ADSM-L

Re: TSM and Wake-on-LAN

2006-07-10 16:44:48
Subject: Re: TSM and Wake-on-LAN
From: Michal Mertl <michal.mertl AT I DOT CZ>
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2006 22:43:48 +0200
Richard Sims wrote:
> On Jul 10, 2006, at 1:49 PM, Michal Mertl wrote:
>
> > There is about 20 Windows workstations configured to be backed up
> > by TSM
> > server during the night. The users often turn them off when leaving
> > the
> > office and backup thus fails (the server can't contact them). If
> > TSM (or
> > some 3rd party application executed by pre-backup script or something)
> > sent WOL packets to the workstations and they were correctly
> > configured
> > the backup will succeed.
>
> Michal - Thanks for the additional info, for us to evaluate the essence
>           of the scenario.
>
> Based upon my experience in the industry, I think it's a Bad Idea to
> have shut down computers come to life in the middle of the night, for
> several reasons.  The first and most apparent is security -
> particularly with Windows systems.  There have been many occasions
> where viruses and worms have introduced overnight: literally.
> Picture the scenario where an office shuts down at 5 pm, turning off
> their Windows PCs.  A new Internet mechanism for attacking Windows
> PCs is implemented starting at 8 pm.  These office PCs come to life
> at 1 am and are almost immediately hit - before the backups get a
> chance to get started.  Not only are the PCs corrupted when staff
> arrives the next morning, but there is no chance of recovering recent
> data.  I can't imagine any Security Department being happy with WOL.
> Where offices are unattended, PCs should be turned off for the day,
> providing the opportunity for support personnel to act on security
> alerts before PCs are turned on the next day.
>
> Another issue is safety.  Computers and their peripherals are
> connected to substantial electrical energy sources, and generate
> heat.  Imagine some custodial staff or movers coming into the vacated
> office area to do some work, where they push things around or pile
> material on top of "turned off" equipment.  That equipment comes on
> and, after a while, overheats.  Lots of opportunity for calamity there.
>
> What would make more sense is for the office PCs to be equipped with
> software which will perform a set of day-end housekeeping tasks, and
> then shut down.  One of those tasks would be backup.  I'm not a
> Windows expert, but software of that nature must be out there.
>

Thanks for your comments. Yours are valid concerns but I only manage the
TSM and was asked to find out about WOL.

In the meantime we are planning to inform the users about the situation
and ask them to leave the machines running overnight at least from time
to time so that we have some backup.

Thanks again.

--
S pozdravem

Michal Mertl
ICZ a.s.

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