Re: Reading client data from a storage pool tape.

The auditor would like a published statement from IBM TSM that says
something like:
The TSM data is written in a proprietary format which prevents a tape
utility; such as 'ditto', 'Iebcopy', etc.,
from being able to read any of the client information.

Thank you for your help and patience.

Frank McClean
ITSB  SSU
(916)795-1353
frank_mcclean AT calpers.ca DOT gov


-----Original Message-----
From: ADSM: Dist Stor Manager [mailto:ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU] On Behalf Of
Andrew Raibeck
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 1:16 PM
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Subject: Re: Reading client data from a storage pool tape.


Please forgive my density, but I am still not clear on what kind of
"statement" you are looking for. What is it *specifically* that the
auditor wants to know? I would think the auditor would be asking for a
statement of what we do, not what we don't do. I am not aware of any
explicit statements like, "use of compression will obfuscate the data",
but I would think that is a given for *any* compression scheme used by
*any* product (but maybe I presume too much?).

If the auditor wants to know whether the files can be readily retrieved
in their original format by reading the tapes, then the answer is "no",
per the section of the Admin Guide I quoted in my original response to
your question.

If the auditor wants to know whether the data can be retrieved *at all*
by reading the tapes, then the answer is "theoretically, yes". Given
enough resources (time, compute power, money, brain power), I'm not sure
there yet exists any unhackable encryption scheme; it's all a matter of
putting enough blocks in place to discourage. This would apply to any
system, and is not specific to TSM. This is not explicitly documented
anywhere, but could be intuited from other information in the doc and
what we know today about data security.

As for explicit encryption (which is really what we are talking about, I
think), that is supported via the client side INCLUDE.ENCRYPT option.
There is a statement in the description for that option (in the client
manual, in the options reference info for "Include") that says the TSM
does not encrypt the data without the use of this option.

The TSM 5.3 client introduces a stronger encryption type. You can
selected between DES56 (the older encryption method) or AES128 via the
ENCRYPTIONTYPE client option.

Regards,

Andy

Andy Raibeck
IBM Software Group
Tivoli Storage Manager Client Development
Internal Notes e-mail: Andrew Raibeck/Tucson/IBM@IBMUS
Internet e-mail: storman AT us.ibm DOT com

The only dumb question is the one that goes unasked.
The command line is your friend.
"Good enough" is the enemy of excellence.

"ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU> wrote on 2005-02-18
12:57:19:

> This is exactly the information I need for the Auditor.
> Is this spelled out in any formal IBM TSM documentation? Thanks,
>
> Frank McClean
> ITSB  SSU
> (916)795-1353
> frank_mcclean AT calpers.ca DOT gov
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ADSM: Dist Stor Manager [mailto:ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU] On Behalf 
> Of Andrew Raibeck
> Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 11:44 AM
> To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> Subject: Re: Reading client data from a storage pool tape.
>
>
> > If you dump the data off of the tape, what do you see.
>
> That depends. Factors to consider include:
>
> - Format of the data that was backed up (was it already compressed or 
> encrypted, for example)?
>
> - Use of client-side encryption (use this if security is required)
>
> - Use of client-side compression (helps to obfuscate the data)
>
> - Use of tape hardware compression (helps to obfuscate the data)
>
> Even assuming that you don't do any of the above, the data is stored 
> in a proprietary format. You just can't read the tape and pick off 
> whole, intact files up from start to finish. The need for an intact 
> TSM server database to restore the client data is necessary in order 
> for the data to be read from the tapes and put back on the client, in 
> its original format. But a serious hacker could probably get at bits 
> and pieces of the data. This is why we offer client-side encryption of

> the data (compression isn't the same as encryption per se, but it 
> offers another layer of obfuscation just the same).
>
> Regards,
>
> Andy
>
> Andy Raibeck
> IBM Software Group
> Tivoli Storage Manager Client Development
> Internal Notes e-mail: Andrew Raibeck/Tucson/IBM@IBMUS Internet 
> e-mail: storman AT us.ibm DOT com
>
> The only dumb question is the one that goes unasked.
> The command line is your friend.
> "Good enough" is the enemy of excellence.
>
> "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU> wrote on 2005-02-18
> 12:20:54:
>
> > Let me rephrase the question.
> > If you dump the data off of the tape, what do you see.
> >
> > Frank McClean
> > ITSB  SSU
> > (916)795-1353
> > frank_mcclean AT calpers.ca DOT gov
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: ADSM: Dist Stor Manager [mailto:ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU] On 
> > Behalf Of Andrew Raibeck
> > Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 11:16 AM
> > To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> > Subject: Re: Reading client data from a storage pool tape.
> >
> >
> > I found this pretty quickly in the Admin Guide.
> >
> > Chapter 24 "Protecting and Recovering Your Server"
> >
> > Verse "Database and Recovery Log Protection: An Overview"
> >
> > "The database contains information about the client data in your 
> > storage pools. The recovery log contains records of changes to the 
> > database. If you lose the recovery log, you lose the changes that 
> > have
>
> > been made since the last database backup. If you lose the database, 
> > you lose all your client data."
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Andy
> >
> > Andy Raibeck
> > IBM Software Group
> > Tivoli Storage Manager Client Development
> > Internal Notes e-mail: Andrew Raibeck/Tucson/IBM@IBMUS Internet
> > e-mail: storman AT us.ibm DOT com
> >
> > The only dumb question is the one that goes unasked.
> > The command line is your friend.
> > "Good enough" is the enemy of excellence.
> >
> > "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU> wrote on 2005-02-18
> > 11:47:59:
> >
> > > "The only way to read client data from a tape is to set-up another

> > > TSM
> >
> > > server, and restore the database from your current TSM server onto

> > > it.
> >
> > > You would then be able to access the data on the tape, it cannot 
> > > be done without TSM." I have heard this several times. Where in 
> > > the IBM
>
> > > TSM documentation does it specifically state this?
> > > I need to quote chapter and verse to an auditor.
> > >
> > > Frank McClean
> > > frank_mcclean AT calpers.ca DOT gov