could just type : move data <TAPENAME> It will copy it's content to a new tape and then you can even add data to this tape. But where is the point if the tape is full, just leave it in the vault

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

Regards Mana

 

[egtegt]

Hi,



That is great news. It means for us, that we can manager to get a complete month on one tape, as we only backup 55 GB of data at the moment and we use LTO4 Tapes.

What do you mean by 55 Gb, is it per month ? the total ?

Sounds like extreme TSM-ing for me

I think when the library only has one tape drive, reclamation can be a real pain in the a**. So I think we won't use that in the first step. Maybe we'll add another drive in the future.

that is only true if you have a primary pool on tape, but I think that your primary pool is on disk. If your tapes are offsite, the reclamation will be done from disk to tape : no need for a second drive.

Ok got it. But then I have to figure out, which tape was used and can be deleted. Is there an easy way for that?



Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

Regards Mana

Please forget about tapes, think of pools. You rarely delete tapes in tsm, you usually empty them and TSM delete them.

To find about you tapes, use the Q vol command.

 

[Manaburner]

What do you mean by 55 Gb, is it per month ? the total ?

That is the total of data to be backed up at the moment. Not much, I know

Please forget about tapes, think of pools. You rarely delete tapes in tsm, you usually empty them and TSM delete them.

OK, I'll try to forget about tapes, I really do

How does TSM "empty" the tapes? Is that controlled via the file expiration?

Regards Mana

 

[moon-buddy]

How does TSM "empty" the tapes? Is that controlled via the file expiration?

A combination of expiration and/or reclamation.

 

[Manaburner]

OK, but the archived data expires after 10 years. That would mean that the storage pools (I hope that's the correct expression in that case) are "blocked" for 10 years, because if I understood the process of reclamation correctly, it only does reclaim space for those files, that expire.

Regards Mana

 

[egtegt]

That is the total of data to be backed up at the moment. Not much, I know

So your case is quite simple : you could :

Create 2 or 3 copy pools, let's call them offsite1 offsite2 and offsite3

run daily 3 backup stg, one to each copy pool

Once a month, run the command :

reclaim stg offsite1 thres=50 wait=yes
reclaim stg offsite2 thres=50 wait=yes
reclaim stg offsite3 thres=50 wait=yes
backup db t=full devc=devlto4
Q vol stg=offsite*

checkout all volumes in these pools, update their status to offsite (upd vol XXXXX acc=offsite)

run
Q vol acc=offsite status=empty

return all the empty tapes

 

[Manaburner]

Create 2 or 3 copy pools, let's call them offsite1 offsite2 and offsite3

One (maybe dumb) question. Why would I need 2 or 3 copy pools?

checkout all volumes in these pools, update their status to offsite (upd vol XXXXX acc=offsite)

I was thinking that it's enough to do a checkout libvol of the tapes in the pool. So if I understand you correctly, I also have to set the access to offsite.
Is that just a marker for the TSM admin to see, which tapes are offsite or does this also have another purpose?

run
Q vol acc=offsite status=empty

return all the empty tapes

I guess this command is to see, which tapes are offsite and have the status empty. Am I right to assume that they get that status=empty through the reclamation process you mentioned before?

Regards Mana

 

[Manaburner]

Hi,

as proposed by moon-buddy, I added a second library config as follows

def libr ts3200tsmdb libt=SCSI autolabel=no

def path tsm ts3200tsmdb srct=server autodetect=yes desttype=libr device=/dev/smc0

def drive ts3200tsmdb tapedrive2

def path tsm tapedrive2 srct=server autodetect=yes desttype=drive libr=ts3200tsmdb device=/dev/rmt0

def devc LTO4TSMDBClass libr=ts3200tsmdb devt=lto format=drive mountlimit=drives

def stgp LTO4TSMDBPool LTO4TSMDBClass pooltype=copy crcd=yes maxscr=4

Then I defined a backup script

def script backup_dr550 "backup stg archivepool lto4pool shredtonoshred=yes wait=yes" line=001

update script backup_dr550 "backup db devc=lto4tsmdbclass type=full" line=002

Now I have the problem that when I run the script the storage pool backup succeeds but then the tape remains in drive with the state "IDLE" and another tape for the dbbackup can't be mounted.
Then I used the command "dismount vol volumename" to umount the currently loaded IDLE volume.

What also happened which I don't know if it is normal, that after that command the tape was moved to a different slot than it was when it was mounted for the storage pool backup before.

But still the dbbackup didn't start. It complains about insufficient mount points.

When I query the drives the tapedrive2 says in the line "drive state -> unknown". And it says that a volume is inside but that isn't the case

What am I doing wrong? Configuration error?

Thanks for your help

Regards Mana

 

[Manaburner]

I think the problem is, that the tape is not automatically dismounted after storage pool backup.

Is there a way to do that automatically?

Some strage error messages:

ANR8963E: Unable to find path to match the serial number defined for drive TAPEDRIVE2 in libraryr TS3200TSMDB

ANR8873E: The path from source TSM to destination TAPEDRIVE2 (/dev/rmt0) is taken offline.

ANR1794W: TSM SAN discovery is disabled by options

 

[moon-buddy]

I think the problem is, that the tape is not automatically dismounted after storage pool backup.

Is there a way to do that automatically?

If I am right, the idle tape drive parameter is set at the library.

Some strage error messages:

ANR8963E: Unable to find path to match the serial number defined for drive TAPEDRIVE2 in library TS3200TSMDB

ANR8873E: The path from source TSM to destination TAPEDRIVE2 (/dev/rmt0) is taken offline.

ANR1794W: TSM SAN discovery is disabled by options

Enter the command: "q path" and "q drive" to see if the path or drive is offline. If it is, bring it online.

I suggest you separate the script events. Running DB backups should be a separate event from any other event or process

 

[Manaburner]

Hi,

If I am right, the idle tape drive parameter is set at the library.

Do you know the name of the parameter? Do you mean the MounteRetention parameter in the device class?

Enter the command: "q path" and "q drive" to see if the path or drive is offline. If it is, bring it online.

I suggest you separate the script events. Running DB backups should be a separate event from any other event or process

The path was set to offline. I changed it to online but the result was the same.

I used it in one script because that is said in the DR550 implementation guide.

When I separate it, there's still the problem of unmounting the tape from the storage pool backup, isn't it?

Regards Mana

 

[Manaburner]

A combination of expiration and/or reclamation.

Is there a way for me to see, when the data expires? Because I found out that I cannot delete volumes with storage pool backups on them as the data on it is retention protected.

 

[moon-buddy]

Hi,

Do you know the name of the parameter? Do you mean the MounteRetention parameter in the device class?

Yes this is what I was really looking for: mountretention

The path was set to offline. I changed it to online but the result was the same.

I used it in one script because that is said in the DR550 implementation guide.

When I separate it, there's still the problem of unmounting the tape from the storage pool backup, isn't it?

Regards Mana

The mountretention time should take care of this. I have mine at 0 minutes.

 

[Manaburner]

Hi moon-buddy,

while configuring an additional library and so on, I was thinking, why I should even care about on which tapes the TSM database backups are located. If I need to know, I can have a look at the volhist. So I finally made the decision that I don't need dedicated tapes for the TSM db backup. I let TSM handle that for me.

But one problem arose: how can I delete volumes with storage pool backups on them as the data on it is retention protected. Or better: when does TSM clear those tapes for deletion?

 

[chichow1]

disclaimer: I'm new to TSM and also to the IBM DR550.

I think the issue is the IBM DR550 is set to be an archive machine used often as a replacement for optical platters.

As such, the TSM server has set the ARCHIVEPOOL with a never expire retention.

As such, Reclaim and Delete volume simply won't work.

I think you can only Move data, but in my @$(*@($%*$% case, I don't know what to do when Move data fails.

 

[Manaburner]

Hi chichow1,

Move Data wouldn't help me to save tapes as the data is just moved from one tape to another. I think in the DR550 reclamation will work, but only when the data expires. And as long as the users don't delete, nothing will expire.

 

[cozcol]

I have a similar problem where I have retention of 7 years on copypools namely the offsite pool. I am scratching my head as to how I move data around on these tapes.

Reclamation is the answer I am sure as I don't really want to move data physically from 1 media to another. Whenever i try to move media to any volume within the same pool i.e. OFFSITE it fails on me anyway.

I do struggle and scratch head often as to the utilisation of the tapes currently offsite and are set to read/only or unavailable.

I am sure RECLAMATION is the answer so am playing around with the thresholds. 90,88,87,86,85...etc..... and a slow process of watching the utilisation of the tapes coming down.

And I must say MANABURNER you have come along leaps and bounds with TSM as I was reading a recent thread with lots of questions in it and you mentioned you were new to TSM. It was mainly a thread with yourself and moon_buddy. Sorting out lots of Q's.

I also had lots and lots of Q's when I started using TSM as it is a strange kinda animal.

Especially when you have come from Netbackup / Backupexec / COMMVAULT / and the rest of the suite with FULLs/WEEKLY's but they still ran Incrementals so it wasn't too much of a shift.

 

[BBB]

If you are doing offsite reclamation of lots of volumes, check out the offsitereclaimlimit setting. Without it, you'll reclaim all tapes that meet the threshold simultaneously. If you have 50 tapes to reclaim, it will take a looong time to get any of them finished.

 

[egtegt]

Reclamation is the answer I am sure as I don't really want to move data physically from 1 media to another. Whenever i try to move media to any volume within the same pool i.e. OFFSITE it fails on me anyway.

I do struggle and scratch head often as to the utilisation of the tapes currently offsite and are set to read/only or unavailable.

I am sure RECLAMATION is the answer so am playing around with the thresholds. 90,88,87,86,85...etc..... and a slow process of watching the utilisation of the tapes coming down.

If you want to reclaim data on offsite tapes, you have to set their access to "offsite" then reclaim will use the primary data to copy the data to new tapes.